Share your hand loading mistakes!

[nammac]

Believe it or not, I'm actually pretty particular about what I'll load, thought it may not seem that way. Dings and dents don't bother me, but anything structural in the base, web, or primer pocket, and it goes directly into the scrap bucket. I tossed a whole bunch of once fired GI 7.62x51 brass a while back, because most of them had signs of incipient case head separation from being fired in an MG with loose headspace.

When we pick up range brass, I go through it pretty carefully. My son has been processing most of it, but I give it a close final inspection. I'm trying to teach him some attention to detail. If a case takes a little too much force going into the sizer die, stop and look at it, see it there's a reason why. If it goes in way too easy, stop and pluck it out, because it's probably a .380 case that slipped by sorting.

Here's another one I found. Anything that looks questionable goes straight into the scrap bucket.

View attachment 855889

Isn't that one of those "Glock smile" rounds? If so, it's my first, I thought those were an urban legend...

 

[DizzyJ]

Isn't that one of those "Glock smile" rounds? If so, it's my first, I thought those were an urban legend...

I'm probably not up to date but I thought the Glock "smile" was a .40 cal thing.

Perhaps that's a picture of a .40 cal case, but I took it as a 9mm.

And yeah, looks like the Glock "smile" to me too.

 

[CLT65]

Yes, it's a 9mm. I've scrapped a lot of .40 cases that looked like that, but I don't often see a 9mm. That's why I go through them pretty closely.

 

[Coastal_Tim]

Thinking that converted 6.5CM/.308 cases would fit right into my chamber!

 

[Coastal_Tim]

Insufficient lube resulting in stuck case (if I recall correctly, it was the first time I tried One Shot and clearly didn't apply it correctly). I did get the case out though I ended up breaking the decapping pin in the process.

Uh, yep!
2 days ago.
Straightened the zip strip rod, but still not....perfect.

 

[Dr Prepper]

Earliest- when I was "18", Loading a stack of 13 dimes in a 2 3/4" shot shell. Shot out of a beat up Mossberg 500. It worked, but wildly ineffective on card board at 15 yards.
Lots and lots of untrimmed 223 brass that wouldn't chamber, half as many with not enough lube resulting in a stuck case and calling them something that rhymes with "Stuck case". Learned that unless your bottle necked cartridge prep takes three time as long as loading them, you're not doing enough.
Double charged a 45 ACP 230gr RN FMJ, Blew the case web out and detonated the round below it. Luckily it was my step mother who fired it. It bent a Wilson Combat mag feed lip and shot it into the ground like a meteor in to her foot. Later, pushing loads real hot, blew one up. Zero damage to the Kimber Custom II (yeah yeah i know) and oddly enough same WC mag. Can't kill the damn thing. My old man holding the the Case from the attempted matricide;View attachment 648010
Most recently- Blew up a Gen 3 G20SF pushing 10mm 155gr loads. Cracked the frame from trigger up and over to mid mag well, broke the trigger in half and shot the mag release articulating side into orbit. No eye pro, no damage beyond scarred pride and a slapped-by-a-2x4 feeling in my hands. It lives in a P80 frame now and the 155's are dialed into 1300fps and staying there.View attachment 648011

Funniest- Loading a Mike and Ike into a primed but charge-less 9x19 case and shooting it out of a Gen 1 M&P. Put a dent in the dry wall.View attachment 648009

What 10mm cases were you using? Factory barrel? I'm wondering because I'm loading some 155 xtp's near that fps.

I guess its time for my story.
Nothing major, haven't been at this long..
Last night finally got sick of doing "sessions" for annealing all my 223/556 and decided to just do it all. (Took 4.5 hrs straight)
As i was annealing luckily i was somewhat paying attention to the bases of these cases. I had previously bought a jug of primed brass Sized with lube left on. So i deprimed them all and tumbled them. Then dried them out (with a hairdryer)
Anyway turns out i missed a primer in depriming and it SHOULD have gotten wet tumbled. So i found it while annealing and figured what the heck. Ill set it aside till last and maybe test it. See if it still works to some degree.
So im finished and i figure what the heck ill start testing it by just going ahead and annealing it like the rest of 'em so i anneal it, nothing happens.. I'm annealing with a deepwell socket and drill. I don't want want to mix it back in with the bowls i'm doing and lose it, so i leave it in the very hot socket.
About a minute and half goes by and I'm cleaning getting ready to leave the garage. And it finally goes off. Quite loudly when i finally wasn't expecting it. The brass shoots out of the socket and a feel the gas puff kinda pass by in front of my face found the brass several feet away. Of course i was wearing my glasses on my head. Lessons may have been learned.

Fascinating i know.. But its all i got.. So far! Hopefully it remains that way!
i figured after the washing it was a dud but was going to fire just the primer alone to see if it would pop or fizzle etc. didn't get that far.

 

[ageingstudent]

What 10mm cases were you using? Factory barrel? Im wondering because im loading some 155 xtp's near that fps.

I guess its time for my story.
Nothing major, haven't been at this long..
Last night finally got sick of doing "sessions" for annealing all my 223/556 and decided to just do it all. (Took 4.5 hrs straight)
As i was annealing luckily i was somewhat paying attention to the bases of these cases. I had previously bought a jug of primed brass Sized with lube left on. So i deprimed them all and tumbled them. Then dried them out (with a hairdryer)
Anyway turns out i missed a primer in depriming and it SHOULD have gotten wet tumbled. So i found it while annealing and figured what the heck. Ill set it aside till last and maybe test it. See if it still works to some degree.
So im finished and i figure what the heck ill start testing it by just going ahead and annealing it like the rest of 'em so i anneal it, nothing happens.. Im annealing with a deepwell socket and drill. I don't want want to mix it back in with the bowls im doing and lose it, so i leave it in the very hot socket.
About a minute and half goes by and im cleaning getting ready to leave the garage. And it finally goes off. Quite loudly when i finally wasn't expecting it. The brass shoots out of the socket and a feel the gas puff kinda pass by infront of my face found the brass several feet away. Of course i was wearing my glasses on my head. Lessons may have been learned.

Fascinating i know.. But its all i got.. So far! Hopefully it remains that way!

Boy, I bet you're gonna need a new pair of drawers...surprisingly loud especially when you don't expect it.

 

[Nak]

Oh the memory...

Back in college my roommate and I were both really into duck hunting. This was OSU. Anyways, we would drift the Willamette and take targets of opportunity. We never did great, but we usually got dinner. Then we tried hand loading for the first time. No press, just this lee loader where you loaded with no press. The shells fired just fine that night...

Anyways that night there was quite a freeze; all of the water that wasn't a river froze over, so the river was the only place for the ducks. Man, we saw more ducks than I'd ever seen in my life. It was foggy, so we were getting pretty darned close before they flew. Couldn't hit a one, either one of us. Damn. I got so pissed I said bubblegum this gum. I'm shooting the next one on the water. Nice flock of Mallards around the next bend, we got within less than 10 yards and I let 'em have it while they floated. They all flew away. We looked at each other and I shot at the water maybe 10 feet from the boat. The pellets just rolled out the front of the barrel.

Seems like we were so pumped up with adrenaline from all of the ducks, we never noticed there was no recoil when we shot.

 

[Dr Prepper]

Boy, I bet you're gonna need a new pair of drawers...surprisingly loud especially when you don't expect it.

nah, it WAS about 1 o clock in the AM though so it woke me up a little. lol which was good 'cause i was hopeful to cath a glimpse of the lunar eclipse last night. (pfff. fat chance in wa!) was more funny than anything.

 

[BrandonQuixote]

What 10mm cases were you using? Factory barrel? I'm wondering because I'm loading some 155 xtp's near that fps.

I guess its time for my story.
Nothing major, haven't been at this long..
Last night finally got sick of doing "sessions" for annealing all my 223/556 and decided to just do it all. (Took 4.5 hrs straight)
As i was annealing luckily i was somewhat paying attention to the bases of these cases. I had previously bought a jug of primed brass Sized with lube left on. So i deprimed them all and tumbled them. Then dried them out (with a hairdryer)
Anyway turns out i missed a primer in depriming and it SHOULD have gotten wet tumbled. So i found it while annealing and figured what the heck. Ill set it aside till last and maybe test it. See if it still works to some degree.
So im finished and i figure what the heck ill start testing it by just going ahead and annealing it like the rest of 'em so i anneal it, nothing happens.. I'm annealing with a deepwell socket and drill. I don't want want to mix it back in with the bowls i'm doing and lose it, so i leave it in the very hot socket.
About a minute and half goes by and I'm cleaning getting ready to leave the garage. And it finally goes off. Quite loudly when i finally wasn't expecting it. The brass shoots out of the socket and a feel the gas puff kinda pass by in front of my face found the brass several feet away. Of course i was wearing my glasses on my head. Lessons may have been learned.

Fascinating i know.. But its all i got.. So far! Hopefully it remains that way!
i figured after the washing it was a dud but was going to fire just the primer alone to see if it would pop or fizzle etc. didn't get that far.

Once fired. Probably a "bit" of set back did it. Maybe I over charged?

 

[Dr Prepper]

Once fired. Probably a "bit" of set back did it. Maybe I over charged?

ah could be, but doubtful i think. probably more likely the range brass and or the loose glock unsupported chambers. their feed ramp is MASSIVE! seems like my .45 oem chamber goes half way up the chamber wall.
thanks for reply.
im using starline only. with aftermarket barrel. i will keep an eye on the setback though. i think id be more worried about the heavier 200gn stuff i load near max. dont crimp anything at all.

 

[ageingstudent]

nah, it WAS about 1 o clock in the AM though so it woke me up a little. lol which was good 'cause i was hopeful to cath a glimpse of the lunar eclipse last night. (pfff. fat chance in wa!) was more funny than anything.

Aww darn that woulda been cool. We had clear skies here but I rarely make it past 8pm . Especially on a work night.

 

[Dr Prepper]

Aww darn that woulda been cool. We had clear skies here but I rarely make it past 8pm . Especially on a work night.

sorry quick thread tangent, but you should really PLAN AND BOOK a spot for the next totality coming up here fairly quick in Texas. those are incredible! and make sure and stay up the night before and see the stars with a completely moonless night sky. you will never forget totality and the way all the animals and everything start going crazy right before then silent. and the ring... NOT the ring around the sun. the one around the entire horizon on earth. just stoopifying. buy your glasses now.. before the run like last time, sold out every where!

 

[tac]

Here in East Anglia, UK, we are just too poor to get a total eclipse, we have to make do with partials.....

 

[Dr Prepper]

Here in East Anglia, UK, we are just too poor to get a total eclipse, we have to make do with partials.....

Its worth travelling.. Its incredibly spiritual. Obviously i was out in the woods in the middle of no where Oregon last time i saw it little town called John Day IIRC (Hence the animals) and i highly suggest being around animals of some kind, at least birds It ads to the effect.
and i HIGHLY suggest you make a real holiday out of it. We were stuck in traffic for like 12 hours or something. Literally the ENTIRE way back to seattle from central Oregon. It was good to witness to experience somewhat like a true apocalyptic migratory event would be like lol. Id stay at least an extra day or two.

Also bravo..

 

[ageingstudent]

Here in East Anglia, UK, we are just too poor to get a total eclipse, we have to make do with partials.....

I see what you did there

 

[welderman1949]

View attachment 647961View attachment 647962
Share the dumb things you have seen or done so that others may learn and laugh.

Once when loading for my 284 win. I switched to 4350 powder trying for a little bit better velocity. It turned out to be a compressed powder charge. The loads went wild, hitting all over the target. Turned out that compressing 4350 causes a very erratic burn rate.

 

[Forester]

Not starting to reload sooner

 

[edzz]

Trusting a first generation LEE 1000 powder measure

 

[BrentN]

Not starting to reload sooner

Been anticipating reloading once I retire. Got tons of brass!