Small rifle primers in 9mm reloads?

[GreyGeek]

Second round got jammed inside barrel??   And also blew the second round shooting cavity in the cylinder??

He believes that when the 2nd round was fired the bullet traveled down the cylinder chamber and because, he believes, the cylinder was misaligned and the front edge of the lead bullet  caught the edge of the barrel, forcing the lead to turn sideways, jamming the mouth of the barrel.  The resulting overpressure blew the cylinder into three segments, one of which struck the son  of the man who was shooting the gun in the stomach.  The segment struck him on its flat side, instead of an edge, and neither his shirt or his skin were penetrated.  It just stung like a strong hand slap.

I say believes because he didn't know for sure and that was the only idea he could think of.  When he told me the rounds had filled the casing only 20% I suspected an overpressure caused by too rapid conflagration.  I have only his word that the first round was not a squib, and I have only his suspicion that the cylinder didn't align properly before the hammer fell, which I find difficult to believe since he  says the man was merely squeezing  the trigger and the double action would properly align the cylinder.

I had other business and couldn't stand around and ask questions, but I plan to talk with him later and fill in some details.

[SemperFiGuy]

GG:

Thanks for the response.

BTW, the Hodgdon HP-38 that you are using is essentially the same powder as the Win231 that I'm using.   Some sources say that it's the exact identical stuff.   They are next to or very close to each other on most powder burn rate charts, if such is any indication.

sfg

[Ram Ringer]

Never go the other way- small pistol primers are not strong enough to withstand rifle loads even though they will fit in the pocket.  You run the risk of rupturing the primer and blowing hot gas all over your face. 

I would normally agree with this but I just recently ran into a bunch of Remington SP primers that were too hard for my Kel-tec PF9 and my S&W Sigma to routinely punch. I ended up using them for my practice AR loads and have not noticed any problems. I have been told Remington primers are harder than others.

[GreyGeek]

BTW, the Hodgdon HP-38 that you are using is essentially the same powder as the Win231 that I'm using.

mmm...  I notice that they are very close:
http://www.frfrogspad.com/burnrate.htm

10. Hodgdon Titegroup
11. Accurate No. 2
12. Alliant American Select
13. Winchester AA Plus
14. Hodgdon Clays
15. Vihta Vuori N320
16. Ramshot Competition
17. Scot Royal D
18. Winchester WST
19. Hodgdon HP38
20. Winchester 452AA
21. Scot 453
22. Winchester 231

I included the Hodgdon TiteGroup in that list because I  have eight, one pound bottles of it.  But,  now that I've gotten back into reloading after a 55 year absence I'm beginning to think that the TiteGroup is a little too hot for my 9mm cartridge.   Am I misunderstanding something? What do you think about using TiteGroup for 9mm reloading?

[jonm]

I used titegroup on 9mm with no problem. Be careful with it though. The density of it is real high so can easily double charge the case. If you are loading lead bullets in front of them, you will get a lot of smoke since it burns hot.

[SemperFiGuy]

GG:

First, of all----bear with me while I complain about these various confusing names given to smokeless powders by their makers:

[Titewad vs. Titegroup, the various Clays, etc.:  Different Bang! rates/Don't mixem.  EZ to do.]

Second, these faster-Bang! powders are for liteweight bullets (generally, 124gr. and under).  Less inertia in the smaller bullets; easier to get started going from Velocity = 0.   Big bullet just sits there, waiting to go while the chamber pressure builds.   [You know all this stuff from your Physics background.]

Third, only some Reloading Books have 9mm-Titegroup data.   For example, Hornady does not.   Lee does have some.   So does Speer (115gr and 124gr).   So you may have to dig to find a 9mm load you like in Titegroup.

Fourth, double-charging is a scary possibility.   Always better to have a load that causes the double-charge to spill over on your bench than to explode in your face at the range.

As JonM Rightfully Sez:

Be careful with it though.

My thoughts, FWIW.

sfg

[358156hp]

I bought a 3 pounder of Titegroup a couple of years back. The first thing I tried it in was 9mm, with 125 gr bullets. It worked okay, but after less than one full magazine, the gun itself was hot enough to brand cattle with (pin match). I tried it in 38 Spl with the same results. The nitro content is apparently really high, and that can cause issues depending on the circumstances. Bullseye never did this to me in anything. Some guys really like it and are clamoring for it during the current shortages. I do wish them well, it's just not for me.