Small charges / Big blow - ups.

[Rick]

Knock on wood I've never blown one up or any other issues but I've always been pretty anal about one step at a time. With probably 10's of thousands of rounds fired in competition I had one FTF, later tearing the round down the primer had no anvil, something I added to the check list of every round since. Never did find another primer like that though.

 

[Brad]

Truth be told I am far less concerned with damaging a gun than I am with damaging me! My wife and daughter also shoot my reloads and I won't do anything that could place them in harms way.

Older I get the more cautious I am. I don't handle primers without glasses these days.
No "Here, hold my beer" for me.

 

[Rick]

Yep, Brad holds his own beer.

 

[Chris]

I've heard it said that old men don't necessarily become wise, but they do become cautious. That is a good thing in the areas of our interest.

 

[Ben]

 

[Ben]

It is doubtful that all of you will adopt my " double charge prevent system." However , I do hope that this post will cause all of us to rethink reloading safety.

Ben

 

[KHornet]

That's a big 10-4 on that Ben!!!!

Paul

 

[KeithB]

It is doubtful that all of you will adopt my " double charge prevent system."

However , I do hope that this post will cause all of us to rethink reloading safety.

Ben

Safety is always a good thing to remind ourselves about.

I will share an opinion that I hope doesn't come across negatively - some people just shouldn't have access to certain types of machinery. I haven't had a wreck or ticket in many years, but I know I should not have access to a Nascar vehicle. Some people are safe enough with a single stage or even a turret press but not a progressive. It's a matter of temperament.

 

[Ben]

Well spoken, I'm in full agreement.
Counting on the machine ( the progressive ) to keep you safe may not be enough.

Ben

 

[Brad]

I only depend on one safety device ultimately- the one between my ears.
When it fails bad things happen.

 

[VZerone]

How about the powder check dies on progressives, don't they work? I never felt the need for a progressive. I have used them though.

 

[Ben]

Never used one, I can't say.

Ben

 

[Pistolero]

Just to be sure I could see a double charge, I have a few times intentionally thrown a
double charge in a bottle necked case and then put it (on the corner to be sure where it
is in the tray) down and look at them from above with my flashlight. I have always had
it jump out at me.....and VERY careful to dump out that double charge.

As to distractions, I never have anyone else around, or TV or anything other than occasionally
music on the radio. Distractions are not something you can stand when reloading.

And Brad - that is exactly what I have told my friend about moving up to the progressive.
Until he is extremely familiar with and comfortable setting up and using a single stage
press, the fact that so much is going on at the same time is a recipe for disaster for a
new reloader.

As to the "ask rather than look up" aspect of the next generation, I got so I wouldn't
answer questions about loads from new folks at the other site. I would say something
like, "you do have several loading manuals, don't you? Check them. You don't know
me from Adam and I might give you bad data." I do look up data online nowdays,
but I also have about a dozen or more new and old loading books. Actually some of
the loads in the very old books are occasionally eye openers. Clearly a few of those
old loads were pretty hot loads, and hadn't really been pressure tested. When you
check a 1925 load against a 1960s or later load, every so often you see why cross
checking is a good idea.

Bill

 

[VZerone]

I use a tray and don't see anything wrong with it. After I charge all my cases I scan it row by row and if something is wrong with a charge in a case it sticks out like a sore thumb. I can't see how someone could mess up charging cases using a tray if you have a strict regulation. Some charge a case from one tray and put it into another. Let's think about this, I use a Belding & Mull powder measure and it requires you use a powder funnel. Okay I have my powder powder on the case, swip the powder charge, dump it into the funnel, move the funnel to the next case and repeat until finished. Then when all the cases are charged I scan them to make sure they are all correct. If you don't have this dexterity you shouldn't be reloading. Now some have a powder measure that you can hold the tray of cases under and charge them. That might present a little problem, but again the dexterity and mental concenstration comes into play. Kind of like playing a guitar or riding a motorcycle where both hands and both feet and BOTH EYES are doing something.

What Ben does is perfectly fine if you're that cautious. It doesn't work for others. I'm been reloading since junior high school, and that was many centuries ago, and haven't ever blown a gun up. I never intent to either.

 

[Eutectic]

Ol' Delbert was a hardheaded cuss! He shot almost every weekend with my father and I in the mid-fifties. He had a gorgeous Colt SAA 7 1/2" .45 Colt I loved (1st gen over 300,000) He shot the 454190 bullet and didn't cast to well... His load was 6.5grs of Bullseye. This is more than today's load and I think was a balloon head casing load originally. Remington and Peters cases were still balloon head at this time I talk of.

Seems Delbert shot somewhere else one day. he came by my father's house and was really 'shook up'! He showed my Dad that beautiful Colt..... The cylinder now only had three chambers and the top strap curled around like a huge shaper chip. "What happened?" Delbert asked Dad almost crying.
"You double charged it!" My father offered in his usual finesse. "I DID NOT!!!!" Delbert said in a voice that made my Mother look up.

"OK..... Tell me your process." Dad questioned. Delbert was to the point of putting the loading block under the powder measure to charge the cases.
My Dad cut him off! "Like I said Delbert.... YOU DOUBLE CHARGED ONE!"

"Well.... How do you do it then!" Delbert squeaked. "Putting that loading block under that powder measure is only waiting for a double charge! Did you look into them and see if the levels were the same?" "No...... Seems like a waste of time." "Not to that nice Colt." My Dad grunted.

My Father proceeded to tell Delbert his method then. A method he taught me almost 70 years ago. "Delbert... Don't charge that whole block of cases all at once! Take a casing out of the block and either look into it or turn it over.... Charge it and then seat the bullet. If you get distracted, and you will, you can start again without a double charge." Yikes!.... It will take WAY longer!" ..... "Try it Delbert.... you'll be surprised!"

Well Colt fixed Delbert's SAA and it cost as much as a new early 2nd generation SAA would have cost him! (They just had been reintroduced.)

So Delbert changed his technique and lived happily ever after? No....... We shot one weekend with Delbert and he had the rebuilt SAA. The first shot was soft sounding... My Dad and I both took a couple of backwards steps! But the whole cylinder sounded the same. "Them sound sick Delbert." My Dad says.. "Yeah they only have 3 grs of Bulleye in them because 6 grs won't blow up my gun."

You could hear (or at least I could then) the bullet slap the 25 yard target right behind the report! Couldn't have been too weak though.... Delbert took up fast draw with another 4 3/4" SAA he picked up.... He put one of those 3 gr 454190 loads the full length of his thigh and lucky for ol' Delbert it exited just to the side of his knee,,,,,

Pete

 

[VZerone]

Yup Pete and I don't use a powder measure that you hold the loading tray under.

 

[oscarflytyer]

Like you Ben. Never used, not any desire to use a Progressive. Been loading for over 30 years and casting my own less than 10. Learn something every day. And also very cautious, as my boys shoot my stuff - guns and loads. Guns are replaceable. Hands and kids aren't!

 

[smokeywolf]

Somewhat like Paul, I weigh every finished cartridge. I use a single stage press. I had a 30-06 squib a few years ago, which I think was due to powder bridging. Pulled down the rest of that batch of loads, but never found one that had an overcharge. That's when I started weighing finished cartridges.

I enjoy the reloading process as much or nearly so, as shooting what I load. With decapping, cleaning, sizing, cleaning primer pockets, trimming, charging & seating, wiping off sizing lube, weighing and so-on, each piece of brass is handled a half dozen times or more.

My wife and children shoot my reloads. No amount of time or caution is too much, too great.

 

[gman]

Like most I started on a single stage press. That old rockchucker still gets used. But I would not trade my Dillon progressives. With good lighting it’s easy to see your powder in its case. The key to me is to go into loading on a progressive focused on the task. You can mess up on a single stage and a powder thrower. It all takes your mind focused on the job. When loading on a single stage I use my RCBS Charge Master. Love that thing. When working up loads I find myself using the single stage.

 

[M3845708Bama]

I cringe every time I hear of a new reloader starting on a progressive with but one thing in mind, how many how fast. The outcome is about guaranteed.

All it takes is just a second of not double checking!