09-29-2022, 02:36 PM
Klem, you're right, I was indeed using a very heavy bullet...a powder coated +-235gn lead boat-tail from the lee 230-5r mold (because I'm cheap), and seating rather deep, somewhere around 2.10" oal. immediately after the kaboom, I dropped 14.4 gn into a case with a spent primer, and found I couldn't seat a bullet to 2.10" without hearing the powder crunch pretty badly, so I wrote off a double charge as unlikely, though apparently it's not impossible!
I suppose flash-over could have contributed to the situation too, but I have no direct evidence of that.
the barrel that was damaged was a bear creek arsenal barrel, which I sent back to them along with pictures of the brass, borescope shots of the broken barrel extension lugs, and a description of the failure, and much to my surprise, they replaced it free of charge, with the advice to check neck thickness...which I did, and found all my wolf brass to have necks in the .014-.015 range, which is a thousandth or two oversize.
As for the powder charge, I chose LilGun based on the load data that Lee Precision issued with the dies and/or mold, and worked down until it went subsonic.
I'll take a look at H4198 for future load development, it definitely sounds like a safer choice. During the Covid-powder shortage Lil Gun was the only listed powder my LGS had in stock, so I just went with it. I've heard good reports about A1680 for subs as well.
I suppose flash-over could have contributed to the situation too, but I have no direct evidence of that.
the barrel that was damaged was a bear creek arsenal barrel, which I sent back to them along with pictures of the brass, borescope shots of the broken barrel extension lugs, and a description of the failure, and much to my surprise, they replaced it free of charge, with the advice to check neck thickness...which I did, and found all my wolf brass to have necks in the .014-.015 range, which is a thousandth or two oversize.
As for the powder charge, I chose LilGun based on the load data that Lee Precision issued with the dies and/or mold, and worked down until it went subsonic.
I'll take a look at H4198 for future load development, it definitely sounds like a safer choice. During the Covid-powder shortage Lil Gun was the only listed powder my LGS had in stock, so I just went with it. I've heard good reports about A1680 for subs as well.