The wall of shame...

[WestKentucky]

I was wondering if others do anything similar to what I do for memorable events. For hunting I keep special-to-me brass or shotshell and write down my story on a notepad, roll it up and insert it into the case mouth and put it in a box in my safe.

For reloading I took the same idea. For every big OOPS moment I keep the damaged/misloaded shell and write down my issue, put it in the case then on the shelf above my bench. I have a few up now from lube dents (too much lube) crushed cases (crimp adjusted wrong) bullets fallen into case (still don't understand this one but it was all Winchester brass) etc. I pulled a couple down recently and posted a pic on here of what sounded like the same issue a poster was describing. Anybody else save their mistakes?

 

[kerreckt]

When my son gets a new rifle. I save the first usually, sighting in cases. He is fifteen and recently bought a .308 Savage with money, he saved. I kept the 5 cases used to sight in the scope. I wrote the date on them with a sharpie and put them in the safe. More meaningful than a photo for me.

 

[*Kemosabe*]

In my 40+ years of reloading my “oops” moments have been rare. I don’t need a physical reminder of it as the moment was firmly emblazoned in my mind!

I did like your idea of keeping the case of a special hunting harvest, i.e.; first of anything, special circumstances, biggest and so on and then writing it down and storing it in the case. I wish that I done that a long, long time ago.

 

[captain awesome]

I have kept cases from successful hunts in the past. I had one from my first deer and elk for years (taken when I was 10 and 12) i always had them in my pocket for good luck i guess. then I went to rocky point Mexico as an adult and a Mexican cop hassled me and confiscated them

I also keep a box of unusable brass, whether it's berdan primed or a caliber I don't have, or there are several classes that have been used till they were completely worn out and failed. That box also has my reloading screw ups in it. I glance In There once in a while if I think I might be able to use something out of it for various projects and such, I always see those reloading mistakes and it brings back memories of being nieve and having no idea what I was doing.

 

[Schwing]

I still have my one and only squib. It is a Montana Gold .357 JSP and it is sitting in a case in my office.

 

[gamestalker]

I've kept a few trophy's of brass, recovered bullets and such from an especially memorable event. But much like *Kemosabe*, the oops stuff has little purpose for me any more.

GS

 

[WestKentucky]

I will admit that my "memory joggers" have been of no real use to me, however they have helped me show a couple friends what's wrong. "Hey I have this problem, any idea what's wrong?"..."does it look like this?" Is typically how that goes.

 

[Wreck-n-Crew]

I recon some do better with a memento. I could hang it in a clear case around my neck and it would just get in my way. I have made two different mistakes with the exact same results too.

Distractions are one of the most dangerous things next to complacency if you ask me. But fear and respect has been a good enough reminder thus far. YMMV

 

[blarby]

I keep a few.

The one in front, the 45 ricochet from my wife that hit me in the head, still takes the cake.

 

[Kurastduuks]

I keep cases from kills im proud of and have a "wall of shame". Luckily I havent had to add to that one in many moons

 

[jwrowland77]

No wall of shame.

I do however kept the case from when my daughter harvested her first deer ever this past season at age 9. We also printed off the picture I took and printed off a "First Deer" certificate that Arkansas Game and Fish put out. My wife and plan on making a shadow box with all three things in it.

 

[buck460XVR]

I have buckets of spent bullets and shotshells, boxes of turkey beards/spurrs and a small barrel of various sized antlers, besides the few on the wall. For me, the journal I keep with memories of not only the successful hunts, but the blown and uneventful ones, is the most precious. I also keep a journal of ammo I have reloaded and sometimes scribble in performance when it either exceeds or does not meet my expectations. It makes for good reference, but not a good read.

 

[tyeo098]

First time I went hunting it was pigs, we were shooting from a dirt path, and my AR chucked the brass I used to down the pig right into the woods.

Oh well.

 

[Jesse Heywood]

I remember every oops I ever made, so there's no need to write them down.

What were we discussing?

 

[bandur60]

Not an oops but.... I do a Hunter Ed class and offer to make a ballpoint pen out of the empty case from a first-time hunter's "trophy", have done several calibers.
Not commercially viable, but not a high-volume operation either .

 

[cmhellie]

My oops moment reminds me every time I experience a loud noise and my left ear rings for a day. Years ago when sighting in a handgun a friend asked why I didn't get with the program, drop the Mickey Mouse ears and buy the new shut down ear plugs like he had. He said he was tired of me saying "Huh? Huh? every time he asked me a question. So I asked to try his, they were GREAT! Then we broke for lunch, went back to the line and I FORGOT to put them back in because they were so comfortable and the conversation was like there was nothing was in my ears. Well the first shot out of a .44 Mag blew out my eardrum and likely did something to my inner ear because to this day it will ring for hours/days after I am exposed to a loud noise. I won't wear those again. I would rather have sweaty ears than another blown eardrum.