Key holes and bullets!

[jhalcott]

I was shooting some 45-70 loads at the range yesterday. All cast loads,half with black and half with smokelesss. I had fired 5 smokeless at 50 yards , then started on the blackpowder loads. My 2nd blackpowder shot keyholed.This kind of buggeg me.The rest of the rounds hit the targets (out to 200 yards) nose on.
The bullets were 405 fn's that I purchased in November,already loaded. They are marked as having 55 grains of ff in them. The key holer FELT and sounded the same as the others. Years ago I had some 30-30 loads that would keyhole when shot from a 10" Contender. The were 185 cast fn gc bullets. I don't believe the twist and/ velocity was right for that bullet. that does not explain the key hole yesterday though!

[black44hawk]

sounds to me like an imperfect bullet (air bubble). Or, if they where gc, then possibly an unseated check. However, one flyer/keyholer is nothing to worry about. Happy shooting!

[44man]

Now you know why we handload and cast our own. You just don't know what you are buying.

[mooman76]

You didn't say what kind of gun you were shootin. I bought some and they would keyhole out of my Trapdoor. Turns out it likes real soft almost dead soft lead.

[jhalcott]

It is a bolt action Mauser. I've had it quite a few years and only shoot it about 20 rounds a year.I decided to take it to the annual Buffalo shoot at the last minute. My original plans for the ammo was pull it down and reload the components with known stuff.

[leftiye]

Could be that the first one was a "fouler" and got some deformed when shot. Try pre-lubing your bore lightly -maybe use LLA, bullplate lube, etc.