Reloading Mistakes, What's Your Worst?

This post just a form to incriminate oneself leading to no credibility. I'm out, lol

 

have a friend with a 300 weatherby, bought a box of 300 winchester by mistake didn't notice till later. I have a unique 300 win with about 1/8th in. neck and round shoulder. I believe he got a bear with it. the win. is shorter than the weatherby, but the rim on the win is saami .001 larger than the weatherby.

 

In 85 I was bulk loading 9mm on a single stage press.The thrower ran out of powder and I didn't catch it. The next day I stuck three bullets in a barrel belonging to an UZI at full auto! If one would have had powder I would not be so handsome !

 

He who has no sin shall cast the first stone. (For those of us who regularly flub up, having a few rocks to hit oneself with is a good practice!)

Hopelessly in-credible,
Snert

 

I know, I learned by screwing it up, all of it. Just last week was going to tone down my 6slr load, cut .2gr of powder to 42gr even. Punched in 44gr on both charemasters, loaded 30 cases, with magneto on, average now was 3270fps with a 105 hybrid, said screw it, pulling bullets with my trigger finger. 3 blown primers(new brass) later, I was able to dump 29 cases into the recycle bin, had one without a primer I was able to pull and confirm charge weight, I'm more than human, an idiot.

 

And thinking about all the money I was going to save! Barlow

 

At least that is how I justified it to my spouse....it worked too!

 

Lots of little things... too much sizing on my first 338WM and ended up separating a couple cases, sure sound weird when you shoot them but the bodies just fell right out of the chamber. Plenty of upside down primers, usually caught on the bench. Loaded a whole row of 338WM with no powder, luckily the crimp I used was tight enough that the primer didn't unseat the bullet. Stuck a 454 in the SRH, bad remnants of a lb of H110, caught it before cocking the hammer to the next round. Still have all my fingers and toes, so I must be doing something right, right?

 

Well it pains me to say ..... but after loading several 100 rounds of 6.5 Grendel - then several hundred rounds of 260 Rem - I was on my last reloads, 100 rounds of 308 mmmm seating die was leaving rounds too long never changed that die setting - oh well reset and get to work - 100 rounds later - wtf man what was I thinking they all look short - just remember folks, no matter how many years you have been reloading for , its the small things that can get you, and especially when you change caliber change the insert in your comparator

 

Couple years back, I was spotting for someone shooting his .260Rem. He'd just loaded a fresh batch of 140s w/H4350. Only problem was, he grabbed a can of H4895 & accidentally used that It only took one round to figure out there was sum ting wong...

Thankfully, no one was injured. But that's the kinda mistake everyone can learn from!

 

I bet the recoil woke you up on that one!

Dave

 

My dumbest move reloading was back in '91, I had just purchased my Dillon and was loading up some 45 ACP target loads, (3.5gr of Bullseye), my daughter came downstairs to ask me a question. The end result was a double charge. I went to the range to shoot and booommm she went.

I wasn't hurt.............My Gold Cup not so good. I destroyed a magazine and the front sight came off, blew off or how ever you want to term it.

Since then whenever I have to stop for a second on the Dillon I leave the handle down with the cases up in the dies.

Mark

 

Maybe I'm missing something but I'm surprised using a magnum pistol primer made that big of a difference.

 

Walking past a firing point with a shooting buddy at a public range. The guy at the bench we were walking past fired and blew the top off the cylinder of a 357mag revolver. The cylinder chunk took the top strap with it, then the chunk bounced off the ceiling, came back down and hit my friend on top of his head. Reloaded ammo, Blue Dot (I asked).

No permanent injury. The shooter wasn't injured either (lucky). 30+ years ago. Worst firearm accident I've ever seen. It is still on my mind while I am reloading, have reloaded and fired many tens of thousands of rounds without incident.

I have also seen a powderless 45acp reload where the primer had sufficient force to push the cast bullet into the barrel, which to shooter interpreted as a dud, chambered a new round and fired. Bulged the barrel. Shooter was on the line same time as me at a private outdoor club.

I have seen enough sh*t to be sufficiently "cautious" about this.

When I am loading rifle cases I charge them, put them in a loading block, then shine a flashlight into each case and examine them. Been doing this for 30+ years. Always. Using the Dillon I watch the powder measure cycle for each round.

/r

 

Useing a expander ball when sizeing and not checking each case in the gun your going to use it in . Went to Canada hunting and I had 8 rounds out 40 That chambered. The expander ball had pulled the shoulder foward . Larry

 

I have been loading since the late 60's, so I'm old. In that time, I have encountered 3 times when the primer fired, but either there was no powder, or the powder didn't light off.
- first experience was a factory Remington 22 Jet ctg. Drove the bullet about 1 inch into the barrel, no powder
- second experience was a load for 32-20 from Pet Loads, using H110. I was concerned if they would work, and had fired the case guard of 50 with .5 gr more powder experiencing, sporadic pressures. First shot at the lower loading, the primer went, but the powder didn't light off. Bullet about 1/2 inch in the barrel.
- most recent was 204 Ruger. Didn't have quite 1/2 bullet diameter of bullet seating depth. I didn't hear the primer go, since I wear 33 dba hearing protection. Opened the bolt, slow burning powder everywhere. Bullet about 1/2 inch in the barrel. Primer had fired, but the powder didn't go.

I have seen some pictures of reloading mistakes that make me cringe. These an not pics of my fingers. But they show the issue of having your fingers in the wrong place.

 

Shooting at the range and during a course of fire had a no recoil, low report ignition when trigger was pulled. Seemed odd so pulled the bolt and couldn't see thru the barrel. Realizing a primer only fire, ran a cleaning rod down the barrel and pushed the bullet out. First and only time ever but could have ended badly.

 

Have not yet made a bona fide dangerous error, but had one incident everybody says was. I had a low serial number all original Garand. Hadn't shot it in a couple years so I pulled it out with friends. Guy is spotting for me as I'm enjoying stacking nice tight 100 yard groups. Halfway through the third clip there is a crack and ball of smoke, and I'm holding a broken stock and my left arm, which had been curled next to the gun on the bench, is stinging.

Best I can figure out the 70+ year old bolt had metal fatigue and split a chunk out, venting down through the magazine and blowing the stock to pieces. I was lucky; all the hair was burned off my left arm and a few small cuts, but otherwise unhurt. All loads double weighted on that lot, mid range load, pulled remaining rounds and all were spot on. So I do think it was metal fatigue from the way it fractured.

 

I was loading up about 300 rounds of 308 for a heavy metal division of a 3 gun shoot. I was charging them in my trays, 50 at at time. My wife called me for dinner just as I finished a tray. Went back after dinner and put in the bullets. Turns out I had finished placing the shells in the tray, but not charging them. Got to the the third stage of the match, 9 targets out between 300 and 450. Click, damn, click Damn, click, what the hell? 9 DNE on one stage. Spent that evening sorting out the light shells, barely had enough to finish the match.

 

My cousin reloaded picked up 12 gage and low and behold they were wet and he didnt notice till he fired a few that made almost no noise as the bb's rolled out. I asked him how did you dry them out, he said Oops.