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Have you ever wondered what would happen if...

No doubt we all need to be more careful than we already are. In an instant a casual mistake can be catastrophic. The older I get the more cautious I get. I used to sit on the bench with two or three rifles around and ammo for all close by. I'm super fortunate as my bench is twenty steps out my front door, hopefully to be in my reloading room shooting out a window before long, and I only take out one gun, and ammunition for it outside at a time. Even then things happen. I took my 20 VarTarg out a few days ago, and we've been having some really warm temps. I had a load I developed in 60 degree weather with Viht 120 and 32 grain VMax's. I really didn't even think it was that hot a load, but first shot I had a super heavy bolt lift. Labeled all my ammo boxes with that load to not be shot in hot weather. I had another load with H4198, and it actually had more velocity, and no pressure signs whatsoever. Things react differently in 90 plus degree weather, and I know that, but there I was. So glad everyone is OK.
 
highfinblue said:
No doubt we all need to be more careful than we already are. In an instant a casual mistake can be catastrophic. The older I get the more cautious I get. I used to sit on the bench with two or three rifles around and ammo for all close by. I'm super fortunate as my bench is twenty steps out my front door, hopefully to be in my reloading room shooting out a window before long, and I only take out one gun, and ammunition for it outside at a time. Even then things happen. I took my 20 VarTarg out a few days ago, and we've been having some really warm temps. I had a load I developed in 60 degree weather with Viht 120 and 32 grain VMax's. I really didn't even think it was that hot a load, but first shot I had a super heavy bolt lift. Labeled all my ammo boxes with that load to not be shot in hot weather. I had another load with H4198, and it actually had more velocity, and no pressure signs whatsoever. Things react differently in 90 plus degree weather, and I know that, but there I was. So glad everyone is OK.
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The "very" reason that all of my hand load development is done at 90+F! I may shoot my firearms in all seasons, at temperatures varying from -20 F to 100 F.

I will then test them at temperatures approximating hunting season expected temperatures……and adjust scope/drop chart as/if needed!

My heart and wallet can't stand those kind of "surprises"! 😜 memtb
 
memtb said:
The "very" reason that all of my hand load development is done at 90+F! I may shoot my firearms in all seasons, at temperatures varying from -20 F to 100 F.

I will then test them at temperatures approximating hunting season expected temperatures……and adjust scope/drop chart as/if needed!

My heart and wallet can't stand those kind of "surprises"! 😜 memtb
Click to expand...
If it weren't September, I wouldn't be shooting in 90 degrees lol. I hate hot weather, and yet I've lived in Oklahoma all my life. It seems I hated it less when I was younger. Hopefully within the year I will never have to shoot in 90 degrees again, more like 65-70 year around.
 
highfinblue said:
If it weren't September, I wouldn't be shooting in 90 degrees lol. I hate hot weather, and yet I've lived in Oklahoma all my life. It seems I hated it less when I was younger. Hopefully within the year I will never have to shoot in 90 degrees again, more like 65-70 year around.
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So…..how are the gun laws in Hawaii? 😜

I know the feeling…..the 90's - 100's hurt a lot worse than they used too! memtb
 
memtb said:
So…..how are the gun laws in Hawaii? 😜

I know the feeling…..the 90's - 100's hurt a lot worse than they used too! memtb
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I'll be shooting from inside my gun room, a/c in the summer, wood heat in the winter, best of both worlds. Too much water around Hawaii for me, I'm a flatlander, L-A-N-D er. I can't even take 8000 feet very well anymore. I used to wonder why the older guys at elk camp had such a hard time. I don't wonder that anymore.
 
highfinblue said:
I'll be shooting from inside my gun room, a/c in the summer, wood heat in the winter, best of both worlds. Too much water around Hawaii for me, I'm a flatlander, L-A-N-D er. I can't even take 8000 feet very well anymore. I used to wonder why the older guys at elk camp had such a hard time. I don't wonder that anymore.
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Well, if you want the perfect (or nearly so) shooting range/room (and money is no issue) ……put in a 100 yard underground shooting range.
Stable cool temps, and no wind.

The first 60 rounds through my new (1982) were shot in Basil Bradberry's underground range. The bench was in a small soundproof room in his basement. There was a small port hole (probably about 1' square) in which to shoot through. Adjacent to the port hole was a walkthrough door into a 6' or 8' (seemed larger than 6' but didn't seem to be 8') galvanized culvert leading to the target room. Along the culvert was a lighting system, and a ventilation system. At the end of the culvert was another small room, where the target stand was located. The target system was a roll of freezer paper a few feet below, with the paper attached to a "take-up" roll driven by a rotisserie ( or similar) motor drive with a camera focused on the target.

He would attach several targets to the freezer paper……meanwhile, back at the bench was a small tv screen and a push button to advance the rotisserie motor, presenting a new target. As shots were fired, he would use a "grease pen" to mark the shots on the tv screen. After firing a test group, he would advace to the next target, wipe of the "grease pen" marks, and repeat the process. He could put about 4 or 5 targets on the freezer paper…..meaning few trips to the target!

That was just one of many things about his basement that would absolutely "blow" the mind of a normal guy!

Stable temperatures, zero wind, shooting while never leaving the reloading/shooting section of your basement! A shooter's dream set-up……except for long range shooting. memtb
 
memtb said:
Well, if you want the perfect (or nearly so) shooting range/room (and money is no issue) ……put in a 100 yard underground shooting range.
Stable cool temps, and no wind.

The first 60 rounds through my new (1982) were shot in Basil Bradberry's underground range. The bench was in a small soundproof room in his basement. There was a small port hole (probably about 1' square) in which to shoot through. Adjacent to the port hole was a walkthrough door into a 6' or 8' (seemed larger than 6' but didn't seem to be 8') galvanized culvert leading to the target room. Along the culvert was a lighting system, and a ventilation system. At the end of the culvert was another small room, where the target stand was located. The target system was a roll of freezer paper a few feet below, with the paper attached to a "take-up" roll driven by a rotisserie ( or similar) motor drive with a camera focused on the target.

He would attach several targets to the freezer paper……meanwhile, back at the bench was a small tv screen and a push button to advance the rotisserie motor, presenting a new target. As shots were fired, he would use a "grease pen" to mark the shots on the tv screen. After firing a test group, he would advace to the next target, wipe of the "grease pen" marks, and repeat the process. He could put about 4 or 5 targets on the freezer paper…..meaning few trips to the target!

That was just one of many things about his basement that would absolutely "blow" the mind of a normal guy!

Stable temperatures, zero wind, shooting while never leaving the reloading/shooting section of your basement! A shooter's dream set-up……except for long range shooting. memtb
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Money is definitely an issue. I'm building my wife a house, and all I'm trying to do is get a window in my building where my gun room is, and it's held up in litigation; with her lol.
 
memtb said:
Years ago I learned (should've known better) the hard way……do not have my ammo and my wife's ammo on the bench at the same time.

Firing one of her cartridges in my rifle actually gave the exact opposite of this topic……extremely low pressure! That mistake caused me to…..freak-out as my chronograph to "come from untogether", felt much less recoil than anticipated, throw away a .338 WM brass that instantly became a "straight wall" case.

No harm to me or my rifle……but my "feeling were hurt"!

Lesson learned……never place more than one cartridge type on the bench at a time! memtb
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Well, guess what? Years ago I did the exact same thing, but shot a 270 round down the tube of a 7 mag. It was a Browning auto and the receiver looked like it was 9 months pregnant and the wooden stock had chunks nocked out of it. Luckly back then I wore glasses because all kinds of powder blew back into my face. Federal ammo boxes look all the samEd especially when they are all on the same bench.
 
I had a customer put a 308 win in his 7mm REM Mag Win M70 Classic. It headspaced and fired. Bullet swaged through the barrel and hit about 50 yards out. It split the composite stock, blew out the floor plate cutting his finger, ejected the claw extractor folding it backwards leaving a deep gouge in the stock and probably narrowly missing the shooters face, and then the escaping gas and powder burned and sandblasted the guy's eye and face severely. It's very important to feed rifles what they are labeled for!!!!
 
Rick Richard said:
Well, guess what? Years ago I did the exact same thing, but shot a 270 round down the tube of a 7 mag. It was a Browning auto and the receiver looked like it was 9 months pregnant and the wooden stock had chunks nocked out of it. Luckly back then I wore glasses because all kinds of powder blew back into my face. Federal ammo boxes look all the samEd especially when they are all on the same bench.
Click to expand...
Hmm. If this is true that a 270 down a 7 RM Browning Auto blew it up then, all the more about my negative feelings toward anything magnum automatic except an M1 Garand....... I tossed a 280 AI down a 7 RM (Savage action) and got only one piece of ruined brass and a lesson about shooting more than one gun at once on the same bench.......
 
..I find that hard hard to believe that a .308 dia bullet would travel down a .284 dia bore without causing major catastrophic failure of the barrel and action....I'd have to see it myself..
 

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