The importance of wearing safety glasses

C

chino69

Guest
I very rarely use safety glasses when I shoot, despite having easy access to them. I will now make them a basic part of my shooting due to an incident that occurred last evening while shooting.

I was still working up a load for my .243 A.I. using VV N560, Lapua brass, 95 grn. Nosler BT's, Federal primers, etc.. The only element that I varied was my seating depth as the charge selected was giving good results and I was 'fine tuning'. Toward the end of my session one of the rounds blasted a bit of gas past my face and a little debris. Upon extracting the case I saw a little hole alongside the primer pocket. When I de-primed the case, the primer had a split running in the axial direction, i.e.: parallel to the bore. Apparently the primer cup failed which allowed a gas cut to blow alongside the primer pocket of the case. None of the other primers showed any degree of flattening or hints of over pressure. In fact, I had gone past this charge during load development and was actually much lower (approx. 1.5 grns.) than I had been.


I'll try to post pictures later for clarity but I will always wear safety glasses from here on.
 
I got serious myself after I watched the removal of a rifle from the range that had burped after firing off a case with a a section of brass laminated right across the base at the level of the bottom of the primer pocket. We guessed that a punchout of brass had somehow got caught in one of the forming dies or punches.
 
We have to use safety glasses for our safety. It is not mandatory but we have to use it to guard our self.
 
To shoot our rifles where we are running pressures in the 50-60,000 PSI range without eye protection is simply stupid , and dangerous. In my opinion it should not be allowed because in many cases the eye damage done, if any, costs us all in higher Insurance premiums and or taxes. But it is similar to motorcycle helmet laws many individuals feel you are infringing on their rights if you force them to act responsibly.
 
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Dick Grosbier said:
To shoot our rifles where we are running pressures in the 50-60,000 PSI range without eye protection is simply stupid , and dangerous. In my opinion it should not be allowed because in many cases the eye damage done, if any, costs us all in higher Insurance premiums and or taxes. But it is similar to motorcycle helmet laws many individuals feel you are infringing on their rights if you force them to act resposibly.
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Dick,
I agree. It is totally stupid and, thankfully, I survived with nothing more than an important lesson learned. I can assure you that ANSI approved safety glasses will remain in my range kit from here on.
 
Dick Grosbier said:
To shoot our rifles where we are running pressures in the 50-60,000 PSI range without eye protection is simply stupid , and dangerous. In my opinion it should not be allowed because in many cases the eye damage done, if any, costs us all in higher Insurance premiums and or taxes. But it is similar to motorcycle helmet laws many individuals feel you are infringing on their rights if you force them to act resposibly.
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I think everyone driving a car should wear a helmet, for saftey of course.
 
I've had to wear glasses since I was 12 years old in order to see beyond the end of my short nose so have no choice. BUT, a guy I shot with in Seattle lost an eye when he pierced a primer while shooting and all manner of bad stuff blew back down the firing pin tunnel and out the back of the bolt into his eye. Without fail if he saw someone shooting without glasses he'd give them the full lecture. Anyone who chooses to shoot without glasses likely doesn't want to remain amongst the sighted very long.

BTW, I always wear a seatbelt, and when I rode a motorcycle always wore a helmet, leather jacket, long pants, and boots. All got scraped up from time to time too. I'm getting too old to enjoy pain as much as some younger folks I see
 
Was this a Remington action, or a custom clone by chance? Sometime look down one of these action's when the barrel is out. The gas has a straigt shot at your face. Try the same test with a cheap Savage.
 
Savage has defiantly done a better job controlling the chance of escaping gasses, but still no excuse to not wear glasses. i had to dig a pice of brass out of my forehed one night when i blew out a primer forming brass for a 223ai in a savge model 12. very glad i had glasses on that night. i wont even shoot a rimfire with out them now.
 
How did you get a piece of brass through a space you can't see through? Most certain;y glass's are a must with most any tool.
 
All,
If you shoot on our range you wear your safety glasses. It is not that your rifle is safe but is the rifle to your right or to your left is it as safe as yours? "Yes" wear your safety glasses at all times that you are on a hot firing line.
john
 
I have posted on the idiots on YouTube, and there's hordes of them, that are struttung their shooting skills for 3 minutes of immortality, and none of them wear ear or eye protection.
 
I was shooting skeet a few years ago and on station 8 low house I had 2 pieces stick in my glasses and 4 more draw blood on my face right around my eye. I never saw them comming, anybody that shoots without glasses is a fool. Roy
 
To answer some questions and with follow up info. concerning the split primer I offer the following:

1) The action was a custom Remington clone.
2) The primer cup split in the pocket, along the side of the primer, allowed escaping gas to flow out through one side of the primer pocket. For anyone who has worked in the utility or heavy industry, it was similar to a steam cut. The brass actually was deformed in a plastic state from the resultant plasma.
3) All of the primer pockets of brass that had been shot as well as this case were within SAAMI min/max specs. I de-primed the brass that was shot with this brass and measured everything.

My conclusion was it was just a material failure, plain and simple. The bottom line is I'm passing this on as an important lesson learned for anyone who does not wear safety glasses while shooting. This was one of those rare events that was not anticipated and will probably never occur again. Accidents are never anticipated but they occur, regardless.
 
B.Johnson said:
Was this a Remington action, or a custom clone by chance? Sometime look down one of these action's when the barrel is out. The gas has a straigt shot at your face. Try the same test with a cheap Savage.
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Nope it was a Sako.
 
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