This is why you don't shoot someone else's (unknown) reloads!

[cajuntec]

I've been looking for some .357 Max brass for a while now. Someone recently contacted me about some loaded ammo he had. He was up front and completely honest about it - They were someone else's reloads, and he didn't know anything about them.

He pointed out ahead of time that there were "two different bullets" (more on this in a second), so he thought maybe one of the labels on one of the boxes was wrong. That was ok with me. I wanted the brass. I planned on pulling everything and dumping the powder the minute I got them anyway.

They came in today. 78 rounds. I started pulling them down. Findings:

1) Not 2 different kinds of bullets - 3 different kinds. 180 grain Hornady XTP, 158 grain Remington SJ HP, and 180 grain Remington SJ HP.
2) Two different powders. I can't identify them, but one looked about like H110 / W296. The other one might be the IMR4227 that was on the label, but I have no way of knowing.
3) Compressed loads with all 16 of the 158 grain SJ HP loads. Powder wouldn't come out of the case. It was mashed down in there pretty tight. The end of a zip tie helped me scrape it all out.
4) The 180 grain SJ HP loads had 22 grains of whatever that powder was. If it was H110 / W296, that's substantially higher than what every manual I have lists for those two.
5) Since the 158 grain SJ HP's were compressed (and the bullet doesn't go down as far into the case as the 180's), that means those had substantially more of whatever that powder was.

Regardless of all the numbers, weights, and measures, it just goes to show you - Never believe what is written on the label of a box of reloads from someone you don't know. And even if you know them... proceed with caution.

All the best,
Glenn

[chrisk]

That could of been interesting

[stickerpatch59]

had a friend load me some 6.5x55 swede for me once.
now that cal. doesn't have much recoil at all, about like a 12 ga.
when I fired the first round of his reloads, they kicked like an army mule and I couldn't open the bolt to eject the empty brass.
it took a long time to get the bolt opened as the brass had swelled up so bad and blew the primer out.
never shot another one of them.

[Texas Grown]

Glenn, what kinda arm is your 357Max in? Contender? DW?

[cajuntec]

Michael,
I have two - A bull barrel Custom Shop 24" T/C Encore rifle barrel and a 14" T/C Contender pistol barrel.
All the best,
Glenn

[Drycreek3189]

Good advice. I even stopped buying bulk reloads at the gun show after one round blew the magazine out of my G23 and kicked about like a 10mm. Hole at the bottom of the case where it was unsupported. Scarey stuff !

[Texas Grown]

24" Custom Shop BB. Interesting . Thank you Glenn.

[Quackerbox]

True story I'll leave here that kinda falls in the same category.....

Several years ago I hunted waterfowl 4 or 5 days a week and spent LOTS of time with a quite a few guides. Several of those shot rem SP10s and loaded for them. One had "special loads" that he marked with black marker. Im not sure what he did to them but they had a very distinct sound when hunting within ear shot and would flat fold geese and crazy distances. Sometimes they would even partially rattle the primer out of the third round.

That leads to one of the younger guys and a guy I hunted with attempting to come up with something that would crush geese. He went to an unnamed famous gun shop owned by a guy named Bill. The store happened to be out of his shotgun powder and the salesman offered blue dot pistol powder. Salesman advised to put a smaller bushing in his loader and go at it. Well he loaded a few and went out to one of the properties to try them out. Second round blew up in the receiver and sent shards of brass and who knows what from the exploding 10ga round into his right forearm (left handed shooter). The receiver of the gun actually swelled out at the ejection port and the bolt stuck.

Shooter told me the story and says something like "I knew it was too hot when the first wad flat lined for 80 yards".

The receiver of that SP10 was still hanging on the wall of Johhny's sport shop in eagle lake last time I was there. Besides the swelling its got distinct marks from a set of channel locks trying to mash it back together.

[cajuntec]

24" Custom Shop BB. Interesting . Thank you Glenn.

It's a fun rifle. I built it for my son. Here he is, shooting some .38 Specials and .357 Magnums from it, prior to us moving up to the .357 Max rounds:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KIS6Wc_uOs

All the best,
Glenn

[Jspradley]

As a friend of mine tells me, I don't care who you are, you don't have the QC department that Hornaday, Federal, or Winchester does.

[cajuntec]

As a friend of mine tells me, I don't care who you are, you don't have the QC department that Hornaday, Federal, or Winchester does.

I'm glad you left out Remington, or I'd have to challenge that statement. . I have better QC than Remington. . Ha!

All the best,
Glenn

[Texas Grown]

It's a fun rifle. I built it for my son. Here he is, shooting some .38 Specials and .357 Magnums from it, prior to us moving up to the .357 Max rounds:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KIS6Wc_uOs

All the best,
Glenn

He looks to be having a great time ! And .38 is certainly easier on the pocket book. Used to cost me 2.50 to reload a box of 50 LSWC back in the mid-late 1980s before the price of lead went up.

How do you like the stock? I've been thinking about an AR type for my TC rifle barrels. Think I've only seen one though, besides the folders. Got a 7 YO grandson that is up and coming.

And sorry to distract from the topic.

[cajuntec]

No problem. I enjoy the conversation. My son loves the stock, and I like it too. This one is a Choate, and it is well made. Some say they are heavy, but this was a heavy firearm to begin with with that bull barrel. Doesn't bother my son at all. He took his first deer with it in 2014.
All the best,
Glenn