Continuing Education or Re-learning

[Texas by God]

Well, my stupid gene resurfaced. I found a bag of 5 reloads in an estate haul. Good looking 25-06 with Hornady red tip bullets. I have a motley collection of my own left over reloads so yesterday I decided to shoot them all into one group for giggles. First I'll shoot these pretty red tips, says I.
Forgot my glasses. Touched off the first(and last shot) and the unreal recoil and gas in my eye told me things were bad. As I saw smoke curl from my Tikka's action, I self checked for damage. It took shop time and heroic measures to open the bolt.
Other than flame cutting on the bolt face, the only missing part is the extractor plunger. God doesn't want me yet I guess!
Takeaway- DON'T SHOOT UNKNOWN RELOADS!
I gave the other four a burial. RIP.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180924/6e6f5175ac3995781c6e9e4145c32e51.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180924/899f8479cd66b6e685cb2952b332368a.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180924/5021e7f60acb587590d2239c5cd00ab6.jpg

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[Tom Myers]

Well, my stupid gene resurfaced. I found a bag of 5 reloads in an estate haul. Good looking 25-06 with Hornady red tip bullets. I have a motley collection of my own left over reloads so yesterday I decided to shoot them all into one group for giggles. First I'll shoot these pretty red tips, says I.
Forgot my glasses. Touched off the first(and last shot) and the unreal recoil and gas in my eye told me things were bad. As I saw smoke curl from my Tikka's action, I self checked for damage. It took shop time and heroic measures to open the bolt.
Other than flame cutting on the bolt face, the only missing part is the extractor plunger. God doesn't want me yet I guess!
Takeaway- DON'T SHOOT UNKNOWN RELOADS!
I gave the other four a burial. RIP.[IMG]https://from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

May be that my old eyes do not see well either but, if I were you, I would pull that bolt down and check the firing pin tip. I may be wrong but it appears to be either flame cut or broken.

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[toallmy]

Glad you are ok , that will probably stay in your mind for a while . Estate sale you said hmmmm wonder what happened to the previous owner .

[sukivel]

That was Burt Gummer‘s estate!


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[Bent Ramrod]

Rule-o Numero Uno: Never shoot anonymous reloads. Nunca.

I bought 25 jacketed reloads of .45-70 once. They held the maximum charge of (likely) 3031 behind the 350-gr RNSP. All except one, which had the same charge behind the 500-gr RNSP, which was seated deep enough to look exactly like the others. A nice surprise for the unwary.

Break them down for components, but never shoot them.

[Texas by God]

I am tearing the bolt down tonight when I'm replacing the plunger. I'm checking everything very carefully!

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[wv109323]

I bought several rounds of reloaded 220 Swift at a gun show. I pulled one bullet and weighed 64 grains of powder. I could find no load close to that weight with any powder. I bought the rounds for the brass.
I would not shoot any reloads not knowing the source.

[lightman]

Glad you were not injured and that your rifle is repairable. I will shoot a few chosen friends ammo but will not even consider shooting unknown ammo. Thanks for posting this as a reminder.

[jsizemore]

I know a fella that carries a mallet in his range box to open the bolt. I feel privileged to have never gone shooting with him.

[Texas by God]

The firing pin survived with just soot thank goodness. My Wife thought I had shot a BIG gun when she was watching the Cowboys and heard it. Everything seems to be in order until I can fashion an extractor detent. From research I'd have to buy the "bolt parts kit" for $55 to get the one little part I'm missing! I'd call Beretta and ask for one but I'm embarrassed ��And they might require a return of the gun like Remington did ten years ago when a Stinger burst and took the extractor out of my 597. I guess they have their CYA in place.

[RED BEAR]

i hate to admit it but i can see myself doing the same thing. i know hind sight is 20/20 but this is a mistake i might have made. ( i am well acquainted with my stupid gene )

[Rcmaveric]

That was an expensive choice. Glad you atent hurt.

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[Boolit_Head]

Hmm could be why there was a estate sale?

[country gent]

Looking at the bolt face itself I believe I would check it for flatness. it may require being faced back and a washer soldered in also. another thing to look at is the locking lugs surface both on the bolt and in the receiver.
I believe in the day when 25-06 was a wild cat throats were cut longer than the current factory chambers are today.

Am glad no one was injured, other than pride.

Shot with a gentleman in high power matches that at leas one or two times a match had to open the ar up and remove blown primers from trigger group. Some just have to push to the ragged edge. His groups and scores were good but beating a gun with those pressures isn't wise.
Shooting ammo reloaded by an unknown for a different rifle is a recipe for an opps.

[Thundarstick]

It's your gun, and you have already proved you can do what you want with it, but if that gun where mine, it'd be a tomato stake next spring! I think modern metallurgy pulled your keister through the fire this time, but it may only take a few rounds to finish what was started by a bad choice. I wouldn't knowingly place my eyeball behind that bolt again, but it ain't my gun.

[Texas by God]

A magnetic search of the floor under my vise located the missing plunger. The rifle is cleaned, inspected, and will be tested this afternoon like I would any gun in doubt. In a tire with a trigger string, with me behind a tree.

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[Texas by God]

I fired three of MY reloads remotely. Extraction was normal and the fired cases measure the same as brass fired last month. Primers, shoulders and necks all look good.
Thank the Lord for watching over this idiot.
Thank you Sako/Tikka for building a strong rifle!
Don't shoot anonymous ammo and wear eye protection. I hope whoever loaded those learned his lesson without injuring anyone. I'll give a range report when I can.

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[Thundarstick]

"Thank the Lord for watching over this idiot."

And Lord, please continue to do so!

At least have that thing magnafluxed!

[Texas by God]

I have cross examined and measured the bolt lugs against my two other Tikkas and they match. The headspace is ok, too. A friend in high school set his scale wrong and loaded max .270 Weatherby data in his .270 Win. Once we got his Rem 700 bolt open, the brass looked similar to mine. We pulled and corrected his loads and he used the gun for decades after that.
I've heard of Magnafluxing but danged if I know what it is or where it is done. Thanks for the idea Thundarstick!

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[Der Gebirgsjager]

Glad you're o.k., Pard. You've got 4 of the original 5 rounds remaining? You might want to tear them down and see what the powder charge is. :shock:

[Texas by God]

I should have pulled them down but in my anger at my stupidity I just buried them!

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[owejia]

Texas By God, magnafluxing is using and electric current[magnet] on the part while spraying steel dust on the part to draw the dust to the cracks. We used it to check for cracks in used heavy equipment parts that we sold. Some machine shop that do repair work on used parts and some automotive repair shops are possible sources for a magnaflux test kit. Dye penetrant test does basically the same thing the dye will flow to the cracks and when sprayed with the white substance will draw the dye out of the cracks. Hairline cracks not visible to the eye will show up. Kits are kinda pricy on amazon. Can also check welds for cracks and air pockets using the dye test. Glad there was physically no damage to you. Take care

[Hickory]

Everyone knows at least one person who routinely overloads their ammo.
About 30 years ago there was some jerk that came to one of our bowling pin matches, who used overloads to knock over bowling pins.
Made some of the scenes in the Dirty Harry movies look like Clint was shooting a 22 long rifle handgun.
After he quit coming around, I asked about him and was told that he lost his eye and most of his face trying to get his 30-30 to shoot like a 308.

[Texas by God]

Texas By God, magnafluxing is using and electric current[magnet] on the part while spraying steel dust on the part to draw the dust to the cracks. We used it to check for cracks in used heavy equipment parts that we sold. Some machine shop that do repair work on used parts and some automotive repair shops are possible sources for a magnaflux test kit. Dye penetrant test does basically the same thing the dye will flow to the cracks and when sprayed with the white substance will draw the dye out of the cracks. Hairline cracks not visible to the eye will show up. Kits are kinda pricy on amazon. Can also check welds for cracks and air pockets using the dye test. Glad there was physically no damage to you. Take careThanks for the info. As a teenager I tried to Swift my 22-250 and had a case head seperation in my 788. I backed off then and have kept MY loads sane since then.
I've known guys that should have just gone straight to the .50 BMG and quit trying to turn their 06 into one......

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[Soundguy]

Glad you are ok. I imagine you shot over a proof load seeing the brass transfer.

If I buy reloads, it's only for the cases and projectiles. I sometimes even deprime if the primers are in doubt. I'll usually check a few random primers in empty cases and chamber them and see if I get 100% pop rate out of a 10% sampling.

again.. glad you are ok.

Makes you wonder what those were loaded with.

I have heard a story about a 'person' that used to go to our outdoor public range that would 'leave' loaded ammo and that some of said loaded ammo was loaded unsafe, on purpose. Never found out if it was a myth or not.. but makes you think.

[lightman]

As a lifelong brass scrounger I often find loaded rounds laying around. Most of them have a light firing pin strike. I twist the bullets out of the rimfire ammo and pull the bullets on the center fire stuff. The bullets go into the next smelting pot, the powder goes into the odd powder jar that I save. I use this to make a light show around the fire at deer camp. I deprime the cases and save the brass if its useable. Theres just no way I'm shooting unknown ammo.

[Thundarstick]

"I have heard a story about a 'person' that used to go to our outdoor public range that would 'leave' loaded ammo and that some of said loaded ammo was loaded unsafe, on purpose. Never found out if it was a myth or not.. but makes you think."
I hear we planted grenade ammo in Vietnam to make them afraid to shoot there own weapons after seeing the guy next to them lose half his face! That may be a tail, as I have no first hand knowledge.

Magnaflux will show a microscopic crack, even a break in the micro structure of the steel. The powdered steel will congregate along the flow lines of electrons that are disrupted by the structure anomaly.

[robg]

Had a guy in our club who wanted to reload ,he knew I'd shown a few guys the basics but when he started telling me how to get more speed out of a 223 by overloading I just walked away ,the club banned him soon after .if you want to speed up a 223 get a 22-250 .

[Texas by God]

I got rid of 25 mixed rounds. I was not at my best and I was getting image shift thru the scope. I hope it was just hay dust in my eyes. The left bottom group is 2-100gr NBT and 2-75grSierra hp(my two main bullets). Upper left is 75gr hp. This rifle never liked 120 gr Sierra hp(2 groups on right)and still doesn't after the "Incident". 1" dots at 100 yds. I shot all 25 rounds in ten minutes. The barrel was very hot for the last 5 shots( top left dot).
I think she's ok. I'm more worried that I'll forget the lesson than I am about the rifle.
Thanks for listening.
Thomashttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180930/95e468dd2939167e7966447fe20d70f7.jpg

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[Mr_Sheesh]

In a word - EEK!

I'm very glad you were not hurt!

You know, anti-gunners might be planting that loaded ammo around, I sure would NOT shoot it (or even trust that the primers are safe.) Your life and mine're worth a LOT to us so let's stay safe!

I too have used scavenged powder for a "light show" but I make a paste of it with acetone and cast ice cube sized blobs with it. Burns hot and well, no chance of it doing more than that though. Just toss anything that smells "off" or is dripping etc.!

All things considered, you were lucky - And that's good. Don't tempt Murphy though :)

[lightman]

I just picked up a magazine full of 223 brass at a local shooting hole. There was one loaded round laying there that I will pull the bullet from and dump the powder. It has a light firing pin strike like you get from a dirty AR and has the same headstamp as the empty brass. I'm absolutely sure that it would fire and all of the signs point to it being from the same lot as the empty brass. But, I have a rule about that and I won't deviate from it. I also picked up two unfired 22 long rifle shells that I will pull the bullets from.

I like the idea of casting this mixed powder into cubes. My light shows are a pretty big hit at deer camp and I will have to give that a try!

I've also heard the storys of baiting our enemies with overloaded ammo. I have heard that it was done in Vietnam. Between the anti gun crowd, rookie or unsafe reloaders and all of the other bad stuff in the world I just won't shoot unknown ammo.