What Not to Do.

[Saluki68]

I'm amazed (and occasionally overwhelmed) at all the great info you folks have provided in this forum (particularly the "Sticky's" from Doc76251). My question, as I move forward into reloading is this..."What are the top 'bone headed' mistakes that could be easily avoided if only someone would have warned me"? I'm a big boy, and appreciate the sense of humor that most of you readily display on here, so I'm willing to take a hit or two in the discussion. Respectfully, I'd really appreciate your thoughts. I've looked through the site, and found similar discussions, but nothing that really poses the question I'm asking. Knowledge is great, but sometimes a little precaution is equally valuable.

Cheers, and thanks in advance.

 

[diverdon]

You will get answers from qualified experienced smart people, but until they come in here is something to think about.

Start with a fairly large clean empty area, put in the heaviest wood bench you can find and two to three times the storage cabinets and drawers you think you are going to need. Put in plenty of lighting, do not be the guy working under a bare bulb, G7 Power Elko BR30 LED Recessed Can Light Bulb 1100 Lumen Warm White Light 2700K 15-Watt, 85-Watt Replacement - Led Household Light Bulbs - Amazon.com I have 8 of these in recessed canisters, and a dimmer. Get a good magnifier, it will come in handy now and then. Every hour you put into organizing now will save you ten hours of aggravation. Do not turn it into a man cave, you do not need your buddies to come over and have a beer and keep you company while you load.

 

[GrantA]

You will get answers from qualified experienced smart people, but until they come in here is something to think about.

Start with a fairly large clean empty area, put in the heaviest wood bench you can find and two to three times the storage cabinets and drawers you think you are going to need. Put in plenty of lighting, do not be the guy working under a bare bulb, G7 Power Elko BR30 LED Recessed Can Light Bulb 1100 Lumen Warm White Light 2700K 15-Watt, 85-Watt Replacement - Led Household Light Bulbs - Amazon.com I have 8 of these in recessed canisters, and a dimmer. Get a good magnifier, it will come in handy now and then. Every hour you put into organizing now will save you ten hours of aggravation. Do not turn it into a man cave, you do not need your buddies to come over and have a beer and keep you company while you load.

+1 on these points
Just remember there are those that have made a mistake and those that will make one lol, here's a thread I started a while back, I learned quickly that I was not alone http://www.snipershide.com/shooting/snipers-hide-reloading/224528-i-win-clumsy-award-tonight.html

 

[larbhills]

If you accidentally seat a primer backwards, don't use the sizing die/decapping pin to push it out. It will go off and it's really loud.

 

[bornhunter04]

Go dawgs!

The biggest thing is never get in a hurry or ahead of yourself. Take your time never rush. Organization is key. Leave room to expand too. Because over time you will acquire more and more crap...... Also, don't forget to lube cases when resizing...... I have had 3 stuck cases and two of them were on the same day....(I lubed them that day just don't know what happened). Make sure there's plenty of open work space when loading. Don't want a cluttered space it'll just increase the chance of bumping your scale or spilling powder.... Good luck.

Edit to add: always check and double check there's powder in the case. When doing batches of 223 where I'll charge 50 cases then seat the bullets I'll take a flashlight and look in all the cases then look in them again as I put them in the press to seat the bullet.

 

[PDXGS]

Lube is good.
Don't force anything- if it doesn't feel "right" don't keep pressing.
Weigh each loaded cartridge.
Purchase or make a stuck-case remover.

 

[Twoboxer]

The list of bone-headed things possible is . . . limitless lol. Most are merely temporarily inconvenient [like don't sneeze when pouring powder from the jug into your powder measure ], but double-charging a round is something to focus on avoiding.

Procedures (depending on how you reload) ranging from choosing powders whose normal loads nearly fill the case, through looking into each and every filled case before seating a bullet, to adding a powder check die on a progressive . . . these are examples of the multiple steps that prevent a potentially harmful situation.

Cartridges with no powder (squibs) may still occur - most of us have encountered at least one over our reloading career. The important thing here is that "click and no boom" at the range has real meaning . . . stop and check the barrel for a bullet lodged there by the primer alone.

But the best advice I can give is be very careful buying products based on reviews. Let's see . . . trimmers . . . presses . . . case gauges . . . let me focus on scales. I'm now on my 7th scale . . .

- the Lee Safety Scale that came with my first kit (works but an ergonomic PITA),
- a Hornady $30 digital (worthless),
- a $2XX Pact Scale/Dispenser (not nearly as consistent as reviews said),
- a $90 RCBS 5-0-5 (great beam scale; the only type of scale that can actually be calibrated at GRAIN levels by check weights rather than at 20/50/100 GRAM weights),
- a $125 GemPro 250 digital (not as useless as the Hornady, useful for setting your powder measure but cumbersome at best for trickling; eats batteries; sometimes flaky on its AC adapter; frequent drifting/inconsistencies)
- a $300 RCBS Chargemaster Combo dispenser/scale (better than the Pact; dispenser works fine with or without the straw; very often has more powder in the pan than the scale says.)
- a $550 FX120i is on it's way . . . the magnetic force restoration design should make it stable, sensitive and responsive enough for trickling . . . I'll let you know lol.

Point is, get a good beam scale . . . when your digitals go nuts the beam scale will ground you in reality. Work with it for a while because to really improve on that scale is likely gonna cost a *lot* more . . . and you don't want to get there in seven steps like I did.

 

[former naval person]

NEVER have more than ONE canister of powder on your loading bench at any one time. You'll either load the wrong powder when you refill your measure or scale, or you'll empty your holding flask/bottle into the wrong canister and wind up with expensive fertilizer. My neighbor did the wrong powder into the case trick. Ruined the bolt and scared him badly...read "powder marks on the face". Fortunately he had safety glasses on. Handloading didn't save him any money then.

 

[Early Cuyler]

1- go slow
2- get prepared to spend money on a hundred little gadgets you never thought you needed until you read about them
3- too much lube is just as bad as not enough (dented shoulders)
4- make sure ALL primers in seating tool are pointed in the correct direction
5- buy once cry once
6- buy a bullet puller
7- check each case post tumbling and post powder charge to make sure all tumbling media is removed and overcharges don't happen
8- WRITE DOWN LOAD DATA. I had to do load development twice for a powder/bullet/brass combo. Never again

 

[Saluki68]

Thanks for the replies gentlemen. Great thoughts so far, much appreciated. I've spent quite a bit of time researching, quite a bit of money parting out what I wanted/need (as opposed to a "kit"), and have used about as much patience as I have available trying to be thorough (as opposed to half ass-ing it). I'll be sure to let you in on my first (of many I'm sure) dip-shit mistakes. Cheers!

 

[Name Enough]

I once loaded a 257 Weatherby Mag light without not enough powder and got a projectile stuck halfway down the barrel. I now inspect the charged cases with my flashlight to make sure they are correctly charged. If any look light or heavy I reweigh them.

 

[bkw1911]

If you use primer pick up tubes, check to make sure they're completely empty and not hiding 1 magnum lg rifle when you start loading lg pistol in your 45. That's when reloading gets expensive

 

[bigedp51]

Before the invention of the computer the internet and and 300 reply's to a single posted question, people would read the front part of their reloading manuals very carefully.

Even now at 64 and with over 46 years of reloading experience, every year I make it a point to reread one of my reloading manuals front to back. I do this to replace any information or knowledge that may have leaked out of my ears over time.

And reloading is like playing Black Jack..........................stay light and beat the dealer........................meaning you do not need to load hot and increase your chances of going bust.

The following is from the H.P. White Testing Laboratory

And "headspace" is also the distance between your ears.

In closing you asked a very intelligent and thoughtful question, therefore you must be almost as good looking and smart as I am and but not as humble. (you did say something about humor)

 

[Saluki68]

HAHAHAHA...thanks for starting my morning off with a laugh bigedp51. Very insightful. Which of the manuals do you feel are "must haves"? I picked up and read Hornady's Reloading manual (I'm a fan of the A-Max), as well as Norma's (not particularly impressive, but I've been steadily stockpiling Norma brass and I'm curious about their 202 and 203B powders...thought it would be helpful). I've also watched RCBS's reloading video (ok?) and am currently watching Sierra's Rifle Reloading (seems more in depth). I feel like I'm studying for the Bar exam...

On a side note (particularly in response to warnings regarding pressure issues and hot loads), I've found Long Range Rifle shooting to be similar to golf. Swing well, swing smooth, swing consistently, and let the clubs do the work. Black Jack is a new one for me...ha ha ha.

 

[Bill Larson]

Keep accurate notes and records......rifle serial # scope serial#different loads that work...loads that don`t....trajectory notes/cards...

 

[BIPMaster]

Doesn't hurt to double check that all your ready-to-load cases in a bucket actually have a primer. Helps to avoid throwing a charge and having all your powder leak out all over the press and work bench. (Did this the other day.)

 

[Nuke8401]

On leaving powder in the powder measure.
Everyone says don't leave powder in the measure you will forget what's in there and blow yourself up.

I leave powder in the measure occasionally and I think many people do.

Do yourself a favor, make a label for each powder you have and hang that label on the measure whenever there is powder in it.

The main goal is to prevent using the wrong powder might = boom.

The other real goal is to prevent having to pour out powder when you forget what is in the measure.

With powder availability and cost what it is I don't want to pour any out!

 

[Pinecone]

To label the powder measure, I use some of the Label Once labels for floppy discs (remember them ). They are like a stick on white board. You can write on them, and then wipe off to change the info.

I put the powder and the setting (grains thrown) on the label.

It also helps that I have separate powder measures for several Dillon 650 heads, so the .45 ACP head always has WW231 in it. The .40 S&W head has HS-6.

 

[Danco411]

NEVER SMOKE POT BEFORE RELOADING! I have a friend who did and reloaded 200 rounds with no powder. Seriously I try to be in a good state of mind when I reload, especially on the progressive. Don't be rushed or let yourself be distracted. If you have to stop just don't walk away. End your run and empty the press. Always start fresh.

Another note: If you every buy blems from a retailer always weight each of them. I purchased 1000 175g BTHP Match Blems from a large named company and ended with 1/2 of them being 155g.

 

[Saluki68]

Got it...no weed. Thanks!!!

 

[29aholic]

Do everything consistently.
Buy "The Accurate Rifle" by Warren Page.
I like Lyman's manuals because they are not manufacturer specific in regards to bullets like the bullet company manuals are.

 

[JoshcBoucher]

All of the above, and.....use Imperial sizing wax. Stick ing a case sucks! It's the best.

 

[Saluki68]

Do everything consistently.
Buy "The Accurate Rifle" by Warren Page.
I like Lyman's manuals because they are not manufacturer specific in regards to bullets like the bullet company manuals are.

Thanks for the heads up on "The Accurate Rifle"...I had not come across this, and if nothing else, seems like a really great piece of history in reloading. Cheers!

 

[29aholic]

Thanks for the heads up on "The Accurate Rifle"...I had not come across this, and if nothing else, seems like a really great piece of history in reloading. Cheers!

Probably the number one thing that helped me the most when I was just learning.

Amazon is not the best place to buy it, do a search for used books there is a couple other sites like Amazon that has them cheaper.

 

[JB02]

Get a scott parker tuned beam scale to use as a backup. Worth every penny (I think he's [email protected]).
Redding imperial sizing wax is your friend.
Expensive dies are (IMO) not worth the money unless you need them for a special feature (like the Redding all in one shoulder bump die with neck sizing insert or a small base die).
If you're using retard strength to get something done, you're messing up big time.
Never rush to get anything done (no matter how much the wife is nagging), and always clean up when you're done.

 

[TacticalBoltKnob]

My suggestion is just to visually inspect and confirm everything. Make sure your primer tool has a primer facing the right way before each case. Shine a flashlight down into each case to make sure there is no foreign debris in there before priming and charging, etc. Like others have said, make sure you are using the right powder. Weigh loaded cartridges as a final step to make sure one isn't way off, indicating a low or high charge (or no powder whatsoever - yikes!).

Watch out for case head separation. Don't push cases beyond their useable life. Nothing sucks more than a stuck case in your chamber when at the range.

Also, don't ignore the pressure signs. They are easy to shrug off, but they don't lie.

It is very easy to get really comfortable with reloading and forget how dangerous it can be.

 

[Victor N TN]

When you start to your loading bench, clear your head. Doing this kind of work is the wrong time to be worrying about wife problems, kid problems or car problems. Get ANY & ALL distractions out of your head before you start. Sometimes I listen to the radio or TV. But most times I just listen to what's happening and pay attention to each move. It isn't really far fetched that you COULD blow your head off by thinking about something else while handling powder & primers in close proximity. And for God's sake, don't be smoking of drinking while doing it. I have to take quiet a few prescription pain pills over a years time. I won't even start that if I've been taking any kind of dope.

Buy the latest version of Lyman's Handloading Manual. I think my last one is the 49th edition. Read the safety section twice. As time goes on I know you'll feel more comfortable with handling this stuff. But every year, read those safety sections at least one time. It only takes one mistake that could be either an *** Oh sh*t moment. Or it could blow your head off and burn down the house with you in it.

Don't be afraid to ask questions.

Take care,
Victor

 

[wxl]

If reloading semi auto (or even for a bolt rifle) use a tool to measure shoulder set back.