double load in 45 acp? (oopsie)

[mr_dove]

I just finished loading about 100 rounds of 45 acp. I realized at the end that I had made a mistake that caused me to throw a double powder load into one of the 100. gaahh!! I'm currently making use of my bullet puller.

I'm curious though, is a double load in 45 acp enough to cause me harm? The total load would have been 9 grains...

what if I don't catch it next time??

 

[jfh]

Nine grains of what?

But to answer your question directly, yes, a double charge can be harmful.

If you have a digital scale, you could try an initial sort, looking for one heavy round....

Jim H.

 

[Walkalong]

I'm curious though, is a double load in 45 acp enough to cause me harm?

Yes.

If you double charged one and you don't know which one, break them down.

Why do you think you double charged a case?

Gotta disagree with jfh. A scale won't help you here.

 

[mr_dove]

titegroup

My regular load is 4.5 grains.

 

[rcmodel]

With no mention of the powder & bullet used, so no one can tell you.

But with common powders used in the .45 ACP, yes, it very likely would blow a case, and blow the magazine out, and blow grip splinters into your hand.

What if you don't catch it next time.
See above.

A better questiion, and the one you really need to answer is:
What are you doing wrong to get a double charge in the first place?

Double charges & squib loads should simply never be a concern, if your loading procedures are correct.

PS: Pull them!
There is enough variation in cases & bullets that you cannot simply weight them and be 100% sure.

rcmodel

 

[mr_dove]

the bullet is a 230 grain round nose copper coated.

Yes, I do need to evaluate my procedure.

I use a progressive press and I missed putting a case in station one and instead of just leaving it empty (having an empty spot always drives me nuts) I tried to slide a case in. I realized after it mixed in with the rest of the batch that the case in station 2 would have gotten double powder when I pulled that little trick.

Stupid mistake. Luckily I seem to have caught it in time. I'm trying to remember if I made the same mistake on the 300 I loaded yesterday. Oh well.

I was hoping to have a few hundred for a range trip today but I may have to leave a good portion of them at home for some quality control evaluation.

 

[jfh]

Walkalong is correct, generally--but for an initial sort, it wouldn't hurt. If you found that one round that way, then it worked. But, if it doesn't show up in one of the ten heaviest rounds, then get the puller running on the rest.

We really don't have enough info--like what is the brass, etc., etc. Nor, did I describe the entire procedure.

But, given what mr dove is telling us now, I think it is better that he pull all of them.

Jim H.

 

[Walkalong]

The case weight differences here just make it too unsure for me.

 

[ForneyRider]

I double charged W231 in 45ACP and blew my gun apart. I had a lot of little cuts in my face. The brass blew apart at the bottom of the side.

I wear shatter-proof glasses.

45ACP has a lot of space with my W231 and Power Pistol loads. Not sure if there is a powder that fills this case with a safe load for normal pressure loads.

New grips (split), adjusting the sights (rear almost slid out), and new spring (bent) and follower (disappeared) for my magazine got me back up and running.

If you are in the least little doubt, start over.

On my progressive, I check the charge before I set the bullet, now every time. I've held off the Lee bullet seater, so I can use that time to check for powder charge. The one that double charged was when I was dinking with the press, and thought to myself, "it's probably okay to not check that charge."

 

[nelson133]

I double charged a 45 acp with 231 and shot it in an RIA 1911. Pieces of the slide are still in the roof at the indoor range at my club.

 

[mr_dove]

guess I'll try to be safe and pull the entire batch. I picked up 200 rounds of white box for todays range trip and loaded another 100 that I'm sure is safe. I guess my bullet puller will get some good use this week.

In my mind this puts into question every round that I've loaded and not fired yet. I have 300 rounds on my shelf from a few months ago that I'm nervous about now. One mistake and suddenly I"m wondering if I shouldn't pull all the older stuff too. Jeesh!