Pictures of accidents due to careless reloading

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Like @Capstick1 I tried a progressive but switched back to a single stage. I donated the 550L to a Boy Scout troop.
I have seen lots of folks, especially at Cowboy Action matches, with various issues from fast reloading on progressive presses. Nearly every time I hear "I was low on ammo and needed to hurry up and load some up for this match....I wasn't paying attention..."

For me, I have nothing against progressives presses at all, it's just that I am too OCD to trust everything is going as it should so back to the singe stage I went.

Regarding mistaken powder use, I always store my powder away from the loading bench. When I need a specific powder I retrieve it, use it and put in back in my gun room. The loading bench is in the garage.
Also, I put a piece of masking tape on my powder measure to show the last powder and quantity I dispensed.. I do this because a friend of mine once loaded some .38 Spl with .357 Magnum powder charges. Luckily one round let him know he made a boo-boo and he didn't destroy his gun as he was shooting a .357 Magnum Ruger Blackhawk at the time. I learned from his mistake. I always double check powder loads but the tape is there as a reminder.

I am absent minded as heck sometimes. I need all the help I can give myself so as not to get myself hurt. :D
 
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Only press I have is 83 yo Pacific single stage. After Lyman 55 is set up to drop correct charge, once the powder is in the case a d visually verified, the case does not leave my left hand until it goes into the ptess and a bullet is seated closing the round.
 
I load on both a Single Stage Hornady and a Dillon 550. I have to index the Dillon with my thumb. I pull the handle then always look into the case at station 2 to make sure the powder drop looks right. Then I index the base and look into the case again before I set a bullet at station 3. I installed a led light on the press which helps greatly. I try to use powders that fill the case enough so that a double charge will be obvious.
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Pat Riot said:
Like @Capstick1 I tried a progressive but switched back to a single stage. I donated the 550L to a Boy Scout troop.
I have seen lots of folks, especially at Cowboy Action matches, with various issues from fast reloading on progressive presses. Nearly every time I hear "I was low on ammo and needed to hurry up and load some up for this match....I wasn't paying attention..."

For me, I have nothing against progressives at all, it's just that I am too OCD to trust everything is going as it should so back to the singe stage I went.

Regarding mistaken powder use, I always store my powder away from the loading bench. When I need a specific powder I retrieve it, use it and put in back in my gun room. The loading bench is in the garage.
Also, I put a piece of masking tape on my powder measure to show the last powder and quantity I dispensed.. I do this because a friend of mine once loaded some .38 Spl with .357 Magnum powder charges. Luckily one round let him know he made a boo-boo and he didn't destroy his gun as he was shooting a .357 Magnum Ruger Blackhawk at the time. I learned from his mistake. I always double check powder loads but the tape is there as a reminder.

I am absent minded as heck sometimes. I need all the help I can give myself so as not to get myself hurt. :D
Click to expand...
I have nothing against progressive PRESSES.
 
Wow such dramatic photos , hope It never gets that bad for me .

While adjusting the tightness of my powder measure I accidentally pushed this button

MRCgmZ.jpg

Which released this section

1le8IY.jpg

Resulting in

ciPc1K.jpg

Then there's these , which happened often back when I used the worst hand primer on the planet ( Hornady IMO ) I feel I was lucky they never went off .
Switched to RCBS and have never had an issue again .

LGZW77.jpg
 
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Metal God said:
Then there's these , which happened often back when I used the worst hand primer on the planet ( Hornady IMO ) I feel I was lucky they never went off .
Switched to RCBS and have never had an issue again .

index.php
Click to expand...

Wow! That sent a little shiver down my spine.
 
Luckily (or becaues I'm anal about reloading safety) I have had no Kabooms from sloppy reloading since I started (1969). But I have a full color glossy 8 1/2x11 print of a Ruger SBH with the top strap and half of the cyinder missing, posted on the wall behind my reloading station, at eye leval. I own one just like the one in the pic, but mine is all there. Good reminder!
 
Pat Riot said:
For me, I have nothing against progressives presses at all, it's just that I am too OCD to trust everything is going as it should so back to the singe stage I went.
Click to expand...

I have probably seen more problems with single stage users but there are a lot more single stage presses out there.

One thing that seems to be a common phrase among people that have squibs or blow up guns is, “I look into each and every case.” Makes me a believer in the powder check die, as to err is human….

I trust ammunition my automated machines load more than I would anyone I don’t know loading on a single stage, by a good margin.
 
I load on an old Lyman Spar-T, and tend to take my time about it. I've learned a lot and gained a lot of experience. I treat it all very carefully, and hope to never become complacent and start rushing.

I always keep in mind; my family members may end up shooting this stuff!
 
I was fast shooting my .380 Taurus & I don't know if it was a squib or a double load but it hurt.
38803-E3-D-1885-4-D0-B-BBBB-BA75384-F84-D5.jpg
My thumb after the nail was removed & cleaned up.
thumbnail.jpg
 
I loaded for years on a single stage press. I’ve loaded mostly pistol ammo, most of those being .38 Special and .45 ACP with small charges of fast burning powder. You know, the type of load that makes everyone so fearful of double charges.

I started shooting cowboy action in 2010. I needed a more efficient machine for the volume I was loading and started researching progressive press. I wanted a five station press to be able to use one of the powder level monitors. I settled on a Hornady LNL-AP and an RCBS Lockout Die. I also added lights to the press to make it easier to get a visual confirmation of powder level. I don’t have any problems.
 
I have only single stage presses, rarely load more than 100 rounds at a time, usual max is 50.

When I started reloading I used two trays for each step, the first tray for waiting cases, the second tray for 'step completed' cases. Once I set the powder measure, the sized and primed empty case comes out of the first tray, goes under the powder measure spout and the powder is dispensed, then the case charged with powder goes into the second tray. If I am using the funnel to dispense individual weighed charges the case comes out of the first tray, is stood on the bench alone, powder is dumped from the scale pan into the funnel and case, then the case is moved to the second tray. I did it this way for years before I figured out some people picked up a loaded tray and dispensed powder by moving the tray under the measure, or moving the funnel from case to case in the tray. Still do it my way, and have never (yet) had a double charged case. OCD? yes. Slower? yes. Safer? yes! YMMV
 
merlynski said:
If I am using the funnel to dispense individual weighed charges the case comes out of the first tray, is stood on the bench alone, powder is dumped from the scale pan into the funnel and case, then the case is moved to the second tray. I did it this way for years before I figured out some people picked up a loaded tray and dispensed powder by moving the tray under the measure, or moving the funnel from case to case in the tray. Still do it my way, and have never (yet) had a double charged case. OCD? yes. Slower? yes. Safer? yes! YMMV
Click to expand...

I do it your way, too. Everyone has their own methods, and most (?) have figured out a way to make their method foolproof and safe. Whenever I load up a full tray of charged cases I take the whole thing outside into the bright sunlight and look into each case to confirm that they are all properly filled. Very simple, and it's a rule I NEVER violate.

Tim
 
jmorris said:
I have probably seen more problems with single stage users but there are a lot more single stage presses out there.

One thing that seems to be a common phrase among people that have squibs or blow up guns is, “I look into each and every case.” Makes me a believer in the powder check die, as to err is human….

I trust ammunition my automated machines load more than I would anyone I don’t know loading on a single stage, by a good margin.
Click to expand...

Interesting. That sure isn't my experience, but I do not doubt your experience.
 
merlynski said:
I have only single stage presses, rarely load more than 100 rounds at a time, usual max is 50.

When I started reloading I used two trays for each step, the first tray for waiting cases, the second tray for 'step completed' cases.
Click to expand...

Like you, I don't load large qties and I use two trays too; one black one red. Both from commercial .45 ammo boxes from the trash.

Unprocessed in the red; processed to the black. Brass processing deprime, size, trim and chamfer as necessary, reprime.

Calibrate scale (83 yo Pacific powder balance), set up Lyman 55 to throw correct charge. Throw 10 charges, weigh them, divide total by 10 to get the average weight thrown. (That is the accuracy level the 55 is capable for that powder, that setting). Weigh every 10 or 15th charge to verify no change.

Set up press with dummy rounds. Left hand takes empty case from red tray, charge with powder, look inside, place bullet, seat bullet, put cartridge in black tray.

Crimping, if required, is separate step and goes from black to final range flip top box.

Don't believe we are OCD, ABC or XYZ.... just safe.
 
I seat all bullets in each batch after all cases are charged, then do the crimp/deflare batch after bullet seating. After crimp step is final inspection and boxing. One step at a time.
 
Don't let anyone tell you "You can't blow up a Ruger".
I've heard that many times and more than once by someone behind a gun counter.
This one is my own. My primary pistol powder is Bullseye. I, too, was dropping powder 10 cases at a time, looking into the cases and then seating bullets. It is my opinion that a very small deviation in the charge weight of Bullseye (or similar 'fast' powder) is sufficient to overcharge a magnum case. I was loading .357 Magnums within 0.1gr of the book's maximum charge weight and checking every 10th charge. It was always my routine. I returned the GP100 to Ruger and it came back with the notation as caused by an overcharge. (Surprise!)
I have since begun weighing EVERY powder charge. You would be surprised how much variation there often is between powder charges! Especially when you are dropping 5.5-6.5 grains of Bullseye for a 158 grain bullet (per Sierra Edition #VI). The difference between a maximum charge and a 1 grain overcharge of Bullseye is undetectible if the load you are using is at or near the high end of the book value. The kaboom load used in this GP100 was 6.4gr. A 1 grain overcharge is almost undetectable visually. You have to be really sharp to see it. A 2 grain overcharge is detectible visually IF you are looking for it and know what it looks like. Even then, it is easily overlooked or missed, though.

But hey, don't listen to me. I'm just another ding-dong on the interwebs. What do I know? :notworthy:
 

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>>> Megatons of good advice guys! <<<
GONRA sez all this stuff gets WORSE when loading reduced charges
for subsonic loads. WATCHOUT FOR DOUBLE CHARGES!!
 
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