Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 6mm Lee Navy thread continuation.....

I remember reading an eye witness account of the accident (which I have been unable to locate) who stated that among the debris on the bench was a badly deformed cartridge case which evidently had been fired in the rifle prior to the accident. This leads me to suspect that the cause of the accident was insufficient neck clearance, which can prevent the bullet from exiting the case and cause a virtual detonation. This could be caused by failing to check neck thickness on formed cases. The mystery is why someone would continue to fire after experiencing such obvious pressure indications.

I also remember reading that Winchester used a Lee Navy action rebarrelled to .220 Swift to test fire .220 Swift ammunition, which would seem to indicate that at least the factory consideered it an adequately strong action.

At any rate, here is my Lee Navy sporter, which I expect I will be selling before too long, if any interest is shown.

xausa-
If you can recall where you read about the test firing of the Swift, could you kindly post that information here?

There are a great many stories circulating about the birth of the Swift, and I've made an effort to find as many reliable accounts as possible. This is the first indication I've encountered that Winchester used a Lee action in their tests.

Many thanks.

--Bob