Reloading Mistakes and Lessons

[Old Jeff H]

Thought I start a place to share our experiences, lessons, tips, etc.

Back when it was still really cheap, I bought prodigious amounts of once fired Lake City 7.62x51/308 brass. Since there weren't a whole lot of M-14's in service at the time, it was pretty safe to assume the bulk of it was M-60 fired. Indeed full length resizing it with a conventional die wasn't quite good enough to allow it to drop into my Lyman case gauge. So I bought an RCBS Small Base die, and if I cranked the brass up in there real good like, it did fit into the case gauge.

Although the brass functioned great and produced great accuracy in my AR-10, I was flattening every primer - no matter what my load was. At first I dismissed this because I knew I was within safe powder charge parameters, but eventually I couldn't ignore it any longer. It was after some reading I learned that excessive headspace can/will cause flattened primers. So, I went ahead and ponied up for an RCBS Precision Mic to see what was going on. Man, talk about an eye opener. Every piece of brass I had resized measured between .008 and .011 of headspace.

Although I knew all this brass had been fired through a generous chamber and I was probably only going to get 1 or 2 reloads out of it, I certainly unnecessarily overworked it. The good news I've fired a bunch of that brass without any issues (other than the flattened primers), but that bad news is that I processed about 2,500 pieces of it that way. The other good news is I still have a bunch of that I didn't get around to f'ing up back then.

So the lessons I learned:

- A case gauge isn't a tell-all be-all tool
- If something doesn't look right, it isn't right.
- Don't be cranking about a bunch of stuff if you don't absolutely know what you're doing (and I certainly thought I did at the time) :lol:

 

[xerts1191]

Good points. Most of all, pay attention to what you are doing, double powdered a pistol load once, fortunately I’m in the habit of doing a visual on each case before a bullet set, that was as close as I care to be on a major phuk up!

 

[knockonit]

Yip, if one does not pay attention, could be ugly physically and equipment wise, been lucky so far, have had occassional flipped primer, and poor crimp, and recently issues with the throat in the Taurus semi autos, their throad is very shallow, will chamber factory rounds but anything off the norm, in a slightly longer, and meaning very slight, they will not go into battery,
i had one barrel lead lengthed, but in retrospect, decided to change the aol, not imo not a good idea to have reloads that do not work in every gun, so............ergo, infact shot up about 300 today of the slightly longer aols, so i can get on with sending lead down range without that sick feeling of "uhoh wtf
Rj

 

[Boriqua]

my only Booboo so far happened when I was just starting. Loaded up some 45, went to the range and one went Puff instead of bang. No Powder!

Bullet just made it out of the chamber and stuck solid.

After a good wd 40 bath and a couple hours wait I was able to tap it out from the muzzle end using a wood dowel but it were stuck good!

 

[Bigfoot]

Good points. Most of all, pay attention to what you are doing, double powdered a pistol load once, fortunately I’m in the habit of doing a visual on each case before a bullet set, that was as close as I care to be on a major phuk up!

I use a progressive and do a double visual check. Once when I lower it from powder drop and then a second time while I set the bullet on for seating.

 

[Bigfoot]

Good points. Most of all, pay attention to what you are doing, double powdered a pistol load once, fortunately I’m in the habit of doing a visual on each case before a bullet set, that was as close as I care to be on a major phuk up!

I use a progressive and do a double visual check. Once when I lower it from powder drop and then a second time while I set the bullet on for seating.

In the past they have accused progressive presses of being the reason why there are kabooms. I call it lack of awareness, callousness, complacency, and luddites making up false narratives.

I could see it happening, but the whole process is about attention to detail. Everyone recommenced not starting the journey with a progressive. I decided I'm smart enough and diligent enough to make the leap. I load 9, 45, 300BLK, 223 and now 44 magnum. All on one press with quick change setups.

I could not even imagine doing single stage. I do sort of on rifle rounds, I size and decap, then trim as necessary and whatever else I need to before running primers, powder and bullet.

 

[Suck My Glock]

My best tip is that when you load powder into the measure, write on a slip of paper what powder is in there, and stick that down inside so it faces outward and can be read.

This way, if/when you get distracted or pulled away from the reloading, when you return, you will know what you put in there.

I once was CONVINCED that I had left the hopper filled with AA#5. I absolutely knew it as a fact. I then proceeded to reset the measure for 5.0 grains to load up some .45acp ammo. It SHOULD have made for a nice sedate medium power load. But when I got to the range,...FLAMING BALLS OF BOOMING FIRE with thunderous magnum-like concussion. Obviously something was waaaay off, so after just 5 rounds, I stopped. Turns out I had actually left AA#2230 RIFLE powder in the hopper. It had been over a month previously, and I didn't recall having loaded up any 5.56 ammo in that time. But somehow I had convinced myself is was merely AA#5. I could have easily kaboomed my Springfield 1911A1.

 

[Bigfoot]

My best tip is that when you load powder into the measure, write on a slip of paper what powder is in there, and stick that down inside so it faces outward and can be read.

This way, if/when you get distracted or pulled away from the reloading, when you return, you will know what you put in there.

I once was CONVINCED that I had left the hopper filled with AA#5. I absolutely knew it as a fact. I then proceeded to reset the measure for 5.0 grains to load up some .45acp ammo. It SHOULD have made for a nice sedate medium power load. But when I got to the range,...FLAMING BALLS OF BOOMING FIRE with thunderous magnum-like concussion. Obviously something was waaaay off, so after just 5 rounds, I stopped. Turns out I had actually left AA#2230 RIFLE powder in the hopper. It had been over a month previously, and I didn't recall having loaded up any 5.56 ammo in that time. But somehow I had convinced myself is was merely AA#5. I could have easily kaboomed my Springfield 1911A1.

I never leave powder in the measure. When my session is over, it gets poured back into its original container.

 

[Flash]

my only Booboo so far happened when I was just starting. Loaded up some 45, went to the range and one went Puff instead of bang. No Powder!

Bullet just made it out of the chamber and stuck solid.

After a good wd 40 bath and a couple hours wait I was able to tap it out from the muzzle end using a wood dowel but it were stuck good!

Go to Home Cheapo or Ace or Lowes and get a brass 1/4" toilet bowl rod. Put it in your range bag along with a small hammer and you're good to go at the range.

 

[brian10x]

I've been reloading for 30 years. Best lesson I ever learned, was that if I'm too drunk to light a cigar, then I quit loading for the day.

 

[brian10x]

NAH,

Just my twisted sense of humor. Internet picture.

But, yes, drinking while reloading makes the job so much easier.

 

[Old Jeff H]

NAH,

Just my twisted sense of humor. Internet picture.

But, yes, drinking while reloading makes the job so much easier.

:lol:

 

[THE ICEMAN]

My best tip is that when you load powder into the measure, write on a slip of paper what powder is in there, and stick that down inside so it faces outward and can be read.

This way, if/when you get distracted or pulled away from the reloading, when you return, you will know what you put in there.

I once was CONVINCED that I had left the hopper filled with AA#5. I absolutely knew it as a fact. I then proceeded to reset the measure for 5.0 grains to load up some .45acp ammo. It SHOULD have made for a nice sedate medium power load. But when I got to the range,...FLAMING BALLS OF BOOMING FIRE with thunderous magnum-like concussion. Obviously something was waaaay off, so after just 5 rounds, I stopped. Turns out I had actually left AA#2230 RIFLE powder in the hopper. It had been over a month previously, and I didn't recall having loaded up any 5.56 ammo in that time. But somehow I had convinced myself is was merely AA#5. I could have easily kaboomed my Springfield 1911A1.

I simply leave the container of powder on the bench until I am done reloading with it. No other powders on the bench at that time...


Meanwhile... This would be my biggest mistake while reloading...
A .40 cal bullet in a 9mm case... :shock:

 

[xerts1191]

NAH,

Just my twisted sense of humor. Internet picture.

But, yes, drinking while reloading makes the job so much easier.

:lol: