So, I started out with a batch of 20 cartridges loaded with Hornady 250gr. FTX bullets and another group of 20 with the Barnes 200gr. XPB. I wanted to test four different loads with each bullet and based my starting points off the Hornady 9th edition manual, the Lyman AR manual and info from trusted forum members. Using Lil'Gun and WSR primers, I loaded the FTX bullets, starting at 38 gr. and working up to 39.5 gr. I then loaded the XPB bullets, starting at 38.5 gr and worked up to 40.0 gr.
I fired two round of factory ammo to start. I will say before I start that some of these groups would've been better if I'd done my part behind the trigger better. Anyway, it was cold at 26 degrees, but little to no wind. Though I was a bit nervous, I moved on to my hand loads. And this is what I got from the FTX bullets:
Not terrible, but I didn't use a sled and I could've shot better. All things considered, I like the 38.0 gr. load, and the 39.5 gr. didn't look too bad either. I was worried at first mainly because these numbers don't match what is in the Hornady manual, but I got advice from more than one experienced 450 loader on this forum, read numerous posts here and on the Facebook page and treaded forward, albeit lightly.
Next, I moved on to the Barnes 200gr. XPBs. Going off data from the Lyman book, I started with loads ranging from 38.5 gr. to 40.0 gr. I liked where it was going as a start. Then things took a turn south. A sharp turn south by my estimation, and that is why I'm writing this. I'm hoping someone can give me a clue as to what screwed up.
After this group, I started on the next set, and the 39.0 gr. loads fired fine, but the group was wide open and way right. Moving on to 39.5, I fired the first two just fine. The third load was a delayed fire. I heard the hammer hit then the round fired. I was a little worried about that, so I dropped my magazine, cleared the chamber and everything seemed ok. So I loaded the next round and this time, only the primer fired. It sounded louder than just the primer, but I knew something was wrong. So I put the gun on safe, and pulled the charge handle back. At that point, the case ejected and a bunch of powder flew out with it. Obviously, the bullet was lodged in my barrel, so I pulled the upper off, removed the bolt and charge handle to verify. Sure enough, the bullet was in the barrel but very near the chamber. I took it inside to a guy who works at the range who is an experienced reloader. He used a rod and tapped the bullet out. It came out real easy, but the whole scenario definitely had my nervous rattled.
Inspecting the bullet, we could see that it barely touched the rifling of the barrel.
So, during our discussion and after telling him all my load info, he told me that when it is that cold outside that I should've used magnum primers with Lil'Gun powder. It sounded like a logical statement, but I can hardly believe that at 26 degrees (not super cold in my opinion) I'd have a problem with powder not igniting. Needless to say, that was the end of my range session. Well, I did change uppers to start sighting in a new sight on my .223 as you might notice in the photo above, but I had problems there too with the bolt not stripping rounds out of the magazines. I associated these issues to my upper needing a cleaning and the fact that it was cold and maybe the slight bit of oil I did have in there was gummed up. I don't know, I think more than anything I was just trying to make sense of something, anything. So I headed for home.
But, here I am, extremely lucky I wasn't able to chamber another .450 round and fire into a plugged barrel and wondering if this is something stupid that I did or if the man I spoke to was correct. I remember reading something from Hoot about using Remington 7 primers because they are hotter, but I'll have to go back and reread that to make sure. Is it possible that in cold weather I should use hotter primers? Is Lil'Gun THAT susceptible to cold? I mean, when I hunt deer here in NE Indiana, it can be anywhere from 50 down to single digits, and I can't not be able to shoot just because it's a little cold.
