Thanks for the correction Bill.
Is there any evidence of steel casings being more susceptible to cracking/fracturing than brass, which is softer, but more malleable. What are the pros and cons of steel shells other than cost?
No, it wasn't Wolfe brand but I hadn't watched the vid again. It's all junk ammo and when you go cheap you get what you pay for...eventually. Let the arguments begin...and the lectures.
This is a great video that was shown to a group of us a while back. Needless to say it opened some eyes
Interesting video. However, it begs the question of quality control. I still remember the Yugo -- worst QC ever. The evidence of cracked casings and over-charged primers could all be tied directly to poor quality. What I've learned quickly from this thread -- don't trust my life or my rifle to a brand I cannot trust. Cheap is really dangerous. I will stick with good old American ammo -- it's clearly worth every extra penny.
Seaspriter, I totally agree and don't shoot Wolf or Tula in anything but my AKs. I believe Wolf and Tula are far better than some of the others on the cheap market. I posted this because it was posted on another site where a quite heated argument ensued over brass verses steel cased ammo. Not because of quality control issues but over steel purportedly damaging extractors and chambers. This video dispels that fairly well I think.
"Pierced and flattened primers - these are a sign of overpressure."
How true those words are! So why did the shooter ignore them and carry on shooting until the system finally let go?
The whole event is an argument in favour of the German regulation that you must take and pass a course that includes basic safety aspects as a precondition before you can even apply for a firearms licence. I am not keen on being struck by flying bits of other people's guns!
Um, over here in rusticland we don't have licenses for long arms.
Bob
"It is said, 'Go not to the elves for counsel for they will say both no and yes.' "
Frodo Baggins to Gildor Inglorion, The Fellowship of the Ring
As a whole exercise I put the thread up as an alert for personnel to keep an eye on their primers but also the way the rifle behaves as certainly that bolt body would be slamming back with the high over pressure a combination as Bob mentioned it would have had a new .308 barrel and o/loaded ammo for that particular system set the system up for failure at some point. I did the primer thing (They fell out) with my 6.6/284 and stopped at 3 rounds as they were not consecutive 2 - 6 - 9th thats where we surmised the load was suffering flash over. (Ceased that lark, pulled the rounds and use that powder now in my 22/250)
And annnuuurver fing you also learn when shooting hand guns (wheel guns anyway) as I cannot vouch for semi-autos is if you suffer a squib load that does not come out the barrel in a speed shoot and you poke another up there and well thats the end of that barrel, saw it at the state titles shooting plates a nice .357 Mag S&W race gun Bang Bang ppfffft BANG "Ooops! thats the end of my weekend was the exclamation,"
I guess the whole crux of this thread was to highlight not that cheap ammo is the cause of allot of problems but shooter awareness as to what is going on 5-6" in front of your beak and how your fire arm is reacting I just wanted people to be safe if it does not feel right stop and re assess.
Another trap for the unwary is the DP 3 and the Hornady auto powder dispensers or any for that matter is the powder tube as we had a situation on the mound this year, sorta went I was up talking & watching a friend shoot his .260 Imp and as we were gas bagging and watching my friend struggle with the conditions his catch cry when he nails a good score is "This thing shoots like a jet" funny thing is jets either use a mini-gun or a 1000lb JDAM?
Anyway all of a sudden above all the other rifles there was an almighty bang from 3 shooters to my Rt I looked over like everyone else and said WTFWT? to see another of my friends stunned on his knees with flecks of blood over his brow and Rt cheek a chunk missing from the left side of the stock near the gas port and a whole lota smoke.
When all settled and after checking and patching up & he was ok we attended the rifle on the mound, the bolt was jammed shut we knew it had fired? so off the mound it went and ended up bending the bolt handle still would not budge my friend took it home he being a gunsmith got the bolt open replaced the handle and checked the weapon fixed the stock and came back the following week.
The up shot of this is my friend was changing powders got distracted and forgot to empty the powder tube, it filled the case to @ the right level and my friend did not pick up the difference so the set up was there which could have ended really badly had the action not been a Barnard! (This just shows things can occur and not be picked up)
"I guess the whole crux of this thread was to highlight not that cheap ammo is the cause of allot of problems but shooter awareness as to what is going on 5-6" in front of your beak and how your fire arm is reacting I just wanted people to be safe if it does not feel right stop and re assess."
Cinders got the point. And I was not uttering an opinion as to the desirability or otherwise of licensing of individual guns, but suggesting that the requirement to have acquired some proper knowledge of the potential hazards before using any weapon is no bad thing.
"The up shot of this is my friend was changing powders got distracted and forgot to empty the powder tube, it filled the case to @ the right level and my friend did not pick up the difference."
And to prevent this, there is a simple safety rule: only use one kind of powder to load one calibre in one session. Then clear the bench, go for a walk/have a cup of tea, and start afresh if you want to load a different cartridge.
Last edited by Patrick Chadwick; 10-13-2015 at 06:23 AM.
And to prevent this, there is a simple safety rule: only use one kind of powder to load one calibre in one session. Then clear the bench, go for a walk/have a cup of tea, and start afresh if you want to load a different cartridge.