rosc
Member
I am shure yue gyz must chek yore reloads better than yore spellin. luv rosc
"I'll never reload cuz I've seen to many guns blow up"
- Thread starter wacki
- Start date
- Status
I am shure yue gyz must chek yore reloads better than yore spellin. luv roscmoooose102
Member
it is pretty easy to screw up if you are distracted, not thinking clearly, or not paying attention. i have made a mistake that was pretty scary to me. when i touched off that round, i knew something was not right, it just felt and sounded weird. the bolt handle lifted pretty hard as well. it took some investigation to figure out what went wrong. every other load (so far) has been fine. you learn real fast when you screw up in this game. i was lucky, i, or the rifle did not get hurt (i took it to a gunsmith to be certain). i am much pickier about when i reload now.
bullseye308
Member
That's pretty impressive, I once was loading a CVA .54 and was talking while loading and not paying too much attention. Poured a charge, talked, poured a charge, then seated a bullet and fired. When I picked myself off the ground and looked at my speed loaders it was apparent that I had used 2 charges of powder while not paying attention. My Hawken was unharmed, & I was bruised by 230 grains of Pyrodex. I can't imagine what it took to blow up a muzzleloader.
Sometimes it can be a good learning experience and drive home those little warnings that you read and don't think much of. The first time you crap your pants in the field or at the range, you will pay a lot more atention to the safety rules.
Sometimes it can be a good learning experience and drive home those little warnings that you read and don't think much of. The first time you crap your pants in the field or at the range, you will pay a lot more atention to the safety rules.
Double Naught Spy
Sus Venator
The bottom line is that reloading isn't for everybody and if you believe/fear you can't deal with the safety issues appropriately, then you know it isn't for you.
ranger335v
Member
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2006
- Messages
- 3,797
Clay, dint sayy I never seen a photograaph of a blowed up gun, jist ain't seen one myslelf.
(yeah, I know... but...)
(yeah, I know... but...)
AKGuy
Member
I'm glad somebody posted this topic.
I've been an emergency medicine health care professional for 20ish years--first in urban and suburban Midwest and most recently relocated to Alaska. When in the Midwest I was part of a family/group that actively participated in outdoor stuff--hunting, fishing, reloading, match shooting, etc. Obviously guns "go without saying" in Alaska...
...and I have NEVER met, known, treated, seen, or heard of 1st through 5th hand anyone who experienced/was injured by a "gun blowing up," period.
But I still hear all of the time about how I better "watch it" now that I've started reloading. Never mind I make my loads cookbook fashion straight outta the manuals with store purchased components.
I know things can go wrong and/or happen, but it seems to be when people are fidgeting with odd/old/tweaked guns, or when they are experimenting, careless, etc...
How many people have first or secondhand knowledge of an accident period...and of those accidents, how many are/were just cookbook following folks like me?
I've been an emergency medicine health care professional for 20ish years--first in urban and suburban Midwest and most recently relocated to Alaska. When in the Midwest I was part of a family/group that actively participated in outdoor stuff--hunting, fishing, reloading, match shooting, etc. Obviously guns "go without saying" in Alaska...
...and I have NEVER met, known, treated, seen, or heard of 1st through 5th hand anyone who experienced/was injured by a "gun blowing up," period.
But I still hear all of the time about how I better "watch it" now that I've started reloading. Never mind I make my loads cookbook fashion straight outta the manuals with store purchased components.
I know things can go wrong and/or happen, but it seems to be when people are fidgeting with odd/old/tweaked guns, or when they are experimenting, careless, etc...
How many people have first or secondhand knowledge of an accident period...and of those accidents, how many are/were just cookbook following folks like me?
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
I have personally witnessed a GI blowing the flash suppressor off & split the barrel on an M-14 with a case full of blank powder! He suffered enough injury's to get light duty for a day or two.
I suppose you could call it a reload, because he took the powder out of several blanks and put it all in one case.
He didn't have tested load data for it though!
Saw a couple of different guys get a handful of grip splinters when a 1911 case let go.
Amateur gun-smithing feed ramp jobs and factory ammo. :banghead:
A friend got a face full of brass & powder gas with an overloaded 30-06 in an 03 Springfield once.
Too much of a good thing!
A guy here in town lost some fingers to an old Damascus shotgun and factory trap loads years ago.
Not the fault of the ammo, or the good advice he had been given about not shooting it!
Another good friend suffered third degree burns all over his body, and lost his ears and nose to a 20 pound keg of shotgun powder. He eventually died from his injuries a couple years later.
He left the lid off the drum with it setting under his bench grinder!
I suppose it could be called a reloading accident, but it was more due to terminal stupidity on his part.
rcmodel
I suppose you could call it a reload, because he took the powder out of several blanks and put it all in one case.
He didn't have tested load data for it though!
Saw a couple of different guys get a handful of grip splinters when a 1911 case let go.
Amateur gun-smithing feed ramp jobs and factory ammo. :banghead:
A friend got a face full of brass & powder gas with an overloaded 30-06 in an 03 Springfield once.
Too much of a good thing!
A guy here in town lost some fingers to an old Damascus shotgun and factory trap loads years ago.
Not the fault of the ammo, or the good advice he had been given about not shooting it!
Another good friend suffered third degree burns all over his body, and lost his ears and nose to a 20 pound keg of shotgun powder. He eventually died from his injuries a couple years later.
He left the lid off the drum with it setting under his bench grinder!
I suppose it could be called a reloading accident, but it was more due to terminal stupidity on his part.
rcmodel
snuffy
Member
One rifle that SHOULD have blown up!
The pic is of a loaded .308 round, left, the result of a .308 round being fired in a .280 chamber, in the middle, and a loaded .280 round right for comparison. Rifle was a 7400 remington semi auto. Shooter was my nephew, his gun, his lack of concentration caused him to load a .308 in a magazine with the .280's. His wife had a M-100 in .308, that's why the shells were around.
Now for the surprise. The rifle was undamaged! It took some doing to remove the fired shell, but subsequent examination,(after a complete strip down), showed no damage to any of the rifles parts. It went on shooting, killing deer. Let this be a lesson, a .308 will fit-fire in a .280 chamber! The bullet had to be swagged down from .308 to .284, I can't imagine the pressure!
Now this wasn't a reloading mistake. I loaded both the .308 and the .280 rounds. There IS the possibility that the .308 round was some I had loaded for informal target shooting, they were loaded at minimum level, just enough to cycle the M-100 Winchester.
The pic is of a loaded .308 round, left, the result of a .308 round being fired in a .280 chamber, in the middle, and a loaded .280 round right for comparison. Rifle was a 7400 remington semi auto. Shooter was my nephew, his gun, his lack of concentration caused him to load a .308 in a magazine with the .280's. His wife had a M-100 in .308, that's why the shells were around.
Now for the surprise. The rifle was undamaged! It took some doing to remove the fired shell, but subsequent examination,(after a complete strip down), showed no damage to any of the rifles parts. It went on shooting, killing deer. Let this be a lesson, a .308 will fit-fire in a .280 chamber! The bullet had to be swagged down from .308 to .284, I can't imagine the pressure!
Now this wasn't a reloading mistake. I loaded both the .308 and the .280 rounds. There IS the possibility that the .308 round was some I had loaded for informal target shooting, they were loaded at minimum level, just enough to cycle the M-100 Winchester.
AKGuy - I have a friend who lost the top strap off a revolver. As far as I know, that occurred before I knew him. I don't know the details (I should ask him sometime), but he wasn't injured. I don't know if he was shooting reloads or what.
I do know he has worn out parts on his reloading equipment, and has also shot lots of surplus ammo over the years. He introduced me to reloading, and seems really careful about it, so I'm not going to assume anything.
I do know he has worn out parts on his reloading equipment, and has also shot lots of surplus ammo over the years. He introduced me to reloading, and seems really careful about it, so I'm not going to assume anything.
Nine years ago, when I was 14, I received a .410 for christmas (my first gun). My father had bought a box of Winchester Super X shells. On the third shot, the brass where the primer is located blew small shards of brass out, and a small piece went into the cornea of my eye. We rushed to the hospital on christmas day, and they put this fluorescent eye drop in my eye, and put a blacklite over it which showed all the gun powder burns, and tiny pieces of brass in my eye ball. They called an eye surgeon in, and I underwent surgery, first while I was awake. They put numbing dropes in my eye, while he took the razor scapel and slit the cornea of my eye, trying to get the brass piece out. Eventually after a lifetime (in reality about 15 minutes) he decided to put me to sleep because I was blinking to much. There was a 90% chance I was going to lose my vision. The surgery went well, and today, 23 years old, 20/20 vision.
My point: Any ammo can "blow up" if thats what you want to call it. Guns are dangerous, then again so are cars, and lightning storms, that dosent mean your going to set at home 24/7
My point: Any ammo can "blow up" if thats what you want to call it. Guns are dangerous, then again so are cars, and lightning storms, that dosent mean your going to set at home 24/7
Last edited:
rfwobbly
Member
The SECRET of reloading safety
The secret of the whole reloading safety thing is to hang the Dillon calendar on the wall behind your reloading press, not in front. !!
The secret of the whole reloading safety thing is to hang the Dillon calendar on the wall behind your reloading press, not in front. !!
Papa smurf
Member
Hay Snuffy looks like fire forming the hard way!!
Last edited:
qajaq59
Member
Good grief!!!!! I'll take your word for it. But it is incredible that anyone would keep gun powder under a grinder.
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
Incredable as it sounds, it's the 100% truth!
Same guy shot himself in the foot with a primed .38 Special case while drying empty cases in his oven!
Had to go to the ER and have a primer dug out of his foot bones!
I swear it's true!
rcmodel
Same guy shot himself in the foot with a primed .38 Special case while drying empty cases in his oven!
Had to go to the ER and have a primer dug out of his foot bones!
I swear it's true!
rcmodel
zxcvbob
Member
Would have been a lot faster (and probably less painful) if it'd been black powder.
ranger335v
Member
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2006
- Messages
- 3,797
rc, your "friend" was proof that stupid hurts.
I've seen two rifles that had "blown up". This was some years ago but if I recall correctly one was a Savage bolt action 30.06 that had been fired with a mite too much snow in the barrel and it was split beginning about one third of the way from the breech to the muzzle. The other was a Weatherby Vanguard in 7mm Rem. mag that the brilliant owner had bought 7mm Weatherby mag ammo for and somehow managed to close the bolt on. The floor plate was blown off, the stock around the action was split and of course the bolt was frozen in locked position. As I recall neither shooter was seriously injured and incredibly neither bolt had failed to hold.
Vic
Vic
rfwobbly
Member
I was at a local indoor range with my kid one Saturday morning. We were shooting .22's and just generally having a great father-son time. A guy came in and sat down in the next stall and started banging away. I remember the rifle he had was hurting our ears, even with hearing protection and a stall wall between us. On this 70 foot range, his shots were all over the place with ~6" groups. We got ready to leave to get away from the noise, when we heard a kaboom.
Later we saw him talking on a cell phone as we paid at the counter. His broken bolt was on the counter with one of the 2 lugs broken off the bolt. He's telling the wife "...he couldn't believe...".
I'm telling my son he's lucky to even be alive. We never went shooting there again.
Later we saw him talking on a cell phone as we paid at the counter. His broken bolt was on the counter with one of the 2 lugs broken off the bolt. He's telling the wife "...he couldn't believe...".
I'm telling my son he's lucky to even be alive. We never went shooting there again.
One easy mistake a new reloader can make is that his gun is as strong as the strongest gun. Not all guns of the same caliber share the same strength, shooting a .429" 250gr SWC with 7.5gr of Unique threw a Charter Arms Bull Dog would not be wise, but shooting this load threw a Freedom Arms model 97 would not be a problem, this is one example and there are many more.
I come across many know it all's and I was one myself, when it comes to reloading ignorance is your worst enemy.
I come across many know it all's and I was one myself, when it comes to reloading ignorance is your worst enemy.
Last edited:
shooter429
Member
Some common problems
1. Powder/component substitutions/changes. If your manual says use 5-6 grains of Unique with a 125 grain Remington JHP, that does not mean you can use 5-6 grains of Bullseye under a Winchester 129 grain.
2. Out of date information. . Use current sources of information and X-check multiple sources
3. Don't try to reuse brass forever. It needs to be kept trimmed, clean and replaced regularly. Also, don't mix new and 10x fired brass.
4. Don't eyeball loads. They need to be weighed.
5. Use the right primer. Substituting magnum primers for standard is a good way to send pressures too high
You must pay close attention to details. Many of us have spent our lives loading without any problems because we follow procedure and pay attention to details. Oh, BTW, liquor and gunpowder don't mix.
Shooter429
1. Powder/component substitutions/changes. If your manual says use 5-6 grains of Unique with a 125 grain Remington JHP, that does not mean you can use 5-6 grains of Bullseye under a Winchester 129 grain.
2. Out of date information. . Use current sources of information and X-check multiple sources
3. Don't try to reuse brass forever. It needs to be kept trimmed, clean and replaced regularly. Also, don't mix new and 10x fired brass.
4. Don't eyeball loads. They need to be weighed.
5. Use the right primer. Substituting magnum primers for standard is a good way to send pressures too high
You must pay close attention to details. Many of us have spent our lives loading without any problems because we follow procedure and pay attention to details. Oh, BTW, liquor and gunpowder don't mix.
Shooter429
qajaq59
Member
Loading has got to be the one of the safest and easiest hobbies that I ever had. Just buy some decent equipment, follow the instructions in the manuals to the letter, and pay attention to what you're doing.
Come on now. Even learning to knit is more complicated then that!
Come on now. Even learning to knit is more complicated then that!
cpttango30
Member
ranger335v said:
That is good I like that.
I have been reloading for 20+ years never had a kaboom I did how ever have some primers fall out of of some 25-06 reloads when I was first starting out because I got a little over zelous crimp reamer.
I spend more time preping brass and checking my equipment that any factory does. I also spend more time loading ammo that a factory does. I can be a slob at home in my office but when I am going to reload My bench is spotless. I keep a radio on very low I shut the door and no one bothers me the kids and wife know when dad is in the man cave DON'T mess with him or else.
I lod in batches of 50 for rifle and 100 for pistol.
Do keep only one can or powder on the bench at any time.
Do pay attition to detail at all times.
Do STOP and call someone if you have problems. Sierra has a help line that is outstanding and these people reload at home as well so they know what they are talking about and guess what sierra's help line is right here in the USA so you can understand what they are telling you.
Exactly how many guns have you SEEN blow up from a bad RELOAD.
I have seen one in 30 years of shooting one it was a double charge in a 357mag. The loader did not pay attition to each powder charge and it cost him a brand new Smith 7 shot stainless revolver and dam near cost him his hand and face.
If you have seen reloads blow up more than one gun then the people you hang around with need to be wearing bike helmets and you and your firends need to stop playing with guns.
qajaq59
Member
You must remember that should I misspell a word in the forum, it wont cost me my only shot at a deer.
- Status
