Double rifle jammed shut

[crs]

Thanks for following up and passing on how things worked out.

 

[johneracer]

I'm glad to hear this was worked out. I'm guilty of having a bunch of different powders at my table at once, ill take your experience as a warning to myself as well.



there is a good reason for that, the Sabatti brand earned every ounce of its bad reputation by making poor quality rifles. I made the foolish choice of buying one at one point...

-matt

Did you get your rifle back from butch? Have you shot it? I know sabatti gave you a hard time developing a load but I'm wondering how your new rifle is working out?

 

[matt85]

Did you get your rifle back from butch? Have you shot it? I know sabatti gave you a hard time developing a load but I'm wondering how your new rifle is working out?

the Sabatti broke... some internal pieces decided to break under recoil and the gun went back for a refund.

the Searcy is still with Butch, last i heard from him the rifle was fixed and ready for regulation.

-matt

 

[edward]

i bought a sabatti and have never had a problem,2014 got my hippo,sable,and 2nd cape buff bull,guess im lucky.

 

[Tim Beahan]

A cautionary tale, to be sure. I try to keep only the powder I am currently using on my bench. All the rest are in a metal cabinet. Too easy to make a serious bang. That being said, you can never have too many loading manuals, either. I have found serious errors, but fortunately, my education didn't cost any appendages.....only a pistol and a little pride.

 

[DUGABOY1]

Glad it worked out and did so apparently without any damage.

The value of forums like this relies not only on people sharing their successes, but also their failures. It's easy to do the former but one has to swallow their pride and accept their not flawless to do the latter. It's worth it though if you helped someone learn and not repeat the mistake.

So good on you for revisiting the thread and being honest about what happened!

The above post is the map for proper advice meant to help not hinder others. We all learn from others experiences and when it comes to hand-loading it pays to make double and triple checks before beginning to load. As some one above stated when loading one cartridge only the components for loading that round should be on your loading table.
It does little good to ridicule a person who has made a mistake, but is better to explain why things are important than it is to shame a person for a mistake. In that tack nothing is learned.
There is an old saying that applies here!

The real art to conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right time, but also to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment!

Nothing is gained by angering others with a pontificating attitude.

Nobody it too old to learn!

 

[DUGABOY1]

i bought a sabatti and have never had a problem,2014 got my hippo,sable,and 2nd cape buff bull,guess im lucky.

Congratulations sir, I'm glad you got one of the good ones, many weren't so lucky!
....................................................................................................................................Mac

 

[Rick Hill]

This has never happened to me so would like to see some of these replies to educate myself a bit.

Ok - so a while later after regulating and cleaning a Joh. Kalesky (Austrian double rifle), I brought it out to show a friend and it was stuck shut. The lever would go all the way over but it would only open a crack. Could not do the rod down the barrel trick to push out a stuck or broken firing pin (snap caps) so I removed the sidelocks and it opened. It some double rifles,when they are fired, the pins are proud to the reciever. You could be able to tell this by looking at the barrels for a groove left by the gunmaker. The firing pins had wedged into the hard plastic of the primer pockets (8x75R) of my "snap caps" which were softened by oil. I swear I could hear the Widow of Joh. Kalesky over all those years and all the way from Vienna "Dumkopft!"

AND before you take a screwdriver to a sidelock, adapt the screwdriver bit/turn screw with a diamond lap with magnification to perfectly fit or don't touch it!

 

[rookhawk]

All good info above.

In addition, always remove the forend first. It could be a stuck cocking dog. It could be something bound in the hinge between the forend. Removing it ensures it’s not the problem.

 

[Daniel Cary]

Lord ..

 

[Inline6]

Well it's fixed now!! And sheepishly I have to confess it was a bloody hot load. The gunsmith just tapped the lever to the side and obviously harder than I was prepared to do it. Both primers just fell out, and staining on the face can be seen where the gases have blown past.
Now, I've been reloading for years now and I'm still not sure how I done it. Eventually a mistake gets made and I've just made mine. Luckily no damage to the rifle or owner.
I shoot 106gns of AR2209 and a Woodleigh 570g projectile and after pulling the remaining 30 odd rounds each one was spot on 106gns. So what I assume now is that I used AR2208 by mistake.
A lot more caution will be used in future.

Thanks for all the advice guys, much appreciated.

I believe AR2209 is equivalent to H4350. I have shot maybe a couple hundred pounds of it. A couple years ago I had a lot that I have never shot before. Loaded up my normal charge of 39.6gr in my 6xc. At 100yds I was lucky to keep it inside of 1.5" and heavy bolt lift. My speed should have been 3050ish give or take 10fps one way or the other. I was getting 3180fps, I had to back way off of my charge with that lot to get it back to the speed needed. Once I did that I was back under .25MOA.

I have heard of it happening with Varget not with H4350. So I'm thinking you have a hot lot of powder. That would be my guess anyways. Now the funny thing is half way through that 8#er, it slowed way down like back to normal. I'm wondering if it was a machine that have a powder changed and had some left over from a hotter powder? I'll never know. Check your speeds when you change lots or start using a new powder, start 10% low and read your speed. It is an easy and cheap insurance.