I’m a pack rat. I keep everything, so when I dig through the crates of reloading components I find all kinds of stuff I forgot I had. This is a double edged sword because although I will scrounge up cases, projectiles, or that past tenth of a pound of powder, I sometimes hang on to stuff I shouldn’t. Perfect example this evening. I just need to load 8 more rounds of 243 for load development. I intend to load all 8 with 100gr Interlock, (4) with 41.5gr IMR4350 and (4) with 42.0gr IMR4350. Near max and max loads.
Digging through my boxes of cases, I find a box of 243 and pull 8 to use. One catches my eye. A split neck. I don’t check the other 7 but happen to grab another from the box that also has a split neck. Ok. Time to check them all, really closely. Turns out the other 7 in my hand had all split necks or cracked case mouths, and 4 more in the box were the same way. Really weird for me to have 11 of 20 rounds with failed cases AND for me to have kept shooting after one failed. I chunked all 20, because the other 9 must have been taken to the limit.
This also tells me I need to be very cautious and meticulous with these 8rds I’m loading. I’ve always used IMR 4350 and 100gr Interlocks in my 243, but it has been a long time since I’ve loaded any. I’m just going to use brand new brass for these, and I’ll be shooting them over a chrony in case there’s any oddities in the data when I get to these last two groups of 4.
Safety safety safety. Never get in a rush, and take better notes than I apparently did with that box. Not worth getting hurt, ruining a gun,or wasting primers, especially in this time of scarcity. Tomorrow I may go through my components, especially my brass to check for anything else that might have been saved and forgotten that may no longer be good or that should have been chunked.
Digging through my boxes of cases, I find a box of 243 and pull 8 to use. One catches my eye. A split neck. I don’t check the other 7 but happen to grab another from the box that also has a split neck. Ok. Time to check them all, really closely. Turns out the other 7 in my hand had all split necks or cracked case mouths, and 4 more in the box were the same way. Really weird for me to have 11 of 20 rounds with failed cases AND for me to have kept shooting after one failed. I chunked all 20, because the other 9 must have been taken to the limit.
This also tells me I need to be very cautious and meticulous with these 8rds I’m loading. I’ve always used IMR 4350 and 100gr Interlocks in my 243, but it has been a long time since I’ve loaded any. I’m just going to use brand new brass for these, and I’ll be shooting them over a chrony in case there’s any oddities in the data when I get to these last two groups of 4.
Safety safety safety. Never get in a rush, and take better notes than I apparently did with that box. Not worth getting hurt, ruining a gun,or wasting primers, especially in this time of scarcity. Tomorrow I may go through my components, especially my brass to check for anything else that might have been saved and forgotten that may no longer be good or that should have been chunked.
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