A disturbing lesson learned...

[Rod Outback]

Folks,

Loaded up 53 of my 7mm-08 cases yesterday. These are all the same brand of
brass (Winchester), and have been sized and trimmed to length. I'm loading
up the last of my Nosler 120Gn Ballistic Tips, which are about the only
projectiles I have for this cartridge. When the rifle first arrived in late
2013, my shooting mate loaded up the 100 140Gn BT projectiles, and also 50
of the 120Gn BT projectiles, as he worked up loads for each weight, before
loading the remaining up with the most accurate load. Since then, the only
projectiles I have been able to source in the Nosler range, have been the
120Gn BT projectiles.
[In the past 2 months, I did source some 120Gn Hornady V-Max bullets, but
they are yet to have the seal broken on them...]

I loaded a batch of 20 initially, as it is the first time I have set these
dies up in the new Forster press.
[The Phukup Fairy REALLY likes living with me, so doing a smaller initial
batch saves me a LOT more crying when I have to start again...]

So, my final step in my process, is to weigh each loaded cartridge. It
doesnt take long to come up with the most common weight for each brand of
brass for that projectile weight, and so it gives me a yard-stick to check
everything against.

So, of the 20 loaded cartridges, 14 weigh close to the same weight (within 3
grains of each other), wheras the other 6 all weigh 30 grains heavier, but
all within 3 grains of each other as well!

Now, one of the reasons I started weighing loaded rounds, is as a final
check to ensure I havent made the colossal mistake of either NO powder, or a
partial charge.
But almost exactly 30 grains heavier?? Thats not enough for a double charge
(which wont fit in the case anyway), but too much for simple case variation.

WTF is going on??

After smoko, I return to the gunroom, and weigh the prepped empty cases that
remained (33), in the hope that I would find the same clustering of weights
of the empty brass.
Nope; the brass all weighs within 2 grains of each other.
Bugger!
So, I load 2 cartridges up, and bugger me if they dont weigh 30 grains
apart!!

So, I have now explored all the freaking obvious, and so I move into the
unbelievable...

I pour all the projectiles out, and weigh each one. In amongst the box of
50 Ballistic Tips, I have at least 11 150Gn Ballistic Tips!
Yep; I seem to have a mixed bag of weights from an out-of-the-sealed box of
projectiles from Dr Nosler!!

I ran the callipers over all the suspect projectiles, and they are
definitely 7mm (which matches the colour-coded polymer tip).
I weighed each of these projectiles individually, and they are all 150gns.
I pull all the suspect loaded cartridges, and each are loaded with the 150Gn
BT projectiles as well. In total, I find I have 17 of them.
I also pulled a handfull of the loaded cartridges with the correct weight,
and they all have 120gn pills in them.
The load I am using is toward the top end of the recommended load range(it
was the tightest grouping), and this charge behind a 150Gn pill would make
them around 3.4 grains over max recommended load.
Now, I appreciate that the rifle would likely handle being slightly over
charged, but 3.4 grains high might be pushing the friendship somewhat!!

I have NEVER bought 150Gn BT projectiles, as I understood 139gn was the
sweet spot for performance, and I then found I couldnt source any additional
140Gn BT projectiles, so we settled on the lighter 120Gn pills.
Further; I have never had loose 140gn projectiles here, as my mate took them
all away, and loaded them all up at his place while undertaking load
testing.
I have rummaged through all the used boxes of projectiles(I keep them as
they come in handy for storing away little things some time), and none of
the 7mm boxes are for anything other than 120Gn BT's.
I have NO-ONE else in the district whom uses 7mm, and not even any of my
distance shooting mates have 7mm rifles, so it's nigh impossible that some
kindly soul tucked some spare projectiles into my inventory without my
knowledge.
I have been through ALL of the spent brass for 7mm-08 I have, and NONE show
signs of overpressure, which I'm damn sure would be obvious if loaded 3.4
grains over max!
I have weighed the remaining 30 loaded cartridges from the previous loading
session back in July, and they all weighed the same weight as the 120gn
loaded cartridges from this current batch.
I then loaded up all the prepped brass (including the ones I pulled) with
120gn BT pills, and the loaded cartridges all weigh within 3 grains of each
other.

So, there are two possible options that I can see:

1). I received a complete box of 150Gn BT projectiles, which were labelled
as 120Gn.
-- OR --
2). I received a box of 120gn BT projectiles, with a sprinkling of 150gn BT
projectiles included, just to add to the mix!

Now, EITHER option is of concern, but worryingly, I find it's more likely
that the second possibility is the one. I cant find any spent brass with
overpressure signs (and there should be at least 33 spent cartridges showing
these signs, if I had a whole box of them).
I only have 210 brass cases in 7mm-08 at present, so it's a bit hard to miss
33 of them!

So....could I prove any of this to Dr Nosler??
Probably not. I cant even remember exactly what projectiles were purchased
when.
I do know that I have never purchased projectiles of this weight, and I have
no-one whom could have mistakenly given them to me.

HOWEVER, from this, I learned a few golden rules:

1). I now have a BLOODY GOOD reason why the extra step of weighing the
loaded cartridges at the end, is a really wise safety step.
2). NEVER ASSUME the projectiles are all as stated on the box; even when
it's sealed. It's pretty quick to weigh a sealed box, and divide by quantity
to get a rough idea if they seem right.
3). I'm going to add weighing projectiles to my process, just as a
precaution.
4). Even buying a quality brand doesnt guarantee they will get their quality
control right all the time(this shouldnt be a big surprise)...
5). Those little digital gem scales are worth their weight in gold...

Well; That lesson could have ended up a lot more painfully learned...

I wonder what the Phukup Fairy has in store for her next effort...
-------

Cheers,

Rod...Out Back

-------
For Photos I've taken since June 2013:

http://s1035.photobucket.com/user/Rod_Outback/library/

For a Roundup of photos taken until Flickr ruined their site in 2013, have a
look at

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rod_outback/

[Bluey69]

Post by Rod Outback
Folks,
Loaded up 53 of my 7mm-08 cases yesterday. These are all the same brand
of brass (Winchester), and have been sized and trimmed to length. I'm
loading up the last of my Nosler 120Gn Ballistic Tips, which are about
the only projectiles I have for this cartridge. When the rifle first
arrived in late 2013, my shooting mate loaded up the 100 140Gn BT
projectiles, and also 50 of the 120Gn BT projectiles, as he worked up
loads for each weight, before loading the remaining up with the most
accurate load. Since then, the only projectiles I have been able to
source in the Nosler range, have been the 120Gn BT projectiles.
[In the past 2 months, I did source some 120Gn Hornady V-Max bullets,
but they are yet to have the seal broken on them...]
I loaded a batch of 20 initially, as it is the first time I have set
these dies up in the new Forster press.
[The Phukup Fairy REALLY likes living with me, so doing a smaller
initial batch saves me a LOT more crying when I have to start again...]
So, my final step in my process, is to weigh each loaded cartridge. It
doesnt take long to come up with the most common weight for each brand
of brass for that projectile weight, and so it gives me a yard-stick to
check everything against.
So, of the 20 loaded cartridges, 14 weigh close to the same weight
(within 3 grains of each other), wheras the other 6 all weigh 30 grains
heavier, but all within 3 grains of each other as well!
Now, one of the reasons I started weighing loaded rounds, is as a final
check to ensure I havent made the colossal mistake of either NO powder,
or a partial charge.
But almost exactly 30 grains heavier?? Thats not enough for a double
charge (which wont fit in the case anyway), but too much for simple case
variation.
WTF is going on??
After smoko, I return to the gunroom, and weigh the prepped empty cases
that remained (33), in the hope that I would find the same clustering of
weights of the empty brass.
Nope; the brass all weighs within 2 grains of each other.
Bugger!
So, I load 2 cartridges up, and bugger me if they dont weigh 30 grains
apart!!
So, I have now explored all the freaking obvious, and so I move into the
unbelievable...
I pour all the projectiles out, and weigh each one. In amongst the box
of 50 Ballistic Tips, I have at least 11 150Gn Ballistic Tips!
Yep; I seem to have a mixed bag of weights from an out-of-the-sealed box
of projectiles from Dr Nosler!!
I ran the callipers over all the suspect projectiles, and they are
definitely 7mm (which matches the colour-coded polymer tip).
I weighed each of these projectiles individually, and they are all 150gns.
I pull all the suspect loaded cartridges, and each are loaded with the
150Gn BT projectiles as well. In total, I find I have 17 of them.
I also pulled a handfull of the loaded cartridges with the correct
weight, and they all have 120gn pills in them.
The load I am using is toward the top end of the recommended load
range(it was the tightest grouping), and this charge behind a 150Gn pill
would make them around 3.4 grains over max recommended load.
Now, I appreciate that the rifle would likely handle being slightly over
charged, but 3.4 grains high might be pushing the friendship somewhat!!
I have NEVER bought 150Gn BT projectiles, as I understood 139gn was the
sweet spot for performance, and I then found I couldnt source any
additional 140Gn BT projectiles, so we settled on the lighter 120Gn pills.
Further; I have never had loose 140gn projectiles here, as my mate took
them all away, and loaded them all up at his place while undertaking
load testing.
I have rummaged through all the used boxes of projectiles(I keep them as
they come in handy for storing away little things some time), and none
of the 7mm boxes are for anything other than 120Gn BT's.
I have NO-ONE else in the district whom uses 7mm, and not even any of my
distance shooting mates have 7mm rifles, so it's nigh impossible that
some kindly soul tucked some spare projectiles into my inventory without
my knowledge.
I have been through ALL of the spent brass for 7mm-08 I have, and NONE
show signs of overpressure, which I'm damn sure would be obvious if
loaded 3.4 grains over max!
I have weighed the remaining 30 loaded cartridges from the previous
loading session back in July, and they all weighed the same weight as
the 120gn loaded cartridges from this current batch.
I then loaded up all the prepped brass (including the ones I pulled)
with 120gn BT pills, and the loaded cartridges all weigh within 3 grains
of each other.
1). I received a complete box of 150Gn BT projectiles, which were
labelled as 120Gn.
-- OR --
2). I received a box of 120gn BT projectiles, with a sprinkling of 150gn
BT projectiles included, just to add to the mix!
Now, EITHER option is of concern, but worryingly, I find it's more
likely that the second possibility is the one. I cant find any spent
brass with overpressure signs (and there should be at least 33 spent
cartridges showing these signs, if I had a whole box of them).
I only have 210 brass cases in 7mm-08 at present, so it's a bit hard to
miss 33 of them!
So....could I prove any of this to Dr Nosler??
Probably not. I cant even remember exactly what projectiles were
purchased when.
I do know that I have never purchased projectiles of this weight, and I
have no-one whom could have mistakenly given them to me.
1). I now have a BLOODY GOOD reason why the extra step of weighing the
loaded cartridges at the end, is a really wise safety step.
2). NEVER ASSUME the projectiles are all as stated on the box; even when
it's sealed. It's pretty quick to weigh a sealed box, and divide by
quantity to get a rough idea if they seem right.
3). I'm going to add weighing projectiles to my process, just as a
precaution.
4). Even buying a quality brand doesnt guarantee they will get their
quality control right all the time(this shouldnt be a big surprise)...
5). Those little digital gem scales are worth their weight in gold...
Well; That lesson could have ended up a lot more painfully learned...
I wonder what the Phukup Fairy has in store for her next effort...
-------
Cheers,
Rod...Out Back
-------
http://s1035.photobucket.com/user/Rod_Outback/library/
For a Roundup of photos taken until Flickr ruined their site in 2013,
have a look at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rod_outback/

I have a 243 , and reload for that .Many years ago when Bowerings had a
gunshop in Woods street Darwin I bought 5 x 100ea boxes of Hornady 87Gn
soft point projectiles on special around 1980 . Over the years Ive used
about 150 of those projectiles .
I had a lot of empty cases and a bit of time on my hands a while back
and decided to load up the cases . Ok loading away abd into anew box of
projectiles and the next thing no lead tip showing on one of the
projectiles mmmmm must be a hollow point , yep big hollow point because
there was no lead in the jacket , tipped the rest of the box out on the
bench and found four more empty jackets .
Damned shortchanged on lead , would have been a screaming mimi if I had
launched a jacket with 42Gns of W760 behind it out of the Winchester .
Could have been nasty .I guess in my case and yours Rod it pays to be
cautious.
In the world of high speed production mistakes are still made.

[Rod Outback]

Post by Bluey69

Post by Rod Outback
Folks,
Loaded up 53 of my 7mm-08 cases yesterday. These are all the same brand
of brass (Winchester), and have been sized and trimmed to length. I'm
loading up the last of my Nosler 120Gn Ballistic Tips, which are about
the only projectiles I have for this cartridge. When the rifle first
arrived in late 2013, my shooting mate loaded up the 100 140Gn BT
projectiles, and also 50 of the 120Gn BT projectiles, as he worked up
loads for each weight, before loading the remaining up with the most
accurate load. Since then, the only projectiles I have been able to
source in the Nosler range, have been the 120Gn BT projectiles.
[In the past 2 months, I did source some 120Gn Hornady V-Max bullets,
but they are yet to have the seal broken on them...]
I loaded a batch of 20 initially, as it is the first time I have set
these dies up in the new Forster press.
[The Phukup Fairy REALLY likes living with me, so doing a smaller
initial batch saves me a LOT more crying when I have to start again...]
So, my final step in my process, is to weigh each loaded cartridge. It
doesnt take long to come up with the most common weight for each brand
of brass for that projectile weight, and so it gives me a yard-stick to
check everything against.
So, of the 20 loaded cartridges, 14 weigh close to the same weight
(within 3 grains of each other), wheras the other 6 all weigh 30 grains
heavier, but all within 3 grains of each other as well!
Now, one of the reasons I started weighing loaded rounds, is as a final
check to ensure I havent made the colossal mistake of either NO powder,
or a partial charge.
But almost exactly 30 grains heavier?? Thats not enough for a double
charge (which wont fit in the case anyway), but too much for simple case
variation.
WTF is going on??
After smoko, I return to the gunroom, and weigh the prepped empty cases
that remained (33), in the hope that I would find the same clustering of
weights of the empty brass.
Nope; the brass all weighs within 2 grains of each other.
Bugger!
So, I load 2 cartridges up, and bugger me if they dont weigh 30 grains
apart!!
So, I have now explored all the freaking obvious, and so I move into the
unbelievable...
I pour all the projectiles out, and weigh each one. In amongst the box
of 50 Ballistic Tips, I have at least 11 150Gn Ballistic Tips!
Yep; I seem to have a mixed bag of weights from an out-of-the-sealed box
of projectiles from Dr Nosler!!
I ran the callipers over all the suspect projectiles, and they are
definitely 7mm (which matches the colour-coded polymer tip).
I weighed each of these projectiles individually, and they are all 150gns.
I pull all the suspect loaded cartridges, and each are loaded with the
150Gn BT projectiles as well. In total, I find I have 17 of them.
I also pulled a handfull of the loaded cartridges with the correct
weight, and they all have 120gn pills in them.
The load I am using is toward the top end of the recommended load
range(it was the tightest grouping), and this charge behind a 150Gn pill
would make them around 3.4 grains over max recommended load.
Now, I appreciate that the rifle would likely handle being slightly over
charged, but 3.4 grains high might be pushing the friendship somewhat!!
I have NEVER bought 150Gn BT projectiles, as I understood 139gn was the
sweet spot for performance, and I then found I couldnt source any
additional 140Gn BT projectiles, so we settled on the lighter 120Gn pills.
Further; I have never had loose 140gn projectiles here, as my mate took
them all away, and loaded them all up at his place while undertaking
load testing.
I have rummaged through all the used boxes of projectiles(I keep them as
they come in handy for storing away little things some time), and none
of the 7mm boxes are for anything other than 120Gn BT's.
I have NO-ONE else in the district whom uses 7mm, and not even any of my
distance shooting mates have 7mm rifles, so it's nigh impossible that
some kindly soul tucked some spare projectiles into my inventory without
my knowledge.
I have been through ALL of the spent brass for 7mm-08 I have, and NONE
show signs of overpressure, which I'm damn sure would be obvious if
loaded 3.4 grains over max!
I have weighed the remaining 30 loaded cartridges from the previous
loading session back in July, and they all weighed the same weight as
the 120gn loaded cartridges from this current batch.
I then loaded up all the prepped brass (including the ones I pulled)
with 120gn BT pills, and the loaded cartridges all weigh within 3 grains
of each other.
1). I received a complete box of 150Gn BT projectiles, which were
labelled as 120Gn.
-- OR --
2). I received a box of 120gn BT projectiles, with a sprinkling of 150gn
BT projectiles included, just to add to the mix!
Now, EITHER option is of concern, but worryingly, I find it's more
likely that the second possibility is the one. I cant find any spent
brass with overpressure signs (and there should be at least 33 spent
cartridges showing these signs, if I had a whole box of them).
I only have 210 brass cases in 7mm-08 at present, so it's a bit hard to
miss 33 of them!
So....could I prove any of this to Dr Nosler??
Probably not. I cant even remember exactly what projectiles were
purchased when.
I do know that I have never purchased projectiles of this weight, and I
have no-one whom could have mistakenly given them to me.
1). I now have a BLOODY GOOD reason why the extra step of weighing the
loaded cartridges at the end, is a really wise safety step.
2). NEVER ASSUME the projectiles are all as stated on the box; even when
it's sealed. It's pretty quick to weigh a sealed box, and divide by
quantity to get a rough idea if they seem right.
3). I'm going to add weighing projectiles to my process, just as a
precaution.
4). Even buying a quality brand doesnt guarantee they will get their
quality control right all the time(this shouldnt be a big surprise)...
5). Those little digital gem scales are worth their weight in gold...
Well; That lesson could have ended up a lot more painfully learned...
I wonder what the Phukup Fairy has in store for her next effort...
-------
Cheers,
Rod...Out Back
-------
http://s1035.photobucket.com/user/Rod_Outback/library/
For a Roundup of photos taken until Flickr ruined their site in 2013,
have a look at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rod_outback/

I have a 243 , and reload for that .Many years ago when Bowerings had a
gunshop in Woods street Darwin I bought 5 x 100ea boxes of Hornady 87Gn
soft point projectiles on special around 1980 . Over the years Ive used
about 150 of those projectiles .
I had a lot of empty cases and a bit of time on my hands a while back and
decided to load up the cases . Ok loading away abd into anew box of
projectiles and the next thing no lead tip showing on one of the
projectiles mmmmm must be a hollow point , yep big hollow point because
there was no lead in the jacket , tipped the rest of the box out on the
bench and found four more empty jackets .
Damned shortchanged on lead , would have been a screaming mimi if I had
launched a jacket with 42Gns of W760 behind it out of the Winchester .
Could have been nasty .I guess in my case and yours Rod it pays to be
cautious.
In the world of high speed production mistakes are still made.

Speaking of 87 6mm projectiles, when I was much younger, we used to always
try to source the 87Gn BTHP Hornady projectiles, as they seemed to be the
most accurate and effective projectiles we could find.
In recent years, I have most of my .243 brass loaded up with Nosler
Ballistic Tips in 95gn, as this was about as heavy as I can go with the
twist in my barrel.
The 95gn BT has proven very effective, but Nosler projectiles are very
expensive.
So, I note the other day, that Hornady now make the V-Max (Hornady version
of the Ballistic Tip) in 87gn!
I now have a few hundred of these projectiles on the shelf to trial at some
stage.
They look pretty wicked, and are half the price of the Noslers.
(Not sure if they throw in extra weight bullets as a special freebee,
though...)

I am now going to weigh new boxes of projectiles before putting them on the
shelf; at least that way I will quickly pick up if any have something wrong
with them.

Cheers,

Rod.

[Bluey69]

Post by Rod Outback

Post by Bluey69

Post by Rod Outback
Folks,
Loaded up 53 of my 7mm-08 cases yesterday. These are all the same brand
of brass (Winchester), and have been sized and trimmed to length. I'm
loading up the last of my Nosler 120Gn Ballistic Tips, which are about
the only projectiles I have for this cartridge. When the rifle first
arrived in late 2013, my shooting mate loaded up the 100 140Gn BT
projectiles, and also 50 of the 120Gn BT projectiles, as he worked up
loads for each weight, before loading the remaining up with the most
accurate load. Since then, the only projectiles I have been able to
source in the Nosler range, have been the 120Gn BT projectiles.
[In the past 2 months, I did source some 120Gn Hornady V-Max bullets,
but they are yet to have the seal broken on them...]
I loaded a batch of 20 initially, as it is the first time I have set
these dies up in the new Forster press.
[The Phukup Fairy REALLY likes living with me, so doing a smaller
initial batch saves me a LOT more crying when I have to start again...]
So, my final step in my process, is to weigh each loaded cartridge. It
doesnt take long to come up with the most common weight for each brand
of brass for that projectile weight, and so it gives me a yard-stick to
check everything against.
So, of the 20 loaded cartridges, 14 weigh close to the same weight
(within 3 grains of each other), wheras the other 6 all weigh 30 grains
heavier, but all within 3 grains of each other as well!
Now, one of the reasons I started weighing loaded rounds, is as a final
check to ensure I havent made the colossal mistake of either NO powder,
or a partial charge.
But almost exactly 30 grains heavier?? Thats not enough for a double
charge (which wont fit in the case anyway), but too much for simple case
variation.
WTF is going on??
After smoko, I return to the gunroom, and weigh the prepped empty cases
that remained (33), in the hope that I would find the same clustering of
weights of the empty brass.
Nope; the brass all weighs within 2 grains of each other.
Bugger!
So, I load 2 cartridges up, and bugger me if they dont weigh 30 grains
apart!!
So, I have now explored all the freaking obvious, and so I move into the
unbelievable...
I pour all the projectiles out, and weigh each one. In amongst the box
of 50 Ballistic Tips, I have at least 11 150Gn Ballistic Tips!
Yep; I seem to have a mixed bag of weights from an out-of-the-sealed box
of projectiles from Dr Nosler!!
I ran the callipers over all the suspect projectiles, and they are
definitely 7mm (which matches the colour-coded polymer tip).
I weighed each of these projectiles individually, and they are all 150gns.
I pull all the suspect loaded cartridges, and each are loaded with the
150Gn BT projectiles as well. In total, I find I have 17 of them.
I also pulled a handfull of the loaded cartridges with the correct
weight, and they all have 120gn pills in them.
The load I am using is toward the top end of the recommended load
range(it was the tightest grouping), and this charge behind a 150Gn pill
would make them around 3.4 grains over max recommended load.
Now, I appreciate that the rifle would likely handle being slightly over
charged, but 3.4 grains high might be pushing the friendship somewhat!!
I have NEVER bought 150Gn BT projectiles, as I understood 139gn was the
sweet spot for performance, and I then found I couldnt source any
additional 140Gn BT projectiles, so we settled on the lighter 120Gn pills.
Further; I have never had loose 140gn projectiles here, as my mate took
them all away, and loaded them all up at his place while undertaking
load testing.
I have rummaged through all the used boxes of projectiles(I keep them as
they come in handy for storing away little things some time), and none
of the 7mm boxes are for anything other than 120Gn BT's.
I have NO-ONE else in the district whom uses 7mm, and not even any of my
distance shooting mates have 7mm rifles, so it's nigh impossible that
some kindly soul tucked some spare projectiles into my inventory without
my knowledge.
I have been through ALL of the spent brass for 7mm-08 I have, and NONE
show signs of overpressure, which I'm damn sure would be obvious if
loaded 3.4 grains over max!
I have weighed the remaining 30 loaded cartridges from the previous
loading session back in July, and they all weighed the same weight as
the 120gn loaded cartridges from this current batch.
I then loaded up all the prepped brass (including the ones I pulled)
with 120gn BT pills, and the loaded cartridges all weigh within 3 grains
of each other.
1). I received a complete box of 150Gn BT projectiles, which were
labelled as 120Gn.
-- OR --
2). I received a box of 120gn BT projectiles, with a sprinkling of 150gn
BT projectiles included, just to add to the mix!
Now, EITHER option is of concern, but worryingly, I find it's more
likely that the second possibility is the one. I cant find any spent
brass with overpressure signs (and there should be at least 33 spent
cartridges showing these signs, if I had a whole box of them).
I only have 210 brass cases in 7mm-08 at present, so it's a bit hard to
miss 33 of them!
So....could I prove any of this to Dr Nosler??
Probably not. I cant even remember exactly what projectiles were
purchased when.
I do know that I have never purchased projectiles of this weight, and I
have no-one whom could have mistakenly given them to me.
1). I now have a BLOODY GOOD reason why the extra step of weighing the
loaded cartridges at the end, is a really wise safety step.
2). NEVER ASSUME the projectiles are all as stated on the box; even when
it's sealed. It's pretty quick to weigh a sealed box, and divide by
quantity to get a rough idea if they seem right.
3). I'm going to add weighing projectiles to my process, just as a
precaution.
4). Even buying a quality brand doesnt guarantee they will get their
quality control right all the time(this shouldnt be a big surprise)...
5). Those little digital gem scales are worth their weight in gold...
Well; That lesson could have ended up a lot more painfully learned...
I wonder what the Phukup Fairy has in store for her next effort...
-------
Cheers,
Rod...Out Back
-------
http://s1035.photobucket.com/user/Rod_Outback/library/
For a Roundup of photos taken until Flickr ruined their site in 2013,
have a look at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rod_outback/

I have a 243 , and reload for that .Many years ago when Bowerings had
a gunshop in Woods street Darwin I bought 5 x 100ea boxes of Hornady
87Gn soft point projectiles on special around 1980 . Over the years
Ive used about 150 of those projectiles .
I had a lot of empty cases and a bit of time on my hands a while back
and decided to load up the cases . Ok loading away abd into anew box
of projectiles and the next thing no lead tip showing on one of the
projectiles mmmmm must be a hollow point , yep big hollow point
because there was no lead in the jacket , tipped the rest of the box
out on the bench and found four more empty jackets .
Damned shortchanged on lead , would have been a screaming mimi if I
had launched a jacket with 42Gns of W760 behind it out of the
Winchester . Could have been nasty .I guess in my case and yours Rod
it pays to be cautious.
In the world of high speed production mistakes are still made.

Speaking of 87 6mm projectiles, when I was much younger, we used to
always try to source the 87Gn BTHP Hornady projectiles, as they seemed
to be the most accurate and effective projectiles we could find.
In recent years, I have most of my .243 brass loaded up with Nosler
Ballistic Tips in 95gn, as this was about as heavy as I can go with the
twist in my barrel.
The 95gn BT has proven very effective, but Nosler projectiles are very
expensive.
So, I note the other day, that Hornady now make the V-Max (Hornady
version of the Ballistic Tip) in 87gn!
I now have a few hundred of these projectiles on the shelf to trial at
some stage.
They look pretty wicked, and are half the price of the Noslers.
(Not sure if they throw in extra weight bullets as a special freebee,
though...)
I am now going to weigh new boxes of projectiles before putting them on
the shelf; at least that way I will quickly pick up if any have
something wrong with them.
Cheers,
Rod.

Checking my supply today of the 87GN Hornadys I have 4 full packets left
which are the Hp's rather that the soft points .
When I lived in Kakadu National Park ,I shot many pigs with a Winchester
rifle in 243 , its the model 670 the cheaper version of the model 70 has
a push feed bolt set up like the older model 70s rather than the
controlled feed like the later models .I paid little money($169.00 )for
it back in the 70's and it came with a Weaver K4 scope as a package deal
and a cheap beech wood stock with pressed chequering and an internal
magazine with no floor plate .

I bedded the action and floated the barrel and played with loads until I
got it shooting under an inch at 1oo yds .
The Hornady projectiles performed extremely well on large boars with
thick gristle fighting pads and caked on mud . I dont recall having lost
a wounded porker at all.

I havent tried the V Max projectiles and it will probably be along time
before I need to buy any 243 pills as I have four hundered of the old
Hornadys and around 250 or more rounds of handloaded loaded 243 ammo
,plus two or three packets of unfired Winchester ammo with 100Gn psp pills .
I will probably never use it all up .
Thses days I like the old Australian calibres like the 25/303 and the
270/303 , and recently added the Martini in 222Rimmed to the safe .
I also like the old 303 as well ,I have two sporterised Mk111s and a BSA
Lee Metford actioned custom sporter in 303

[Rod Outback]

Post by Bluey69

Post by Rod Outback

Post by Bluey69

Post by Rod Outback
Folks,
Loaded up 53 of my 7mm-08 cases yesterday. These are all the same brand
of brass (Winchester), and have been sized and trimmed to length. I'm
loading up the last of my Nosler 120Gn Ballistic Tips, which are about
the only projectiles I have for this cartridge. When the rifle first
arrived in late 2013, my shooting mate loaded up the 100 140Gn BT
projectiles, and also 50 of the 120Gn BT projectiles, as he worked up
loads for each weight, before loading the remaining up with the most
accurate load. Since then, the only projectiles I have been able to
source in the Nosler range, have been the 120Gn BT projectiles.
[In the past 2 months, I did source some 120Gn Hornady V-Max bullets,
but they are yet to have the seal broken on them...]
I loaded a batch of 20 initially, as it is the first time I have set
these dies up in the new Forster press.
[The Phukup Fairy REALLY likes living with me, so doing a smaller
initial batch saves me a LOT more crying when I have to start again...]
So, my final step in my process, is to weigh each loaded cartridge. It
doesnt take long to come up with the most common weight for each brand
of brass for that projectile weight, and so it gives me a yard-stick to
check everything against.
So, of the 20 loaded cartridges, 14 weigh close to the same weight
(within 3 grains of each other), wheras the other 6 all weigh 30 grains
heavier, but all within 3 grains of each other as well!
Now, one of the reasons I started weighing loaded rounds, is as a final
check to ensure I havent made the colossal mistake of either NO powder,
or a partial charge.
But almost exactly 30 grains heavier?? Thats not enough for a double
charge (which wont fit in the case anyway), but too much for simple case
variation.
WTF is going on??
After smoko, I return to the gunroom, and weigh the prepped empty cases
that remained (33), in the hope that I would find the same clustering of
weights of the empty brass.
Nope; the brass all weighs within 2 grains of each other.
Bugger!
So, I load 2 cartridges up, and bugger me if they dont weigh 30 grains
apart!!
So, I have now explored all the freaking obvious, and so I move into the
unbelievable...
I pour all the projectiles out, and weigh each one. In amongst the box
of 50 Ballistic Tips, I have at least 11 150Gn Ballistic Tips!
Yep; I seem to have a mixed bag of weights from an out-of-the-sealed box
of projectiles from Dr Nosler!!
I ran the callipers over all the suspect projectiles, and they are
definitely 7mm (which matches the colour-coded polymer tip).
I weighed each of these projectiles individually, and they are all 150gns.
I pull all the suspect loaded cartridges, and each are loaded with the
150Gn BT projectiles as well. In total, I find I have 17 of them.
I also pulled a handfull of the loaded cartridges with the correct
weight, and they all have 120gn pills in them.
The load I am using is toward the top end of the recommended load
range(it was the tightest grouping), and this charge behind a 150Gn pill
would make them around 3.4 grains over max recommended load.
Now, I appreciate that the rifle would likely handle being slightly over
charged, but 3.4 grains high might be pushing the friendship somewhat!!
I have NEVER bought 150Gn BT projectiles, as I understood 139gn was the
sweet spot for performance, and I then found I couldnt source any
additional 140Gn BT projectiles, so we settled on the lighter 120Gn pills.
Further; I have never had loose 140gn projectiles here, as my mate took
them all away, and loaded them all up at his place while undertaking
load testing.
I have rummaged through all the used boxes of projectiles(I keep them as
they come in handy for storing away little things some time), and none
of the 7mm boxes are for anything other than 120Gn BT's.
I have NO-ONE else in the district whom uses 7mm, and not even any of my
distance shooting mates have 7mm rifles, so it's nigh impossible that
some kindly soul tucked some spare projectiles into my inventory without
my knowledge.
I have been through ALL of the spent brass for 7mm-08 I have, and NONE
show signs of overpressure, which I'm damn sure would be obvious if
loaded 3.4 grains over max!
I have weighed the remaining 30 loaded cartridges from the previous
loading session back in July, and they all weighed the same weight as
the 120gn loaded cartridges from this current batch.
I then loaded up all the prepped brass (including the ones I pulled)
with 120gn BT pills, and the loaded cartridges all weigh within 3 grains
of each other.
1). I received a complete box of 150Gn BT projectiles, which were
labelled as 120Gn.
-- OR --
2). I received a box of 120gn BT projectiles, with a sprinkling of 150gn
BT projectiles included, just to add to the mix!
Now, EITHER option is of concern, but worryingly, I find it's more
likely that the second possibility is the one. I cant find any spent
brass with overpressure signs (and there should be at least 33 spent
cartridges showing these signs, if I had a whole box of them).
I only have 210 brass cases in 7mm-08 at present, so it's a bit hard to
miss 33 of them!
So....could I prove any of this to Dr Nosler??
Probably not. I cant even remember exactly what projectiles were
purchased when.
I do know that I have never purchased projectiles of this weight, and I
have no-one whom could have mistakenly given them to me.
1). I now have a BLOODY GOOD reason why the extra step of weighing the
loaded cartridges at the end, is a really wise safety step.
2). NEVER ASSUME the projectiles are all as stated on the box; even when
it's sealed. It's pretty quick to weigh a sealed box, and divide by
quantity to get a rough idea if they seem right.
3). I'm going to add weighing projectiles to my process, just as a
precaution.
4). Even buying a quality brand doesnt guarantee they will get their
quality control right all the time(this shouldnt be a big surprise)...
5). Those little digital gem scales are worth their weight in gold...
Well; That lesson could have ended up a lot more painfully learned...
I wonder what the Phukup Fairy has in store for her next effort...
-------
Cheers,
Rod...Out Back
-------
http://s1035.photobucket.com/user/Rod_Outback/library/
For a Roundup of photos taken until Flickr ruined their site in 2013,
have a look at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rod_outback/

I have a 243 , and reload for that .Many years ago when Bowerings had
a gunshop in Woods street Darwin I bought 5 x 100ea boxes of Hornady
87Gn soft point projectiles on special around 1980 . Over the years
Ive used about 150 of those projectiles .
I had a lot of empty cases and a bit of time on my hands a while back
and decided to load up the cases . Ok loading away abd into anew box
of projectiles and the next thing no lead tip showing on one of the
projectiles mmmmm must be a hollow point , yep big hollow point
because there was no lead in the jacket , tipped the rest of the box
out on the bench and found four more empty jackets .
Damned shortchanged on lead , would have been a screaming mimi if I
had launched a jacket with 42Gns of W760 behind it out of the
Winchester . Could have been nasty .I guess in my case and yours Rod
it pays to be cautious.
In the world of high speed production mistakes are still made.

Speaking of 87 6mm projectiles, when I was much younger, we used to
always try to source the 87Gn BTHP Hornady projectiles, as they seemed
to be the most accurate and effective projectiles we could find.
In recent years, I have most of my .243 brass loaded up with Nosler
Ballistic Tips in 95gn, as this was about as heavy as I can go with the
twist in my barrel.
The 95gn BT has proven very effective, but Nosler projectiles are very
expensive.
So, I note the other day, that Hornady now make the V-Max (Hornady
version of the Ballistic Tip) in 87gn!
I now have a few hundred of these projectiles on the shelf to trial at
some stage.
They look pretty wicked, and are half the price of the Noslers.
(Not sure if they throw in extra weight bullets as a special freebee,
though...)
I am now going to weigh new boxes of projectiles before putting them on
the shelf; at least that way I will quickly pick up if any have
something wrong with them.
Cheers,
Rod.

Checking my supply today of the 87GN Hornadys I have 4 full packets left
which are the Hp's rather that the soft points .
When I lived in Kakadu National Park ,I shot many pigs with a Winchester
rifle in 243 , its the model 670 the cheaper version of the model 70 has a
push feed bolt set up like the older model 70s rather than the controlled
feed like the later models .I paid little money($169.00 )for it back in
the 70's and it came with a Weaver K4 scope as a package deal and a cheap
beech wood stock with pressed chequering and an internal magazine with no
floor plate .
I bedded the action and floated the barrel and played with loads until I
got it shooting under an inch at 1oo yds .
The Hornady projectiles performed extremely well on large boars with thick
gristle fighting pads and caked on mud . I dont recall having lost a
wounded porker at all.
I havent tried the V Max projectiles and it will probably be along time
before I need to buy any 243 pills as I have four hundered of the old
Hornadys and around 250 or more rounds of handloaded loaded 243 ammo ,plus
two or three packets of unfired Winchester ammo with 100Gn psp pills .
I will probably never use it all up .
Thses days I like the old Australian calibres like the 25/303 and the
270/303 , and recently added the Martini in 222Rimmed to the safe .
I also like the old 303 as well ,I have two sporterised Mk111s and a BSA
Lee Metford actioned custom sporter in 303

Up until 8 months ago, 650 rounds would have also been a lifetime for me...

Now, I'm working on 650 loaded rounds giving me between 30 and 45 days of
late afternoon hoppy-pokking, on average...

Funnily enough, when I started out Hoppy-Pokking, I didnt think I'd enjoy
it.
However, a thousand or so Pokked hoppys later, and I find it a most
enjoyable way to end the day...

Cheers,

Rod.