AA7 powder mistaken for Rel 7 results in KaBoooooM

[Shuz]

[QUOTE=btroj;2547788]I refer to it as RE 7 myself but calling it Reloader 7 eliminates all potential confusion.]

NOT REALLY--To add to the potential confusion, please note that Alliant spells all their powders in this series, "RELODER" not "RELOADER"
Whenever I refer to it I use the term REL 7 and still hope no one is confused.

[Shiloh]

Totally difference in appearance. Ball vs Stick. Ball rifle powders that look like AA pistol powders are AA 2230 and surplus variants,
Bl-C (2), 748, WC 844 and WC 845. No way does Reloader 7 look like these.
Fortunate indeed no one was hurt.

Shiloh

[kootne]

Just want to say , Thanks for clearing up the Rx-7 issue for me. I have been reloading since LBJ was president and always will gather every bit of load data I can for a given cartridge so I can check, recheck, cross-reference and verify. If I am using 1980's vintage powder, I use 1980's data. And I have a bunch of 1980's Reloder-7. The Lyman #46 (1982) manual shows Rx-7 as an interesting smokeless for 45/70 due to low pressures, good velocities and accuracy. However, nowhere in that manual can I find a verification that Rx-7 is Reloder-7. It was always my guess, but I wasn't comfortable loading on a guess. Thanks again,
kootne

[bruce drake]

Reloader-7

AA#7


Knowledge is a dangerous thing if its not applied safely.

I hope no one was hurt seriously.

[sbeatty1983]

Since I use mostly ball pistol powders, I use masking tape to label whatever is in my powder measures at the time. Longshot and hp38 look almost identical in the green darkness of an rcbs powder measure

[fcvan]

Unique, Bullseye, W231, Blue dot (until they changed it) and IMR 4227. Come to think of it, I haven't bought any 231 in 25 years. Oh and 4198 but not in 20+ years. My biggest fear is pouring back into the wrong can so I only have one can out and the rest put away, far away, when I'm reloading. I've got my favorite loading manual out constantly and have taken pictures of it for reference on my tablet. I can quote the danged charges and pressures pretty much by heart but I still look it up, check it with the scale, verify, and check it again! I don't wear a tin foil hat but I am pretty paranoid of making a mistake. My family shoots my ammo, it's important to me.

[perotter]

Like fcvan I check with manuals even when it's a load that I've 'memorized'. Normally 3 different ones. Also, follow with multiple weight checks and at least as approximate check into a Lee dipper.

Ideally I keep only 3 powders. Unique, WC820 and IMR4895. But recently I bought some 4198 as I was getting lower than I like on 4895. I may not always be able always get the so called perfect load, but have been able to get loads shoot well.

Like some here have said, not everyone should reload ammo. The only exception to checking a manual I've made was when doing a 30/30 cast load using PB. I couldn't, at the time, find anything published on doing it and my dad used PB instead of Unique. He was a 2 powder man, PB and IMR4895. Said if one of those didn't work, get rid of the gun.

[farmerjim]

When did they change blue dot? I have a large stash of 45+ year old powder that I am using. I know I have some Green dot, but will go to the barn to see if I have any old blue dot.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

As to the original topic, it's kinda easy for a Newbie who is self taught to get a little confused about some powder numbers (that's why a Mentor is such a great thing).

When I first started reloading...in fact the very first rifle load I worked up, I confused IMR4350 with the other powders with 4350 in their name, thinking they were interchangeable. THEY ARE NOT

Luckily for me, I started by using IMR4350 data and IMR4350 powder for 257Rob. and worked up a load from a ladder of 36gr to 41gr and settled on 39gr for best accuracy in my Mauser custom. After what I thought was great success, I bought some more powder, XMR4350 as well as H4350, thinking they were interchangeable (again, I'll say, THEY ARE NOT). At first, I thought my success with IMR over the other two was due to the 'Better' brand of powder that is IMR...that's when I had a short discussion with a fellow at the range, and he promptly informed me they are NOT interchangeable, and after a little research I learned how lucky I was to have started with IMR as it had the lower (per weigh) charges to pressure generated ratio than the other two.
========================

I saw that on the MO site. He is darn lucky.

I've got some accurate powder listed XMR4350 I inherited. Since I can't find a specific load data for "XMR4350" it will sit up there until I call Accurate themselves. The 4350 powders are NOT interchangeable

.
osteodoc08,
I have a 'paper' 2002 Accurate data manual. In the first few pages it lists all their powders, and their typical uses, that were available at that time, and listed XMR4350

BUT, in the Data section of this Accurate manual, they only list the powder by the number...In this case 4350. Yes, very confusing. If you are interested in some of the Data in this manual and want to trust the obvious, that they are speaking of XMR4350 when the powder mentioned in the load data section, is only the number, 4350. I can surely email you some photos of the pages/calibers you are interested in.
Jon

[wmitty]

RX-7 is the incorrect label used to describe Reloder 7, formerly manufactured by Hercules; now made by Alliant. It is sometimes shortened to Re-7; not sure where the RX prefix came from.

[farmerjim]

No 45 year old blue dot, just Green dot . I do have new blue dot and 50 year old load tables. Is this OK? many of the old tables are quite different from the newer ones.

[GabbyM]

RX-7 is the incorrect label used to describe Reloder 7, formerly manufactured by Hercules; now made by Alliant. It is sometimes shortened to Re-7; not sure where the RX prefix came from.

My old Lyman books write it Rx 7, Rx 11 and so on. In my new Lyman 4th they can't decide how to type it. RX7 or Rx7. However if one is confused there is usually an abbreviation key page in a load book.

[swheeler]

RX-7 is the incorrect label used to describe Reloder 7, formerly manufactured by Hercules; now made by Alliant. It is sometimes shortened to Re-7; not sure where the RX prefix came from.

Refer to post number 35

[grubbylabs]

I am surprised at how much I have read lately about reloading problems. The 1911 forum had one yesterday about a guy loading on a Dillon without a manual, I don't know if you would believe this but he blew up his barrel.

He wasn't sure how much powder he put in it. and between every one arguing about it being a double charge or a squibe and him testifying that his buddy who sold him the press had it set up right, no one thought to ask what his OAL was, who's bullet and data he was using.

The people over their seem to think all bullets of a given weight and profile are created equal.

Now we have a guy who can't read a powder label. If I did not know better I would swear the liberals have invaded our ranks and are doing their best to show this as a dangerous hobby.

[429421Cowboy]

I like the link on the second page of the thread, it takes you to another thread on Marlinowners about two other rifles destroyed the same way, another .444 and the best one, a Ruger No. 1 .45/70 that the guy used AA-7 loads in that had already parted out a TC rifle. The best part is he fired that bull-strong Ruger several times till the action stuck. Quikloads showed his loads to be in the 115k PSI range, that's gotta be some recoil! These have got to be the same people that drive a car on a flat tire till it won't go anymore before they look to see what's wrong!

[376Steyr]

Years ago, a local shop had pieces of a Ruger Super Blackhawk on display with a tag on it saying the gun's owner had gotten W296 and W231 confused.

[MT Chambers]

Does anyone know if the fellow has any AA-7 left, that he would like to sell?

[Dark Helmet]

There's reasons Rocket Science should only be practiced by ROCKET SCIENTISTS.

[canthitsquat]

Sooooo! After reading this thread, this means Bullseye should be the most accurate powder for most guns.

[histed]

Grubbylabs, it isn't totally surprising. With the recent ammo shortages a lot of people are seeing reloading as an alternative to stores. And we all know that everything we see on the net is correct. I've lost track of the people who know I reload who've asked me whip up a box full of 30-06 or 7mmRUM or whatever, then get pi$$ed off when I say NO! Only one guy, a good friend, ask "would you teach me to do that?" so we're working through it. He just finished reading the extra Sierra manual I had. Paranoid is not a bad thing when you're working with something that can kill you - or worse, kill someone else