Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Rifle Detonation by a reloading mistake

A few years back a friend of mine detonated a 03. Rifle in 30/06 came completely apart in a most violent detonation. A very experienced reloader whose been at the craft since early 50�s set down to load some 06 in his favorite H414 powder. Stepped out the door and touched one off for testing. He said a bright light was all he ever saw. In his hand was held a piece of wood or whats left of the stock. The bolt was on the ground lying between his feet. Barrel was about 30 feet out in front and completely unharmed. That barrel is now in another rifle. The scope bent into a curve and 20 feet behind. Floorplate and mag box along with various pieces of the action were scattered here and there. Gathering them all up we took this pic.




Here is a pic zoomed in a little closer on what we found of the action. There's the rear bridge some feed rail and mag box. Trigger guard and floor plate is there. All we found of the front ring was just a couple small pieces. basicly the front of the action came completely apart.



A closeup of the case reveals that everthing from the web back is gone.



What happened to cause this? Well we took apart a couple rounds and discovered that instead of reaching for what he thought was H414 he pulled down a can of H110. And an 06 case full of H110 is NOT a good idea. Result�. Complete Detonation.

He received numerous splinters and small cuts all up and down his left arm and face. Nothing that required a doc. His hearing came back the next day but he said "Huh" alot for weeks.

Lessons learned. Oh you bet. His age and with less than perfect eyesight combined with a heaping dose of �I�ve done this a million times I know what I�m doing� attitude is what caused this.

So we all can benefit from his most unfortunate accident by always double/triple checking everthing.

I have this picture framed and hanging in my loading area with the caption in bold letters �ARE YOU SURE ABSOLUTELY SURE�

I posted this in another fourm and it was suggested that I post this in other reloading rooms to spread the information. Good idea. If anyone wants to may copy this post and repost in other reloading rooms as well.

Thanks for posting this. A few years ago, my former supervisor took up handloading and made a big(potentially dangerous) mistake. He bought a can of Ramshot powder using the data for Big Game only he had TAC! He kept having stuck brass, primers falling out, etc. and couldn't figure out why this was the case. He then looked at the can when he got home and realized he'd loaded forty 308 rounds with TAC using Big Game data. Fortunately for him, it wasn't a painfull experience but he admitted it scared him. I know of another guy that loaded a 270 Win. using 270 Weatherby data and blew up a gun. Scary stuff.

Thanks,I'm just starting out and it puts things into perspective,CHECK,CHECK And after that CHECK again!!!Reloading is a safe thing if YOU ARE CAREFUL AND FOLLOW ALL SAFTEY PRECAUTIONS.Thanks for the post a picture is truly worth 1000 words!

Damn, that would ruin your whole day.

If that's not a great reason to never use an old POS like and 03, I don't know what is.

Thanks for posting. It is a reminder not to have our mind on other things while reloading.

Also, this photo reminds me of another that was in about the same condition from firing a .308 win in a 25-06 chamber.

Springfield 1903..... not a POS.... fine military rifle that in the past was the platform for many custom rifles. Not so much today.

One of the big danger points in flying is the 500 hour mark. Up to then , you do everything "by the book", double checking everything. Then, you get lazy..
You mention getting the incorrect powder, and then loading with it. That's scary..
Don

The picture above, along with hundreds of other incidents lead me to believe otherwise.

Choose your own poison.

What's your point?
Don

Would the result have been any different with a Mauser 98? How about a Sako, or a Sucks, or a Mark V?

Point is, that much pressure, caused by a very simple and careless (though understandable) mistake would have done that to any action out there and the fella is just very, very lucky to be alive.

A few years ago, I bought the remains of a once-fine custom FN Mauser that a friend had blown-up by a similar handloading booboo. Haven't yet photographed the mess, which looks for all the world just like the photos that you've posted here. I wanted the remains to show and to photograph, as warnings against the very same careless inattention that caused the blow-ups in my friend's and your friend's rifles.

Some time before, I'd given this friend a canister of Ramshot "Big Game" powder for his .30-06. I don't load for anything, these days, that could use "Big Game" powder.

Later, he had a custom Mauser built for my .220 Howell, which does well with what Ramshot then called "Big Boy." He asked me for (and I gave him) my load data for "Big Boy" powder in the .220 Howell.

You can already see the problem coming, can't you?

Yep, he saw only the word "Big" on the canister and started loading "Big Boy" charges of "Big Game" for his .220 Howell rifle. His first shot produced results almost identical to those produced by your buddy's booboo.

As a result, Ramshot's "Big Boy" is now Ramshot "Magnum." Same powder � no change in chemistry, size, shape, or quickness.

The same danger lurks in other powders, especially those that come with similar designations but vastly different quicknesses (misnamed "burning rates"), in canisters that are not differentiated by caps, labels, etc, of different colors.

The best protection? The only protection � continuous careful attention to what the Hell you're doing.

� Have only one canister of powder anywhere near where you're about to load ammo.
� Read the label before you take that canister to the bench.
� If you use a powder-measure, immediately put a strip of masking tape � marked with the powder's designation with a grease pencil or felt-tip marker � on the measure.
� When you're all done with that loading session, immediately empty the measure back into what you're absolutely sure is the same canister.
� Immediately take the masking tape off the measure before you leave the bench.
� Take the canister back to separate storage. Don't leave it on the bench or on a shelf right next-to or over the bench.
� Go through every step of the same procedure again next time, even if you're going to load some other cartridge right away.

.

I fail to see how the '03 Springfield is at fault here. A .30-06 case full of H110 would produce a tremendous pressure and would be about like holding a small bomb in your hand.

I fail to see any suggestion that the '03 Springfield is at fault here.

.

I had a similar experience and I wrote about it in Handloader Magazine.

Several years ago, Hodgdon H-4895 and H-4198 had exactly the same color (green) label. I was handloading at the range and I ran out of H-4895. I walked to my truck and grabbed a 5-pound bottle of Hodgdon powder with a green label. Then, I loaded five .308 Winchester rounds with 150-grain Hornadys and 44 grains of the "green bottle powder."

Yup, it was an overload of H-4198.

I was shooting a Remington Model 700. At the shot, all I saw as a huge yellow flash and a whisk of white smoke out the gas port. The action was LOCKED.

When I managed to beat the bolt handle open (no, the bolt handle did not come off), the .308 case was basically flared solid to the bolt face and extractor recess. It cost me a new bolt, a very cheap price for my profound stupidity.

My old friend, Ted Curtis, worked at Kimber of Oregon at the time. Ted, was probably the wisest gun man I've ever known...particularly when it comes to the time/pressure curve. Ted's response, upon my telling about the accident was a simple warning, "Steve, do you know how close you came to rifle DETONATION?"

I never made that screw-up again.

Steve

I have often thought about my friends close call with death. I think what saved his life was that the pressure and the explosion was so great that the action cmpletely opened up instanateous and let the bolt fall down by gravity. He said the bolt was on the ground between his feet. If he had loaded a couple or few grains less then the action may not have opened quite so completely allowing the forces to propel the bolt right between his eyes.

Steve, after handloading for 30 years I had one of those same booboo's as you did. Two years ago I thought I had reached for
RL25 to load in my 700/ 264 instead I had grabbed RL15. I saw RL and the #5 and without hesitation loaded it. It took a large rubber mallet to open the bolt. The extractor was ruined. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

Me learn big lesson. YOU just cant be to careful!

Ken, I was actually directing this towards CAS, who in post #458652 said - "If that's not a great reason to never use an old POS like and 03, I don't know what is. "

I guess when you type in the "quick reply" section of the page it replies to the last person that posted on the topic.

We have a sako we use in hunter safety class that looks a lot like that one. 243 double charged with a fast powder. Only damage was to his drawers which required changing. Bent the scope tube on a loopie. tom

Buzz,

I don't know if you were around then, but Chris Dichter at Pac-Nor stuffed a 30-06 case full of Unique several times, and even pushed a larger-than-bore bullet down the tube several times with no detonation.

That action was a VZ-24, and it held together. I have also head stories of Winchesters, Remingtons, and others subjected to similar abuse that withstood the pressures. I'll post them if I can recall the exact instances.

Here is a quote from Chris about what they did:



The thread is here.

I saw a beautiful pre-64 M70 Winchester chambered in 300 H&H that looked just about like those pictures. This was another case of powder identity mixup. If one does not pay attention, REALLY pay attention, he may get a real surprise. The strange thing is, few people are seriously hurt by these "bombs". I know of one guy who lost his right eye, a serious enough injury, to be sure. I should probably touch wood, but in 40+ years, I have not managed to do anything like that. Good to have the stark reminders, though. Eagleye.