Never never fire unknown reloads....

[Andy54Hawken]

Yes we do.
As I said ... the rifle and remaining loads are at a gunsmith's and getting looked over.
Can't report on whats unknown...So later I'll post some pictures and give a better report...

Need more details before this story can be used by others. Double load(blown primer) brass used too many times (where split) reloading is serious stuff and not for everyone.

All matching, even the stock?
I only ask because I'm just assuming...
(Enough to make ya cry...)

All matching ... even the stock , everything all had Remington parts .
And yes I feel like crying ...
Andy

 

[Flymph]

We can cry together...
How are you going to retire her?

 

[Velzey]

I would be interested in seeing a few photos of the rifle.

I have seen some old military surplus rifles with loose barrels. Saw a 1903 that was unscrewed exactly one turn. The only thing that was holding the barrel in the proper position so the sights line up was the stock and barrel bands. Fired one shot and I got to see all sorts of things happen. Mostly just a separated case and lots of smoke and gas escaping out the Hatcher hole.
Someone was part way thru a sporterization and decided to sell it at a gun show.
I tightened the barrel back up and its shooting fine now.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Honestly I'll think I'll just part her out ... at least what can be saved or reused.
We will see what my 'Smith says....
Thinking about / Looking at the remains makes me feel sick... losing that rifle.
At least the shooter wasn't hurt too badly ... cuts , bruising and some gas "burns" back in the face and arms.
Andy

We can cry together...
How are you going to retire her?

 

[Andy54Hawken]

After I talk to my 'Smith ,,, I'll see about taking some pictures of the rifle and loads.
Andy

 

[Wombat of Doom]

Sorry Andy. That is quite a loss.

 

[titsonritz]

Never never fire unknown reloads....

Solid advice.

I still have a couple hundred reloads that came with an AR I bought that I won't shoot for this specific reason. I don't care that the load recipe is written down on the container. I figure some day I'll tear them apart, give then away or sell them cheap (with full disclosure, of course), but I'm not running it through my weapons.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

So 12 of the loads appear to be:
IMR 4320 powder 50.5 grains and a 165 bullet
The remaining 7 loads have varying powder weights of 45- 50.5 grains of unknown powder.
With a 165 grain bullet.
Not sure what was in the fired cartridge that ruptured in the breech.

The rifle is being parted out and given to my gunsmith friend who checked it out as a partial payment for his time.
I tried to take some pictures ... but to honest it was just too difficult.
Andy

 

[EPS]

So I went shooting this afternoon with a friend and his buddy.
Friends buddy brought ammo to shoot in my rifle.
The rifle in question is a Remington 03A3 from 1943.
Long story short ... No one was seriously hurt but...
My A3 now has a crack in the receiver by the "Hatcher hole" and the barrel seems twisted.

Friends buddy bought some reloads at a gun show awhile back ....He was not aware that he bought reloads ... and seems honest about it.
Sigh
Andy

Glad you're all OK when I got my nephew his shot gun for Xmas we all went to his buddy's grandfather 's house to shoot some trap so the grandfather brings out this coffee can full of 12GA ammo we started shooting it and we noticed there's a huge kick and lots of fire LOL after a few rounds we start getting Jams and guns won't cycle and the my brother inlaw shoots one that basically explodes in the chamber after a quick math session we figured that those shell 's where reload from the grandfather 's father some 25 year's ago lol needless to say we didn't finish the coffee can it went back on the shelf in the garage mmmmm HEHEH

 

[orygun]

Man, Andy, That really sucks.
Hope you can save it. Those are super cool rifles.

 

[TCOV]

So I went shooting this afternoon with a friend and his buddy.
Friends buddy brought ammo to shoot in my rifle.
The rifle in question is a Remington 03A3 from 1943.
Long story short ... No one was seriously hurt but...
My A3 now has a crack in the receiver by the "Hatcher hole" and the barrel seems twisted.

Friends buddy bought some reloads at a gun show awhile back ....He was not aware that he bought reloads ... and seems honest about it.
Sigh
Andy

A few years ago I started going to gunshows and joined WAC and frequent the Falcon shows when they are in town. After a few shows I conclude that when you enter a gunshow you are in a room with the most theives and crooks per capita you will ever enter. Never buy ammo at a gunshow unless it is from a retail ammo dealer. I have seen so much ammo sold as factory from private parties and on closer inspection was reloads. You can not save enough money on ammo at a gunshow to be worth the risk.

 

[MountainBear]

A few years ago I started going to gunshows and joined WAC and frequent the Falcon shows when they are in town. After a few shows I conclude that when you enter a gunshow you are in a room with the most theives and crooks per capita you will ever enter. Never buy ammo at a gunshow unless it is from a retail ammo dealer. I have seen so much ammo sold as factory from private parties and on closer inspection was reloads. You can not save enough money on ammo at a gunshow to be worth the risk.

You've been going to the wrong gun shows then. I've been tabling at gun shows for years, and with some notable exceptions, most of the guys are good people. If you are finding hat not to be the case, I suggest finding a better quality show.

 

[TCOV]

You've been going to the wrong gun shows then. I've been tabling at gun shows for years, and with some notable exceptions, most of the guys are good people. If you are finding hat not to be the case, I suggest finding a better quality show.

Well you may be ethical and I'm sure dealers don't screw each other so your experience would be different than mine. Your "notable exceptions" leave a long lasting sour taste. I still go to gunshows but have developed a better "BS" meter over time.

 

[11Charlie]

Damn Andy I am so sorry to hear this.

Hope you get news from your smith.

 

[Sagebrush Dave]

So 12 of the loads appear to be:
IMR 4320 powder 50.5 grains and a 165 bullet
The remaining 7 loads have varying powder weights of 45- 50.5 grains of unknown powder.
With a 165 grain bullet.
Not sure what was in the fired cartridge that ruptured in the breech.

The rifle is being parted out and given to my gunsmith friend who checked it out as a partial payment for his time.
I tried to take some pictures ... but to honest it was just too difficult.
Andy

Andy, I am kind of new to this forum,, but I am sure sorry to hear of that ammo screw up with the 03-A3. I have been a gunsmith for about 50 years and the 03-A3 actions are some of the finest ever made. It takes a whale of an overload to crack one as you reported, somewhere in the neighborhood of 90 to 100G (PSI or CUP, what ever measurement they use). The fact that no one was seriously hurt is amazing. The barrel being off to one side indicates that the threads jumped a notch when the action spread apart,,, geez!! that had to hurt someone. This type of pressure can also be generated if slow burning powder is undercharged, it can do a weird resonance and pop actions in the same way,, with horrendous pressure, varying charge weights make me wonder if this was the case.
I doubt the stock is salvageable, but if it is, other 03 actions can be found in the "sporterized" state and used to bring it back to mil spec., and you'll have an 03 back again.

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

i use almost the same load in 30-06. mines 48.5gr IMR4320 with 165gr nosBT. its right around 2730fps

 

[Mygrainman]

I was thinking(ya I know).... is it possible that the powder was tainted or somthing and it did like a staggered burn? What I mean by that: maybe initially it only partially ignited, so the bullet left to slow and, and stuck, or slowed down enough that when the rest of the powder took off there was a build up in pressure behind it and it turned the chamber into a pipe bomb. Is that a thing? or am I making silly stuff up? seems plausible in my mind.

 

[tac]

Here in UK and the rest of Europe and Scandinavia where we have so many stupid laws about guns and shooting, it is illegal to sell or provide ammunition that you have made to another person.

That suits me just fine.

We don't seem to have any reloaded ammunition manufacturers, either, that I readily put a name to, on account of the CIP regulations, which are actually part of law in the fourteen signature countries. Every manufacturer of ammunition has to provide 20,000 rounds of each type of ammunition they make for test and evaluation EVERY year to the Proof Authorities for compliance with the safety and manufacturing standards.

That's why I can't make ammunition for anybody else.

1. I can't set up making a calibre that I am already authorised to possess for the reasons above. And

2. It is illegal for me to make even a single round of ammunition of a calibre that I am NOT authorised to possess.

I CAN show a noob how to do it, using my press et al, but HE or SHE has to do it, not me. A sort of a 'now do this'...

tac

 

[DunRanull]

Andy sorry to hear about losing a fine rifle.. I wonder what they used for powder in those reloads?? Nitro or H.E.??! I used to own a 1943 Remington '06- it was probably the most accurate rifle Ive owned tho I've got a 1948 Fazakerly Lee-Enfield that shoots close enuff..
Im glad that the only hurting is your loss of a good rifle- hard to take but not like someone losing an eye or having a sheared bolt in the brain...

 

[Andy54Hawken]

i use almost the same load in 30-06. mines 48.5gr IMR4320 with 165gr nosBT. its right around 2730fps

I think that the 12 loads with IMR4320 , 50.5 and the 165 grain bullet would have fine.
Its the others with the varying powder charge of unknown powder that really worry me...
Andy