Reloading myths????

You can't reload steel case ammo.

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H4831 said:
...However, his caution was that if you chambered the cartridge with the bullet tight into the lands, but didn't fire it, when you opened the bolt, the bullet clould stay stuck in the lands and besides a mess of spilled powder, one may have a heck of a time getting the bullet out, on a wilderness hunting trip.
I have not hesitated to seat them into the lands, ever after reading that article by Jack O'Connor.
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That happened to me once on a hunting trip when I was much younger and maybe not as wise. Luckily for me it was at the end of the day and I had brought a cleaning rod to camp and was able to push the bullet out.

I seated my hunting cartridges a little deeper after that.

ruger22 said:
I am always very careful about whether or not the primer pockets are expanding.

How do you measure this?
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When you don't feel much or any resistance when seating primers, you know the pockets have expanded and that the case has been subjected to too much pressure.
 
ruger22 said:
I am always very careful about whether or not the primer pockets are expanding.

How do you measure this?
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Oh that's an easy one. You measure it by having primers fall out after loading. Don't shoot those. One early warning sign is that seating the primer in your press feels too easy, as if there were no case there.
 
Yes, as has been mentioned, it's the feel of the primer as it goes in the case. Wheher you seat the primers by one of the devices for that purpose, or if you seat with the press, you have to lean to feel how much pressure it takes to seat a primer in a good case. If a primer goes in easier than normal, it's a judgement call, do you keep it or throw it away? I sometimes push the questionable primer out, and try it again. I err on the side of safety on this. However, I have very, very few cases that I have to discard because of this, in spite of the fact I often load certain rifles and calibres heavier than what is shown in modern loading books.
While we're on the subject, the normal way a case wears out, is the developement of lengthwise cracks in the neck. This comes about from the constant sizing down, then expanding of the neck, during loading. There is no danger in these cracks. They are usually noticed after resizing, and the case will be discarded, as it has reached the end of its useful life.
Sometimes an insipient crack will not be noticed until it's found the bullet seats much easier than normal. If the loads are to be shot for an insignificant use, I go ahead, keep the cartridge and fire it. That will open up the crack, for sure.
 
Yes a primer pushing in easier can be a indication of past pressure.
BUT some cases just have looser pockets, and some primers are softer than others & push in easier.
Ten yrs or so ago there were quite a batch of Win LR primers that were extremely soft, I actually quite useing them for a while because of that.
 
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