What a double charge will do

[snuffy]

I'm extremely reluctant to post this thread. I know I'll get a bunch of flack, no one can say anything I haven't already said to myself. My leg is sore from trying to kick my own butt.

First a few pics;



The last group the 44 shot. Last it will EVER SHOOT. Load data is, LEE 310 grain gc, 11.7 grains OF blu-dot, ww-lp win case oft used. Boolit lubed with mule snot, dipped and sized in a lee push through die I honed out to size to .431



Average velocity on that target is 1235 fps. These were loaded last winter. I know I was using my lee classic turret without the disc powder drop, measuring powder with my pact-RCBS dispenser. Then dumping it into the shell with the red lee funnel through the expander bell die. I was thinking right after it happened that it couldn't be a double charge. It would over-flow the case, or be impossible to seat that long boolit. Wrong on both counts. I must have dumped 2 charges and then seated a boolit. I took all the rest apart except for the three still left in the cylinder. It was the first of five shells in the cyl. I purposely seated a boolit in a double charged shell, it crunched the powder but seated without any extra force.



The top strap hit the roof of the covered range,(put a hole in it, almost went through), came back down ahead and to the left of me. No sign of where the chunk of cylinder went. Luckily I was shooting alone, and my dog was in the car. I was shooting groups, had already shot 10 shells.

I wasn't hurt! Hard to believe that much going on in my hands and not a nick on me. Some black powder stains on my left hand,(I was shooting off the top of a rifle tripod rest 2 handed grip). Felt a gust of gas above my right eye, no damage to my 2 week old glasses.





Boolit didn't register on the chrono, and did not hit the clean target either.

I've had this SB since 1973, I bought it used. I've had 2 new barrels put on it over the last 38 years. I'm just sick about it, that handgun was my favorite.

[Ken T]

Glad to read that you or anyone else was not hurt!

[bxchef29]

wow glad youre ok but dont give up on 44

[biker_trash_1340]

You shouldn't get any flack, glad your ok. Thanks for posting. It's things like this that remind me that if i'm not sure about a load drop or I get distracted, time to stop and double check.

[Fishman]

Wow! I am glad you weren't hurt. Thank you for the graphic reminder to be careful.

[Ugluk]

Looks like you got a bit of a leading problem in the forcing cone there mate..

Seriously, that is scary stuff. Buy a lottery ticket, it's your lucky day.
I've doublecharged a few 38s on a star, but luckily I always put a boolit between the charges..
Fully progressive is safe!

[2ndAmendmentNut]

Wow, like the others I am glad you are alright. There should be a sticky on this forum where people can post pics of what heppens with careless handloading.

[DrB]

As said before, thank you for the reminder. Glad you are ok...

[snuffy]

That happened Friday, I didn't even want to look at it until tonight. I managed to get the other 3 shells out of their holes, the base pin must be bent, the cyl will only rotate with a hammer and brass punch. There's not enough left to rebuild, maybe the hammer, trigger and grip frame.

I think I'm going back to batch loading, all shells in loading blocks so you can eyeball each and every powder charge.

I been loading for over 40 years. Maybe complacency makes a person over confident? Time to re-think my procedures, then go looking for a new .44!

[Jim Flinchbaugh]

Glad you were not hurt, and this kind of stuff should be posted! It is a very good reminder for all of us to be careful!

[Huntducks]

SAME AS EVERYONE ELSE GLADE YOU WERE NOT HURT.

I'm sure you were glad you were alone and not a bunch staring at you, things like this can happen to anyone.

If i'm using a single stage vs my Dillon SDB I always batch reload and no more then 12-16 at a time and count every stroke from my PM then look in every case twice.

I was hunting jacks W/M1 Carbine and the bolt did not close all the way dirty gun and fired a round it blew gas and powder in my face i'm glad I had a pair of Oakley shooting glasses on because it damn straight hurt.

You can replace the gun but body parts are tuff to come by.

[303Guy]

Sad about the loss of your favourite gun. That would break my heart! Glad you're OK. After my near miss (double charge in a 303 Brit with shotgun powder) and now your mishap, I think I'll stay away from faster powders that can be double charged. Powders that fill the case might cost more in the short term but ....

Actually, I was saved by a slow powder once before when the powder prevented the bullet being pushed back into the case by the one stuck in the throat!

[PAT303]

Mate,you won't get slack as people will appreciate your honesty.We had a bloke at our range do the same with a 45 and we were very lucky to get away without an injury.I now only use Trail Boss. Pat

[Bill Torzsok]

To err is human!
It is a fair bet we all stuffed up at sometime,
Glad you were not hurt.

[btroj]

Key thing is that you were not hurt.
Is kind of post is very useful as a reminder to all of us that we have a potentially dangerous hobby. This is not a hobby for the faint at heart.

Thanks for being brave enough to post this. Many would never want others to know what happened to them. Good luck in your future reloading, I have a feeling you will be pretty cautious.

[Bwana]

"I think I'm going back to batch loading, all shells in loading blocks so you can eyeball each and every powder charge."

I've been doing that way for 42 years, don't plan on changing it. It has prevented a couple of bad things from happening. Some might think it silly to have 20 loading blocks stacked up with cases. To me it just seems safer.
Every time I hear about one of these incidents I am amazed that, generally, no one is seriously injured, shooter or bystander.

[exile]

Rugers can be replaced, eyes and fingers not so easily. Sorry about your handgun, but this will probably happen to all of us eventually, and we should all keep shooting as long as we are able.

I load on a single-stage press and seat a boolit after every charge out of the powder measure, but still, you never know.

exile

[hunter64]

I have seen this happen twice at the range and it also happened to a neighbor of the father in law.

About 20 years ago my friend double charged a ruger redhawk that he just bought. I was shooting 2 stalls over from him and we were the only two people at the range at the time. When he pulled the trigger on the double charge I heard a massive boom and a scream. Blood was everywhere on his head and he was in shock gripping his right wrist. The revolver had recoiled so bad that it flew out of his hand and grazed the right side of his head just above the ear. I found the revolver about 25 feet back and loaded the truck up with our gear and took him to the hospital. He had about 10 stitches to close the wound and a broken right wrist. Thank goodness he was wearing eye protection because there was a bunch of metal fillings or some sort embedded in the plastic. His revolver looked about the same as yours.

3 years ago a guy at the range did the same thing only wasn't hurt this time, the top strap on the revolver was bowed up in the middle.

Glad you were not hurt.

[gray wolf]

Needless to say I am also very, very glad you are not hurt, nor anyone else.
But please help me understand what I am seeing.
The bullet looks to be still in the case ?
There appears to be a lot of leading in the barrel.
How did it explode like that and not drive the bullet out of the case.
Or am I not seeing what I think I am seeing.

[Matt_G]

Needless to say I am also very, very glad you are not hurt, nor anyone else.
But please help me understand what I am seeing.
The bullet looks to be still in the case ?
There appears to be a lot of leading in the barrel.
How did it explode like that and not drive the bullet out of the case.
Or am I not seeing what I think I am seeing.

The case you are looking at wasn't the case that was double charged. That is the case in the next cylinder.