Strange occurance at the range

[Tokimini]

My son and I were at the range yesterday doing some load development with CFE223. We shot about 7 rounds each loaded with my old stand bys, R10X or 8208XBR with no problems. We then shot about 40 rounds with CFE223 with different powder weights and different bullets, again with no problems. I went back to either R10X or 8208XBR (can't remember which one) for my last 5 shots. The first 3 went fine.
The last 2 each produced a very large white cloud when fired, so large they obscured my son's view of the target through the spotting scope.
I have used CFE223 before then switched back to the other powders with nothing weird happening. The only thing I have changed is I switched from Hoppe's #9 to Shooter's Choice bore cleaner. Any idea what caused the white smoke?

[204cat]

friction ? 50 shots no barrel cleaning ? three different powders ? i would guess carbon fouling.

[Tokimini]

Most of the rounds were the CFE223, which is supposed to eliminate carbon build up. I normally shoot at that many rounds, switching back and forth between different powders, and have never had anything similar happen. I looked through the barrel after it happen and looked clean.

[204cat]

maybe some of the powder did not form correctly when they were making the powder ? or something fell in to your batch when you were reloading ? have not heard of anything like that so all i can do is guess.

i stay pretty much stay with one powder and one bullet per range trip. makes record keeping easier.

[Hedge]

Last time I saw something like that, it was the bullets vaporizing. Did yours reach the target?

[Tokimini]

Hedge, I don't think so. I was shooting at a 1/2" pipe someone had stuck in the bank at the end of the range. It had already been hit multiple times. My first three shots hit. The last two were obscured by smoke. Neither my son nor I could be sure but I don't think either of the last two hit.

[204cat]

you said different bullets. what bullets did you use ? could the last two have been 40grain with a 32grian bullet charge ? were the last two smokers the same bullet as the three before them ?

[Tokimini]

you said different bullets. what bullets did you use ? could the last two have been 40grain with a 32grian bullet charge ? were the last two smokers the same bullet as the three before them ?

I use both 40gr Vmaxs and 39gr Sierra BKs. The last 5 rounds were all 40gr Vmaxs.

[204cat]

i am out of ideas as to what it could have been to cause the smoke. i would check your cases again very carefully for pressure signs. probably not going to find any but after an incident like that i would check every thing over again.

been using 32 grain vmax with out any problems. stay safe.

[Hedge]

Tokimini -

We may never know what it was. The bullets you were using should have held together unless you were sending them out waaaay too fast.
I think 204cat summed it up.

You might try again and use some paper to see the hits. If they don't reach the target, they're coming apart in flight.

[Tokimini]

Thanks guys

[jo191145]

Most of the rounds were the CFE223, which is supposed to eliminate carbon build up. I normally shoot at that many rounds, switching back and forth between different powders, and have never had anything similar happen. I looked through the barrel after it happen and looked clean.

CFE is supposed to help eliminate copper fouling not carbon. One of the easiest ways to dissuade copper fouling is with a little extra carbon.

Take 10X which in my opinion is the dirtiest powder available for the 204,
Mix that with 8208XBR which is laced with so many additives it leaves a plastic film in the barrel,
Then throw in CFE of which I have no opinion and strange things are quarenteed to happen.

[bow shot]

A memory just came to mind. I remember one day I was shooting... it wasn't unusually cold, I'm thinking above 50 degrees... and I had a similar thing happen. though it was well above the temp at which you should normally see your breath as a vapor, I did indeed see vapor and is was VERY heavy. The phenom only lasted a few minutes. And I recall seeing the scope "white out" on several shots.

Wish I had more to say... it was severaly years ago.

[Tokimini]

I think I figured out my problem. I sort all my cases by volume using very fine grain powder I got from disassembling some defective Hornady factory loads. The other day I noticed some flecks of powder in one of the sorted cases bag. I must not have gotten all this powder out of the two weird rounds. My bad.

[bow shot]

Well, its always a good thing when the mystery is solved, LOL!!