Share your hand loading mistakes!

[Mikej]

On another note, why do I pick up and dismantle ammo off the ground?

Some how I though it was because we can be extremely chea...Ah.... "Frugal"! Yeah, that's it.

 

[CLT65]

Some how I though it was because we can be extremely chea...Ah.... "Frugal"! Yeah, that's it.

Back in the day it was because I was stupid cheap. It's kind of habit now. I have containers full of miscellaneous bullets sorted by caliber. Occasionally I use a few. Maybe if things get bad enough...

 

[DizzyJ]

A frind went shooting with up last saturday and he had a 30-06 bolt action rifle he was useing. Out of twenty rounds he had five that did not go off.
The primers were dented in.
Can these rounds be disassembled with the hammer?
With the primer being dented in I have reservations on useing the hammer method to disassemble them.
How should someone go about tearing these apart.
Some of the guys I talk with on reloading stuff just chuck them in the trash. None of them bother tearing them down.

They also make collet style bullet pullers if the inertia type makes you nervous.

 

[CLT65]

Just for kicks, here are some of my salvaged bullets, minus the huge quantity of 9mm, and all the lead that got melted down.

Sometimes I don't know why I save stuff like this. Even though I tinker with reloading a lot, I rarely have need to use random bullets. I know, I know; why do I save stuff like this...

 

[DizzyJ]

Just for kicks, here are some of my salvaged bullets, minus the huge quantity of 9mm, and all the lead that got melted down.

Sometimes I don't know why I save stuff like this. Even though I tinker with reloading a lot, I rarely have need to use random bullets. I know, I know; why do I save stuff like this...

View attachment 683995

That's awesome!

 

[Mikej]

Back in the day it was because I was stupid cheap. It's kind of habit now. I have containers full of miscellaneous bullets sorted by caliber. Occasionally I use a few. Maybe if things get bad enough...

"Waste not want not". I'm with you on this. Though I've forced myself to cut back and be more discerning with what I keep. I'm not talking only gun stuff. All kinds of stuff you might use/need, some day.

 

[DLS]

There is zero chance of setting off a primer with a properly used inertial puller. To ignite the priming charge requires very high levels of energy concentrated on a tiny spot with a certain amount of velocity. You don't come close to any of that, even if you swung the hammer at "Thor" speed.

A dented primer is even less likely to ignite since the priming pellet is most likely fractured from the earlier hit.

While improper sizing can cause light hits I doubt this is the cause in this case, since the problem rounds were part of larger batch. It's unlikely you would set back the shoulder too far on only some of the cases, and you would have to have an out of spec die or chamber.

Throwing fully assembled rounds in the trash is illegal in most places, whether live or duds. So dissemble and salvage components, give them to someone who will or take them to a range and place in the dud bins.

 

[ageingstudent]

Special design for those curved cylinders. Unfortunately none of my Smiths, Rugers, or Colts have the curved cylinder option...

 

[elitejake]

Just put it in a vice and straighten it back out.

 

[ageingstudent]

Thought about it. Last round out of 600 and it doesn't fit flush in the shell plate. Go figure.

 

[RVTECH]

Once while resizing some .357 brass that was given to me I pull the handle and suddenly the ram stops midway.

I force the handle back and see the decapping pin bent.

I'm thinking what?? so I pull the case out and look inside and there is a bullet in the bottom of the case!

I shake it out and its a 9mm!

Always inspect brass ! (especially if from an unknown source)

 

[elitejake]

I've done that a few times with my wife's 25acp brass. I don't reload it but it gets picked up. If it doesn't come out in the sorting or tumble clean process it gets into the press on occasion. I have spare zip spindles and pins for those mistakes.

 

[DLS]

Nawwww,,

It's a revolver, makes easy access to the back of the case, just hammer on it until it chambers!


Just to be sure … this is a JOKE!

 

[ageingstudent]

Nawwww,,

It's a revolver, makes easy access to the back of the case, just hammer on it until it chambers!


Just to be sure … this is a JOKE!

So the mallet is out too?

 

[ageingstudent]

Once while resizing some .357 brass that was given to me I pull the handle and suddenly the ram stops midway.

I force the handle back and see the decapping pin bent.

I'm thinking what?? so I pull the case out and look inside and there is a bullet in the bottom of the case!

I shake it out and its a 9mm!

Always inspect brass ! (especially if from an unknown source)

I got a big nasty black spider decapping a 45acp case once...it was horrifying and macabre.

 

[DLS]

So the mallet is out too?

Well, a rubber or plastic mallet if you insist … U gots ta b careful ya no!

 

[awshoot]

Today, resizing brass.

I have two presses, one I consider main and one I consider secondary. I put a FL resizing die in the main press, case on the ram, primer doesn't come all the way out. So I adjusted the decapping pin depth till it would pop out the primer. Processed 250 pieces of brass I picked up at a range which were not fired in my rifle.

I have a few cases that have a bit of bent rim which I segregated. When I was done I processed one to see how well it would reform. When looking closely at the rim I noticed what seemed to be a faint line on the neck where the resizing process stopped about halfway down. I looked at my die -- there was roughly a quarter inch gap between the shell holder and the die. The lock ring was set for my secondary press. So I'll be redoing 250 pieces of brass now that I've set the die to the correct depth.

 

[DLS]

@awshoot

Make sure to readjust your decapping rod so you don't bend the crud out of it!

 

[CLT65]

@awshoot

Make sure to readjust your decapping rod so you don't bend the crud out of it!

Been there, done that; sounds like maybe you have too!

 

[Whisky Tahoe]

I've loaded a primed rifle round without powder... Once. I'm very diligent after having to quit a match to tap a bullet out of the barrel.

Here an example of just being in too much of a hurry to feel the case mouth touch the top of the expanding die before the press ram cams over resulting in un-intended case sizing.... (edit)