Well...

[leeggen]

Just a thought could those 205gr been loaded alittle long on OAL? Possibly leaving the boolit set into the rifling and caused an over pressure in the case.
CD

[Echo]

Just a thought could those 205gr been loaded alittle long on OAL? Possibly leaving the boolit set into the rifling and caused an over pressure in the case.
CD

They were seated to the same OAL as the 160's, and the 160's shot OK.

[scb]

The only other possibility that immediately come to mind is that the powder "bridged" in the measure. One case got a short charge the next one got a full+ charge. I've had it happen a couple of times It's always been when using the 22 caliber drop tube.

[Echo]

I loaded 5 with the 205-grainer over 15 grs of 2400, and 30 more 160-grainers over 16 grs. Can't shoot them until Thursday - my range is only open Th-Su. I'll report back...

[RSOJim]

I had the same thing happen to me a few years ago using 2400. I had a 98 mauser converted to 30-06 using a 2 groove barrel. I was shooting a heavy lead boolit and 20 grains of 2400. I had to beat the bolt open, cartridge case was mis-shapen, primer was gone. I don't use 2400 for my lead rifle loads anymore. I thought maybe I had a double charge, just don't know what happened. That was a one time incident.

[shredder]

I'm left with two unlikely alternatives. One, proposed by LG, is that the 2400 acted like a SEE in this circumstance. The other is that somehow, I got a double-charge in this case, and somehow managed to select it for the first shot. I think I will accept Larry's explanation, and put it down as Something Learned.

There is another possibility that has not been mentioned. What is the length of the cartridge brass? If it was overly long you could indeed expereince some wild and wooly pressure excursions. For sure double check case length does not exceed 2.494

[Echo]

There is another possibility that has not been mentioned. What is the length of the cartridge brass? If it was overly long you could indeed expereince some wild and wooly pressure excursions. For sure double check case length does not exceed 2.494

I checked that, too. It was, and is, the same length as all others, within a thousandth or 2. Some a mite longer, some a mite shorter, and all shorter than 2.494.

[Echo]

I took the Enfield out today and shot up some CB's.. mostly 160 grainers over 15 to 16.5 grs 2400 - with no drama. Just shot @ 25 yds, didn't really have enough ammo to go out to 100, but my 15 grain load was real tightly grouped:
I tried to add a couple more pics of groups, but my computer has decided to sulk, and goes away. No matter, they weren't anything to write home about - on target, but 3" @ 25 yds isn't bragging quality.
So. I shot some similar to the one that blew the primer, and had no drama. I don't know where I stand now - I guess I will stay away from the heavier boolits and just load the 160-grainers, testing the 15 grain load @ 100 yds to see if it holds up. Criminy...

[Mk42gunner]

Pure speculation on my part, but what would a double charge of 2400 do in the first load? I have a funny feeling that 36 grains of 2400 will fit easily into a .30-06 case...

Robert

[Echo]

I'll bet it would - but I don't see how I could have done that. I pick the case out of the tub, charge the powder, set the boolit on top, and seat it.
. And if I had double-charged one case, what is the probability that it would be the first one I pulled from the sack?
. It almost looks like I'm playing a game of "Why Don't You/Yes, But", a game posited by Dr. Eric Berne in his book 'Games People Play', from maybe 50 years ago. I'm NOT!

[ell198679]

Double charges are not only easy to spot, you can also weigh the cartridges, in most rifle cartridges