Share your hand loading mistakes!

[Whisky Tahoe]

Make that unintended resizing.. Note the edit button doesn't show up when using a phone...

 

[bbbass]

Assuming that resized brass will always pass a plunk test and loading them up... but sometimes the rim is dorked up and it won't. Now I use a case gauge on all brass before reloading.

Failing to note that the auto powder drop or auto primer didn't work. Now I hand prime. And now I have a light to check each powder charge while using my 550B. That mistake cost me a match due to repeated squibs, and also made me have to pull bullets on 200 loads. Not fun. Now I use only factory loads for competitions tho. Yet I've heard even that ain what it used to be...

 

[FortRock]

Was distracted while charging some rifle brass and used AA#7 instead of RL-7. The outcome was not so good. Receiver shredded. Other rounds ignited. Meg flew down through the heavy plastic table I was shooting from. Other than a few bits of metal in my face, no injuries. Mag missed my leg. Grace of God stuff. Sure haven't made that mistake again. Maybe superstition but got rid of both 7's and never used them again.

Of course some sideways primers but I always catch that. No squibs. I always check racks of charged brass with a light. I don't use progressive presses. Everything is single stage.

 

[Capn Jack]

AA#7 < >RL-7 Ouch !

I use AA#7 in 9mm and BullsEye in 38 Spl. They're never both on the bench at the same time and
I'm always super careful that I have the correct tumbler in my powder measure.

 

[awshoot]

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)

View attachment 700295

Until I looked at the large version of the picture, I was sort of confused -- it looks like one case inside a case with larger diameter. But now I see.

 

[Whisky Tahoe]

Yes the shoulder has been set back

 

[Kf338]

Load 300 rounds 30-06 then I noticed the scale was off it moved well I did not now when it moved so Paul all the Bullets

 

[FortRock]

AA#7 < >RL-7 Ouch !

I use AA#7 in 9mm and BullsEye in 38 Spl. They're never both on the bench at the same time and
I'm always super careful that I have the correct tumbler in my powder measure.

Even though I have long practiced the rule of only one powder on the bench at a time, I made the error. Although it occurred quite a while back, I still don't minimize it. I am rather OCD. I sort; weigh; measure; re-check... all that and more.... not sure what happened to my brain during that loading session. Glad I only loaded ten of those. I use a collet puller to disassemble ammo. Perhaps momentary dyslexia? I am 70. There is always something new to learn. I am enjoying loading to the .224 Valk these days.

 

[Mikej]

not sure what happened to my brain during that loading session.

This is what I'd believe goes through the minds of all of us that have some years experience under our belt. Crappy deal is, you don't know it's happened, UNTIL it happens! My ONE dangerous mistake was early on after I stared loading. A 50 round box of .38 SP. I found a squib. It just cleared the cylinder and into the forcing cone but I had to clear it at home. The double charge was in the same box next time i went to the range. Luckily I was shooting a .357 revolver, and no damage was apparent. It was obvious on shooting that the round had a louder report and more recoil. Though recoil was not a stiff as .357 mag is in that gun.

The funky looking shell, with the flattened primer and permanently shaped to the chamber, from that double-charge sits in view on the loading table still. As a reminder.

 

[Capn Jack]

OK, I've stuck my share of 5.56/.223 cases, but the ones I've had to drill, and pull out, (so far) that make me sick

are the three .458 SoCom cases, (@.90 ea.) that reside on the back of my bench.

 

[awshoot]

Not a huge mistake, but forgetting to bring test ammo to the range is one I've done before, and again today. *sigh* Brought my plinkers, remembered a new battery for my chronograph, made a nice coffee -- remembered everything except what I really went out there to do.

 

[Lilhigbee]

.256 Winchester Magnum. 10 sets of 5 rounds each in .2 gr steps for a ladder test in a 50rnd box. Fired one shot and SPILLED THE EFFING BOX!! Plinking ammo now.

 

[Cosimel]

So, I was out first thing this morning for some range time and among other things I was testing out a batch of .380 I'd loaded using CFE Pistol. I'd actually loaded them a few days ago, but had primed them before the pandemic. The two firearms I was using to test them out was a M&P Bodyguard 380 and a Bersa Thunder Combat Plus. Well over a 1,000 rounds through both weapons, no known issues, so when some were firing fine, and same were taking two or even three strikes before ignition, I switch to some Federal FMJ's I'd brought with just for a situation like this. Ran a box of 50 between the two firearms, no issues. The batch was a quantity of 200, two bags of Sig Sauer brass combined before expansion, the sames Speer FMJ's and powder charge, and I thought the same primers, but I'm thinking I must have inadvertently primed 100 of the bags with small rifle primers which then got randomly mixed in with the other bag with small pistol primers. Has anyone else had this experience or can confirm my suspicions?

 

[Mikej]

.256 Winchester Magnum. 10 sets of 5 rounds each in .2 gr steps for a ladder test in a 50rnd box. Fired one shot and SPILLED THE EFFING BOX!! Plinking ammo now.

You can laugh about it now? Right?

 

[CLT65]

Not a huge mistake, but forgetting to bring test ammo to the range is one I've done before, and again today. *sigh* Brought my plinkers, remembered a new battery for my chronograph, made a nice coffee -- remembered everything except what I really went out there to do.

Been there, done that, more times than I care to admit

 

[Kf338]

Do not drink beer

 

[Lilhigbee]

Two kinds of handloaders; those that have and those that will. I have!!

 

[Mikej]

Two kinds of handloaders; those that have and those that will. I have!!

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Oooo....Dang man! I can tell that's not recent, by the tables.

That's one of those things you can't look away from!

 

[awshoot]

.256 Winchester Magnum. 10 sets of 5 rounds each in .2 gr steps for a ladder test in a 50rnd box. Fired one shot and SPILLED THE EFFING BOX!! Plinking ammo now.

one word: sharpie
;-)

 

[awshoot]

Two kinds of handloaders; those that have and those that will. I have!!

View attachment 703051View attachment 703052

Heck, I have two now (only one my fault though). It's what prompted me to get a magnetospeed.