An OOPS at the bench to-night.

[Crashbox]

This evening I was loading up my typical .357 Magnum cast loads and all systems go, or so I thought. I got to about round #40 or so and noticed that some of the bullets were extremely loose in their cases. Hmmm. So I gave them the 'push test' with my thumb and about seven or eight hid themselves in the cases. Scratched my head a bit and cleared the press shell plate. What was going on???

SOMEWHERE along the line I had inadvertently mixed up cases that were *not* resized, with those that were. So, I proceeded to resize the 250-ish remaining ones as well as re-do the known errant cases. After this was done everything went fine.

For the record, I always resize on my single-stage press and prime on the bench with an RCBS bench-mounted priming tool (an archaic on-the-job injury requires that I do it this way).

I figured I would share my mistake so hopefully others will learn from it. At least I caught it fairly early.

It just goes to show that you can NEVER be too careful in this hobby. It always pays to develop a SAFE routine and stick to it.

 

[mljdeckard]

That's good that you caught it.

What I do, to overcome my congenital ADD, I use rubbermaid bins and a lot of ziploc bags. I write a description and a date on each one in dry-erase marker.

 

[Crashbox]

I do have two large Akro bins labeled "RESIZED" and "PRIMED" on either side of my priming tool, but for some reason some non-resized cases wound up in the wrong bin. I definitely need to examine my processes closer so this doesn't happen again- I find it most unsettling.

 

[Walkalong]

Sticky notes on the boxes or trays with the partially loaded brass if it sits around. Such as: Sized, or: Sized/primed Fed 100, etc.

Your point of having a system and sticking with it is key.

 

[ole farmerbuck]

Sticky notes are a must for me too!

 

[steve4102]

I look at the head. If their is a spend primer still in there, it ain't been sized.

 

[Salmoneye]

I look at the head. If their is a spend primer still in there, it ain't been sized.

Bingo.

 

[1John1:9]

Thanks for sharing. I have a Lee Classic Turret Press, so I could either load one round at a time, or use it as a single stage press. I've tried both and prefer to load one round at a time for this very reason.

However, for someone like me who gets easily distracted, there is no simple solution other than diligence in detail, and learning from others.

 

[Dthunter]

Mistakes are the thing we try to mimise as much as possible.

I load thousands of rounds a year, and occasionally catch myself in the process of making a miatake. Haviing a developed routine helps immensely!

I load mostly rifle rounds, and my practice is to use the slowest burn rate possible for a given load task. For example, I use Varget in my 308win allot. The load density is very high with this powder. It makes over charges very hard to make. But I still have to inspect every round/case as I place the bullet on top to seat the bullet.

I do not allow more than 1 type of powder on the bench at any one time during loading.
Its too easy to pour the left over powder into the wrong cannister, or to use the wrong powder for the planned load.

I load all my ammunition using a single stage press. Slow, yes,.....accurrate? You bet!

I have a Dillon progressive in my loading shop, but I havent used it since the 90's. I guess its just no longer my style of preferred press. Can they be used safely? Yes, but allot more attention to detail is required.

Anyone who says they havent made mistakes reloading is either a liar, or hasnt/doesnt reloaded enough to give thier opinion any merit.

 

[Crashbox]

I look at the head. If their is a spend primer still in there, it ain't been sized.

I de-prime my brass before I ultrasonically clean them, then resize them after they are dry. So this method won't work for me but thank you for the suggestion.

[SNIP]I do not allow more than 1 type of powder on the bench at any one time during loading.
Its too easy to pour the left over powder into the wrong cannister, or to use the wrong powder for the planned load.[/SNIP]

I do the same. I have a plastic tag with the powder type on the pegboard wall; this tag controls what powder is on the bench. All traces of previous powder are removed from sight before this tag is changed. Additionally, the powder keg or container is on the bench, and if I'm throwing charges I put a plastic label on the dispenser cylinder indicating the powder type.

 

[Dthunter]

I will describe the process I use. This is only my personal approach, take from it what you will.

I store my rifle rounds in the MTM boxes. The boxes that support the cartridge off the bottom when the cartridge is placed bullet down.

Every round is placed bullet down (empty or loaded). You can see the primers, if fired or not.

The cases never leave the boxes in the loading room unless they are lubed and ready for sizing.

I remove a fired case and clean the necks with a brush to reduce the friction on the expander ball after sizing. I place it back into the box with the case mouth up. And continue with the rest. This way, no matter what happens, (wife calls me up for dinner, bathroom break, etc) I dont lose my place in the procedure. After all the cases are finished, they are all case mouth up. A visual confirmation that step is done.

I then take each case individually and lube them laying flat on my lube pad. The only time a pile of cases are on the lube pad lying down, is when they are lubed. Again, a visual aid.

I size each case and wipe it off, placing the cleaned case into the MTM box "case head up". This exposes the fact that the case is sized and deprimed. After you are done sizing and depriming all your cases, you have a full box of cases sitting primer cavity up. "Visual aid again".

I usually clean my primer pockets at this time. Its easy to see which ones are done, and which ones are not here.

I put my sized cases aside and grab my sticky labels. I read my "manual's", and descide which load combination I want to try. I mark on one of the sticky labels all my information for that load. Case,primer, powder type and charge weight,bullet type and weight, seating depth.

I decide how many rounds I want to test, and prime that many cases. On the label with my load info, I asign a symbol such as a dot,slash(/) +,-, etc. and put this symbol on the primers of that load. This way, even if I dump the ammo on the ground, i can reassemble them in order.
With the loading label marked with the symbol and the primer marked, you can have many different test loads and maintain organisation.

Be sure to put the labels on the inside of the box lid. And the info follows the ammo everywhere.

When you reload the case the next time, the marked primer is discarded. The felt marker doesnt cover any important pressure indicators.

After the primers are seated and marked (if there is more than one load in the box), you are ready to charge the case.

When I charge/put powder in the case, I grab one case at a time, put the powder in it and seat the bullet. This keeps things organised and at the same step of the loading sequence, if you are distracted.

This is a system that really works for me. I am a bit OCD though! Lol!


There is a whole bunch of info that some of you may like to try. Hope it helps someone. Take from it what you will.

 

[Maj Dad]

No Shortcuts

We all (those who live to reload another day) have our loading/safety routines, but I would expect that we all also have a bullet puller. I have cried myself to sleep a couple of times looking at a pile of loaded ammo that was missing something, or had too much of something, or that was crimped into lead bullets without primers, but I got up the next day and bit those bullets. The distilled thought here is to never say, "Oh, it'll be o.k." unless you have extra fingers and/or eyes.

Just my two cents...

 

[PJSprog]

Good deal that you caught it, Crashbox. In addition to having a routine system and sticking to it, frequent checks along the way can minimize the rework when you do find a mistake.

 

[Dthunter]

A bullet puller is money well invested!

ANY DOUBT!- pull the bullets! Not worth the potential harm!

 

[Crashbox]

I did the push-test on the ones that I thought were questionable but checked OK, and shot 'em up today. All went BANG like they should. This is good.

I use Herco for cast which is a bulky powder and a double-charge will overflow the case (don't ask me how I know ); so the most likely danger other than a squib would be a bullet jumping to the point where it would lock up the cylinder... and they all shot good.

-Crashbox

 

[DCT]

I use plastic bins for my brass, red for the ones that need to be prepped and green for the ones ready to reload, works for me.

 

[GLShooter]

I don't partially process batches. The closest I come to that is to deprime prior to polishing in the Dillon or Ss media. If I load single stage I get enough csses and primers out and then do that number at one setting. That would usually be one hundred or less. I use progressives a great deal so everything is done from beginning to end so I can't mix up much.

Greg

 

[788Ham]

^^^^ This is what I do also, this leaves "No questions" as to whats been done! If I don't have the time, or might be rushed, I don't even fool with the loading process, I've reloaded since '71, so far, thank God, no squibs or blow ups ! Be safe out there, you only have 2 eyes and 10 fingers. I only load single stage press, no progressive in the house.

 

[mljdeckard]

Yeah, be willing to scrap or pull a bad batch. The stakes are too high. I have never had to pull more than a few. The thing that messes with my OCD, is if I have a round number of components, and a 100-space case to fill, and I mess a few up, so I wind up with 97 instead.

Live with it. Be safe. Consider it part of the learning process.

 

[FROGO207]

There are a couple thoughts to add to this discussion from my limited time of only 30+ years reloading.

1 I size and deprime my brass at the same time whenever possible.

2 I use 2 loading blocks as follows along with a SS press.

I load left to right putting the sized, PRIMED case primer up into the left hand block until full. Then flip over and charge each case individually after which I put it into the right hand block. So when you put the case primer up you do three things, (1 verify old primer is out and the case is sized, (2 verify there is a primer in it correctly oriented, (3 assure that the case is ready to be charged. Works for me. That said the full, inspected loading block to be dumped into the case feeder or single fed by hand to the press is a good QC check in your process as well. Do figure out a system of your own that works and stick with it.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

I look at the head. If their is a spend primer still in there, it ain't been sized.

This is precisely why I don't use a decapping die for normal reloading. I understand the guys who do, but you'd better have a good system in place to avoid what you just had happen.
I don't own one, but the only time I would use one would be for range pickups that are really dirty.

 

[FROGO207]

When I first started to reload by myself that universal decapping die was attractive and I purchased one. Then I found I had the exact same problem----some unsized brass sneaks into a batch to load. So these days if I first bother to decap only and then clean (in SS pins) I make double sure that they are NOT mixed into the other prepped brass ready for trimming before they are sized.