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I might buy a gauges, but I will post here in the forum to see if anyone in Seattle can do it and I can bring my rifle and pay. It is 30 seconds job.
 
Here I took some close-up pictures with "Factory" ammo that I still have:

1) Images 1 and 2 are HSM. I am left with one more box (20 rounds) and today one of the HSM boxes was problematic as I explained. Another same box was just fine. All of them look as the ones shown in the pictures. They all have PMC stamped in the back, thus they might not be HSM.

2) Images 3 and 4 are Federal Classic that I still have two boxes (40 rounds total). I shot these a week ago and was very pleased with both accuracy and action (both loading and ejection were smooth). They all have F.C. stamped, which I guess is abbreviation for Federal Classic.

3) Images 5 and 6 are Herters. I got one box of theses left and I still never tried them. They all have stamped HRTRS in the back, so they seem to be factory loads.

I will make another post and see if anyone in Seattle area could measure the headspace in my 30-06 chamber and I will pay for it. I am a scientist and my curiosity does not let me wait. I need to have answers immediately, or I can't sleep. My work is to solve problems, so when I get a problem I do not stop until I solve it. In this case, I need to have an aswer if the issue was caused by the ammo or by the rifle (headspace). It is unlikely the rifle since I shot at least 80 rounds without the problem, so it would not make a sense that headspace issue suddenly appears from nowhere. However, everything is possible, so I will measure the headspace.

Ammo#8.jpg Ammo#9.jpg Ammo#4.jpg Ammo#5.jpg Ammo#6.jpg Ammo#7.jpg
 
Reloads. That's a no-no unless you loaded them yourself.
I would never knowingly shoot someone's else re-loads. I purchased the rifle and with the price I negotiated few boxes of factory ammo. I had no idea that some could be reloads. If I knew I would not take them.
 
Hmmm...maybe these were factory reloads by HSM?

I just went to my gun room and opened a new box of HSM, in .40S&W. Of the handful that I grabbed, five of the headstamps were:
FC
Federal
Winchester
Speer
S&B

20210227_181316.jpg
 
I too have had trouble in the past with HSM (won't use them anymore). Blown primers and a few flattened ones where enough to cure me of using HSM ever again.

Shoot your rifle with some fresh factory (not reman) ammo and you should see a world of a difference.
 
I will make another post and see if anyone in Seattle area could measure the headspace in my 30-06 chamber and I will pay for it. I am a scientist and my curiosity does not let me wait. I need to have answers immediately, or I can't sleep. My work is to solve problems, so when I get a problem I do not stop until I solve it. In this case, I need to have an aswer if the issue was caused by the ammo or by the rifle (headspace). It is unlikely the rifle since I shot at least 80 rounds without the problem, so it would not make a sense that headspace issue suddenly appears from nowhere. However, everything is possible, so I will measure the headspace.
I think headspace can be adjusted on reloaded ammo casings when done incorrectly could be excessive. Maybe a reloader can chime in about that
 
Hmmm...maybe these were factory reloads by HSM?

I just went to my gun room and opened a new box of HSM, in .40S&W. Of the handful that I grabbed, five of the headstamps were:
FC
Federal
Winchester
Speer
S&B

View attachment 834218
yeah i wouldn't be so sure they are reloads, my guess is they are factory remans. but can't rule out personal reloads either. that's the risk we take when we buy anything second had in this sport.
hsm is bottom rung brand i would cull that box and hopefully not resell them.. (please) theres a reason why you dont see much of it.
but pull some bullets and see if theres any powder clumping etc, pour a few cases out and inspect and smell podwer. should smell like chemicals. you could also maybe download them by a few % and re seat the seeds to factory length and probably be fine if everything checks out. also measure the bullets make sure there arent any .311" or anything other than .308" dia.

Maybe consider a different venue for your thrill seeking
yeah if you enjoy thrill seeking sports id want to keep (both of) my eyes to keep that up. this isnt the sport for it. o_O
one of these days nude tennis will be back in full "swing" :p
 
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I think headspace can be adjusted on reloaded ammo casings when done incorrectly could be excessive. Maybe a reloader can chime in about that
head space is head space. the bolt can grow a little maybe a thou or two over the life of a rifle and change if the barrel is swapped etc. also why it should be checked every now and then under normal circumstances to tell if something is about to give way. ak bolts can grow a bit with even 5k-10k rounds. they are known to be pretty cheap metal for the bolts. (not good)
what your refering to is shoulder bump when sizing a case to match the same chamber it was shot from. not really the same thing. similar but diff.
also the throat can errode over time and some people will seat the seeds further out to "chase the lands" and improve accuracy.
 
what your refering to is shoulder bump when sizing a case to match the same chamber it was shot from. not really the same thing. similar but diff.
if a reloader bumped the shoulder back too far would that be the same net result of a rifle with excessive headspace?

Im just leaning to the ammo as the issue here since if the rifle is old its probably shot many rounds just fine I would think chamber headspace would have shown up in the rifle at its beginning and corrected by now?
 
if a reloader bumped the shoulder back too far would that be the same net result of a rifle with excessive headspace?

Im just leaning to the ammo as the issue here since if the rifle is old its probably shot many rounds just fine I would think chamber headspace would have shown up in the rifle at its beginning and corrected by now?
its true a case sized too much to an extreme would cause lower case volume and increase pressure excessively if loaded to near max def. but the shoulder of the brass would also blow out to form to the chamber (fire forming). i have no idea how much this would increase pressure (and theres no real way to tell without peizo strain gauges etc) but even seating a round .01" deeper can increase pressure a few thou IIRC. im pretty certain that would only flatten a primer somewhat not completely blow it out like that.
also im pretty sure the die pretty much limits how excessively you can size a case and bump the shoulder. you usually have the die touching the holder and a little cam over with there being metal on metal stopping the sizing, i just cant really see if happening.
reloading is fairly idiot proof because they limit the ways you can screw it up.

you're much more likely to have something like the bullet "set back" further into the case with minimal crimp under heavy recoil. which you will notice a bit when shooting. maybe a little higher vel. and some more flattened primers but i don't think anything this extreme. pretty sure the head swelled on that and the primer just fell out. thats more significant.
but.. i certainly am no expert, just the way i understand it.
 
Post #23, above, the top picture. Is my eyesight playing tricks on me or is one of those bullets seated deeper than the other? I'm not suggesting this is the cause of the blown primer. A bullet driven in deep enough might be.

I vote with the many who believe this is an ammo problem, not a rifle issue. There may be two problems involved. One, the hangfires throughout one box. Two, the blown primer. Might be the same problem is there is a powder quality issue.

Advice for the future, the very first time you shoot and encounter something that seems wrong, stop shooting. OP, you had no problems with your Federal ammo. Then you noticed problems with the HSM. That is the point where you should've stopped shooting and investigated. Including having some remaining, unfired rounds from the troublesome box. Which you could've done a partial autopsy on one of the cartridges. You may have found caked powder or something else amiss.

I suggest you pull down a couple of the HSM cartridges in the remaining box. You might find an answer, maybe not.

HSM has been a lower tier manufacturer of ammo for decades. I wouldn't buy any. But their sales seem to surge in times of scarcity. I can remember an earlier round of famine when HSM was one of the few brands available. I shiver to think how much liability insurance costs for such a company.

HSM may have used new brass from PMC. When PMC (El Dorado Cartridge Corp.) had their plant in Boulder City, NV, I seem to recall they sold new brass for loading. Those bright orange HSM boxes are not recent.
 
The rifle was used a lot, but it is smooth as one can get and definitely was very well maintained.The Bore (Remington RA-2-44) is in superb condition. Not every shot from the problematic box had the issue. It was 4-5 from that box that had problem. It is near impossible that headspace would be correct for few shots, and then suddenly change, and so on. But crazy things happen. I will check the head space for curiosity. Even if the chances are slim that headspace is problematic, it is always better to be on safe side. Moreover, it is a good thing to learn from troubleshooting.
Since I am not the only one whose HSM cartridges are stamped with other companies logos, wouldn't that mean that they are collecting empty shells and re-loading them, or they buy shells from other companies. I have near-zero knowledge how ammo manufacturer's operate.
 
If anyone want the last HSM box with 20 full cartridges, I am giving them for free. I would prefer someone from Seattle to pick them up. However, I do not take any responsability for these cartidges and I am disclosing that they might be problematic. One box of the same ammo shot great and one had issue with 4-5 rounds.
 
Post #23, above, the top picture. Is my eyesight playing tricks on me or is one of those bullets seated deeper than the other? I'm not suggesting this is the cause of the blown primer. A bullet driven in deep enough might be.

I vote with the many who believe this is an ammo problem, not a rifle issue. There may be two problems involved. One, the hangfires throughout one box. Two, the blown primer. Might be the same problem is there is a powder quality issue.

Advice for the future, the very first time you shoot and encounter something that seems wrong, stop shooting. OP, you had no problems with your Federal ammo. Then you noticed problems with the HSM. That is the point where you should've stopped shooting and investigated. Including having some remaining, unfired rounds from the troublesome box. Which you could've done a partial autopsy on one of the cartridges. You may have found caked powder or something else amiss.

I suggest you pull down a couple of the HSM cartridges in the remaining box. You might find an answer, maybe not.

HSM has been a lower tier manufacturer of ammo for decades. I wouldn't buy any. But their sales seem to surge in times of scarcity. I can remember an earlier round of famine when HSM was one of the few brands available. I shiver to think how much liability insurance costs for such a company.

HSM may have used new brass from PMC. When PMC (El Dorado Cartridge Corp.) had their plant in Boulder City, NV, I seem to recall they sold new brass for loading. Those bright orange HSM boxes are not recent.
Thanks for the advise. Next time I will be more careful. I only brought with me HSM ammo, so I could not check Federal. I will ffirst check the headspace just to be on a safe side, and if that is OK will only shoot the ammo that did not give me problem. I am also looking to buy some both in 30-06 Sprng and 308 Win. If anyone is interested, I am giving for free the HSM box.
 
I believe that HSM started out doing commercial reloads on used brass, AKA "remanufactured". As they grew they started loading using virgin brass purchased from one of the larger manufacturers. This is pretty common for smaller companies to do.

These kind of companies can range from a one-man operation using Dillon presses in his garage, to a fairly large outfit using commercial quality machines, but they're always much, much smaller than the big boys like Remington or Federal. They're all licensed and insured (hopefully), but QC can vary.

I've always been a bit leery of remanufactured ammo from these kind of companies, because I've had a couple relatively minor issues with it over the years. I would actually be more comfortable with ammo from a small manufacturer like Mike here on the forum, simply because I've met and talked with him on several occasions, and based on that I expect that his QC is top notch.

The photo of the HSM ammo looks to me very much like virgin brass, so I would assume it is likely HSM manufactured using brass purchased from PMC. Whatever happened to that one box, who knows. I would definitely contact PMC and give them the lot number, make them aware of it and see what they say.

Personally I wouldn't stress too much about the headspace on the rifle, but if it concerns you it's not a bad idea to have a gunsmith take a look at it. It should be quick and easy, and shouldn't cost much at all.
 
It is near impossible that headspace would be correct for few shots, and then suddenly change
100% thats why i said ammo..

if you want i may be in Seattle next weekend i may be able to stop by and grab them strictly for the purpose of measuring all of them checking seating depth, shoulder uniformity, i could weight the bullets as well and pull them with a collet style puller as to not disturb the powder and see what it all looks like.
if someone else wants it though be my guest. honestly that will take a bit of time i dont really have.
 
Geez, when will people stop selling/giving ammo to unsuspecting folks. If you're not sure about the providence of ammo, DON'T SHOOT IT!!! Holy crap. Enough said.
 
To be honest, I probably would have shot it too. From all appearances, even now, it was factory ammo from a large manufacturer. It probably would have been the same if he had bought it off the shelf at Cabela's.
 

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