powder check gone wrong

[Enfielder]

What PWC said. Drop the powder. Seat the bullet. Weigh number 5 to check for weight drift then run the lot. Mark the container with the bullet and powder load. I have set recipes that shoot great in my guns and don't vary once dialed in although, once in a while, I do something crazy like use another powder. Don't tell the Mrs. that I get so willy-nilly.

 

[murf]

update: i went shooting yesterday and had another "pfft". apparently, i missed a whole row and didn't check the powder at all on a block of fifty. last night i checked all 9mm reloads on hand. i weighed every round on my powder scale and separated all low and high weights. i then pulled the bullets and found: no double charges, thank god, and five more no-powder rounds. this is not good.

i reloaded the cases (and checked the powder fill) and will shoot em all up shortly. i want to get this problem behind me. "check the powder" is my new mantra.

murf

 

[Blue68f100]

This is why as soon as I load powder I seat the bullet before going to the next, when loading on a SS press. I do this both for pistol and rifle. This way you look/weight/confirmed and finished the round, no looking back. Next

 

[FROGO207]

^^^^^^^ I tried to load that way when I first started years ago. Now I feel looking into a block full of cases gives me a better idea if one case is over or under full compared to all the others. I have become quite good at it I believe.

 

[vaalpens]

I am still using a single stage and mostly dip, weigh and trickle. Sometimes I would seat the primer, expand and drop powder using the Lee Auto-Drum. Both processes results in cases with powder sitting in a reloading block. Last step normally is to check the cases under the light to make sure they all have powder, and holding the block at an angle to compare powder height in each row. Normally this should be enough, but once in a while when I load say Bullseye in 38spl or something easy to double charge, I would intentionally load a double charge to to make sure I can differentiate between a single and double charge. I still think the final check is the gut. If it tells you that something is wrong, stop and evaluate if you need to proceed or not.

 

[murf]

I am still using a single stage and mostly dip, weigh and trickle. Sometimes I would seat the primer, expand and drop powder using the Lee Auto-Drum. Both processes results in cases with powder sitting in a reloading block. Last step normally is to check the cases under the light to make sure they all have powder, and holding the block at an angle to compare powder height in each row. Normally this should be enough, but once in a while when I load say Bullseye in 38spl ot something easy to double charge, I would then intentionally load a double charge to to make sure I can differentiate between a single and double charge. I still think the final check is the gut. If it tells you that something is wrong, stop and evaluate if you need to proceed or not.

ah, the gut. you can't hear it but you better danged listen when it speaks!

i'm a single stage loader also.

thx,

murf

 

[murf]

This is why as soon as I load powder I seat the bullet before going to the next, when loading on a SS press. I do this both for pistol and rifle. This way you look/weight/confirmed and finished the round, no looking back. Next

a good way to go. i do the loading block thing and weigh out all fifty charges before i switch to bullet seating.

thx,

murf

 

[DownEaster]

I do several things that I believe help to prevent over or under charged cases. I load single stage, my prepped and primed cases are kept in a small tupperware container. Once my powder measure is set correctly I remove a single case from the tupperware and charge it then place into a loading block. I continue as such till the tenth one, that one gets weighed and if in spec placed into the loading block. I continue charging cases and weighing every tenth round till done.

The most important part is checking every single case for powder level, I use a good flashlight and look in each case at an angle as they sit in the loading block. It is much easier to see powder hight differences at an angle than it is straight down. I feel it is also important to compare between cases so that the relative powder hight is equal between all neighboring cases.

After all cases have been checked I place a bullet on top of each case and then proceed to seating and crimping.

In 11 years I have never has a squib or overcharge, in fact the only misfire I have had on ammo I loaded was due to a missing primer anvil.

 

[murf]

i fired off all my 9mm rounds this afternoon. i wore a face shield and heavy leather gloves just in case. i still had a "pfft" round out of a bit over one hundred. this time i brought a range rod and a dead blow hammer. had that bullet out of the barrel in seconds.

the rounds didn't go to waste, as i was shooting golf balls @ 15-20 yards. i'm not a run-and-gunner, though. my trigger finger froze up after about ninety rounds. had to curl the finger and squeeze my fist to finish off the rounds. more practice i guess.

anyway, i already loaded up fifty more 9mm rounds (yup, checked the powder fill with a flashlight) and plan on shooting them up tomorrow. it's a new load and needs to be chronyed.

murf

 

[jmorris]

Another reason I like PC dies.

 

[murf]

Another reason I like PC dies.

i don't do progressives, so any help on powder checking those is appreciated.

murf