Silly, dumb and dangerous!

[showmebob]

Since I'm fairly new to reloading I thought maybe some of you experienced folks would like to share some of the silly, dumb or dangerous mistakes you have made. This is for the benefit of the newbees so we can know what to look out for.
If you haven't made any mistakes you get a silver star!
If you have made mistakes and share them, you get a GOLD STAR.
Time to fess up!

 

[jcwit]

You actually expect us to admit to doing something stupid?

 

[dougestyle]

The only mistake I've ever made made reloading was no powder charge. The primer still has enough power to lodge the bullet in the barrel, so be careful on that one....easy thing to prevent.

 

[jcwit]

Yes thats very important dougestyle. Especially if you're shooting a revolver. Auto probably won't cycle but a revolver, NOT GOOD, and catch it in time.

 

[dougestyle]

I always thought that an auto wouldn't cycle too. But I loaded some .45 GAP (your flame here________) and it did cycle. The only thing that saved me was the bullet was about 1/16th of an inch from letting the next round chamber all the way. Now that was scary.

 

[Fred40]

Well not me but I now a guy that shot a double charge one day.....luckily he was shooting what would normally be a very light load so while it scared the crap out of him it didn't break his gun (or his hand).

Now on this very same day he fires a squib......and then fires another round right behind it. Bye, bye barrel.

Talk about a bad day at the range!

 

[rockhound758]

Mine is the same as Dougestyle's...missing the powder charge and pop! the primer kicks the bullet into the barrel. I was pretty new to reloading when it happened, and the rangemaster tapped it out with a rod. I went right back, and the next shot...pop! Needless to say, I got a "what kind of damnfool idiot college boy ARE you anyway??" when I had to get him to clear the barrel again (and yeah I was much younger back then).

All joking aside, it was definitely scary and I learned an important lesson that day. You probably can't be too careful when reloading, and discipline and attention are absolutely critical.

 

[Nugilum]

I can say honestly that this didn't happen to me. Maybe you guys could tell me if his explanation was possible...

I was at a friend's parent's house "shooting the arsenal" (it's nice to live in the boonies with dozens of acres of land). He was shooting some "special" .357 loads (I think the common term is "hot") out of his Ruger Blackhawk.

Me, this guys dad, and a second friend suddenly saw a HUGE fireball come out of the barrel, felt the blast, and then watched him crumple to the ground. Needless to say all three of us ran to him and checked him out. The recoil caused the barrel to leave a red line up his forehead, and the front sights left a small gash on the top of his nose. Fortunately that's all that happened. He was OK and gun was OK. I was told he later yanked all of his loads and did something different.

Now did he double-loaded it like he claimed? Does the .357 have enough volume to double charge? If not, what did he do?

 

[dmazur]

While I wasn't new to reloading, I was trying to figure out how to get a 550B progressive set up for .30-06. I kept having occasional trouble with cartridge headspace length, as shown by a Wilson gauge. Sometimes a batch would turn out fine, and sometimes I got variations.

It turned out I was occasionally backing off the shellplate bolt a little too much before locking it with the setscrew, after changing shellplates. This permitted it to "walk" a few thousandths, and I got headspace variations as a result. Nothing dangerous, but it was annoying.

You're supposed to tighten the center bolt until the plate won't turn, then back it off "a little", then lock it. Works fine if you follow instructions!

 

[kestak]

Greetings,

+1 on missign powder charge. Since then, I am looking into every case I load with my Dillon 550B.

I also reloaded some 357 mag Blue Dot with magnum primers instead of normal primers. It was not a biggie and I shot it with the magnums because those were not max load and I asked around if it was still safe.

Thank you

 

[RandyP]

It is VERY easy to have a lapse in attention when throwing powder charges, less so when using a single stage and a loading block, but still possible.

I am a rookie and am glad I do not have a progressive (I now load on a Lee Classic Turret). Having a sense of exactly what each stage of the reloading process "feels" like, makes it much easier for me to stay on top of the whole process.

Even thought my Lee Pro powder measure throws very reliable charges, I check each case before I put the bullet on top. You can't tell a few .01s grains of powder difference by sight, but a no-throw or double charge would be very easy to spot.

 

[61chalk]

In 1980 my friend bought his first muzzle loader kit, Navy Arms? He shot it, then I shot it, then the 3rd time he ran the bullet down the barrel it was getting harder....on the 5th reload, the bullet stopped half way down, we got a hammer an beat on the wooden ram rod until it snaped..."hey my dad has a steel rod"..so he used it an a hammer until he thought it was all the way down.....I'm laughing at all these good memories...."are you sure you want to shoot that Mark? maybe we should get a string.." but my friend was determined to shoot it..."hey, that telephone pole has that little shiney square thing on it, aim for that..."......BOOOOOMMMM!!!! The gun exploded an broke apart, my frieind fell backwards on the ground still holding what was left of the stock, his face was black(thank God he wore glasses). He got up an said he was ok an took off his glasses an looked like a reverse raccoon...I had to bust up...we picked up the pieces from the yard..an curoisty I went to look at the pole, that 3" square had a big hole right in the middle!!! Needless to say we learned a little bit about reloading muzzle loaders...Yeah, we were teenagers an stupid....but boy did we have some fun times!!!!

 

[PO2Hammer]

It is VERY easy to have a lapse in attention when throwing powder charges, less so when using a single stage and a loading block, but still possible.

Ditto.

I first mounted my powder dispenser on my turret press and processed each round all the way through. I just barely cought a double charge of Clays in a light .44 Rem Mag load.

I removed it from my press and bench mounted. I now load in lots of 50 with each charge inspected in a loading block.



Keep notes!

 

[rcmodel]

I now load in lots of 50 with each charge inspected in a loading block.

And that my friend, is the very safest way to do it.

I have used that method for 47 years, and have yet to have a squib load, double charge, or anything else.

Folks who charge a case and seat a bullet every time are running on borrowed time!


My dumbest reloading mistake happened last year finally.

I ran my thumb nail through a Lyman Lubrasizer while changing top punches.

BTW: It takes a little over six months to grow a new thumb-nail.

rc

 

[rfwobbly]

Not every piece of brass is useable...

You actually expect us to admit to doing something stupid?

I've never made a reloading mistake, but a very good friend of mine...

....was used to loading for rifle, and needless to say, didn't have near the array of case brands and wasn't shooting the cases 1/10 as much as is common with pistol. So that when he started seriously loading pistol he didn't pay as much attention to the "feel" of primer insertion. This came back to kick him in the teeth when a primer fell out in the middle of a local IPSC competition.

Now having to stop and cycle the action wasn't exactly a time saver, but the loose primer rolled down into the trigger mechanism and jammed the gun for the subsequent shots. This ended my, I mean my friend's, stage and it was off to the "safe area" with a tooth brush to try to figure out what was going on.

These days my friend pays a lot more attention to the primer feel. If it feels low on insertion force, then he leans over to the single stage press where he has a Lee Universal De-capping die. He's found that if he can poke the primer back out of the case by simply using hand force (not the action of the press) that the primer will not stay in well enough to be reliable. He's now discarding about 3 of every 100 cases using this check system.

Hope this helps!

 

[rocklock]

About 10 years ago I was getting ready for the season opener on elk here in Colorado, and two days before season I discovered I didn't have any elk rounds loaded for my .270. I was busy with work and family life, besides getting all my gear together, so the only free time I had was after everyone else had gone to bed. I already had a proven load that I used, so I thought it would be a simple matter to load up 20 rounds. Well, with my mind on other things and being fatigued from racing around, I picked up a can of IMR4198 instead of IMR4831 out of my reloading cabinet unknowingly. I went to the range the next day during lunch to make sure the rifle was still sighted in, and on the first shot things went to H*** in a handbasket. By the way, 4831 is a slow burning rifle powder, 4198 is at the other end of the spectrum, pretty fast. My first clue something was wrong was the really excessive recoil, and powder burns on my trigger hand and face. And it was really loud. Fortunately the rifle, a Remington 700, held together. The case had completely ruptured, the front half of which went out the barrel, the back half flowed around the locking lugs and also into the firing pin hole. Most of the gas went out the vent on the side of the receiver, and that which came in the firing pin hole was deflected by the shroud on the back of the bolt. Yes, I was wearing shooting glasses and hearing protection. The bolt was completely locked up, and the bolt handle broke off while I was trying to get it open - no big deal as the bolt and components were toast for the most part anyway. I sent the rifle into Remington for repairs, and they fixed it for free. It turns out that I had the old style 2 position safety, and Remington included a new bolt with the new safety upgrade.
Anyway, when I got home from the rifle range that day, I went straight to the reloading bench and discovered what I had done. I guess the lesson here is that you need to be all there when reloading - awake and undistracted. And don't forget to wear hearing and eye protection when shooting. So far, that is the only major mistake I have ever made in 35 years of reloading. I seem to remember getting a few primers in upside down on a couple of rounds, and not getting enough lube on some cases and getting them stuck in the sizer die, but that's about it.

 

[liljohn]

I made the mistake of teaching a bigmouthed, belligerent d*uchebag how to reload. The guy talked way too much and was a ham-fist at the range. He handled guns like actors in a 70s era cop show. He was an embarrassment at the range and he was difficult to critique because he knew all the answers already.

He liked my Freedom Arms 454 for all the wrong reasons--because it was the "biggest and baddest" at the time (before the 500 existed). He got a Taurus 454 but didn't want to pay $40/box for ammo so he bought a reloading kit and begged me to teach him.

I reluctantly agreed, thinking it might give him a new perspective and change his Barney Badass approach. Before starting, I loaned him a reloading manual and told him to read the "how to" section. It does a good job spelling out the basics.

At our first "lesson" I could tell he hadn't read a thing. But I continued, showed him all the basics, and explained how he needs to be careful with load data. Start at least 10% low and work up. Pay attention to charge weights and bullet weights. Etc.

One night he called and asked for my 454 load data (he had given back the loading manual). I told him he couldn't use "my" data for the Freedom Arms in his Taurus, but I could give him the data from the Reloading Manual. I reiterated that he would have to start low and work up. I gave him data for 250 grain and 300 grain bullets. I stressed the importance of getting his own loading manual, using the RIGHT data, and again the importance of starting low and working up. He said he'd get a manual the next day.

A few weeks later, we went to the range. He had 'worked up' some loads and wanted to try them out. We got there, set up, and out comes the 454 and his handloads. He popped off the first shot. He briefly struggled to cock the hammer back but managed to force it. Before I could intervene, pop goes the second shot. He tried to cock it again but it wouldn't budge. He couldn't pop the cylinder out, either; the gun was locked up.

He struggled with the gun for a bit, then turns to me with a helpless expression on his face. By this time, a small crowd had gathered to see what was up. I started looking things over to figure out what was going on. I took out my brass hammer to bang the cylinder open. The primer was flat, pierced, and blown out of the case head. The case head was completely flat (the headstamp was completely flattened). The case was so stretched and had flowed so much that it tightly filled the space between the frame and the cylinder. I had to beat the brass out with a hammer and punch.

I asked to check his handloads, figuring he got something wrong. Right in front of everyone he threw me under the bus--"but you gave me the load data!" he said. He starts implicating me--right in front of everyone--at MY range, where HE is a guest.

His handloads were MAX charges for the 250 grain bullet--but he used the 300 grain bullet! I scolded him like he was a child, telling him he should be checking the manual, keeping track of the data, and starting low and working up. He obviously had done none of it.

Fortunately, nobody was hurt and there didn't appear to be any gun damage. I told him to get it checked, though, as he could have stressed the cylinder and/or frame.

I don't know if he ever followed through; it was the last time I had anything to do with him.

 

[kestak]

Greetings,

About talking about idiots, I have one at my range too.

As usual, I went to the range with my wife and asked "how safe" is it tonight on the line? The answer was wait until THAT guy comes out.

We sat at the table with some friends already sitting and I asked why and they said he just blew up a gun with his reloads and he plans to try the SAME reload in his other gun.

One guy told me he blew up his brand-X 1911 (I do not want to name it here, in case he lurks here) a few weeks before with his reloads and got it rebuilt by a gunsmith I know and use. :banghead: I guess some guys never learn...

Anyway, he did not shoot finally his reload in the other gun. He walked out a few minutes after and sat with us.

He explained he just blew up his gun and he does not understand why. He said litterally:"I follow the books religiously and just add 5%-10% to the maximum charge because the books writers have to obey to the lawyers."

We all looked to each other biting our lips not to laugh... A few minutes after, he showed us his x-brand 1911 and said he wants to sell it and asked if anyone was interested... If even made us try his trigger bragged that his trigger has not been reworked. I know the gunsmith and he worked 3 of my triggers and I KNOW he worked his trigger.

At that point, we decided all to leave the table, say nothing and go shoot some lead down the range...

Thank you

 

[novaDAK]

Folks who charge a case and seat a bullet every time are running on borrowed time!

That's what I do, but I have my own way of double checking.

First, after I throw the charge, I visually check the case. If it doesn't look right, I dump it out and do over.

After seating the bullet, I give the cartridge a shake and if I don't hear any powder in it, I know I messed up.

So far it's worked for the 1000rds I've loaded up so far (each one went bang like they should and were actually pretty accurate to boot).

I'm using a single stage RCBS press and take my time...I figure there's less chance of a screw up for a beginner like myself.

 

[WNTFW]

My biggest mistake was not getting started sooner. Or was is not buying a lifetime supply of everything?

My biggest screw up:
I was busy during the week & trying to get out to the range on a Saturday. I loaded up some rounds & got stuff ready a bit every day when I had a few minutes available figuring I'd be stressed If I left anything til the last minute. I got up Saturday & had a few minutes to spare & decided to load 10 more rounds of .308 at the starting load. Well after seating the 10th bullet I noticed some powder in the loading block. I knew I didn't spill any powder. I had carefully thrown & trickled the powder, weighed it & filled the cases.
I had completely missed the priming stage.

Question is: How does Varget bridge in a funnel but not in a flash hole?

I figured just hit the lights & leave at that point.

WNTFW

 

[jcwit]

novaDAK You can hear the powder inside the case? Dam I knew I shulda wore the ear muffs. I haven't been able to hear something like that for more than 20 years.

Don"t question rcmodel, he's one of the few masters we have here. I would follow his advice to the letter, he's forgot more than most of us will ever know.

Just my 2 cents

 

[Claymore1500]

my biggest mistake was not buying a lifetime supply of everything

definately +1

 

[novaDAK]

novaDAK You can hear the powder inside the case? Dam I knew I shulda wore the ear muffs. I haven't been able to hear something like that for more than 20 years.

Hehe yes actually, it's .38 special. Lots of empty space inside there

In .357 and .45acp, not so much, but depending on ambient sound, just barely. With these I'm just that more careful and focused.

 

[jcwit]

I don't think I could hear a BB rattling around inside a 30/06 case. Well maybe its not quite that bad, but close. WHAT'D HE SAY?

Actually it has gotten bad enough I can now lip read alot on tv.

Please young people wear that hearing protection. VERY IMPORTANT

 

[jeepmor]

The only mistake I've ever made made reloading was no powder charge. The primer still has enough power to lodge the bullet in the barrel, so be careful on that one....easy thing to prevent.

Same here, all setup rounds now get built with primerless brass. Also, make sure you point the kinetic hammer the right direction before you whack it on your steel vise ot else you'll break the locking ring. Trust me here, it only takes about 1/3 second of indiscretion to D'oH!

Don"t question rcmodel, he's one of the few masters we have here. I would follow his advice to the letter, he's forgot more than most of us will ever know.

Well put, I put Reloader Fred in the same ranks. If either bother to comment, read carefully.

BTW: It takes a little over six months to grow a new thumb-nail.

Case in point, it took my thumbnail 6 months to grow back too. It was from hammer on a construction project, but you get the idea. Also, superglue kept my half dead nail hanging on and semi useful, at least semi comfortable for that time too. Apply liberally, cure with water mist, and use a good emery board or jewelers file to smooth the rough edges. I recommend against the dremel for the thumbnail work, but you can take that under advisement if you like, it's your dremel.