SHARE YOUR HAND LOADING MISTAKES

Ewcmr2 said:

I managed to load a .380 case in a batch of 9mm. Pre tumble sorting, primer check, powder check, shoving it in magazine... never noticed. New to me P320 just went click. Wait 30 seconds, eject round, rest of mag shot fine. Look at “dud” round with light primer strike, notice it’s .380 ‍

Click to expand...

I did this exact same thing. I was at the range with my brand new Canik TPSF9 Elite. I loaded the first magazine with 10 rounds of 9mm but the last round loaded was in a 380 case. Unlike yours, mine went bang but the gun failed to cycle. My first impression was great, brand new gun and issues right out of the box. The 380 case was split right down the entire side of the case. I now use this method to sort all my 9mm brass after cleaning. ( ) I still find a hand full of 380 cases every couple thousand I sort.
I also keep the cracked case as a reminder.

The other screw up I had was the first time using an electronic scale which was set at grams instead of grains. Now that mistake never led to a problem because I did not trust the electronic scale without verifying with my beam scale. Needless to say I always use two different scales to verify my weight charge on my LNL AP.

hdwhit said:

I don't load 50 BMG, so that post leaves me puzzled.

Click to expand...

The same thing happens when I tumble different sizes of cases together. smaller cases will migrate down inside larger cases, and they don't get much larger than .50 BMG.

One Squib round during an indoor pistol match. I now make sure that I look into the case and verify the amount of powder in the case.

I solve that by immediately seating the bullet after dumping the powder in, and visually inspecting the case for powder level as a set the bullet on top.

Dillon set up for 38 spl. Weeks went by and thought is was set up for 9mm. Case stuck in die. Had use a vise and some vice grips and a fair amount of lube to get it unstuck.

My most frustrating experience just happened...I’m only 2 1/2 years in and load on a single stage or a turret, so automated complications have yet to occur.

I tested out a ladder of light (near .38 Spl loads) .357 Magnum loads the previous week. Liked the feel of 10gr IMR 4227 w/CCI SPM primer. So...decided I’d load the remaining 70 primed rounds at that load. I even took the time to get a nice crimp onto these rounds.

As I was entering the data into my load book I noticed my mistake. All that time carefully weighing powder, getting COL prefect, applying the right amount of crimp....never validated the BULLET WEIGHT! Seeing my load data in my reload diary I immediately noticed the 158gr projectile that I did NOT use. I loaded 70 rounds with a 125gr projectile.

The only saving grace was my Hornady Cam Lock Pullet Puller. I’ve had to pull a few stray rounds here and there...never 70 rounds with each one reminding me of my screw up.

So, I pulled the bullets, dumped the powder, and resized the cases with the decapping pin backed out. Started on the case measurement, chamfer and deburr, finished up yesterday, and finally decided to startup a new ladder, reusing some of the same 125gr projectile, but switching to Universal.

Once over-charged 100 .44 Rem. Mag. rounds by 50%.
My notes said that this should be a stout load.
Grabbed a 50 round box to go to the range.
Something caused me to pause so I stopped to look up the load.
What was it?
9 grains of Bullseye instead of 6.
Have no idea where I came up with "9", but am glad I ?'d myself.
Double check, triple check!!!
BTW, took a couple of hours to disassemble. Not long to make it right.

My biggest mistake was waiting until I was 65 yo and retired to really get started on handloading.

Highland Lofts said:

I'm likeing the responces. This should help out a bunch of people who reload both new & old.

Click to expand...

They've certainly given me some ideas about what to do safer and better

I took someone else word that once fired brass I bought had been sized and deprimed. After priming a few hundred realized they hadn't been sized. Easy enough to move the pin right? That's what I thought too after doing 5-6 and losing the primers

Eugen said:

My biggest mistake was waiting until I was 65 yo and retired to really get started on handloading.

Click to expand...

My second biggest mistake was waiting until in my 50's.

My biggest mistake was deciding to start now. Still haven't been able to find primers, so I haven't been able to load anything!

Although I think another mistake was reading this thread. Some of these stories are a bit scary!

Like Lonewulf I’ve found primer-less rounds too. But mine came off a single stage press...sad part is I’d loaded the entire loading block, 50 rounds, before I realized what I’d done. Worst part is I’ve done this a couple of times.

Well....I might have you all beat. You name it I have done it with few exceptions...here goes....
Stuck cases in sizing die from...
....Using the wrong case lube,
....Not using enough case lube
....machine gun brass in combination with the above.
Broken decapping pins from...
...misaligned casings attempting to enter the sizing die
...Dented or deformed case mouths
...Berdan primed cases
...who the hell knows...
Flipped primers gone in backwards (just happens on progressives once in a while?)
No primers caused by...
...forgetting to put follower back in priming magazine for the alarm to activate on progressive press.
...forgetting to refill primer magazine on progressive press
...screwing with the order of operations on progressive press
...removing a case from a station for one reason or another and trying to slip a new one in, just don't. Its tempting but causes more problems. Always.
Crunched primers caused by...
...powder kernel blocking primer slide on progressive press causing misalignment of primer ram
...failure to swage primer pockets on military brass
...inadequate swaging of primer pockets.
...primer pull back of spent primers or "riders" as some call it.
Over belled casings causing cases to be crunched.
Under belled casings causing lead bullets to shave and not chamber correctly
Under charged cases that don't cycle semi autos
No powder caused by...
...Screwing with order of operations on a progressive press
...Pulling casings out a progressive press and trying to replace it...see a pattern?
...Hornady lock and load bushing turning itself loose and not locking in causing no powder throw
...Dillon powder measure bolt loosening causing powder slide bar not to slide
...Forgetting to reconnect return rod on dillon powder measure.
...not looking in each case to verify.
Crunched cases caused by ...
...powering through a stoppage or if something doesn't feel right on a progressive press.
...cases tipping inward at station one on Hornady LNL
...Cases moving slightly out of place on station one on Dillon 650
...misaligned cases on station 2 on 650 because of locator arm not being properly adjusted.
...too much crimp
...inconsistent case lengths
Spilled powder caused by...
...Powder slosh on progressive presses
...powder hopper tube on powder measure literally coming out mid reloading session.
...Over filling funnel trying to fill powder hopper.
...not making sure auto trickler was trickling in right spot.
...over charged rounds caused by powder bridging in powder measure. (Certain large kernel extruded powders don't play well in powder measures when loading small caliber rounds)
...not using loading blocks.
...being a clumsy idiot.
Bullets seated too deep
Bullets seated too long and won't chamber or fit in mags.
Bullets jumping crimp from....not enough crimp.
General problems caused by running dirty brass through a progressive press.
Problems from having a dirty progressive press...it mucks things up and then won't run smooth.
General mayhem from having a dirty/cluttered bench, disorganization, and failing to put things back where they belong.
Yeah...its kind of embarrassing how much of a bonehead I can be sometimes. But...if any of this helps someone else then it's worth posting.
I am however, happy to say that I have never had a kaboom. No primer detonations, and no blown up guns....heck I have never even had a round go off that was over charged...not of any noticable consequence anyway. I consider myself lucky.

Don't even get me started on my bullet casting blunders.

hdwhit said:

How are such "squib" loads happening with any regularity?

Click to expand...

That was my one and only squib in 1982 in .38 Special using a Lee Loader kit with powder dipper, no scale. Fortunately a more experienced work colleague was plinking with me, spot was not in any way any sort of formal shooting range but a place that had an earthen backstop, when it happened and convinced me to unload my S&W Model 13 and check the barrel where we discovered a lodged lead round nose bullet that wasn't difficult to drive out with a cleaning rod. I never indulged in anything before hand loading in my off time after that, and I sold that revolver & Lee loader to that colleague within a year later. I didn't start reloading again until this summer.

Years ago I had worked up a load for my USP 40 that are about as accurate as my Gold Cup. Anyway, I’m running low so I get out my note book, looked up what I needed and commenced to loading 500…couple days later I’m at the range. Little history/back story…I had a P229 in 357 Sig at the time with a 40 barrel and had fired a couple 357 Sig round through the 40 barrel shooting another time…everything worked fine, except the shell didn’t eject. Back to current range secession…I pick up the 229 and fire the first shot, light recoil and the shell didn’t eject, I’m thinking CRAP I did it again. Drop mag, unload gun and take a look…nope 40 barrel, 40 ammo…WTH?!? Do it again with same results, now thinking something else, so look over the ammo, nothing standing out, same with the gun…figure ok get the USP out. It fired and ejected every round, although some of the spend brass literally rolled down the back of my hand, they were that weak. I’m thinking something is going on and put those away and go about shooting other stuff. I get home, pull out note book and pull a couple bullets to weight powder charge…VERY quick glance and it checks…WTH!?!?!?!? Pull a couple more and check again, same thing. I do this for about ½ a box and getting the same results…I stop, go clean the guns and put everything away and come back the whole time trying to figure out what’s happening. I get back and pull another bullet and weight it, pick up notebook and check…HOLY CRAP! I was reading on the wrong line for an entirely different caliber! Up until that time I had kept all the pistol loads in one note book and rifles in another…would get a load write it on a line and the next line would have a different gun, caliber, load, whatever…now I have a separate book for each gun…those Staples composition books are GREAT!


Learned a couple things…separate stuff better and double, triple check if needed and the HK USP will eat anything.

Highland Lofts said:

This is why I started this thread. So it will give new reloades and older reloaders tips on what to look out for or to be aware of.
-----------------‐---------------------------
What primers are you looking for?

Click to expand...

Definitely educational, thank you for starting it!

Small pistol magnum

Been reloading since 1960 something.

I've never made a mistake but I've had procedural events that resulted in unintended consequences!

No injuries or missing parts but a few unintended consequences resulting in unrecognizable brass artifacts!

Smiles,

I have made 2 mistakes:
#1- I started hand loading.
#2- I waited so long to start.

As careful as I usually am, I've made a few. The most recent was tumbling 9mm, .40 and .45 together.........again.

tygranch said:

As careful as I usually am, I've made a few. The most recent was tumbling 9mm, .40 and .45 together.........again.

Click to expand...

I thought when I went to ultrasonic cleaning that i could clean them all together ( .45 , .38spl, .357 and 9amm), WRONG, I had better run .45 in seperate batch or else.

Besides sticking a case or two in a die about the only real screw up was when I started loading 38 spl. I had standard dies and was lubing the cases, plus, I was priming with my old Herter's Press.. After a few rounds that didn't go boom I bought a set of Carbide dies and a Lee hand primer. Haven't had a misfire since. Evidently I was contaminating the primers with lube. That is the only thing that I could think of that might cause it.

If you wake up for a bathroom visit in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep, DON'T drop any powder (especially a larger kernel type like Varget) before making sure you have primers installed. I did so, seated the bullets, went to the range and went home after I discovered the error on 50 very nicely seated rounds.