This is why I don't trust reloads by other people, even commercial reloads

[gmerkt]

It is impossible to find a double charge or squib due to the minute weight variations of loaded rounds and the powder charge!

Yes, weight checking of completed cartridges isn't reliable on handgun rounds like .45 ACP, 9mm, .38 Spec.

 

[gmerkt]

Re. MiWall Corp. I got to thinking, I bought their product in the 1980's. Which attests to their longevity as a smaller business in the trade.

The Heretic, I'm thinking it's not too late to send the ammo in question back to them and see what they say. You're right, two out of the same box to blow up like that is likely a powder issue. Or at least contact them to see if they are interested in looking into it. It may already be a known issue to them.

 

[The Heretic]

Re. MiWall Corp. I got to thinking, I bought their product in the 1980's. Which attests to their longevity as a smaller business in the trade.

The Heretic, I'm thinking it's not too late to send the ammo in question back to them and see what they say. You're right, two out of the same box to blow up like that is likely a powder issue. Or at least contact them to see if they are interested in looking into it. It may already be a known issue to them.

I really have no interest in anything they might do for me. I would not touch their ammo with a ten foot pole. I am lucky no one was injured - my daughter was shooting with that same ammo, and if she had been injured...

 

[RVTECH]

I really have no interest in anything they might do for me.

Well, if not for you maybe at least informing them of what happened and giving them whatever information they may need might help out others in possibly preventing something like this from happening to them.

 

[Cerberus Group]

A question for those who have posted on this thread...do you reload yourself?

 

[RVTECH]

A question for those who have posted on this thread...do you reload yourself?

45 years now for me.

 

[Jory45acp]

A question for those who have posted on this thread...do you reload yourself?

I reload everything I shoot except for rimfire. Once you get into reloading you tend to get picky about certain aspects of your ammo/ Plus buying in bulk (pre pandemic) makes it so much cheaper than buying factory ammo.

 

[The Heretic]

A question for those who have posted on this thread...do you reload yourself?

I do, but now in large quantities - I load for ammo that isn't typically something I can buy off the shelf - subsonic, light loads with projectiles that work at those velocities - either hard cast or newly designed projectiles made for subsonic or light projectiles. The idea is mostly low recoil, low velocity ammo for hunting small game with more powerful guns - e.g., hardcast 110 gr projectiles on top of pistol powder held in place with dacron.

 

[The Heretic]

Well, if not for you maybe at least informing them of what happened and giving them whatever information they may need might help out others in possibly preventing something like this from happening to them.

The ammo I bought at the WAC show I bought about 15-20 years ago and has no lot numbers or dates.

 

[RVTECH]

The ammo I bought at the WAC show I bought about 15-20 years ago and has no lot numbers or dates.

Got it ! I understand.

 

[Cerberus Group]

From the start here...I am not trying to sway anyone into buying reloaded ammo...just wanting a dialog of your thought process.

For those of you that have responded on here negatively about reloads, and yet do reload...that tells me that you're not in fact against reloads, more of a concern about the lack of QC that goes into the product?

If I place a once fired case and a new case on the same computer controlled reload machine, right behind each other...what's the difference? Obviously the cases only...at this point.
The machine doesn't know the difference, it'll size, decap, prime, bell the case mouths, drop the powder, place a projectile, then seat and crimp...the only 2 factors you have are the new vs once fired case and the human intervention of setting up the machine.

If the machine has been set up properly from the start, it won't matter which case goes through the machine, it will in fact come out the same on the other end. So the only factor is the case itself and of course the charge that the humanoid sets.

If the charge is correct, and has loaded thousands of cases and yet blows out 1-2 cases, then we look at those cases. I've yet to see a once fired case properly reloaded, blow out...where it is the cases' fault.

The only thing that comes close is the Glock bulge on 40 cal cases. The brass is weakened in that area, and is ripe for a blow out, and have seen many of them happen.

Where I do see once fired cases blow out, is from people pushing the limits of the charge weight, or lack of attention to detail...and we get double charges, wrong powder etc., as well as having ammo that was recalled. The owner of said ammo was not informed of the recall, the ammo was shot, and the case reloaded. The initial firing of the case was weakened by the initial firing, the reload blew the weakened case.

I can see the lack of confidence in reloads from the above info presented....did I miss anything?

 

[The Heretic]

For those of you that have responded on here negatively about reloads, and yet do reload...that tells me that you're not in fact against reloads, more of a concern about the lack of QC that goes into the product?

That is implied by the title of the thread where I stated that I do not trust reloads by "other" people.

To me it seems obvious that there was a manufacturing problem with the ammo I got, and quite probably their QA/QC processes.

After some thought, it also seems probable, as I later said, that the problem is not with the brass, but with the powder charges. As someone else pointed out, it is possible that powder charge issues could be caused by having to clear a machinery malfunction and not taking the time/effort to clear it properly. Again, a QA/QC issue.

Given the risk or injury to the shooter, it seems to me that this indicates a lack of care.

Now maybe it is just because it was my SIL and me that were injured, albeit slightly, but this makes me angry.

 

[Cerberus Group]

Yep...someone let the case(s) by the powder check station...ugh.

 

[gmerkt]

I can see the lack of confidence in reloads from the above info presented....did I miss anything?

Re-man ammo, once it's boxed up, it's all the same to a lot of people who may not be that knowledgeable about what to look for. My impression is that makers of re-man ammunition are doing it at different technically qualititative levels. The computer controlled powder dispenser in a factory of size and scale is more precise than a clanky Dillon 550. Lots of people buying re-man ammo can't know which they are getting.

I've seen re-man ammo being sold in gun stores that had untrimmed brass that varied greatly in length. I've seen inverted primers.

Given the risk or injury to the shooter, it seems to me that this indicates a lack of care.

There is going to be risk in something like manufacturing ammunition. The bigger firms have insurance and maybe legal departments to take this into account. The smaller makers of re-man ammo, they may be as careless in covering their behind as some of them are in making their product.

 

[tac]

Here in old-fashioned UK, as for the rest of Europe, there are no commercial reloads.

Buy new or make your own, right?