How do you tell someone

[farmerjohn]

that they have no business reloading and actually prevent them from doing so without hurting their feelings or offending them? I certainly don't want to hurt his feelings and I can't run the risk of offending him because he will just leave, go buy a complete set up off Amazon and promptly blow up a nice firearm or worse hurt himself. So far I've been letting him "help" me load his shells and it's beginning to get pretty time consuming. He can afford handgun ammo by the case but he's too tight to buy it, and insists that he's as capable as I am. He's bull headed and sees no real difference between red dot and 296, "just use a little more red dot and it'll go just as fast ". I'm at my wit's end! And for clarity I'm 77 and been loading since the 50s and he's 74 and never loaded...
Thought I would see what y'all might think .....
"Just shoot up here amongst us"!!!
John

 

[nakneker]

that they have no business reloading and actually prevent them from doing so without hurting their feelings or offending them? I certainly don't want to hurt his feelings and I can't run the risk of offending him because he will just leave, go buy a complete set up off Amazon and promptly blow up a nice firearm or worse hurt himself. So far I've been letting him "help" me load his shells and it's beginning to get pretty time consuming. He can afford handgun ammo by the case but he's too tight to buy it, and insists that he's as capable as I am. He's bull headed and sees no real difference between red dot and 296, "just use a little more red dot and it'll go just as fast ". I'm at my wit's end! And for clarity I'm 77 and been loading since the 50s and he's 74 and never loaded...
Thought I would see what y'all might think .....
"Just shoot up here amongst us"!!!
John

Tough one. If he’s stubborn and unwilling to learn or insists on working outside of load data and common sense I’d stop helping him. If he buys a whole set up and continues there isn’t much you can do.

 

[SteveOak]

There is probably not a way to tell him and him not receive the information badly.

 

[1885Winman4590]

Hi John, maybe you could find some photographic proof of disasters caused by improper loading techniques. They are out there, and explain that you will not be a part of this happening to him. Sometimes, you have no choice but to walk away.

 

[perazziguy]

Convince this person to get and read a reloading manual, Hornady, Sierra, Speer, Lyman, Hodgdon, something. I remember well reading an old Hornady manual by Joyce Hornady. I still have and still reference.

 

[Uthink Uknow]

Let him continue to help you but keep a close eye on him and act like an instructor but not a dictator.
Buy a head stone for him and display it at the range?

 

[K22]

I learned a long time ago that unless someone asks for advice, there is little to be gained in offering unsolicited advice.

 

[Ggmac]

Be careful. Liability issues can sneak up when least expected. Not hard decisions on my part . Let him be with a stern educated warning . LOAD AS THE BOOK SAYS OR DO NOT RELOAD . Start at the bottom and work up slowly , change no components, even temp at near max could blow a primer or worse .
Bullet seating depth , bullet weight , charge weight and cases of same cartridge but dif manufacturers or even dif lots can cause max pressure to be too much , not to even mention dif between 223 and 556 . I know you know this but teaching a stubborn student all this is not something Id be responsible for .
I tried once and he was in his 40s . He blew up 4 rifles I know of before I cut ties .

 

[SSL]

Guard your actions closely. It sounds as though he is the type to 'fudge' a little when you aren't watching and then put the blame on you for the consequences. Unless this person is a relative, I would decline to waste my time and/or resources on one who won't listen and is a clear and present danger to himself and others.

 

[Ccrider]

Send him a link to this post.

 

[Ccrider]

I value our friendship and would never jeopardize it. I could never live with myself if you were injured and I did not tell you this.

I have been reloading for almost as long as you have been on earth. It is clear to me that you do not understand the important aspects of reloading and as a result, you put yourself, and others at risk of harm when you attempt to reload.

I have tried to teach you but you do not accept the direction and corrections that I try to provide. I can not in good conscience continue to reload with you, and hope and prey that you will stop reloading and keep yourself safe.

I love you like a baby brother and hope you take this the right way because it is truly out of love. Please stop reloading.

 

[Murray Brook]

I know of a friend like this. Unfortunately there isn't much you can do. Something like a dog that will not stop chasing cars. You can only hope that when the car hits him it doesn't hurt him too bad.

 

[Retired shooter]

PS
And when you dont know, what you dont know, is when you can really get hurt. !

 

[Rwfish]

Tell his wife she needs to make sure the health & life insurance is paid up and why. That should take care of it….

 

[cmysix]

He is in charge of his own destiny, gift him a pair of safety glasses and a pair of gloves and let him have at it, just shoot a few lanes down.

 

[jr600yd]

Introduce him to fly fishing.

 

[Gary in MD]

No win situation for the OP I think

 

[ebb]

Just like Gary said ^^^^^^. I wouldn't listen to the guy that taught me on some things. I totally understood over pressure from too much powder. But I wanted to make 25-06 cases from 270 Winchester range pick-ups and had no 270 rifle. He told me that the necks could get too thick. It was either too thick a neck or too long of a neck. I was very close to blowing up a rifle. Then I realized he knew way more about it than me.

 

[dellet]

Sounds like he needs a visual example, or an electric fence to pee on. Telling him or reading about it doesn't seem to be working.

I have a few trophies collected over the years as my own reminders of what can happen. Cases with blown primers, partial case head separation and of course the blown up AR15 upper.

All have a story, from starting a couple tenths off max, way too many firings in an over size chamber, distraction while loading resulting in a double charge.

If you have or access to Quickload or Gordon's reloading on line, show him pressure changes with a couple tenths of powder added or bullet seated deeper, substituting a longer bullet and using same length.

Seeing numbers change colors and exclamation points start to pop up, might get his attention. Show him the chart of pressures based on lot to lot variation of the same powder.

Good luck, it's always toughest when you care.

 

[jelenko]

I'd find a way to move on. He's bad news.