The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

Gazza wrote:This could be the case as I know our club reloads for the under levers

Someone needs to take the reloading kit off the imbecile...

Have to agree with Sim G..

Whenever I hear about squib loads there is a reloader involved.. and IMHO there is no excuse.

I suspect it is because it is the round most loaded by those new to reloading. Follow a safe procedure and it is safe, load quickly as you are fitting it in between tea and the kids bedtime and trouble ensues.

No excuses should be offered, if the loader is at fault.

This is one of four such rifles we have had come in this year and at the risk of being contentious I would say it was down to a combination of reasons:

Nature of load.
Style of shooting.
Approach to reloading.
Age of shooter.

To back this up, pistol calibre carbines are popular with 25m shooters and you do not need to hurl a bullet down range at 200fps to do this, in fact many are shooting at less than half this velocity. Secondly, these rifles are used in noisy environments and often rapidly such as for competition use and it is very easy to not realise you have had a duff shot when you are trying to get 10 shots off in less than 10 seconds. Thirdly, people are reloading in relatively high volumes and often with a degree of automation because of the relatively low cost of the reloaded ammunition and style of shooting and finally age. Yes, age because for some off reason all four rifles I have seen have come in from older people, typically 65 years old plus. Draw your own conclusions.

Been shooting underlevers for 19 years.

In my experience most of these squib rounds come from users of .357. Downloaded rounds for Gallery rifle or missed powder measures.

Mine is a .44 even downloaded you know if there is something wrong as soon as you pull the trigger.

Ive had a friend next to me on the line send another round behind a powder less round. Expanded his barrel luckily didnt go bang properly.

Full case, half full case, quarter full case, full power load or mouse fart load, if it doesn't go bang properly then it the fault of the re-loader. The context is irrelevant as the re-loader should always adapt his re-loading process to the context, failure to do so is the re-loaders fault. There are no excuses or mitigating circumstances.

dromia wrote:Bad reloading practice pure and simple.

Nothing to do with the gun, nothing to do with the load, nothing to do with the volume just reloading operator error.

Absolutely!

ukrifleman

Whilst we are on the load subject for underlevers may I ask if the .38spl target load would be the same in a .357mag case or am I starting from scratch again?

I'm only proposing to change the cases to avoid any possibility of the 'carbon ring' possible with 38 cases used in a 357 chamber (Marlin1894cs)

Thank you

JohnG :cornwall:

With the .357 case being slightly larger then the case capacity is slightly greater leading to a lower pressure, whether this will have material effect on grouping only the target will tell with your rifle.

Best to just start with the existing .38 target load and work up some if necessary.

Thank you Dromia, appreciated
JohnG

I understand RCBS supplied 38 to 357 spacers with dies. Does anyone have a set, spare? I know I could get some washers skimmed etc.....just asking!! Thkq

If you have 38 dies then you can load .357 with them but not the other way around, the 38 case is too short for the 357 crimp die to work.

I think the Lee dies are even marked 38/357.