Good intentions, Bad idea

[getsome]

Last range trip shooting my S&W .44 with target level loads I had 6 rounds that failed to fire...I took them home and pulled them apart to try and figure out what the problem was....Well when I loaded this batch I tried an experiment I read about and used a bit of paper towel as a wad over the powder to hold it against the primer....The article I read said this made for more consistant and accurate loads for target use...Well not only were they not accurate, they didn't go bang...The primers were half CCI and Winchester and all had a real good primer hit and the powder was dry and burned in an ashtray (outside of course) so that wasn't the problem so it must have been that the powder (Universay Clays) didn't like being compressed and perhaps a grain got pushed into the primer hole? I don't know....Most of the rounds with the wad installed did fire but were no more accurate than rounds without them so thats one thing I will forget about in the future and if the book doesn't say to do it I will not improvise and add anything to the recipe...:o

[Bawanna]

Some times the best laid plans don't work for beans. I'm stumped on why you had so many misfires. They really should have went bang. Couldn't be that many bad primers.

I blew up a really nice Ruger 45 Colt in my inpressionable youth. I read alot of PO Ackerly and he developed what he called a tri plex load. 3 different powders with a filler. I figured if it would work in an old carbine he used a new strong better metal ruger revolver ought to be up to the task.

Just to be safe I put it on a bag of shot with two bags of shot on top of the barrel and pulled the trigger with fishing line while hiding behind a big rock.

Made a heck of a mess of shot out in the sage brush country.
I was excited though and thought the second round would be safe to fire from my hands. Long story short the cylinder was buldged enough it wouldn't rotate. Ruger replaced it and refinished the whole gun for free. That was the time I actually spoke to Bill Bannerman Ruger on the phone. Hightlight of my life that was.

Oh well, no more triplex loads for me, I found the cure.

[MW surveyor]

Never read about the paper towels but I have used polyfil before. Weight was something like 0.5 grain piece just pushed into the case on top of the powder. Time consuming to make 50 rounds. No real benefit that I could tell except for no unburned powder. And.....looked like the cotton woods were shedding!

Not sure of why yours did not go off.

[muggsy]

Some times the best laid plans don't work for beans. I'm stumped on why you had so many misfires. They really should have went bang. Couldn't be that many bad primers.

I blew up a really nice Ruger 45 Colt in my inpressionable youth. I read alot of PO Ackerly and he developed what he called a tri plex load. 3 different powders with a filler. I figured if it would work in an old carbine he used a new strong better metal ruger revolver ought to be up to the task.

Just to be safe I put it on a bag of shot with two bags of shot on top of the barrel and pulled the trigger with fishing line while hiding behind a big rock.

Made a heck of a mess of shot out in the sage brush country.
I was excited though and thought the second round would be safe to fire from my hands. Long story short the cylinder was buldged enough it wouldn't rotate. Ruger replaced it and refinished the whole gun for free. That was the time I actually spoke to Bill Bannerman Ruger on the phone. Hightlight of my life that was.

Oh well, no more triplex loads for me, I found the cure.

Old P.O. got a lot of guys into trouble back in the wildcating days. :)

[Ikeo74]

Last range trip shooting my S&W .44 with target level loads I had 6 rounds that failed to fire...I took them home and pulled them apart to try and figure out what the problem was....Well when I loaded this batch I tried an experiment I read about and used a bit of paper towel as a wad over the powder to hold it against the primer....The article I read said this made for more consistant and accurate loads for target use...Well not only were they not accurate, they didn't go bang...The primers were half CCI and Winchester and all had a real good primer hit and the powder was dry and burned in an ashtray (outside of course) so that wasn't the problem so it must have been that the powder (Universay Clays) didn't like being compressed and perhaps a grain got pushed into the primer hole? I don't know....Most of the rounds with the wad installed did fire but were no more accurate than rounds without them so thats one thing I will forget about in the future and if the book doesn't say to do it I will not improvise and add anything to the recipe...:o
Here is my guess why the bulletd did not fire. I bet you put the paper towell UNDER the powder instead of OVER top of the powder. Was the towell at the bottom of the case covering the primer hole? Fess up.....

[wyntrout]

It's best to stick with book loads or "recipes". There's a good reason that there's a minimum and maximum grain safe range for powders AND components. Primers, cases, and bullets are part of the recipe... having been tested for safety. Seating depth can be critical, too, and make a round too compressed or too loose.

Too little powder is unsafe because it might detonate or explode, rather than push the bullet down the barrel. I remember seeing loads with "C" after them... meaning compressed charges. Substituting any components and varying the powder charge beyond the safe range indicated can reach dangerous pressures or cause squib loads.
Primers can vary quite a bit by manufacturer and when "wildcatting" can contribute to dangerous loads.

Be safe and make sure EVERYTHING is correct!

Wynn:)