Worst Reloading Mistakes

Mordamer

Mordamer

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Minuteman
    • May 11, 2010
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    Hammon, OK
    #1
    Lets hear your most embarrassing moments from your reloading experiences. Call me selfish, but I would rather learn from your mistakes than make them myself.

    Please post personal experiences or well referenced experiences of others.

    Who knows, if I hear some good ones I might get the courage to tell one or two of my own.

    Thanks,

    Austin
     
    #2
    Re: Worst Reloading Mistakes

    1 in 150rds i loaded up for a tactical match was a no-powder (made me loose 4 good hits & points) had to knock it out with a dewey rod (easy as bullet was just pushed into the lands) = not to bad
    smile.gif


    knock on wood
     
    #3
    Re: Worst Reloading Mistakes

    Have personal seen x2 Glock .40 get destroyed when the reloader stuffs a .40 on a 9mm case and runs it through. (nice reverse bottleneck round) & tends to frag the ejection port area.
     
    #4
    Re: Worst Reloading Mistakes

    Bought my first AR back in 1979. Had a bunch of fired brass from the mini 14 I traded in on the AR. Didn't properly size the 200 rounds I loaded up for the AR and kind of threw a black cloud on the first day out. Not one of the pricks would feed.
     
    #5
    Re: Worst Reloading Mistakes

    When I first started I had not yet acquired a powder scale. I did have a powder thrower and decided to load some rounds up in my .223 rem without weighing the charges. I made the huge mistake of going close to max listed charges as well.

    To make a long story short, one of my reloads sneezed in my face. And when I say sneezed, I mean spit firecrackers. The primer was knocked out and the primer pocket was enlarged in diameter by about a third. The rim of the case was enlarged into the extractor groove on my bolt and crushed the little extractor clip.

    It turns out that my powder thrower was throwing charges around 1 whole grain higher than it was supposed to. Dirty little mongrel.

    I just wonder how fast that 75 gr bullet was going when it left my 20 inch barrel.
    smile.gif
     
    #6
    Re: Worst Reloading Mistakes

    My worst mistake was getting into reloading......

    I now have thousands of dollars invested, plus the time, who knows what else.....I could have bought cases and cases of good factory stuff and spent my time shooting!!

    smile.gif
     
    #7
    Re: Worst Reloading Mistakes

    When I'm teaching my reloading classes I make clients swear to me that they will call me every time they fill their Chargemaster with the drain hole open so I can laugh at them. I always get the same response, "Oh, I'll never do that!"

    They never call but I always find out a few months later they have done it and were yelling, "Dammit, he told me I would do it too!" lol

    If any of you here want to fess up now, go ahead. I know who you are.
     
    #8
    Re: Worst Reloading Mistakes

    I had a handload sitting on my bench for over a year that had double fed and the brass was dented. One day I decided to recoup the undamaged 165 grain Game King sitting on top, so I pulled it. Put the funnel on top of my jar of RL15 and dumped in the contents. . . .of H335. Grrrrrrrrrr.

    Forgot that I had given that powder a try once by loading like ten of em'. Ruined the better part of a pound of RL15.
     
    #9
    Re: Worst Reloading Mistakes

    Had a friends kid tip over about half a pound of powder on the carpet.

    Seen a few reverse primers during a match.

    I've spilled a tray of powder filled cases from my weigh station to my seating station. I was pissed. I had to re-way 50 308 match rounds.

    Seen friends way the wrong powder, seat them then have to pull about 200 rounds, just to reway them and seat new.

    Seen no primers. Seen no powder.

    seen all kinds of dumb shit over the years. people just not paying attention.

    xdeano
     
    #10
    Re: Worst Reloading Mistakes

    <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Captain Kick-Ass</div><div class="ubbcode-body">When I'm teaching my reloading classes I make clients swear to me that they will call me every time they fill their Chargemaster with the drain hole open so I can laugh at them. I always get the same response, "Oh, I'll never do that!"

    They never call but I always find out a few months later they have done it and were yelling, "Dammit, he told me I would do it too!" lol

    If any of you here want to fess up now, go ahead. I know who you are. </div></div>
    Yea you told me and not just once but twice in the same day. I will never live it down.
     
    #11
    Re: Worst Reloading Mistakes

    <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Have personal seen x2 Glock .40 get destroyed when the reloader stuffs a .40 on a 9mm case and runs it through. (nice reverse bottleneck round) & tends to frag the ejection port area.
    </div></div>

    Seen that a couple of times. We had a shooter at one of our matches blow up his glock. I had my back to him and when I turned around I saw his pistol laying on the ground. I found out that his pistol had blown up.

    My dad had bought a Dillion 450 to reload his pistol ammo. One day the powder bar started sticking. So what does he do, he sprays a little WD-40 on the bar. Need less to say the bar did not stick anymore, but then he started getting what he though was squibs. Lesson learned.
     
    #14
    Re: Worst Reloading Mistakes

    Not checking headspace on a new rifle.

    I loaded up some rounds that started having case head separations after 3 loadings. Turns out headspace was .020" longer saami.

    I'm lucky I didn't blow my face off.
     
    #15
    Re: Worst Reloading Mistakes

    Began by loading 100 .40 with my 650. Tested them in my Glock 23-- no problem. Loaded 4000 .40, then tried to shoot them out of my Kahr-- they would not even chamber! Glocks have a much looser chamber than just about anyone else.


    I had to reset my 650 with a resizing die, and resize every one of the 4000 .40s. Hrmph.
     
    #16
    Re: Worst Reloading Mistakes

    I had a new reloader friend call me for a recipe for 40 SW under an 180gr zero JHP. I told him 5.0 grains of VV N320 and hung up the phone.

    The next week he calls me and says that is a bad load, nothing but squibs. I went over to his house and asked him to build me a few rounds to test in my gun.

    He poured out the powder into a tray and got out some twizzers and started to count out 5 grains of powder. One, Two, Three Four and five flakes of powder went into the case.

    I hit him in the back of the head and started to laugh....... He did not know what 5 grains of powder meanth.... 5 flakes.... 5 grains.... same thing to him.

    I never laughed so hard.

    Jerry
     
    #17
    Re: Worst Reloading Mistakes

    Been there with the Chargemaster myself.

    Worst one lately was when I forgot to turn my powder back on on my PW loading shotshells. I had to weigh about 200 shells to find the powderless ones. Damn PW loads a shell so good that you couldn't tell from looking which ones had powder and which ones didn't.
     
    #18
    Re: Worst Reloading Mistakes

    The worst I have done so far is charged about 3 or 4 cases with no primers. I knew something wasn't right when I heard a few pieces of varget bouncing across my bench. I hope that's the worst I ever do. I am paranoid when I reload, triple check everything.
     
    #19
    Re: Worst Reloading Mistakes

    I loaded 37 cases with no primers the other day. Didn't notice until I went to put them in the ammo box. Good thing is H4350 won't fall out of the flash hole.

    Worst mistake almost made: Considering getting the hand primer out and priming those charged rounds!!!!! Came to my senses after a few seconds of staring at the hand primer in one hand and one of the cartridges in the other.
     
    #20
    Re: Worst Reloading Mistakes

    I was loading for a three gun fun match so was loading old brass, range pick ups, etc because I knew the brass would not come back. As I was loading on the 550B, I distinctly remember one round feeling a little different. Took a look at things, all looked fine, bullet, powder and primer, so kept going.

    My very reliable AR misfires during a stage and will not extract either. A few more attempts to fire and just the slightest dimple on the primer. Go to the clearing area, pop it out with a cleaning rod and scratch my head for a bit. Then it dawns on me the neck seems just a little ooff--look at the headstamp and "Rem 222".
     
    #21
    Re: Worst Reloading Mistakes

    My worst luck as been reloading .223's. When I started reloading, I use to scavange brass from the range. That's when I found out about crimped primers. I broke the tip of 2 depriming pins before I figured out what was happening. And of course I have two brand new Lee full length resizing/depriming dies, one with a .223 the other with a .308 case stuck inside now and forever. Glad they don't cost much.
     
    #22
    Re: Worst Reloading Mistakes

    My most embarrassing mistake was the first time I used the stainless steel method of cleaning cases, the method that is talked up so much here. I used my standard load for my F-class gun the only difference was I cleaned the cases with the SS method. The SS cleaned cases would not chamber as the case mouths were peen'ed out enough that my snug chamber would not accept.

    Why was this so embarrassing? I was on the line at an F-class match and had no additional ammo.

    The SS method also peen'ed my 6mmBR, and my 6.5L so they would not chamber. The 308 cases I did chamber in my 308 AR (factory chamber) but the bullets get chewed to hell when seated, guess why?? they are peen'ed in.

    Long story short I bought an ultrasonic cleaner and never looked back.

    wade
     
    #23
    Re: Worst Reloading Mistakes

    You should have told him 983 1/2 grains.

    <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 1911Jerry</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I had a new reloader friend call me for a recipe for 40 SW under an 180gr zero JHP. I told him 5.0 grains of VV N320 and hung up the phone.

    The next week he calls me and says that is a bad load, nothing but squibs. I went over to his house and asked him to build me a few rounds to test in my gun.

    He poured out the powder into a tray and got out some twizzers and started to count out 5 grains of powder. One, Two, Three Four and five flakes of powder went into the case.

    I hit him in the back of the head and started to laugh....... He did not know what 5 grains of powder meanth.... 5 flakes.... 5 grains.... same thing to him.

    I never laughed so hard.

    Jerry </div></div>
     
    #24
    Re: Worst Reloading Mistakes

    #9 "Clean your dies before you use them." Unfortunately they don't say "oil your dies after cleaning because they will rust if you don't." I got a few sets that already have pitting on the outer die body. Those little 'cardboard' squares in the box gotta stay too.

    #8 Decapping undersized flash holes. Snapped the pin right off. I turned my replacement pin down in size so it would clear the undersized flash holes encountered in certain surplus brass.

    #7 No lube. Stuck a few .223 Rem cases early on. Pulled the rims out of the shellplate. Made my own stuck case remover.

    #6 Case trimmer set up wrong, interpolated numbers and trimmed about 500 .223 rem cases down to 1.570" instead of 1.750".

    #5 Seated a primer upside down. Luckily I caught it as it happened.

    #4 Seating bullets without priming cases. I start crimping rounds and I notice powder spilling off the shell plate. Oops, skipped a step. Had to pull about 11 rounds and dump charges for 40 cases.

    #3 Improperly set up seater dies. I buckled about 6 rounds of .300WM before I got it adjusted right.

    #2 Allowing a friend to observe the reloading process. Sees the Lyman Powder Dispenser, lifts the powder hopper off the unit. A whole pound of Unique spills out onto the dispenser and floor.

    #1 Squib load in a revolver. That was fun, bullet lodged in forcing cone and casehead wedged against recoil plate. Range rod, pliers, hammer, safety glasses. A few scary taps and the bullet was pushed back into the case far enough to unlock the cylinder. That was perhaps a grain or two below minimum charge. Definitely not the proper or safe way to un-jam a revolver.
     
    #25
    Re: Worst Reloading Mistakes

    Filling a .243 case to the neck with Hybrid 100 and seating a 107 SMK.
    First round took about 3 minutes of prying to get the bolt up
    2nd round, quit shooting for the day.
    Never did find any remnants of the primers from those cases.
     
    #26
    Re: Worst Reloading Mistakes

    I tried to full length size on my dillion 550,I didn't bump the cases enough.
    Well to cut a long story short,they wound not chamber properly.
    I managed to chamber 1 round,but the bolt was solid.
    After a slight tap with a rubber mallet,this happened.
    15632Picture_031.jpg

    LESSON LEARNED
     
    #27
    Re: Worst Reloading Mistakes

    <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Pat M</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Have personal seen x2 Glock .40 get destroyed when the reloader stuffs a .40 on a 9mm case and runs it through. (nice reverse bottleneck round) & tends to frag the ejection port area. </div></div>

    How the hell can that even happen?
     
    #28
    Re: Worst Reloading Mistakes

    <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Captain Kick-Ass</div><div class="ubbcode-body">When I'm teaching my reloading classes I make clients swear to me that they will call me every time they fill their Chargemaster with the drain hole open so I can laugh at them. I always get the same response, "Oh, I'll never do that!"

    They never call but I always find out a few months later they have done it and were yelling, "Dammit, he told me I would do it too!" lol

    If any of you here want to fess up now, go ahead. I know who you are. </div></div>


    Hahaha happened to me once. Now I got OCD with that drain port.
     
    #29
    Re: Worst Reloading Mistakes

    the one time I loaded some rounds for the wife to shoot was my worst thing to do.went to the reloading room and picked up about 10 old 223 cases and went to loading them.I even picked out a powder that I thought was a bad choice.to top it all off I choose a bullt that I could NEVER get to shoot.just wanted to get her at the range and shoot with me.you know show her what it's all about.thats why I loaded up the bulletrs with the powder and bullets that I THOUGHT WOULD NOT SHOOT.

    the nexted day we went to the range too shoot and she out shot me.and to top this all off with whipcream this was the very first time she had ever shot a rifel in her life.but will say for myself that I was shooting a different rifel and testing some loads for it.and yes she has yet let me forget that day.she shoot a 3/4 inch group or less with the load of choice.they should have shoot all over the place.but hey now she will go out and shoot with me.
     
    #31
    Re: Worst Reloading Mistakes

    I've managed to stick cases in a full length sizing die about seven or eight times now, break decapping pins trying to deprime berdan primed cases, seat primers upside down, and (only once) pour a freshly weighed charge through a powder funnel without a case under the funnel to catch the powder.

    Lessons learned from each one -- slow down and lube it like you ain't paying for it.

    Groovebus, I'll take a whack at pulling those stuck cases out of your FL dies. Just let me know. I've got practice.
     
    #32
    Re: Worst Reloading Mistakes

    Let's see.
    #1. I have about 5 or 6 rounds of .45 ACP that I ran on my Lee that don't have powder in them from a batch of 500. I have shot two others. One cost me a .45 ACP match barrel. Cast lead and just enough umph to go up the barrel so you can chamber the next round when yourack the slide. The slide doesn't go back far enough to eject the spent shell. The first time I shot the next round and couldn't figure out why my bullets were all over a 50 foot target after that. Split the barrel from end to end. I ran across the second one about a month after I got my new barrel. Drove that one back out the chamber with an aluminum gutter nail. Weighed the rest to find the light ones after that.

    #2. Seated an 77 grain SMK on an empty primed shell. It didn't move but confused me. Luckily it was in slow fire, not rapid.

    #3. Sized 500 .308 match cases. Loaded my first batch to work up with and had 25 rounds that wouldn't chamber. Ran them through a body die but wasn't happy with the results, some just chambered. Lost a day of load evlauation to that, and still have 250 to resize. I think the problem is my match chamber is smaller than the first sizing die.

    Those are what I can think of right now.

    Oh yeah. Tried to deprime a case that was half full of corn cob media that was stuck in the case with a spider nest. Broke the depriming pin and bent the expander ball shaft. Still have to order a new one from Redding. I got lucky and took the shaft from my .223 neck sizing die.
     
    #33
    Re: Worst Reloading Mistakes

    ithink the dumbest mistake was....I made up a whole batch of 38s. I ddnt pay real close attention when I was belling the case mouths. I proceeded to seat the bullets. Got 50 done. When I went to crimp them I couldn't figure out why I couldn't crimp them. On the other side was a tear all the way down the side.....of all of them. I didn't bell the cases enough and the bullet cought on the backside of the case and tore it down while I was seating them. I saved them too. I have a reloading hall of fame shelf in my reloading house just for all the dumb shit that happens from time to time. Sometimes I just have to look at that shelf and laugh. Or when friends come over and they ask...."how in the hell did you do that?"...and you just have to laugh and shrug it off.
     
    #34
    Re: Worst Reloading Mistakes

    46 charged cases of 300 WSM sitting in the Sinclair loading block. Dumped a double charge into the 47th case, and when I lifted the funnel, powder, powder everywhere....you know what does an awesome job of STICKING THE HELL out of your cases into the loading block??? Yep--Powder, especially whatever the hell fine grain stuff I was using that day--GEEZ!!!

    Got a box, and dumped as much of the powder as I could into it from the block and the charged cases that were sitting in the block. Only about four cases came out of the block...it took a LOT of effort to get the rest out--massive PITA, but a good reason to load at high density...I don't know if you can even actually double charge a rifle case with 'standard' powder or not--it's really easy to OVERFILL one though isn't it!
     
    #35
    Re: Worst Reloading Mistakes

    Loaded up 650 rds 308 smk 168 moly using CCI benchrest primers out of a lot I hadn't tested. 9 out of the first 67 had primers fail to discharge.

    The rest are going to be fed to my 1919a6 when the weather clears. Expensive diet for a belt gun.

    No more CCI primers for me.
     
    #36
    Re: Worst Reloading Mistakes

    When it comes to handloading, I have been VERY lucky. I have made ALMOST every kind of mistake that can happen and not seriously damage anything, including myself. Sometimes I thank God that he has let me live as long as he has. He only knows that I HAVE MADE almost every goof up you can make and not loose some body part or function.
     
    #37
    Re: Worst Reloading Mistakes

    I seated a 69gr SMK onto a primed case but no powder charge. When I pulled the trigger nothing happened. I ejected the case and was shocked to see the bullet was "gone". Luckily I had the good sense to check the barrel.
     
    #38
    Re: Worst Reloading Mistakes

    <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Captain Kick-Ass</div><div class="ubbcode-body">When I'm teaching my reloading classes I make clients swear to me that they will call me every time they fill their Chargemaster with the drain hole open.
    If any of you here want to fess up now, go ahead. I know who you are. </div></div>

    Second time I used it. I keep a modified plastic bowl there all the time now.
    What a mess!
     
    #40
    Re: Worst Reloading Mistakes

    About 25 years ago I loaded 158gr .38 bullets in a 9MM to shoot subsonic in my FA UZI. Blew the top cover off and bent it, broke the extractor and only found the base of the case. A few cuts on my arms. I was really blessed that day.

    If your goin to be dumb ya gots to be tough!

    Trilogymac
     
    #41
    Re: Worst Reloading Mistakes

    Most embarrassing mistake. I was going on my first antelope hunt and my son was going with me. I "meticulously" loaded my ammo. I mean match prepped the brass trickled to the exact tenth on loads (well almost). You name it, I did it. The morning of out hunt came and it was my opportunity to take a nice pronghorn. I got in position, flicked off the safety and squeezed the trigger. Everything was perfect........right up to the point where the F'n rifle went click instead of bang. Yup, no powder. Luckily, the next one worked.
     
    #42
    Re: Worst Reloading Mistakes

    Used a jacketed bullet load with cast lead. Didn't blow anything up, but it surely was painful to shoot. It was pretty much like shooting a proof load 2-300 times.

    The Chargemaster mistake has happened on more then on occasion.
     
    #43
    Re: Worst Reloading Mistakes

    <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Captain Kick-Ass</div><div class="ubbcode-body">When I'm teaching my reloading classes I make clients swear to me that they will call me every time they fill their Chargemaster with the drain hole open so I can laugh at them. I always get the same response, "Oh, I'll never do that!"

    They never call but I always find out a few months later they have done it and were yelling, "Dammit, he told me I would do it too!" lol

    If any of you here want to fess up now, go ahead. I know who you are. </div></div>

    I do this damn near just about every time I turn the damn thing on. Now I have a small butter dish that has a notch cutout in in for the drain to fit into. Cause your right there is that 1-2 seconds of bewilderment trying to figure out WTF that black stuff is hitting the table.

    Stuck my fair share of 223 cases, I refuse to reload for 223 any more. Lately I have stuck brass for one of my 300WM's tried switching to the spray lube. Needless to say I am back to using the pad.

    Lee Auto Loader 9mm, Have had Squib rounds in my glocks with ammo from one of these I had. Sold it will load em the old fashioned way from now on.

    Primers in upside down and set one off. Got a face full of smoke on that one and took a while before I would open the bolt. This is the reason while reloading I keep my rounds mouth down until I drop powder into them. Allot of people keep primer down during most of the reloading process and the only time you would notice is final inspection.
    Photo0023.jpg


    Loaded 100 rounds of 50 AE, went to crimp and had the torn case issue that I didnt notice at first.

    Learned that if you reload for a 223 gas gun a Small base die is ESSENTIAL.

    Will be following the same practices on the new LR-308 I picked up.

    I could go on but meh thats a decent list.... Havent blown one up and I think with the past mistakes and attention to detail I put into my loading now there would have to be some extreme conditions.
     
    #44
    Re: Worst Reloading Mistakes

    Testing 300 win mag and 300 wby. Loaded both and put them in the same box. Then fired the 300 win mag out of my 300wby. ended up with 300wby brass with a neck about 1/8" long. It actually shot good groups.

    Also bumped shoulders back too much and blew two case heads off.
     
    #46
    Re: Worst Reloading Mistakes

    Does having the Tumbler fall off the counter qualify for a mistake. I forgot to wipe the dust off after changing the brass and about 10 min later I herd the crash. What a Mess.
     
    #48
    Re: Worst Reloading Mistakes

    I am not perfect, and I do (and have) made mistakes.

    Truth is, I don't want to stop making mistakes, cause that's the day I'll be dead. Simple as that.

    Now it is the intelligence that I am thankful for, which allows me to catch the mistakes that I've made. While reloading, of course.

    I've had to remove a few 'reversed' primers, pull a few mis-charged rounds, cull a few 'split' cases, and clean up a few 'powder spills'.

    But the point I am trying to make, is that the "going over things in your mind" and the "thinking things through" have prevented further catastrophe from happening.

    Primers DO have enough energy to lodge a bullet into the barrel. Re-resizing (reverse) primed cases WILL remove live primers, quietly. And when dealing with/handling firearms (be them yours OR others) that are jammed/malfunctioning ALWAYS ensure muzzle control, and trigger discipline.

    Take Responsibility for YOUR Actions, and think your way through things.

    Just a few things that I've learned, in this ongoing process.
     
    #50
    Re: Worst Reloading Mistakes

    The worst I can remember lately was cleaning up my 25-06 dies that I hadn't used in 5 years. I used Brake Cleaner on them and then sticking the first case because I didn't lube it enough.

    I did the Charge master thing and didn't notice it running out the side until about a half pound was laying on the Bench. I now use a Cereal Bowl kept under the spout and have never done it since.

    I use two different types of Walnut Hulls to clean my Shells. One to clean the Grease and the other to put a final finish on them. I then dump them in an old Kitty Litter tray and use a Kitty Litter Scoop to seperate my Cases from the cleaning media. I got lazy one day and didn't put my cleaning hulls up.
    One day the Cat went down stairs and I didn't think much of it until I went to clean some shells and noticed the Cat had used my Cleaning Media as a Litter Box.
     
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