Some people shouldn't reload

[Thauglor]

Just had to share this from another forum. A poster is claiming that his 44.5 grains of N165 just lodged the bullet an inch into the bore and the gas escaped around the case with no other adverse signs, no puff of smoke, no blast to the face, no sound, nothing. The first image is his, the second and third is me replicating his no powder scenario by firing off just a primed case. Case is a Winchester 6.5x55, nosler 140gr CC bullet. Poster can't believe that he didnt put powder in it since he weighs every case after batch pouring powder

 

[DShortt]

"There's not a pill you can take, .....or an operation you can get!"

Ron White

 

[762plinker]

process error....need a mentor

 

[SKWERLZ]

Just had to share this from another forum. A poster is claiming that his 44.5 grains of N165 just lodged the bullet an inch into the bore and the gas escaped around the case with no other adverse signs, no puff of smoke, no blast to the face, no sound, nothing. The first image is his, the second and third is me replicating his no powder scenario by firing off just a primed case. Case is a Winchester 6.5x55, nosler 140gr CC bullet. Poster can't believe that he didnt put powder in it since he weighs every case after batch pouring powder

View attachment 1442416View attachment 1442417View attachment 1442418

Visually check EVERY case!
I learned that long ago.
I even have a dedicated flashlight to get a really good look before seating Bullets.

 

[DLT]

Visually check EVERY case!
I learned that long ago.
I even have a dedicated flashlight to get a really good look before seating Bullets.

I’m sure it will happen but I have never missed a case but I have tried to double charge my share of them big mess it ends up being

 

[Laurie]

It could be worse. He might have been posting images of a wrecked rifle accompanied by an adamant assertion that he had definitely used N165 in his load, not 44.5gn of a pistol powder.

I can think of two that did go wrong in the past in the UK scene. One was to be seen in the famous gunshop and armourer G E Fulton's Bisley premises for some years - a comprehensively wrecked Carl Gustaf CG63E target rifle, the 7.62mm variant of the M96 Swedish Mauser sold by Parker-Hale Ltd. The assumption was that the owner had used pistol powder or similar, but the miscreant refused to answer queries when released from hospital.

The other was a 6.5X55 M1896 also wrecked featured in the British Guns Review magazine many years ago. The owner used home cast lead bullets over a charge of around 20gn Viht 110 and had double-charged it, not noticing because you can get two such charges into a 6.5X55 case, and he hadn't done a charge-level check. He'd relied on the usual wisdom that you cannot double-charge rifle cases and forgotten that applied to normal loads and powders only.

I'm surprised at the burning and neck damage done by the primer alone.

 

[Homerange]

There is only one way to safely reload, charge case then seat projectile.

Technique eliminates errors.

 

[Adam in WI]

Personally speaking... powder in case, bullet gets seated... powder in case, bullet gets seated...

 

[JB10]

I have witnessed this 2 different times from someone i know. Was an argument cuz he swore he put powder in. But a full charge wont stick a bullet in the first inch unless you got a major issue and should not have much of the rifle left from the outcome.

 

[big5ifty]

Mistakes happen. Everyone makes them.

Nobody who reloads has not ever made one mistake.

Most times the mistake is rectified with no material consequence, sometimes the consequence ends up as an example to others.

Don't reload when you're tired - like had no sleep from being up with a crying baby kind of tired, or pressed for time - like forgetting to reload till the night before a match.

 

[Rocketvapor]

That's a lot of brass damage from a primer.
Looks more like a fizzle from contamination.

 

[Chiquita]

I am guilty as charged as the OP mistake.

 

[Kracken McGraw]

Personally speaking... powder in case, bullet gets seated... powder in case, bullet gets seated...

Definitely, why they keep showing loading blocks and charging all cases at once in those manuals defies safety. IMO.

 

[Fast14riot]

Definitely, why they keep showing loading blocks and charging all cases at once in those manuals defies safety. IMO.

I don't think one is inherently safer than the other. Distractions and inattention will screw things up no matter which way you load. Took a few years to train the missus, she would always tell me not to stop what I'm doing when she would come to ask me something, as I would stop completely in the middle of whatever I was doing and put everything down. Back up to the previous case to check off where I'm at, then proceed once she's done asking me about whatever.

Now, she just shoots me a text if she knows I'm downstairs loading, which I can respond to at an appropriate time in my process. Usually for a sip of water, too.

 

[Thauglor]

That's a lot of brass damage from a primer.
Looks more like a fizzle from contamination.

That is why he is adamant he put powder in, I sm guessing that the neck issues are separate from the no powder. Heck he could have put it off to the side due to the neck then something happened and he loaded it anyway.

I also charge the case and put the bullet in. But even then something that gets your attention, ie your wife calling you or a kid gets hurt, and you can load a bullet with no powder, small tiny chance but still a possibility.

I just found it funny that he is so adamant that powder was in there when there was no blowback of gas into the receiver nor unbert powder anywhere if it was contaminated somehow and not producing full pressure

 

[Kracken McGraw]

I don't think one is inherently safer than the other. Distractions and inattention will screw things up no matter which way you load. Took a few years to train the missus, she would always tell me not to stop what I'm doing when she would come to ask me something, as I would stop completely in the middle of whatever I was doing and put everything down. Back up to the previous case to check off where I'm at, then proceed once she's done asking me about whatever.

Now, she just shoots me a text if she knows I'm downstairs loading, which I can respond to at an appropriate time in my process. Usually for a sip of water, too.

I’m sure a lot of loaders make it work fine, but one at a time reduces mistakes. I can see myself jarring a powder dump and accidentally spilling some for all the bird mouths open to catch a little, then it would be a total re-do. I’ll pass on all accounts.

 

[Fast14riot]

I’m sure a lot of loaders make it work fine, but one at a time reduces mistakes. I can see myself jarring a powder dump and accidentally spilling some for all the bird mouths open to catch a little, then it would be a total re-do. I’ll pass on all accounts.

Loading blocks make a difference, I use case head specific, deep drilled loading blocks so cases barely move and fit well enough that I can hold it vertical and cases don't fall out. Shallow or universal loading blocks allows cases to wiggle and potentially fall over.

But I do agree, that whatever method one chooses to load with, make sure to use it everytime to instill the routine and eliminate potential for error.

 

[DiffEQ]

No equipment was damaged, everyone walked away.
Hopefully the reloader will learn from his mistake.

 

[Homerange]

Personally speaking... powder in case, bullet gets seated... powder in case, bullet gets seated...

Personally ?

Is it not a noble cause to encourage safest practice to all here ?

I load just as you however I have one rule that is never broken in case prep all the way through to charging a case then seating the projectile and it's ever so shit easy to follow and accomplish.

CASES SHALL ALWAYS REMAIN PRIMER UP until the last stage of loading, which of course is charging and immediately seating the projectile.

That said, or yelled as I have to several tutored is with using loading blocks BUT always with one spare line from processed to waiting to be processed therefore a 50 case block can only hold 45 using this process.
However fortunately I have a medical 60 test tube holder to use as a case block which for 222 to 308 provides 2 free rows if doing a batch of 50.

In loading for near 50 years including shotshell the above system removes all chance of error and even distractions requiring immediate vacation from the bench result in return commencing precisely where you left.

 

[Kracken McGraw]

Personally ?

Is it not a noble cause to encourage safest practice to all here ?

I load just as you however I have one rule that is never broken in case prep all the way through to charging a case then seating the projectile and it's ever so shit easy to follow and accomplish.

CASES SHALL ALWAYS REMAIN PRIMER UP until the last stage of loading, which of course is charging and immediately seating the projectile.

That said, or yelled as I have to several tutored is with using loading blocks BUT always with one spare line from processed to waiting to be processed therefore a 50 case block can only hold 45 using this process.
However fortunately I have a medical 60 test tube holder to use as a case block which for 222 to 308 provides 2 free rows if doing a batch of 50.

In loading for near 50 years including shotshell the above system removes all chance of error and even distractions requiring immediate vacation from the bench result in return commencing precisely where you left.

My method is pretty easy, I just simply pile the cases back into an empty Lapua box after each process. The only time a block is used is to hold one case to be charged then it gets a bullet and goes in the ammo box.