How do I tell I've been firing hot rounds?

Being terrified of double loads and of embarrassing squibs too, my method is to load a bunch at a time (usually 50) and line them up next to each other in the loading block. Then give the block a few taps to settle any "bridged" powder. Hold the lot up to a light source at a slant and compare each case to its neighbors, looking for where the shadow falls on the top of the power column. Won't work with bottleneck cases of course, for those I believe I'd copy Johnm1's marked-dowel method.

I don’t consider myself “anal”. I never liked that term. I always saw it as what lackadaisical pinheads like to call those of us without our heads up our...well, I am sure you may know what I mean...
Anyway, I consider myself to be meticulous and cautious in regards to reloading. I prefer loading on a single stage press and I also charge 50 rounds then compare them to each other visually with a light.
I also occasionally weigh charges as I am going just to make sure the powder measure hasn’t “readjusted” itself.
About 15 years ago I decided to scrap my Lee single stage and bought myself a used Dillon 550 progressive press.
I literally spent more time double and triple checking my loads as they progressed. One day I decided that I did not trust the progressive process after some loads I thought were consistent were over and under charged. I went back to using a single stage only this time I bought the Lee “Breechlock” single stage and I am very happy with it.
I gave my entire Dillon 550 set up to a Boy Scout troop in the Sacramento area. The scout leaders were teaching the boys about shooting and reloading. They were grateful and I was happy with my decision.

Anyway, @gobsauce if you decide to get into reloading consider a single stage set up. It isn’t the fastest way to reload, but it’s a heck of a lot faster than those Lee Loaders. I have a few of those as well. Nostalgic.

Progressives are nice if you loading a lot, but boy do you have to be paying attention!

I had a Lee 1000 when they first came out and loaded about a bazillion rounds of 9mm, 45acp, and 44mag on it. It worked "OK", but you really had to be paying attention.

When it finally broke, I really wasn't all that upset, and have been loading on a couple of Rock Chuckers ever since. Its a little more leisurely, and I don't need three sets of eyes watching everything when I pull the lever. Its a lot easier to swap calibers too.

tightgroup tiger said:

That's exactly why. The bullet had no where to go, the top of the cylinder came off, and the brass blew the only direction it could. Must have been a sympathetic detonation.

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No, those were all pressure events -- no signs of spalling, which you'd see with a detonation.

AK103K said:

Progressives are nice if you loading a lot, but boy do you have to be paying attention!

I had a Lee 1000 when they first came out and loaded about a bazillion rounds of 9mm, 45acp, and 44mag on it. It worked "OK", but you really had to be paying attention.

When it finally broke, I really wasn't all that upset, and have been loading on a couple of Rock Chuckers ever since. Its a little more leisurely, and I don't need three sets of eyes watching everything when I pull the lever. Its a lot easier to swap calibers too.

Click to expand...

I am pretty much the same, I use my pro 1000s in .357 and .44 to resize, deprime and flair the case mouths. The rest I do slowly with a Lee hand prime and my Lee challenger presses.

Even going slow I’m human, I had to pull three bullets from cases that I loaded yesterday. Mid-process I got sidetracked by a phone call. When I went back to the bench I reached for my powder measure. I saw the handle wasn’t all the way up. It just didn’t feel right and I wasn’t comfortable with it. I found out after pulling these bullets that one of the three I pulled would’ve been an undercharged load had I not been so diligent. The two others loaded before it were ok.

Lesson learned!

Stay safe.

Yea, when in doubt, go with that feeling.

gobsauce said:

Can you explain what spalling is?

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https://www.google.com/search?q=spalling&oq=spalling&aqs=chrome..69i57&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spall

ArkieVol said:

If you are not sure of the ammo you are loading in your gun...don't! The results of improper ammo can be disasterous.
Smith & Wesson
View attachment 986250

Ruger
View attachment 986251

Colt
View attachment 986252

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I want to cry after seeing those pictures.

JMO- I don't try to load and watch television
or listen to the radio or have any distractions of any kind while I'm loading.
All my attention goes toward whatever loading step I'm performing at that time.
I still make a mistake every now and then,
but I haven't made any dangerous mistakes
(fortunately) because of inattentiveness.

Many newer loaders disagree with me
about that, and tell me they watch television
the whole time they load, or diddle with their
phone or whatever. Oh well. . That's them

Col. Harrumph said:

Won't work with bottleneck cases of course, for those I believe I'd copy Johnm1's marked-dowel method.

Click to expand...

I loaded pistol for a couple of decades and used the visual test. When I started loading rifle, 30-06 mostly, I could never get comfortable with just the visible check and started with the dowel. Turns out it isn’t much more time and I now do it for pistol as well. Anal? I still have both eyes and all 10 fingers. I can live with being called anal.

Kinda drifting off the OPs original question though. Pressure can be ‘read’ from the signs on the fired case as others have pointed out above. But I don’t know of a way to look at a gun and determine if it was shot with over pressure rounds. Except if your looking at a broken gun.

gobsauce said:

Maybe someday I'll get more into reloading. I only use the lee handloader kits because i don't have the space for a press, but I've never had a bad experience with them.

Click to expand...

It doesn't take much space to set up a real press. This is the Rockchucker I have used for the last 40 years and I have loaded thousands of rounds with it. No its not fast but fast wasn't my goal. I enjoy the process and the slow pace.

Loud Bang, Big flash, Stinging or sore hand after 20 rounds? When you fire the gun do people around you at the range move away? After a cylinder full do you have a mild headache? Do you feel the need to check the gun to see if the barrel is still there? Does the range officer make you move to the last position?

If so you could be firing hot rounds.

I agree. Trust your feelings, Luke.

AK103K said:

Yea, when in doubt, go with that feeling.

Click to expand...

Riomouse911 said:

It just didn’t feel right and I wasn’t comfortable with it.

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Does it go pew pew, pow pow, or kapow kapow?

Had it happen here, one fellow was shooting a S&W 25-5 with loads for the REDHAWK ! The S&W was jumping a
cylinder, like fire cylinder 1 & it was then setting over cylinder 3.
I am no expert at loading revolvers for accuracy, just numbers, my method is as others to flashlight inside, but only
this past winter I went back over 3 days & weighed >EVERY< round I have loaded just to make sure there were
none without powder, even though I have never done it, Winter does that to people.
I discovered that since I always use the same mfg cases there is a very close weight to every revolver round,
enough to tell if they are doubled. The only ones hard to call are homemade lead bullets, greased, & gas checked.
I did pull one of them which proved to be properly loaded.