Share your hand loading mistakes!

[nammac]

I use these mesh fruit bags to separate loads in my tumbler.

View attachment 716412

They work great ... the mesh is large enough for the pins to move freely and the brass comes out as clean as when there is no bag. This way you can get a full load and don't have to sort after tumbling. So I throw about 200 7.62x39 cases in a bag and about 500 .45 ACP loose in the drum.

When done I pour out the brass into my media separator and this is what I get ...

View attachment 716414

Yep, every one of the rifle cases had a pair of friends attached !

The bag came untied somewhere near the end of the cycle as the brass was clean, even the areas covered due to the nesting. The rifle cases were full of pins, so I had a watery, pin infested mess to pull apart. I've done this dozens of times and never had a bag open up before. You can bet I'll make darn sure of the knot in the future!

In fact I'll just tie them tight and cut the knot off each time, the bags are free and long enough to lose a dozen knots and still be large enough to be useful.

Me thinks your brass is mating, and kinky too, menage a trios... And multi-racial too..

Am I still allowed to say that????

 

[DLS]

Not my mistake ... how's this for a factory 240 gr. SWC in .44 Special?



Ya think there is a problem with this one?

 

[Mikej]

Not my mistake ... how's this for a factory 240 gr. SWC in .44 Special?

View attachment 720379

Ya think there is a problem with this one?

Didn't guys used to put a hollow base wad cutter in upside down for a defensive load in .38 sp? That's going to skew the BC.

 

[DLS]

Yep, and it made a pretty good expanding round in a light .38 Special load.

Accuracy was cruddy and there was not much energy since these were typically fired with low power loadings in short barreled revolvers, but at "social distances" and closer it was pretty effective and worked well until more advanced bullet technology made the practice a less effective choice over the newer bullets.

 

[Rascal01]

First and foremost was using an old Speer manual while loading .38 Specials and .357 magnums. And being a young guy I stoked those babies right up. I had to use a wooden mallet to get the empties out of a 6" Model 19. It took a heck of a whack at that.

The .38s stretched the frame on an Airweight Bodyguard. Smith had to replace it and serial numbered it to match the original.

I gave some of those handloads to local store owners. One guy shot a stickup man once and he ran out the door, where the cops found him dead.

Then I have a pal who was a Detroit engineer. He hand-loaded at warp speed while saying "Here's where you make your money." It must be a manufacturing term the car companies love. I hand-loaded because I found it fun and thought him strange.

We were at the range and I had a box of his 9mm loads. Some worked, some had no powder. A full row of 10 were empty and I spent my time driving bullets out of the barrel of my Smith Model 39. Everybody knows that's how you make your money,

 

[Knebel]

......Reloading mistake. Soft lead bullet with hot fast powder.



But its on the way to being fixed up and strengthened

 

[awshoot]

Remember where your chair is.

I just finished up adding shot to 50 shotshells -- I did this step standing. I had used my powder measure to add powder to the shells and before moving on to the buffer step, I figured I'd empty the powder measure. I took the cap off the powder container and go to sit down to do this job, and sat flat on my as* right down on the floor because I had pushed the chair out of my way earlier. Of course as I'm falling, my free hand flew out and upset all the shotshells so the shot went everywhere, and the open powder container is now a good pile lighter. The only upside is that the powder in the shells is under wads and so I don't have to redo that at least.

 

[nammac]

Remember where your chair is.

I just finished up adding shot to 50 shotshells -- I did this step standing. I had used my powder measure to add powder to the shells and before moving on to the buffer step, I figured I'd empty the powder measure. I took the cap off the powder container and go to sit down to do this job, and sat flat on my as* right down on the floor because I had pushed the chair out of my way earlier. Of course as I'm falling, my free hand flew out and upset all the shotshells so the shot went everywhere, and the open powder container is now a good pile lighter. The only upside is that the powder in the shells is under wads and so I don't have to redo that at least.

View attachment 739198

I transfer shot from 25 lb bags to tennis ball canisters for storing and using as I open each bag. One night, one of these tennis ball canisters slipped from my finders, it was up on the third shelf behind my reloading bench... I'm still finding shot some 3 years later...

 

[awshoot]

I transfer shot from 25 lb bags to tennis ball canisters for storing and using as I open each bag. One night, one of these tennis ball canisters slipped from my finders, it was up on the third shelf behind my reloading bench... I'm still finding shot some 3 years later...

Lucky for me, the shot was buckshot -- I picked up everything off the floor then went and had dinner. Now to get it off the bench. I'm sure glad it isn't birdshot though!

 

[Caveman Jim]

I transfer shot from 25 lb bags to tennis ball canisters for storing and using as I open each bag. One night, one of these tennis ball canisters slipped from my finders, it was up on the third shelf behind my reloading bench... I'm still finding shot some 3 years later...

it wouldn't really be so bad if it was steel shot and you could pick it up with a magnet. LOL

 

[RVTECH]

While sizing some .357 brass that was given to me I pulled the handle on one piece only to have the ram stop suddenly mid stroke.

Released it and took the case out and looked inside and there was a 9mm bullet at the bottom of the case!

Bent a decap pin but nothing else.

 

[Wombat of Doom]

I accidentally put on the expander for a 45acp on a 9mm brass. Certainly not the sort of mistake that makes it further as it comes out looking quite weird.

 

[awshoot]

I accidentally put on the expander for a 45acp on a 9mm brass. Certainly not the sort of mistake that makes it further as it comes out looking quite weird.

Micro-blunderbuss

 

[Wombat of Doom]

I have a 20 gauge one of those...

 

[Knebel]

Spilled birdshot into the carpet too. ANNOYING let me tell you. I also had an instance where I missed repriming a case, was wondering why the powder spilled everywhere. Recently had a 9mm go "pfft" and did a squib. Apperantly no powder was dropped i to the case. I have come to now check every Bullet I make. It gets the primer finger test and a shake to listen for powder.

 

[Caveman Jim]

I look into every case to make sure it's got powder in it since my Lee powder drop has a double charge safety. Gotta be super alert on the press...

 

[CLT65]

I look into every case to make sure it's got powder in it since my Lee powder drop has a double charge safety. Gotta be super alert on the press...

I'm the same way, gotta have a quick visual in each round before it goes to the seating stage, to make sure the powder looks like it's at the right level. I'm a bit OCD about that.

 

[RVTECH]

and a shake to listen for powder.

Good idea but sometimes powder density and case capacity does not allow for this.

 

[Rascal01]

I'm the same way, gotta have a quick visual in each round before it goes to the seating stage, to make sure the powder looks like it's at the right level. I'm a bit OCD about that.

A friend was using a progressive loader. He pulled the operating handle slightly when he was distracted. When he got back to loading he pulled the handle again, apparently dispensing a second powder charge. When he fired his .44 Special it lifted the top strap from his revolver. His dad told me he's blown up more than one.

BTW, I know zero about progressive loading. I'm passing on what was told to me. This tale of woe goes back about 20 years.

 

[American123]

A friend was using a progressive loader. He pulled the operating handle slightly when he was distracted. When he got back to loading he pulled the handle again, apparently dispensing a second powder charge. When he fired his .44 Special it lifted the top strap from his revolver. His dad told me he's blown up more than one.

BTW, I know zero about progressive loading. I'm passing on what was told to me. This tale of woe goes back about 20 years.

Powders with more case fill would make this error impossible, for a lot of powders, if you doubled charged a case it would be spilling over the brim and making a mess, but it wouldn't be overlooked and loaded.