Share your hand loading mistakes!

[Red98422]

I am not doubting you, but really? Why? I hate the residue from primers I have decapped. I am curious as to the rationale. I guess they can't plug the primer hole. I am ashamed to admit I don't know what the metal is but has to be harder than the brass?

As weird as it sounds yes I have seen this posted online before. On one hand it almost makes sense, as the premise is rubbing stuff together to polish it, and what reloader doesn't have a near infinite supply of spent primers on hand?

however it is foolish, as has been experienced by @awshoot. I don't know if maybe they were smashing them? But not something I will ever attempt as we now have first hand experience that it not only doesn't work but also defeats any savings.

 

[awshoot]

Here are two cases, top and profile. Most of the primers went back in the right way rather than upside down. I would have thought the rounded corner on the top side would have made it easier for them to go in upside down, but nope -- only two or three out of the 20ish are in upside down. And while it seems like they could be pulled out, I can't. Not even with tweezers.

 

[Mikej]

Here are two cases, top and profile. Most of the primers went back in the right way rather than upside down. I would have thought the rounded corner on the top side would have made it easier for them to go in upside down, but nope -- only two or three out of the 20ish are in upside down. And while it seems like they could be pulled out, I can't. Not even with tweezers.View attachment 752185

First of all, that's crazy. And...
You tumble after sizing/decapping?

 

[awshoot]

First of all, that's crazy. And...
You tumble after sizing/decapping?

Yes for two reasons. 1) the pins get the primer pockets very clean if you pop the primer out and 2) I believe primers have a lot of lead residue and I'd rather not dump that out in my yard.

 

[CLT65]

I'm the same way. I do use a Dillon progressive press, but I size and decap on my old Rock Chucker with the case-kicker. It goes really fast; I can go through a thousand in not too much time. I then tumble them nice and clean, inside and out.

After that I prime them with a hand primer. This is easy while sitting and doing something like watching TV. I found that the majority of problems I had with a progressive press was the priming mechanism. I realize that the way I do it is slower and defeats some of the speed and functionality of the progressive press, but it gives me better quality control and eliminates most defects. It also makes it so much faster and easier when I do get to the progressive part.

 

[RVTECH]

As for wet, I can say for certain that spent small pistol primers will work their way into a small primer pocket -- not all the way but far enough that I can't pick them out with my fingers.

I have previously mentioned using spent primers for wet tumbling but only on brass as my 'pre-cleaning' after shooting or range pickup with the spent primers still intact.

For this it works excellently and I don't have to worry about losing pins for just a quick pre clean procedure.

 

[awshoot]

I have previously mentioned using spent primers for wet tumbling but only on brass as my 'pre-cleaning' after shooting or range pickup with the spent primers still intact.

For this it works excellently and I don't have to worry about losing pins for just a quick pre clean procedure.

That makes sense -- the pockets still have a spent primer in them, so nothing can get jammed.

 

[RVTECH]

the pockets still have a spent primer in them, so nothing can get jammed.

I once experimented with DEPRIMED brass & primers as media and a few got stuck but it was pretty inconsequential and the few that did get stuck either fell out on rinse or during a 'shake' in the colander to separate them.

They of course do not clean the primer pockets so no practicality anyway using them on deprimed brass but as a pre clean media they work great!

 

[Mk85]

Made all the mistakes.
Primer into crimped primer pocked
Primer sideways
Primer upside down
No primer
Power with no primer
No powder
Unsized case
Undersized case
Crush case with seater die set to far.
To much powder, not enough powder.
If it could could be done I've done it. I've wore out 2 presses. Hard to not make a mistake with a million miles.

 

[markstempski]

That is my story as well, worn out two presses, made every mistake. I make sure that the light on the frame illuminates the cases. I weigh the finished cases and do keerplunk test into a barrel or case gauge. Look at the case before depriming. I still hate the Dillon priming system but haven't eliminated that step with a hand tool. Maybe the next time I have to take apart 30 or so I may.

 

[Wombat of Doom]

Put a hole through my thumbnail (which is currently held together with superglue) when I tripped and got my thumb caught in the decapping pin in the press. Ruined a few cases over time but have never had an issue with the powder. I recently found 11 .308s I loaded in middle school. Tore one apart out of curiosity to see if it would pass muster, and it did. powder charge was correct for the bullet weight. Put it right back together.

 

[Mk85]

 

[markstempski]

I did manage to damage tendon in my elbow or muscle tear trying to unstick a 308 case. About a half year of rehab. Use more case lube since and am more exacting about its placement. Dillon 550 heavier than one would think ask me how I know.

 

[Mk85]

I've also done some case forming just for bubblegums 3006 in to a 22-250 neck turned the brass 308 to 243 exc. A lot of crushed cases, and wrinkles in the shoulder. O can't for get the best one.
Everything loaded correctly ant there's a split in the neck...

 

[Darkstar7]

Years ago managed to reload two .357 Magnum rounds with no powder - both instances resulted in the bullet getting stuck 2/3 of the way down the barrel. Another time somehow managed to think I was reloading 200g bullets instead of 180g and couldn't understand why they wouldn't cycle the gun - doh !

 

[Mk85]

Had that with 9mm on a progressive press chain wasn't set right and didn't drop a full charge every time 500 rounds 1/3 were squib. That sucked. After 40 rounds I pulled the rest

 

[markstempski]

Pulling bullets a time honored and embarrassing condition. I am really glad I got the light dealio for my 550B can finally see into the cases and I weigh and double inspect the cases after reloading. Was at the range yesterday and saw in my bag of 357 mag an obvious case problem split midway down the case. Need to up the visual vigilance and inspect each cartridge again as goes into mag or moon clip.

 

[markstempski]

Put a hole through my thumbnail (which is currently held together with superglue) when I tripped and got my thumb caught in the decapping pin in the press. Ruined a few cases over time but have never had an issue with the powder. I recently found 11 .308s I loaded in middle school. Tore one apart out of curiosity to see if it would pass muster, and it did. powder charge was correct for the bullet weight. Put it right back together.

Love the chesterton quote in the sig or is it tag line.

 

[BoringCruffler]

Still don't know how I did it (I really am the careful type), but I apparently managed to double-charge a .30Carbine round with H110.

Fired from an older Universal M1, the gas piston actually punched a hole in the bolt counterweight. I welded the hole up up and fired several thousand more rounds through it before trading it off for whatever caught my eye next.

 

[CLT65]

I'm the same way. I do use a Dillon progressive press, but I size and decap on my old Rock Chucker with the case-kicker. It goes really fast; I can go through a thousand in not too much time. I then tumble them nice and clean, inside and out.

I'm quoting myself only because I recently made a change in how I process brass for loading. I bought one of those new Lee APP presses. It was only $80, and it's a bit rinky-dink and finicky to get set up right, but WOW! It will process brass in a hurry, far faster and easier than what I was doing before.

I look forward to running my next batch of cast, powder coated bullets through it.