Close Call- Lesson Learned

[keith smart]

A while back i bought some reloads at a local gun show. First round, inordinately high and the shell casing stuck. I am fortunate it did as I probably wouldn't have noticed the right side of the receiver before trying another. Destroyed a really nice Springfield but could have been a bit worse

[free1954]

sweet jesus!

[Mark Daiute]

I'm happy for you, sad for the trapdoor. Is the rest of the rifle intact? Receivers can be had...

[Dick Hosmer]

OUCH!! Double charge of 2400 maybe? You have to be SO careful of low-volume fast burning powder when loading smokeless in large cases. If you load in bulk the last step is to ALWAYS take your block to a GOOD light and make SURE the powder height is uniform.

[Mark Daiute]

who knows what those reloads were or what they were for unless of course they were specifically sold to the Kieth as reloads for trapdoors. As I was doing my chores this morning I was recalling this post and wondering about reloads for modern rifles ending up in trapdoors.

[DRAGONFLYDF]

Why shoot smokeless, let alone someones reloads, in a rifle designed for blackpowder ?

[John Sukey]

Well all is not lost, Dixie Gun Works should have recievers.
The ONLY reloads I shoot are the ones I load.
AND the ONLY powder I use is black powder!!!

[Mark Daiute]

Al Frasca always has receivers on his site:

http://www.trapdoorcollector.com/

Good luck and please, Keep us posted.

[musketshooter]

It's going to take more than a receiver to repair that! The barrel is bulged at the threads and the chamber will be unusable. Will people ever learn not to use pistol powder in a trapdoor?

[older than dirt]

Why shoot smokeless, let alone someones reloads, in a rifle designed for blackpowder ?

I reload my own for my TD & I use Smokeless because I can & if they had it (smokeless) back then, they would have used it too.

[amber]

NEVER use anyone else's reloads. PERIOD!!!
Barreled receivers can be located without much trouble and for a fair price. How is the stock, etc.?

[DRAGONFLYDF]

I reload my own for my TD & I use Smokeless because I can & if they had it (smokeless) back then, they would have used it too.

and they would have used M-16s and a couple of A-10s would have been handy at Little Big Horn, but they didn't have them back then, so the gun was designed to use a blackpowder cartridge, too much of a chance of destroying a gun by using powder it was not designed for.

[Mark Daiute]

have we ascertained the cause of failure? was the bore checked before use? do we know it was a double charge of a fast burning powder? were the reloads sold as "trapdoor" reloads to the OP or were they simply 45-70 cartridges picked up off the table? Can the OP find the individual that sold the reloads or is that person long gone? These are the things that I'm wondering about.

Please pull some of these loads and measure the powder and post pictures!

[Dick Hosmer]

IMHO, the problem is NOT with using smokeless powder, per se, as there are plenty of perfectly safe smokeless loads which can be assembled, if care is taken.

The problem was in trusting someone else's stuff in a potentially dangerous situation. It would be instructive to learn what was in the cases.

[Dale in Louisiana]

and they would have used M-16s and a couple of A-10s would have been handy at Little Big Horn, but they didn't have them back then, so the gun was designed to use a blackpowder cartridge, too much of a chance of destroying a gun by using powder it was not designed for.

And we can easily replicate those BP loads with modern powders but we have to pay attention because of lot of the equivalent smokeless loads are way less than full volume charges in that cavernous .45-70 case.

Further aggravating the situation is that a lot of people bump the loads up for modern lever actions and bump them up even further for guns like the Ruger #1 & #3. that's fine if you're shooting one of those guns, but if you pass out handloads to a buddy who might be shooting a Trapdoor, he's in trouble.

dale in Louisiana

[keith smart]

have we ascertained the cause of failure? was the bore checked before use? do we know it was a double charge of a fast burning powder? were the reloads sold as "trapdoor" reloads to the OP or were they simply 45-70 cartridges picked up off the table? Can the OP find the individual that sold the reloads or is that person long gone? These are the things that I'm wondering about.

Honest 95%+ rifle, mint bore and a fine shooter based upon a half dozen range trips over a four year period. Above the fellows ammo display he had a trapdoor suspended. The fellow has disappeared from the local (South Carolina) gun shows. He did however make an indelible impression on me and I hope our paths do cross again.
Keith

[keith smart]

The problem was in trusting someone else's stuff in a potentially dangerous situation. It would be instructive to learn what was in the cases.[/QUOTE]

Dick, I think the remainder of the box is in my ammo crate. PM me and I would be happy to mail you a round or two if you like, assuming the USPS is agreeable.

Keith

[Dick Hosmer]

Thank you for the offer, but it would be better sent to a current reloader - I'm basically a collector (with a sponge-like memory, and some of the basics of reloading have stuck). I doubt very much that I could ID the powder, etc.

[M2Phil]

Glad no one was injured, and
HOLY $#!t!!!!!

[Doug Rammel]

OK Keith

I have to ask were you in the 44th Division. My Dad was.

[keith smart]

OK Keith

I have to ask were you in the 44th Division. My Dad was.

No sir. I use the division patch in honor of my father, WC "Bud" Smart, 71st Rgmt

[jon_norstog]

Keith,

A shame about your rifle. It should have given you or someone another hundred years of service, and been on the firing line long after the vogue for black guns has passed and been forgotten. You got caught by Murphy's Law on that one. Better luck in the future, and glad you were not badly hurt.

jn

[blackhawknj]

Yes, NOBODY ELSE's reloads in my TDs and NO smokeless powder either. Lead bullets only.

[psteinmayer]

I never use a reload that I didn't load myself. I witnessed someone use .45 ACP loads that someone else loaded and it almost ended in tragedy!

[Griff Murphey]

I simply would never buy reloaded ammunition unless branded remanufactured, such as 3D etc.

A friend bought a bunch of 9mm reloads when a police officer invited us to fire his FA's with him and blew up a magazine on the cop's nice Hk MP-5.

I have a bag of handloaded .223 a patient gave me about 20 years ago sitting on a shelf. Imagine it will stay there.

[psteinmayer]

I have a bag of handloaded .223 a patient gave me about 20 years ago sitting on a shelf. Imagine it will stay there.

Use them for the cases and bullets. Pull the bullets and dump the powder.... and reload with your own load data and powder. Just a thought...