1 rd totally F'd up 2 rifles and a Kawasaki Mule

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9 years 10 months ago #44155 by foxhunter
1 rd totally F'd up 2 rifles and a Kawasaki Mule was created by foxhunter
So I gave my old model 770 Win 243 to my daughter. Missing the gun, I came across a barely used Weatherby Vanguard in 243 win and bought it. I had several reloaded 243 rounds that I had shot in the Winchester for about 4 reloads, so this was the 5th reload on these rounds. I got in the mule,and threw a savage hog hunter 308 in a case and the weatherby in the bed of the mule, and went out to the pasture to shoot.
I picked up the weatherby first and shoved a round into the chamber. The round wedged into the gun and I couldn't even get the bolt closed. I thought that was weird. Even though the cases were neck sized only, they had always gone loosely into the Winchester.
Now the case was really stuck. I removed the bolt and had no tool to grab the case and pull it out. I tried banging the butt on the steel bed of the mule to no avail. I then rested the butt of the stock against a side wall of the mule and on top of the case holding the hog rifle. I then took a 22 cal cleaning rod and tried to push the round out. Pushing with all my strength did nothing. Now I was pissed, and took a hammer and started tapping, then harder, then harder, then...BANG. The rod did not move. All the force went backward. The wall of the case separated from the base of the case and remained wedged in the breech. The back of the case went through the padded case holding the hog hunter, through the stock of the hog hunter and put a hole the size of a nickel in the wall of the mule. I found the base of the case laying on the ground next to the mule. The weatherby had the floorplate blown out and it was bent. There was no other damage to the Weatherby.
The Weatherby is now at the gunsmith's getting the case wall reamed out of the barrel. I was fortunate to find a new floorplate (Howa) on Ebay for $50. So hopefully the Weatherby will be ok when I get it back. The hog hunter stock was replaced yesterday with a new Bell and Carlson stock. The Mule will always have the hole in it.
I never had a problem with reloads in a bolt gun before. I assume the chamber of the Winchester is a little larger than the Weatherby, which is why the case got stuck.
I guess my only options at this point are to not use any cases fired in the Winchester, or get a full body resizing die for the Weatherby instead of the neck sizing only that I have now. My wife says she is getting more life insurance on me.
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9 years 10 months ago #44156 by jtallen83
Replied by jtallen83 on topic 1 rd totally F'd up 2 rifles and a Kawasaki Mule
Glad you didn't get hurt, except maybe in the wallet. I'd never heard of a detonation from removing a stuck case like this, odds are I would have tried the same method to remove the case, doubt I try it now though, thanks for sharing.

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9 years 10 months ago #44157 by Siscowet
Replied by Siscowet on topic 1 rd totally F'd up 2 rifles and a Kawasaki Mule
You Holy Smoke! :huh: Glad you are ok. Dumb question/comment: It was indeed chambered for 243 Winchester, and not 240 Weatherby?
Were the reloads full length sized? From now on if I get a cartridge jammed, the weapon is going straight to the gunsmith.
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9 years 10 months ago #44161 by Libertarian623
Replied by Libertarian623 on topic 1 rd totally F'd up 2 rifles and a Kawasaki Mule
Glad to hear your OK . I could see myself trying that.
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9 years 10 months ago #44165 by foxhunter
Replied by foxhunter on topic 1 rd totally F'd up 2 rifles and a Kawasaki Mule
Well it said 243 win on the barrel and that is what the store sold it as. When I get it back, I am going to very carefully try a factory round in it to make sure it fits.

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9 years 10 months ago #44166 by foxhunter
Replied by foxhunter on topic 1 rd totally F'd up 2 rifles and a Kawasaki Mule
the reloads were only neck sized.

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9 years 10 months ago #44168 by Ranchwagon
Replied by Ranchwagon on topic 1 rd totally F'd up 2 rifles and a Kawasaki Mule
Wow, I never heard of that before either. That must have been quite a hammer blow.

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9 years 8 months ago #44427 by VTIT
Replied by VTIT on topic 1 rd totally F'd up 2 rifles and a Kawasaki Mule
Holy :censored: I would have tried the same thing. I guess I'll rethink that process. Glad to hear you are alright. It'll be interesting to find out what caused this.

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9 years 8 months ago #44428 by foxhunter
Replied by foxhunter on topic 1 rd totally F'd up 2 rifles and a Kawasaki Mule
The gunsmith is still trying to get the remains of the case out of the chamber. He agrees with my theory that the reloads had been shot in a different gun and the case was just too tight for the chamber of the Weatherby. These reloads are neck resized only, so that makes as much sense as anything. I have looked into small base dies for .243 and can't find any.

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9 years 8 months ago #44434 by OleCowboy
Replied by OleCowboy on topic 1 rd totally F'd up 2 rifles and a Kawasaki Mule
Glad you are OK Fox...

Looking at the line up of available carts in the .243 range there is really nothing other than the .243 that is even a close fit.

The Weatherby .240 is a belted rd and in fact is huge compared to the .243 Win, the Rem 6 is far longer and wholly different neck and the WSSM is so fat it would not get in the chamber even it had hair on it.

Bottom line I think blame it on the reloads used in a well worn chamber allowing some case expansion...OR...a chamber issue in the Weatherby. Grain of sand or other debris, possible malformed case, such as a slight bulge or other minor deformation.

From just a metallurgy view any repeated movement of a metal in the same location makes it weaker. 5 neck-die interactions IMO would severely fatigue the metal. Yes you may strike it back to OEM specs but what takes place at the molecular level is a breaking of the bonds resulting in less and less force to reshape. Its my guess as a AFL-CIO-IAM machinist that is what has occurred
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