Pay attention to what you're doing, children.

[PinnedAndRecessed]

My press is an auto indexing Square Deal Dillon. I was loading some 44s and, as usual, pull every 10th round or so to weigh the powder charge to ensure consistency. After the weight checks out, I take the powder from the scale, put it back into the case, and continue.

So I was doing this yesterday as usual, and after checking a few charges, etc., noticed I had no empty cases in the toolhead, but had a load of powder on the scale. That meant I had weighed the charge but forgot to put it back in the case. Yet I seated a bullet in the case. Only I didn't know which bullet cause the Square Deal dumps 'em into a box.

It was like looking at pick-up-sticks. I didn't know which one was the dud.

So I took the top three. Pulled the bullets. Powder in all of those.

I took the next three. Same.

I ended up pulling all the bullets from all the cases. Not a single dud.

Apparantly I weighed a charge then put the empty case back in the charging die. I guess I was really distracted.

So let this be a lesson to you, children. Pay attention to what you're doing when you load.

 

[ChristopherG]

Amen. I had my second squib (from my reloads; had one from factory) this week. That's in a couple years of reloading, and probably 12,000 rounds. It hasn't happened in competition, yet, but what a nightmare that would be. In the middle of an El Prez, I think the odds of distinguishing between the 'click' of a soft primer strike and the 'pfft' of a squib are less than great. So here's my new regime:

Everything gets inspected: visually, tactilly, and audibly. Load the ammo carefully (also using an SDB). Then, when the tray is full, and as I'm putting them one by one into their clearly labeled boxes:

Visually inspect every round for bulges, cracks, and crimp. Chamber-check any that appear potentially irregular.

Thumb the primer of each one to check for proper seating (you get to recognize different brass by the different feel of the primer pockets; Winchester is a little shallow).

And finally, the squib check: hold each cartridge right up to my ear and give it a shake. If you haven't done too much unprotected shooting, you can actually hear the powder in there. Again, you get to recognize the sounds of different brass: PMC is thick or muffling in some way. Obviously, this isn't a precise measure--but I can hear if there's enough powder in there to get the bullet out of the bore, and that's my primary concern.

Confidence in your equipment is a fundamental requirement of good (and safe) shooting. It's worth doing whatever it takes to KNOW that every round I pull out of one of my marked boxes--in the middle of a match when there are distractions and no time for such inspections--is going to work.

What do other folks do to avoid potential disaster?

 

[Chawbaccer]

It don't alwas work as easy with pistol loads, but for my rifles a quick check on the scales will find the lightest one.

 

[happy old sailor]

i use a powder check die. a "powder cop" by name. one quick glance is all it takes. but, being such a finicky loader, no 600-1000 rounds per hour for me, i cant help but wonder if that thing is really correct. so far, so good. no squibs, and the bang and recoil seem to be consistant.

this powder checker has saved me much time trying to peer into casemouths. the more i use it, the more i am beginning to trust it. in the beginning i was peeking as of old. i bought this with doubts aforethought, but glad i have it now, and, it was not that expensive.

 

[goon]

Something that I have used...
I always work from left to right.
Unprimed brass on the left, primed, then goes to the right.
Uncharged casings on the left, charged, then go to the right.
Stop and visually inspect the whole loading block to make sure that all casings are charged evenly. I also check the first three to make sure the charge is uniform, then about every 5th to 8th round randomly after that.
Then I place the charged casings on the left.
Take a charged casing and check it to see that it is indeed charged, then it goes into the press.
Set a bullet on top and pull the handle.

I only use a single stage press so this may not work for you.
Still though, I am convinced that the concept is solid.
Try to work some "safeguards" into your loading procedure.
Then, even when you don't think about it, you are probably doing it right.
Plus, if you already have yourself "programmed" to check two or three times, your chances are better that you will catch yourself if you make a mistake.

Just my $.02.

 

[Berg]

Seems to me instead of pulling the bullets on all those cartridges you could have put each one on the scale and found which one was significantly lighter than the others.

 

[g56]

Seems to me instead of pulling the bullets on all those cartridges you could have put each one on the scale and found which one was significantly lighter than the others.

Depending on how much powder is in the case, empty case weights vary and also bullet weight varies, particularly if you are loading cast bullets, the variables can be enough to screw this method up. I was sorting some 223 brass one day and decided to weigh some empty cases, so I gathered an assortment of cases, got as much as 7-10 grains difference in weight in the same brand of case, and found one brand that weighed 30-40 grains more than the rest of the cases, that is more than the powder charge a 223 case is loaded with. The unusually heavy cases were PMP, a South African brand.

If your hearing is still good, you can shake most cartridges next to your ear and hear the powder moving in the case.

 

[Zackmeister]

A lot of times I can shake a round and hear the powder inside. Sorry you had to pull them all.

 

[WayneConrad]

Shake it, baby, shake it

I can hear the powder in a rifle round when I shake it, or in a 38 special round, but not in a 9mm round. I guess there's not enough space for the powder to slosh around in and make noise. Or maybe the 9mm cases are female and "spousal hearing deficit" is kicking in.

 

[Jayman]

I'm a big fan of the powder check. It won't detect variances of the .1-.5 grains variety, but it'll sure as anything detect an empty or a double. (Both of those are my primary concern, with the double being the BIGGEST of the two. I can pound a squib load out of a barrel. I can't un-blow up a gun.)

I'm sort of a newb, but I still look for powder as well as use the powder checker. It is cheap insurance. It may slow me down a little, but I'm getting around 500 rounds/hour consistently anyways.

Loading on a single stage made me A LOT more nervous than loading on an auto-indexing progressive.

 

[PinnedAndRecessed]

I can no longer hear powder in a case. Too many shots fired with no hearing protection, I guess.

In the future, I will not weigh a sample charge. The square deal is made so that the powder must be deposited before a bullet is inserted. There is often a variation of 1 or 2 tenths of a grain in the respective charges, but my ammo is exclusively plinking ammo.

My magnums are loaded to mid-range velocities, etc. Typical distance is 15 to 25 yards. No biggie.

Looking back, I began weighing sample charges because I didn't trust the progressive concept. For 20 years I loaded single stage. I was meticulous.

Then I bought the Dillon. Somehow I didn't like not seeing the powder in the case before inserting a bullet.

Now, I realize the concept is valid. I don't need to weigh them any more.

 

[ChristopherG]

P&R--I'm pretty sure my two squibs happened exactly the same way--it wasn't he Dillon powder measure that failed, it was my checking procedure that slipped things up.

 

[The Bushmaster]

If you weigh several rounds on your scale, you will know what a properly loaded case is and if you weigh a light one or lighter then rest you have the dud. all loaded ammunition weigh within a few grains of each other. The empty one will weigh approximately the amount of powder less then ones that are loaded correctly. Make sense??
If you make this mistake again, rather then pulling all the bullets until you find the culperate. Try the above. It works. I, also, have weighed many cases. Unlike some of you I have not found that large of a variance in modern American made cases or for that matter Europian cases both Rifle and Pistol/revolver. I agree with those that have said to weigh them. If you are getting that much of a difference in case weight...I would worry.

 

[ChristopherG]

Bushmaster,

The variation in weights among mixed types of brass can vary considerably more than the weight of many fast burning pistol-caliber powder charges--like Unique or Bullseye etc.

What were you loading, anyway, P&R? You specify only '44'. I'm guessing it wasn't a charge with 24 grains of a mag powder?

 

[The Bushmaster]

Sorry...I should have mention that I don't mix my brass, but sort it by head stamp. Details, details.....

 

[Jayman]

FWIW, I weighed some 9mm brass tonight (all with spent primers.)

Winchesters all weighed 60.3-60.9 grains.
R-P headstamps likewise.
FC were all around 58.x grains.

I tend to throw around 3.2gr of titegroup in my 147gr loads. Detecting an empty case via weight might be dicey....

 

[The Bushmaster]

I haven't had any problem using the weight method. I load 9mm, .38 spec., .357 mag, .45 ACP, .30-30 and .30-06. I'm so damned cheap that I wish I could load .22 long rifle. All cases are weighed, that includes bullets and powder. At age 62 I still have 38 years left. Plenty of time....

 

[PinnedAndRecessed]

What were you loading, anyway, P&R? You specify only '44'.

44 mag cases, 240 grain West Coast Plated bullets, 7 grains Unique.

 

[redneck2]

When I first started reloading, I had a guy "helping". He pulled every, and I mean EVERY round out to check powder, OAL, crimp. Some out of one station, sometimes out of another. Ended up with 5-6 squibs.

With my Dillon, check it when you start then let it run. I think you get into more problems stopping and starting than you do if you just load. If you're set up right it's real hard to mess up. When you stop, start, take things out, etc is when you get in trouble

If you use a powder that fills over 1/2 the volume, it's impossible to double charge. Only time you should get a squib is if you pull the round out to check the powder and forget to put it back.

YMMV