Happy for a Winchester Model 21

[Cold Spring]

So last Saturday I cranked up one of my idle MEC 9000’s to reload (100) 12-gauge shells with a favorite load for casual sporting clays ….. Remington Gun Club hulls with XY.Z grains of Alliant E3 powder and 1 ounce of 7-1/2’s. Velocity 1150 with relatively mild recoil. That particular 9000 press has long been set up for that load which I use in all my SxS’s and pump guns. I fired (50) of the reloads on Sunday along with (50) factory shells. That was with a Winchester Model 12 pump gun and all was well except that one of the reloads was a squib load that sounded pretty weak but the shot and wad did clear the barrel.

Yesterday I was out with a Winchester Model 21 Trap double gun, starting to get in gear for upcoming SxS events. I was going to shoot the remaining (50) reloads along with (50) factory loads. About ½ way around the course I fired at a clay and the report was exceptionally loud and the recoil very severe. One of my buddies said the gun had "doubled" but I didn’t hear or feel two quick and distinct reports. Then upon opening the 21 the left hull ejected, and the right shell was unfired and it extracted as normal (I had the trigger set for left barrel first).

Ok what happened? As best I can figure the squib load on Sunday resulted from powder that had somehow clogged up in the drop tube and that hull received only a small partial charge. Then the very next hull on the carousel received the proper charge from the charge bar PLUS what had lodged in the drop tube. The result was a pretty severe overload and that’s the one I shot yesterday. How much of an overload is unknown but considering that weak squib load it must have been pretty hot.

More on my conjecture that powder clogged up in the drop tube: Well, I usually fill the powder and shot bottles on the 9000 and leave the remaining contents in those bottles until the next time at the press. The E3 powder on Saturday was there in the bottle for way longer than usual, maybe about six weeks while I and my buddies were concentrating on shooting small bores. Did that long interval of weeks cause the powder to clump up? Is there another explanation?

I don’t remember reading this caution before but from now on I’ll remove the powder bottle from the press when done loading and dump the remaining powder back into the factory container.

On reflection I’m happy I was shooting that Model 21 yesterday. Winchester reported one of them fired 2000 Proof Loads each with “seven and one-half tons pressure” with no ill effects.

FMI, I’m attaching three pics:

1) See how the metal base on the hull expanded into the cut-out in the breech that holds the left ejector. The hull base in that area is now eccentric by .008” and mind you, the Gun Club hulls are unibody and don’t have a separate base wad.

2) The second pic shows the flattened primer with the start of a crater rim, and how powder gasses escaped around part of the primer pocket; this is a twice fired hull and the primer wasn't loose in the pocket

3) Last pic shows how the plastic hull material (second hull from the right) extruded forward by about .060” as compared with the other fired hulls shown for comparison.

[OH Osthaus]

wow-

glad there was no damage -

I do not reload near as much as most - but when I do, i always throw and measure a few loads to be sure everything is working

but - it would make more sense to empty the powder back into the factory bottle when its going to sit unused



once more good safety idea for a potentially dangerous passtime

[Austin J Hawthorne Jr.]

This post makes me glad that I use a MEC Sizemaster. Since I have to move the shell manually, an almost double charge of powder would have caused the shot column be noticeably higher, when moving the shell to the crimping stations, and would have been seen prior to pre crimping. I doubt any of my guns would have been undamaged by the load your Model 21 digested.

[James L. Martin]

Frank, that possibly always was in the back of my mind using a progressive machine , I now use single stage most of the time ,can't happen, same drop tube for shot and powder, if there is a hangup you can't miss the mess it makes.

[Double Lab]

That is kind of scary Frank but using a MEC 9000 and Extra lite powder I've never experienced that problem. That M21 can certainly handle that but I can't for the life of me explain why that happened. Thank God you are safe.

[Woodcock survey]

I had that problem a year ago during humid weather. I started loading 7/8 12 ga. and the 3rd shell from the 9000 was dished and something told me to open it up, no powder, the next had no powder. Checked the tube and there it was, only caught it by good luck. When I poked it with a screw driver it broke out and was clumpy. Dumped the powder in the bottle and cleaned the drop tube and bar and bushing, no further problem. Check any anomaly no matter how minor. Glad all is well.

[James L. Martin]

Wow, a possible triple load. That is why I take apart any shell I am not 100% happy with for any reason .

[Woodcock survey]

If a triple load that shell would be domed and suspect. Any thing out of the ordinary is worth checking.

[Mtntopjack]

God was with you that day. I'm very happy you weren't harmed in any way.

[Donald McQuade]

Frank, thanks for sharing. Just another example that no matter how many times you do something, when dealing with firearms you can never take anything for granted. Thank God you are OK, and that you happened to be shooting a Model 21 that day and not one of your old Foxes or Lefevers.