Reloading misconceptions.

[Bazoo]

We all were new reloaders once. Some grew up doing it and some learned later. I'm sure we all had some "dumb" misconceptions before we started our adventure in making ammo.

Here is one of mine. Before I started reloading I had no idea about it. I was hanging out on gun forums some, and I seen folks talking about using 32 grains of powder for example. I though man, it must suck to count out 32 granules of powder for each cartridge you load. Then when you see .5 grains, I imagined cutting a granule of powder in half to get it.

Boy was I green.

I read the ABCs of reloading, then the lyman 48th. And with a little help from a few members on the forums I was on, began a very satisfying journey.

Just thought I'd share that humorous snippet.

 

[AJC1]

I find it strange that the purpose and reason behind a starting load is not in bold print in every single manual. I see people recommend reducing a starting load for x reason. Drives me nuts.

 

[Grumpy_old_Fart]

I learned a little as a kid, as I started reloading at 11. I got out of it for a long time, and finally got back into it a few years ago. I learned a whole lot more. I had to build my own case removal tool, which was easy. I had to do that because I forgot so much... still learning. The reducing load part... from minimum loads? i cant say why someone would do that. I would have just used the correct powder for the reduced load.

I finally have better tools to make better ammunition. I restarted with hand tools... now i have a prep station. I started with an old RCBS 5-0-5 scale.. now i use a digital. There are things that I used to do that I will never do again.


I saw a picture of a buddy of mine, reloading his ammo.
he was smoking.

I dont even want to go to his house when he loads ammo..

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

I used to be afraid of reloading. I got into muzzle loaders then. I realized i was reloading by loading my M/L. I started out with 2 lee loaders. A lb of 700x. 2 100 count primers and 2 boxes of Hornadly bullets.

 

[Zahn]

I find it strange that the purpose and reason behind a starting load is not in bold print in every single manual. I see people recommend reducing a starting load for x reason. Drives me nuts.

Yes! And why is Max Load set at XX grains? Is it because XX+.1 blew up the gun, or that accuracy started suffering, or that they met the FPS they were looking for? Inquiring minds want to know!

edited for clarity

 

[AJC1]

Yes! And why is Max Load set at XX grains? Is it because XX+.1 blew up the gun, or that SD started going up, or that they met the FPS they were looking for? Inquiring minds want to know!

In the case of the hornaday manual you might never know. In the Lyman manual stopping at max means you have reached xx pressure which may or may not be sammi max.

 

[BigBlue 94]

I learned a little as a kid, as I started reloading at 11. I got out of it for a long time, and finally got back into it a few years ago. I learned a whole lot more. I had to build my own case removal tool, which was easy. I had to do that because I forgot so much... still learning. The reducing load part... from minimum loads? i cant say why someone would do that. I would have just used the correct powder for the reduced load.

I finally have better tools to make better ammunition. I restarted with hand tools... now i have a prep station. I started with an old RCBS 5-0-5 scale.. now i use a digital. There are things that I used to do that I will never do again.


I saw a picture of a buddy of mine, reloading his ammo.
he was smoking.

I dont even want to go to his house when he loads ammo..

I pretty much followed the same path lol. My grandpa was an avid reloader and my pops had done some as well.

As for smoking, that depends on what point he was at and if combustibles were out of their magazine. Just brass trimming or decapping, sure why not. But if powder was out of its magazine, well some people are braver (more brave?) than they are smart!

 

[Soonerpesek]

Looked at the bottom of a sizing die for a pistol round (don't remember the caliber), saw the round collet of the depriming pin and thought it was an expander button.........!!

Someone here set me straight......In a kind way.....

 

[AJC1]

Looked at the bottom of a sizing die for a pistol round (don't remember the caliber), saw the round collet of the depriming pin and thought it was an expander button.........!!

Someone here set me straight......In a kind way.....

But have you seated bullets with the expander in pistol. I have no idea how they came out strait or close to length.

 

[Riomouse911]

All reloads are unsafe and should be avoided.

My Dad bulged two shotgun barrels while quail/chuckar hunting over the years, blaming them both on “shooting reloaded shells”. He poisoned me on reloads and reloading for a long time, only when I went shooting with friends in college who had boxes of reloaded .38’s did I finally trust the process.

Looking back, I’ll bet that he had some sort of debris or mud in the barrels when they were bulged, he was quite fond of hiking for miles and mikes chasing chuckar and desert quail all over the Southwest. There were many times we were trodding through washes and thick scrub to find downed birds, plenty of opportunities for twigs and stuff to find it’s way into a 12 gauge bore.

Stay safe.

 

[CMV]

A $30ish Amazon digital scale alone is sufficient - even more so if it comes with its own check weight.

Lee makes absolute garbage no matter what it is.

As long as muzzle velocity is about the same your old DOPE is close enough.

The whole thing is a mix of witchcraft and alchemy.

There are "best" brands, components, methods, and recipes.

BDS would never change his screen name

 

[Seedy Character]

I had an older cousin that reloaded shotgun shells. Dad was adamant about not shooting any of his shells.

About the same time, Dad bought a used rifle and a couple boxes of reloads, from a local gunsmith. Shot 1 box of shells, sighting in and getting familiar. On the deer hunt, first morning, sees a giant buck. Takes aim, squeezes trigger and the rifle explodes. Face and forearms, full of splinters, but no major injuries.

Gets home and goes to have a come to Jesus meeting with gunsmith. 2nd box of shells was wayyyyyyy overloaded.
Gunsmith have him all the money back, plus a
surplus 03a3. A couple boxes of factory, red Federal .30-06.
It shot 4" groups. Went on 1 deer hunt and got a nice buck. A co-worker, in deer camp, told him the barrel was shot out.

Rifle sat on the gun cabinet for 4 years. I was at a small company picnic, we were talking and I get an invite for a deer hunt. I tell of the barrel being shot out. Our secretary's husband offered to look at the rifle.

He checks it out and takes at to range. I got to check in it. He says it is fine. I tell him the back story. He says his reloads shot under 1"

We talk a bit more and he offers to teach me to reload. Been addicted ever since

I guess, my misconception was reloads are dangerous

 

[AJC1]

I had an older cousin that reloaded shotgun shells. Dad was adamant about not shooting any of his shells.

About the same time, Dad bought a used rifle and a couple boxes of reloads, from a local gunsmith. Shot 1 box of shells, sighting in and getting familiar. On the deer hunt, first morning, sees a giant buck. Takes aim, squeezes trigger and the rifle explodes. Face and forearms, full of splinters, but no major injuries.

Gets home and goes to have a come to Jesus meeting with gunsmith. 2nd box of shells was wayyyyyyy overloaded.
Gunsmith have him all the money back, plus a
surplus 03a3. A couple boxes of factory, red Federal .30-06.
It shot 4" groups. Went on 1 deer hunt and got a nice buck. A co-worker, in deer camp, told him the barrel was shot out.

Rifle sat on the gun cabinet for 4 years. I was at a small company picnic, we were talking and I get an invite for a deer hunt. I tell of the barrel being shot out. Our secretary's husband offered to look at the rifle.

He checks it out and takes at to range. I got to check in it. He says it is fine. I tell him the back story. He says his reloads shot under 1"

We talk a bit more and he offers to teach me to reload. Been addicted ever since

I guess, my misconception was reloads are dangerous

Stupid is always dangerous, be it in reloads or driving. Glad your dad was not seriously hurt.

 

[Mark_Mark]

I find it strange that the purpose and reason behind a starting load is not in bold print in every single manual. I see people recommend reducing a starting load for x reason. Drives me nuts.

U’m not a fan of reduced loads!

 

[Bazoo]

I know a guy that's intelligent and into guns and hunting and the like. When I told him I reloaded, he said it was fine for pistol rounds but not for rifle. I asked why. He said because rifle cartridges were at such higher pressure he was scared of it blowing up in his face.

Rifle rounds are probably safer to reload than pistol because you can't double charge them. Many rifle loads work with compressed charges, which again is a margin of safety. Not to mention, many rifles are much stronger than most handguns.

Example.
My 30-30 data goes to 35 grains with w748 and the 31141. I worked to 34 before I decided no further testing was necessary. So my load of 32 grains, even if I was off a grain in metering powder, isnt going to blow the gun up.

 

[Slamfire]

I find it strange that the purpose and reason behind a starting load is not in bold print in every single manual. I see people recommend reducing a starting load for x reason. Drives me nuts.

I suspect you never used the data from an Accurate Arms manual. Their starting load is just as likely to stick a bullet in the barrel as it will blow primers. And I trust new powder data even less. Well characterized loads, using powders that have been around for decades, probably not going to have a problem. The new stuff, tread carefully.

 

[bullseye308]

You can’t save money reloading. Sure you can, just get a setup that works and quit buying more stuff. Buy in bulk, shop locally when possible, and scrounge anything you can.

 

[Mark_Mark]

Buying a 750XL to maybe use later is a great idea

 

[edwardware]

Yes! And why is Max Load set at XX grains? Inquiring minds want to know!

Because the next increment, usually a tenth, produced pressures in excess of the SAAMI-defined design maximum, in the test barrel/transduced setup that lab was using.

Unless it's a cast bullet load, in which case it produced the highest velocity that the lab thought possible with good accuracy in that test barrel.

 

[Hugger-4641]

I started reloading with my grandfather in my pre-teens. Did it off and on throughout the years at a friends shop until I finally got a place to set up my own. I don't remember any misconceptions of my own, but a common one I've run into among friends is that reloads are inferior to factory ammo. I've managed to convince a few of them otherwise.

 

[Bazoo]

I had a person ask me about how many misfires I have. I don't have any, but I guess their experience with someone's reloads we different.

 

[AJC1]

I suspect you never used the data from an Accurate Arms manual. Their starting load is just as likely to stick a bullet in the barrel as it will blow primers. And I trust new powder data even less. Well characterized loads, using powders that have been around for decades, probably not going to have a problem. The new stuff, tread carefully.

I started with and mostly use lyman data. 49th was my first then 50th and now the 45th. I cross reference at least 3 books now.

 

[Bazoo]

I generally shoot cast, so my go to is lyman and RCBS cast manuals.

I cross reference using mostly a loadbooks one manual one caliber book. Hornady and Sierra and Speer and lyman data if I use jacketed.

 

[Atavar]

A $30ish Amazon digital scale alone is sufficient - even more so if it comes with its own check weight.

Having gone the rounds with cheap digital scales I will argue this one.
Cheap digital scales drift rapidly. Their measurements are only accurate for some seconds after setting zero and checking with a known standard weight.
As they warm up or the battery ages the values measured by a cheap scale drift.
Put your check weight on your cheap scale, note the reading. Leave the check weight in the pan. Lift and replace the weight every minute or so to keep the scale from going to sleep. After doing this for ten or fifteen minutes note the reading again.
Most cheap digital scales will have at least a little change, some will have a significant change.
Stability is the difference between a hobby scale and a quality scale.

 

[entropy]

I started reloading at 9. Too young to develop misconceptions about it before I started.

And I trust new powder data even less. Well characterized loads, using powders that have been around for decades, probably not going to have a problem. The new stuff, tread carefully.

I heartily agree. 5 grains of Bullseye has been around longer than me, and it's still a good .45 ACP 230FMJ load. 17 grains of Red Dot and 1 1/8 of shot with appropriate wad for your hull, same. 31 grains of IMR3031 under a 150 FP in .30-30, been around forever, still works well.

Having gone the rounds with cheap digital scales I will argue this one.
Cheap digital scales drift rapidly. Their measurements are only accurate for some seconds after setting zero and checking with a known standard weight.
As they warm up or the battery ages the values measured by a cheap scale drift.
Put your check weight on your cheap scale, note the reading. Leave the check weight in the pan. Lift and replace the weight every minute or so to keep the scale from going to sleep. After doing this for ten or fifteen minutes note the reading again.
Most cheap digital scales will have at least a little change, some will have a significant change.
Stability is the difference between a hobby scale and a quality scale.

He was stating that it was a misconception, not that he currently believed it.