Stupid Mistakes We All Make -- Wrong Bullets

[Nick Caprinolo]

Yesterday I went to the range to shoot my 223 rifle. It is beautiful rifle on a benchrest stock That I built several years ago. This rifle is extremely accurate. I place my target at the 1`00 yard line as usual and then commence to start shooting.

After shooting my first fouling shoot holding off target, I then shoot at the target and I miss the target, with no idea where the bullet is going. After shooting several more rounds, I start holding the point of aim higher and lower. Still can't find the target until I ask a buddy to stand behind me and look at the back stop and try to determine where the bullet is kicking up the clay background. Bullet is going about 16 inches to the right and about 13 inches low.

I go down range and move my target to the 25 yard line and try again. At this point I am able to adjust the scope so that it hits my point of aim. Move it back to the 100 yard line and am able to finally hit my point of aim, but the groups are erratic. Not pleased with how the rifle is shooting I start thinking I have a bad scope. I put the rifle away and start shooting my 6PPC.

When I get home, I clean the brass and start to reload it. I still have the dies set up and the powder and bullets I used on the bench, thank goodness. As I start reloading, while seating the bullets, something doesn't feel right. I decide to recheck everything to make sure I am following my normal procedures. I load this rifle with 80 grain Berger bullets and the results are usually outstanding. So here is where I discover that I have picked up the wrong bullets. Instead of the 80gr bullets, I loaded 90gr bullets!

I also had 30 loaded rounds left with the 90gr bullets. I had to pull the bullets and reform the necks of those cases and then put the 80gr in them. So after spending the morning cursing the expensive scope, I spent all evening cursing the stupid re-loader.

End of story, except I will now have to zero the scope again.

 

[Coonman300]

It is amazing how I start doing the same type of stupid screw ups as I get older...and I’m not very old yet!! It really surprises me that just a 10 grain bullet difference would make that big of a change in impact. Learn something new everyday!

 

[joshb]

Yup, Nick! Stay frisky and pay attention! I’m surprised they were that far off point of aim for the 80s. We’re they hitting the target sideways?

 

[jepp2]

I also had 30 loaded rounds left with the 90gr bullets. I had to pull the bullets and reform the necks of those cases and then put the 80gr in them.

Sorry to hear of your experience. (My wife taught me to say something like that first).

You should be very grateful that your mistake didn't cause an larger issue. Loading a 12.5% heavier bullet in the case with the COAL and charge weight for an 80 gr bullet would have substantially increased your peak pressure. I could run it through Quickload and come up with an approximate increase. But just take it that it was probably somewhere north of a proof load.

So having to adjust your scope is a pretty minor inconvenience compared to what could have happened. And hopefully this will serve as a good learning experience. I will take away learning from you sharing your mistake.

 

[Nick Caprinolo]

Yup, Nick! Stay frisky and pay attention! I’m surprised they were that far off point of aim for the 80s. We’re they hitting the target sideways?

As I examined the target, I did find that some of the groups were elongated horizontally.

 

[Uthink Uknow]

When you weren’t hitting the target, did you stop to take the bolt out and bore sight it? Even my old eyes can do that at 100 yards. well anyway. No one got hurt and only cost you money and the embarrassment of having to tell us about it.

 

[BlueWater]

The operative word being "We," of course. I fully expect it all to happen to me, at some point. Each of us being all too human.

Did a bit of reloading, assisting buddies, 25-30yrs ago. Have recently been getting back into it. With all the usual suggestions and warnings, about how to avoid the "simple" issues:

• Keep the reloading area clean
• Keep all components clear of reloading area
• Before each reloading session, double-check the tools and components
• Before each reloading session, double-check the load (data) to be used
• For the reloading session, grab only those components needed for the session
• Use several loading blocks, each for a single purpose, staged left to right, each labeled
• Do a single stage at a time, filling up the loading block with prepped rounds
• The first few loaded cartridges, double-check the steps and measurements
• Every ~10ct cartridges in a step, double-check the steps and measurements
• Keep a small box of "fouler" cases, so can use as testers when validating settings (ie, bump)
• Document everything

I've still had to pull a handful of bullets, from missing a step or skipping doing a "double-check" validation. Like, forgetting a primer in a case while having my mind on other things, while the powder trickled out of the case's flash hole while I worked on the next rounds. Like forgetting the powder charge before seating the bullet in a case.

Would like to think that, in the case of grabbing bullets of X grains versus Y grains, that my "keeping the station free of extraneous gear" step, above, would avoid doing that. Helps, too, only reloading for a single caliber, and having only one type of brass, bullet, primer and powder in inventory to worry about. Little concern, for now, over grabbing the wrong stuff. (Buddy of mine does 6.5CM, .308, .223, 9mm, ...)

I'm sure some of these precautionary steps are unnecessary. Until they aren't. So, at this point of re-learning, I am doing them all. What a pain. And slow. But it's helping to get my mind "right" and into the task at hand, ensuring I'm as cautious and careful as I need to be in order to get good-quality, consistent rounds out the tail end.

Which reminds me. It's about time to deprime, clean and prepare the last batch of once-fired Lapua brass. Got to remember to do all of the measurements, again, on the case ... so that I know what firing once did to the things (as compared to the factory measurements). Will help me appreciate what growth the brass is experiencing, what sizing alterations the sizing die makes on the cases, etc. Yet another step to do. I hope there aren't many things I'm forgetting, in all of this ... But it's probably a certainty there are one or two.

 

[Nick Caprinolo]

Sorry to hear of your experience. (My wife taught me to say something like that first).

You should be very grateful that your mistake didn't cause an larger issue. Loading a 12.5% heavier bullet in the case with the COAL and charge weight for an 80 gr bullet would have substantially increased your peak pressure. I could run it through Quickload and come up with an approximate increase. But just take it that it was probably somewhere north of a proof load.

So having to adjust your scope is a pretty minor inconvenience compared to what could have happened. And hopefully this will serve as a good learning experience. I will take away learning from you sharing your mistake.

That would not be a factor in this case, as I load on the light side, 21.8gr of Shooters World SO 62. The primers showed no sign of distress, something I always after firing my first fouling shot.

 

[SVT_Tactical]

I'm a one bullet on the reloading table at a time guy. Rest of the pills stay in the cabinet.

Glad your mistake wasn't detrimental to your gun......... mine was years ago.

 

[Nick Caprinolo]

My eyes are 85 years old, and the Berger boxes all look alike, plus they sit side by side on the shelf.

 

[Fuj]

Not to long ago I picked up my loading tray and moved
it over to the press I seat bullets with. Best to prime them
first before throwing charges. I had primed half of my
prepped brass. Grabbed the tote with the wrong half.
Took the rest of the day off.

 

[jpx2rk]

Glad nothing bad happened except for some "frustration" and one of those WTH moments. I wonder what you would have thought if that mistaken load had performed better than your "good" load?

 

[TheOtherZilla]

Well you are in good company. I did the same exact thing.

 

[jelenko]

I have found it 'easy' to get off on the wrong foot. Been there, done that; have frequent flyer miles.

 

[nmkid]

Fiddle sticks!! About a month ago I started to load cases without primers!!

 

[M-61]

I do what I feel has worked for me for years. Only the powder, bullets, primers, I am using is ON the bench, etc.
I only load what I know I can finish. When I'm done the bench is clear. The cartridges I will take to the range is in my range bag.
As I got older it has become easier to find the time when I know I can finish. The interruptions are way fewer. And for me I really only go to the range with a max of 100 cartridges.
I'd really like to say this has worked flawlessly. Almost but not 100%. Went to the range with the bolt laying on my work bench. And I once had with a failure to fire. No primers in the first 5 rounds tend to do that.

 

[pirate ammo]

Tuesday I couldn't figure out why I couldn't hit my target at 200 yards. Went bake to my 100 again and everything was still good, 220 Swift is not going to drop 8" for that extra 100 yards. Finally got in target
and moved over to my 300 yard target, got to looking at it with spotting scope and low and behold we
got holes to start with, been shooting at the wrong target, but at least i hit it.

 

[PigButtons]

Man! When I read the title I thought it was going to be about ex-wife, race cars, or buying a fancy gun that won't shoot.

What you are talking about are "errors", not stupid mistakes. Stupid mistakes are when you know better and do it anyway.

 

[Bojo]

Just earlier today i dumped a charge in a case and forgot to move the funnel, thus dumping the next charge in the same spot.

 

[TheOtherZilla]

Just earlier today i dumped a charge in a case and forgot to move the funnel, thus dumping the next charge in the same spot.

O have done that so many times. Then there's the try to seat a bullet with a sizer die trick. Hasn't worked yet...