Reloading hall of shame

[tufrthnails]

Here is one for new folks. The other day I walked back into the reloading room to get started and I had left powder in the chargemaster. I had loaded a couple different powders the day or so before and totally couldnt recall with confidence, which one it was. I had a couple half full bottles on the shelf. Note to self, put current bottle behind chargemaster!!! Sucks to trash 1/4 lb of powder. Better safe than sorry.

If I leave powder in my thrower over night it will be garbage anyways with our humidity down here.

[GaCop]

Holy..... I almost threw up on my tablet! That's aweful! DA-M!! That must make his eyes water! :puke:

[XL105]

...

[schnyd112]

now about wasting powder. My first time emptying my uniflow powder measurer, didn't think it all the way through, unscrewed the stem, dumped 1/4 lb of VV N310 on the floor. In my tool bag, junk brass bucket, empty ammo boxes, freaking everywhere.

[brtelec]

I have of course charged pistol cartridges with no primers and of course was using VV N310 so it promptly went everywhere. I have a 22-250 that shoots heavy bullets and a 220 Swift that takes a very light bullet. I loaded 50 rounds of 220 swift with 60 gr. bullets and had to pull them all and start over. READ THE BOX!

[Hair_Boxers]

Tumbled in walnut media after priming once. Probably not an issue, but like all things reloading better safe than sorry.

[Texas10]

This seems like a good place to write this. A while back I wrote about witnessing a guy nearly blow up his 243 at the range. Thought at the time it was due to adding a magnum primer to an already too hot load receipe.

Just to close the loop on this story, I saw him again some weeks later, having problems popping primers (again) with that same 243.

In passing the time with him during a cease fire period (actually it was a grass fire started by a suspected FMJ skipping off the ground, fire dept responded, etc) , I asked what he used to trim his case neck to size after FL sizing.

He said "what do you mean trim? I just run a chamfer tool around the mouth".

I measured a couple of cases he'd reloaded and found them .020+ over max length.

I advise him on the dangers of pinching a bullet and suggested he throw away his brass and get new off the shelf ammo, then learn a bit more about what he is doing before attempting to hand load anymore ammo. And if i ever saw him there again, I'd make dang sure I was nowhere near him while he was shooting.

Haven't seen him since….which is fine by me.

[tufrthnails]

This seems like a good place to write this. A while back I wrote about witnessing a guy nearly blow up his 243 at the range. Thought at the time it was due to adding a magnum primer to an already too hot load receipe.

Just to close the loop on this story, I saw him again some weeks later, having problems popping primers (again) with that same 243.

In passing the time with him during a cease fire period (actually it was a grass fire started by a suspected FMJ skipping off the ground, fire dept responded, etc) , I asked what he used to trim his case neck to size after FL sizing.

He said "what do you mean trim? I just run a chamfer tool around the mouth".

I measured a couple of cases he'd reloaded and found them .020+ over max length.

I advise him on the dangers of pinching a bullet and suggested he throw away his brass and get new off the shelf ammo, then learn a bit more about what he is doing before attempting to hand load anymore ammo. And if i ever saw him there again, I'd make dang sure I was nowhere near him while he was shooting.

Haven't seen him since….which is fine by me.

Wow he could use a how to manual in the worst way!

[Predator53]

Ahh last night,I'm loading some test bullets....never set my bullet depth...went to seat a bullet in and wham...what was suppose to be 2.650 col....turned out to be 2.350...what a pain to pull out!

[mbohuntr]

Just last week.... bought a collet/neck sizing die, second time using it. I forgot to check the necks before priming. Well... first bullet fell right in. Then I got the bright idea of pulling the decapping pin and neck sizing without it. Now I've got a bunch of cases too small to seat... :confused: Gonna try some boattail bullets and make sure the case doesn't get shorter meaning I crushed the shoulder and need to throw them out.....:rolleyes:

[doctnj]

Well Ill make you feel better. I posted about loading w/o primers...... I did it freakin again!!! Gotta stop watching Dr. Phil while I reload. Way too many crazy people on that show and I get too distracted. Thats my excuse anyhow. Sooooo glad I bought a puller.

[adammiddagh]

Just last week.... bought a collet/neck sizing die, second time using it. I forgot to check the necks before priming. Well... first bullet fell right in. Then I got the bright idea of pulling the decapping pin and neck sizing without it. Now I've got a bunch of cases too small to seat... :confused: Gonna try some boattail bullets and make sure the case doesn't get shorter meaning I crushed the shoulder and need to throw them out.....:rolleyes:

Can you adjust a full length die high so only to run the necks over the expander ball?

[doctnj]

Well Ill make you feel better. I posted about loading w/o primers...... I did it freakin again!!! Gotta stop watching Dr. Phil while I reload. Way too many crazy people on that show and I get too distracted. Thats my excuse anyhow. Sooooo glad I bought a puller.

I may be wrong but I would think that if you die is bottomed out when you re size, It shouldnt get any shorter than the length you have it set when you cam over. The only way to make it shorter would be to screw the die down further than when originally sized.

Oh and on my repeated screw up. I am becoming a black belt in bullet pulling. I may start charging for my services. lol

[mbohuntr]

Can you adjust a full length die high so only to run the necks over the expander ball?
Never thought of that, Thanks! I've certainly got enough samples to try....:p

Results.... I didn't notice an expander ball on the shaft, but I slowly deprimed and full length sized as the neck was forced up the pin and expanded. No cracked necks, and only lost 1-2 thousandths of length at most.

Excellent advice, THANK-YOU!

[schnyd112]

Got a new one today. Just finished sizing and decapping 50 rounds. Grabbed my primer pocket cleaner and chamfer/deburrinf tool and headed into the living room. Opened the door from the garage, hit my loading block with the door and dropped 50 cases on the tile floor. Most of the necks are no longer round and now I have to re-size them all. Not sure there is a lesson to be learned from this, probably don't carry so much stuff from bench to couch, but it sure made me feel like an idiot.

[doctnj]

If you drop an Un sized piece of brass there is a chance it will hit any place on the brass. If you drop a Re sized brass, there is a 99% chance it will hit the neck.

[Scott Evans]

Three 20 Practical 40 vmax get mixed up with 223 53 vmax (no real visual difference) and fired in a 223.

Group size grows to 1.5" and velocity drops 1000 fps. No keyholes in target (!?!?!?!!!!), no damage.

Oops.

[tufrthnails]

Got a new one today. Just finished sizing and decapping 50 rounds. Grabbed my primer pocket cleaner and chamfer/deburrinf tool and headed into the living room. Opened the door from the garage, hit my loading block with the door and dropped 50 cases on the tile floor. Most of the necks are no longer round and now I have to re-size them all. Not sure there is a lesson to be learned from this, probably don't carry so much stuff from bench to couch, but it sure made me feel like an idiot.


I got you beat and I'm not happy about it at all:mad: I am building a room in my shop for mancave/reloading so all my reloading stuff is boxed up and put away on the shelf. A buddy calls and asks what the recipe was on my .270win rounds because he wants to practice so he is going to build me some rounds (freaking sweet I am thinking). My book is in the box on the shelf I got to move my storage bin deal that I keep my bullets in. I pull is down set it on the bench climb back up the ladder and bump it in the process and it fails to the floor and smashes. Can you tell the difference between a 55g vmax and a 53g Vmax or a 140g SST and 150g SST? I got my work cut out for me. Best I can figure there is somewhere around 600 bullets of different calibers and grain in the pile of smashed plastic.

[BillPa]

Can you tell the difference between a 55g vmax and a 53g Vmax or a 140g SST and 150g SST?

Sure, but I can't seem to be able to tell the difference between a stick of 308W brass from a 7-08.

Yesterday I pulled 243 off, put a 308 on then pulled another 243 for a 7-08. Easy, except I couldn't chamber a new stick of brass in the 7-08 barrel. Rechecked it with my Go both bare and with a .0023" piece of tape. Perfect but the bolt was nowhere even close to locking to battery on the brass. I thought, scratched my cranium, thought some more then on the bench .......

Now, I'm here to tell ya all a stick of 308 Win brass will not fit in a 7-08 chamber, the small round end is just too dang big! :mad:

Bill

[Hotolds442]

You need more primary traction to chamber that, unfortunately.