plant.one wrote: ↑Sat Mar 30, 2019 11:05 am
based on what? i dont see how you u can extrapolate a bad chamber out of the blue like that...
I've seen it before. Pretty easy to cast and then you know. Just don't fill it into the barrel extension. The lands will be square.
Blaming it on the cold is pretty lame... Heard that one before too...
Unless you have actually tested that theory like some have.
The photo shows a known good load that was stuck in the freezer, fired from the same rifle. Those are not rounds from the OP.
After this thread started I sent Hodgdon an email asking if what I was reading online about Lil'Gun
being sensitive to cold temperatures causing pressures problems. The answer was nonexistent, so I resent the email three more times, no response. Apparently they are not going to answer my email. I've sent other questions to them and have received answers every time. I have Lil'Gun I guess it going to be warm weather range powder till I get answer from Hodgdon, I will not buy anymore of the stuff. Thanks for the test data.
Same. Sent an email asking for advice on preventing this issue, and no reply.
FYI I had a 10mm near max load with CFE Pistol begin doing this same overpressure thing during the winter too, where it previously functioned perfectly in warmer weather. Another Hodgdon powder. Hmmmm......
Not knowing if this cold weather issue is a problem with just a couple/few specific Hodgdon powders, or if this is common to all consumer handloading powder, I have decided never to load at or near max again, even if it is the most accurate load in my workup.
Additionally I will freezer test all past and future loads, to include placing whole rifles in a chest freezer.
I have scoured the internet for education on this and haven't found much. Additionally, no one my senior who I've talked to knows anything about this. If anyone has any info on specific steps required for cold weather load workups please take me to school.
Well, Hodgdon specifically markets a line of Rifle powders (granted not good for 300 BLK generally) that specifically are engineered to perform consistently in a wide range of temps, so they are aware of the issue with powders in general. See this link... http://ns.hodgdon.com/extreme.html
There have been a couple discussions about Lil'gun and pressure issues over the years. The last one was when they changed their load data.
The old max load was 15.2 grains compared to the new data at 17.2 for the same 150 grain bullet, brass and primer. A couple people tried to duplicate their new loads and everyone ran into trouble before they got to max.
Could be lot to lot variations, could be different barrels could be a lot of things. One it is for certain, it's unpredictable.
After talking with a Hodgdon Tech about load levels being higher then other manuals. He said NEVER start with a Max load listed either in their load manual or webpages as they only use test barrels not specific firearms for testing.
He said to use the starting load and workup for a specific weapon.
He said in their test barrels the psi measurements were accurate but could produce very different results in a specific firearm depending on chamber, throat and barrel dimensions. I usually start in the middle of the chart and go up from there.
Hogbuster wrote: ↑Tue May 07, 2019 10:51 am
After talking with a Hodgdon Tech about load levels being higher then other manuals. He said NEVER start with a Max load listed either in their load manual or webpages as they only use test barrels not specific firearms for testing.
He said to use the starting load and workup for a specific weapon.
He said in their test barrels the psi measurements were accurate but could produce very different results in a specific firearm depending on chamber, throat and barrel dimensions. I usually start in the middle of the chart and go up from there.
Having experience with that exact load combination, in at least 5 different barrels, I would encourage you to start at the very low end. For years Hodgdon listed 15.2 grains as max load for good reason.