Nasty situation adverted!

[CINDERS]

I was loading cases today for my 6.5 x 284 which some have called the Fat Swede
Anyway I am about finished the first batch of 24 as I was changing the load spec's for the next batch of 12 (you have to experiment a little with stuff). (from 30 thou jump to 10 thou jam)
Maybe it was all the rounds I have loaded over the years because my Redding BR thrower is usually smack on though Reloader powder is not the best feeding powder, but something was amis!
I had 5 to go so I paused and checked all over again and there it was the point slider on my Lee balance scale I had inadvertently knocked and it had come loose and moved forward increasing the load, its done a few thousand rounds and is worn time to replace it I think.

When I dropped a previously loaded case on the pan it shot straight to the top and as I was already at a heavy loading this would have pushed it over the top for sure.
So re set the slider worked backwards until I hit the one that zeroed at the 52 grains required adjusting all the other cases back (8 in total ) all is now good.
And having a narrow squeak 2 years ago is still pretty fresh in my mind as why the action did not let go or a case rupture I have no idea but it did crack the back of the bolt where it is milled out for the stud (Savage action) discovered by accident 1 month later.

How I found that was it kept knocking the safety on when extracting as the rear of the bolt had drooped so on intricate examination it was revealed goodness me.
I put it all together from that one event where I suffered a flash over and the round detonated rather than burn.
I was chasing a low density load of ball powder with low pressure but reasonable velocity it did not work also I was using a magnum primer.
My loading's now are at 90 - 95% of case capacity I do not play so much anymore only bullet jump and minor load adjustments dependent on tried and proven powders/loads. Rifle has been checked over by my gunsmith a new bolt and re head spaced all is good.

But just goes to show you to be for ever vigilante when your doing stuff with or for your fire arms.
Cheers .Attachment 80516

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[browningautorifle]

Not the first damaged part from a 6.5 I've seen...we've had a few around here with the reloaders too.

[30Three]

Glad you avoided a possible disaster.
I have had one or two issues with powder weights changing during reloading on my Dillon rig. The stick powders do not dose well. Luckily I have caught the errors and pulled the bullets to correct them. But vigilance is the key to safe reloading thats for sure.
Recently I purchased an electronic powder dispenser, for hand loading the powder on the .303 and 7,62 rounds. I still use the rig for Pistol but regularly check load weights.

[Ovidio]

I manually weigh every single load with my faithful rcbs scale.
Just can't get to trust anything that's not analogical when it comes to reloading.

[browningautorifle]

I've been using scoop loads for bangers since the '80's. They work fine but you have to "Settle" for lesser loads than you want. I use a measure for ball powders and scale when an exact accurate measure is required. The Dillon has bridged a few times with flake powder like B'seye but there's been no disasters.

[CINDERS]

We use our DPM 3 if we have a swag to do usually my wife waits till she has 150 (3 weekends shooting) to load for her 308's I may have say 100-150 303's, 120 -308's and 50'ish of the 6.5's secret is throw point 2 grains under and manually weigh to the required measure I do this for all my rounds weighing them exact yep even for the tomato stakes as they have enough inconsistencies to contend with the end user being one of them!
The 6.5 x 284 due to its design can spike in pressures very quickly so it does not take a great amount of error to set you up on the wrong side of SAAMI.

Jim any feed back on the incidents with the 6.5's were they the wildcat and not the 6.5 x 55 Swede I am toying when the next barrel goes in to buy a Shehane reamer going to a straighter case on the 6.5 x 284 to slow down the case stretch cannot do much about the barrel burning, or when these 3 barrels are toast I may go to a 6.5 Creedmore as it seems to be doing the deed very well not that the Fat Swede is a slouch but it eats barrels and at $1000/brought & fitted well it is a tad dear.
Seeing as I have had this rifle for 4 years and its on its 3rd barrel whilst my wifes 2 Barnard 308's have about 5,000 rounds between then still chugging along nicely with no loss of accuracy.

[browningautorifle]

any feed back on the incidents with the 6.5's were they the wildcat and not the 6.5 x 55 Swede

These were 6.5X55. They were the influx we had here probably back in the '80's. Everyone had one and of course the thought they could improve them to do wonderful things. One had a bolt face moved, that is changed angle. It was no longer flat. That was enough plus other incidents discussed at the time and they started adhering to written and proven loads. This was before ammo was easy to get though, except for us in the army because we had the Carl Gustav sub cal device. So we could get tracer and gallery, which at least gave us primed cases.

[CINDERS]

No more slipped scales good mid quality types Lee are ok but after 10 years tired of plastic fantastics besides both the trickler and the balance scales have probably worn out.

[Ovidio]

Good choice. I often thought about buying some comfortable weighing systems, but then always shy off for a strange gut feeling.
I also bought the Lee scoops, but ended up using them just to get as close as possible to the desired weight. I put the powder on the scale and then add-up the missing quantity manually picking the powder as if it were salt being added to a good dish.
Takes time but, as I stated in another thread, reloading just relaxes me and I like it as much as I like shooting.

[CINDERS]

Me as well nothing more satisfying of a good load that works or more stupifying when it does not work LOL