Reloading Mishap — Bullet Weights

[archerforkids]

I wasn't going to share this out of embarrassment and frustration, but after soaking on it a while, there might be a youngster out there that will benefit.
I recently got back into reloading pistol ammo. Ran across a good deal for a few hundred 115 grain Berrys bullets. Bought em up and put them in inventory.
Finally slowed down work enough to get going on them with some Titegroup powder. Loaded 20 rounds starting about 1 1/2 grains below max and working my way up. Took them out and shot them w nothing out of the ordinary (in my mind anyway). I did find a couple of pieces of brass that looked like they fired out of battery. Pregnant guppy looking case.....Hmmm. I better back down off max.
Go home and finally have time to load again a week later and crank out about 300 rounds 1/2 grain below max. I have some powder coated 115s I am wanting to try out and pull them out of the package. AND WAIT. These ain't 115s.....or those other aren't 115s. They look different. Well chit. Lo and behold those Berrys are 147s. I wonder what the powder charge is for those? A full grain below what I had shot! Those were some hot puppys. I had started at slightly below max and went waaaaay past it.
They say the Lord takes care of babies and fools. I didn't blow my pistol up so we know what he was doing that day.
Lesson learned....I did verify bullet diameter but didn't weigh them. I received them in unmarked packaging. Shame on me. And for the record I don't think there was any ill intent on the sellers part. Absolutely on me.
Any of you newbies just learning, slow down and be thorough.
Now....any pointers on easy way to dismantle overcharged 9mm rounds?

 

[bozo699]

You shouldn’t be embarrassed at all about that many people could have and probably have had the same thing happen to them, you did the right thing in sharing thin info!..... we all can learn a lesson from that, I normally weigh all my bullets because I’m Anal and sort them but for pistols I probably would have done the same as you did!.... thanks for sharing and I’m really glad you or your gun didn’t get hurt!.....
Wayne

 

[archerforkids]

---

You shouldn’t be embarrassed at all about that many people could have and probably have had the same thing happen to them, you did the right thing in sharing thin info!..... we all can learn a lesson from that, I normally weigh all my bullets because I’m Anal and sort them but for pistols I probably would have done the same as you did!.... thanks for sharing and I’m really glad you or your gun didn’t get hurt!.....
Wayne

Your words are kinder than I deserve. Thanks friend.

 

[Kracken McGraw]

Thanks for posting!
Safe practices should always be kept fresh in our minds.

 

[Pinetreebbs]

Thank you for sharing.

After calibrating my electronic measure I'll often weigh a bullet to check operation. Now I have another reason to do this, validating the projectile weight matches the load data I have written out for the loading session.

 

[ckaberna]

I’m a “newbie” to the pistol thing so thank you for posting!

 

[TAJ45]

^^^^^^^^
There you go Archer.....

 

[Monte F]

If enough bullet is protruding from the case ( I suspect there is being 147gr), I use a collet puller to pull them. You could also use a inertia puller, but those are messy and take longer to pull several.
I usually do not weigh my bullets if in marked and sealed factory boxes. But bulk packed bullets I will just to be sure.

 

[Rsadams]

Mistakes can and do happen , nobody got hurt so it's a really good learning experience for the future... I won't say which one but a plated bullet maker out there got a phone call from me because I at that time was weighing and grouping pistol bullets for reloading trying to get better accuracy and found more than a few bullets out of a thousand pack that were in my opinion dangerous being over weight by alot.... I was assured this couldn't happen and I told the guy I'm using a digital scale and it doesn't take a rocket surgeon to figure it out.... I shipped them back and received a new thousand pack plus a free 250 pack... I was told the bullets would be used for training , whatever that means.... I don't weigh them anymore but I also am not pushing them hard but when reloading , your the Safety officer and anything can happen....

 

[archerforkids]

If enough bullet is protruding from the case ( I suspect there is being 147gr), I use a collet puller to pull them. You could also use a inertia puller, but those are messy and take longer to pull several.
I usually do not weigh my bullets if in marked and sealed factory boxes. But bulk packed bullets I will just to be sure.

I got in a Forster collet puller the other day. I can't keep it from marking up the bullets real bad.

 

[std7mag]

I've run into rifle bullets from a well known, mainstream manufacturer that where labeled incorrectly.
7mm bullets that were supposed to be 140gr.
Sat on my shelf for a while after buying, while i used up another box.
When i opened the box, they just looked longer than a 140gr to me.
Weighed them & turned out to be 150gr.
I let the manufacturer know, was told to return them & they would send me the correct ones.
Since i shoot 150gr also, told them i would keep & shoot these, just put green masking tape on the box with the correct weight.
A week later, i received a free box of 140s.

 

[ebb]

My shooting mentor had a barrel chambered, crowned and installed on an action and when it shipped it had the muzzle brake in the box. The person that did the work chambered the rifle in a 30 caliber cartridge and sent a 7mm brake. The OP is right check and double check.

 

[dkhunt14]

I got in a Forster collet puller the other day. I can't keep it from marking up the bullets real bad.

I use a kinetic puller. I use a shellholder instead of those three pieces in an oring. It is a little slower but the shellholder makes It easier. Not sure how it would work on crimped bullets. Matt

 

[archerforkids]

I use a kinetic puller. I use a shellholder instead of those three pieces in an oring. It is a little slower but the shellholder makes It easier. Not sure how it would work on crimped bullets. Matt

I am not dissing you're technique, but you might want to read this friend.
Thanks for the feedback though.

Inertial Bullet Puller Warning

To minimize fumbling, a common practice is to use a shell holder in place of the O-ring collets supplied with plastic hammer style inertial bullet pullers. It turns out this can be DANGEROUS. Board member MtJerry describes why in the thread quoted below. You have to read the thread down to...

www.shootersforum.com

 

[Iowa Fox]

That was a sucker punch for sure. Glad your OK. Thanks for sharing with us, its something that could happen to any of us and especially with all the manufacturers working around the clock with new employees sifted in.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

I have always been curious about bullet weights, I can't remember a package I haven't at least weighed a couple at first opening. The seconds from a well known manufacturer N are the only ones that have had to be sorted, never found an incorrect bullet.

 

[jackson1]

When handloading, it is a matter of when, not if a mistake will happen. Makes a bullet puller a great investment. When cheap digital scales became available I bought one and use it regularly, for checking bullets weights and powder charge weights when setting up m 10-10 scale. I also keep the powder container in plain view of my powder measure and empty and clean it after each use. Just my attempt to lower the odds of a mistake.

 

[M-61]

I am not dissing you're technique, but you might want to read this friend.
Thanks for the feedback though.

Inertial Bullet Puller Warning

To minimize fumbling, a common practice is to use a shell holder in place of the O-ring collets supplied with plastic hammer style inertial bullet pullers. It turns out this can be DANGEROUS. Board member MtJerry describes why in the thread quoted below. You have to read the thread down to...

www.shootersforum.com

Don't know what "dissing" means.
However I have used a kinetic puller for decades. Never used a shell holder as it never occurred to me. Actually hate pulling bullets this way and fortunately have not done many. Never a discharge. Then years later I wound up with a large amount of 6.5 bullets to pull. 6.5 x 284. Given to me. Decided to buy a collet puller. Got the RCBS one. Found it not only worked perfectly but was way faster though time was not a concern. You use a light touch on the collet and it has never marked a bullet. One day I screwed up and had about 50 rounds loaded too short (cbto). Put the round in the collet and gently raised the bullet. Put in a correctly adjusted seating die and problem solved.
I guess the collet puller can serve TWO purposes.
I have read abut the alleged danger of a kinetic puller somewhere else also and with using a shell holder. It never really made sense to me. But I did eventually buy about 5 different collets as it worked so well. A good tool that I hope I don't have to use too much!

 

[Cryhavoc]

To answer the OP's question, I use a kinetic puller as well...I recently obtained a bunch of 10mm reloads as a package on a trade. As I'm sure everyone is aware that there isn't much to grab hold of when trying to use a collet type puller on 10mm so I just bit the bullet ( no pun intended ) and cautiously dismantled close to 200 rounds using a kinetic puller...luckily they weren't crimped that tight so the majority of the rounds only took one whack. I even decapped and discarded the primers.....I felt a lot better in the long run when it was all said and done. I was kind of surprised my old RCBS kinetic puller held up being that it is about 30 years old...

 

[Shooter13]

Just thank the good Lord and move on, good post