BE CAREFUL- A- reminder

Gibbs505 said:
I 20 odd years now and have made one mistake. I used Winchester 760 in pistol instead of Winchester 231!! Did not check properly! My bad. Did not shoot any but spent a couple of days taking apart about 500 rounds of 45ACP!
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I have a collection of blown up rifles. All were donations to me. I have made a number of mistakes, but so far, nothing quite that serious.

back in the day of the balance beam scales I twice managed to loaded ammo with a 5 grain error. One too much and once too little. The too little was how I discovered a fantastic accurate load for my Hornet.


The blown up rifle have a single common theme. All were blown up by experienced loaders who made an error by loading ball pistol powder into a rifle case.

The problem will ball powder is that a number of rifle and pistol powders look similar, whereas extruded rifle powders look different than pistol ball powders.

The mistakes were made at the powder thrower. In some case the fellow saw the ball powder in the thrower and thought that he remembered that the last ammo he loaded was with BLC2. he forget the loading session for the 44 mag with the pistol powder.

But the most common mistake was emptying the pistol powder back into a can of rifle powder, so that the next time he loaded rifle, he was actually loading pistol powder, even though he was careful to use the right can of powder.

Don't say "I can't happen to me. I am careful."

Be aware of how it can happen and adopt procedures to reduce the risk, such as emptying the powder thrower when you finish the session and making a point of putting it in the correct can. (The only can on the bench.)

When I fill the powder thrower, I stick a piece of masking tape on the thrower and mark the powder on it.
 
Wow...
Like food I use the motto "when in doubt throw it out".
I haven't died of food poisoning yet and (knock on wood) haven't blown up a gun yet.
I did have to light off 12 pounds of powder once though (got it in a gun trade and couldn't trust that it was as labelled, FYI; I was right. The gun was heavily damaged upon inspection).
 
About twenty years ago, a couple walked into the range while I was shooting, to try out their first handloads in their rifle. I think it was a .308. The first round was a quiet pop, and the bullet didn't quite make it out of the barrel. I asked what they were loading. Don't remember the specific details, but it was around 45gr. of whatever powder. Should have been a good load. I asked if they were sure of the load and the guy said "Yes, I watched her count out 45 grains of powder and put them in the case". :eek:

Auggie D.
 
I certainly don't want to insult the OP. I think it's a good thing that he posts his mistake. It's very man of him, and the right thing to do as it is a good reminder to us all. I wish him well.

However, I do not believe it a reason to panic and suddenly stop believing in everything you've done in your life. Life is horrific. And we certainly wouldn't be driving or flying if people stopped doing things because of accidents. It is NOT a reason to drastically change everything. It would be neat to know the stats of Kabooms to Reloaders vs Car Accidents to Drivers. I'd place a wager that reloading is safer.

But, it is good for a little self reflection if you do feel as if you have gotten complacent. And it certainly is good to know the "risk factors". Again, it would be nice to know a more exact stat... but the vast majority of Kabooms I've heard of involved pistol powder and only one of those was pistol powder in a pistol. TightGroup in a rifle... wow. I have True Blue for my Five seveN.... and it would not do well at all in a 30-06.

So yes. Am I going to change the way I reload. Nope... I do believe I'm pretty safe at it. But I do remember these little stories whenever I think of a shortcut...
 
I made this mistake recently - a short-mag charge in a standard case. The manual labeling was not very unique for short mags - I might put stickies on my regular calibres. I charged a tray full of cases, then a double-check picked up on it.

Watch for that.
 
Auggie Doggie said:
About twenty years ago, a couple walked into the range while I was shooting, to try out their first handloads in their rifle. I think it was a .308. The first round was a quiet pop, and the bullet didn't quite make it out of the barrel. I asked what they were loading. Don't remember the specific details, but it was around 45gr. of whatever powder. Should have been a good load. I asked if they were sure of the load and the guy said "Yes, I watched her count out 45 grains of powder and put them in the case". :eek:
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You can't fix stupid.:rolleyes:
 
I hope he makes a full recovery and I thank him for sharing his story....accidents happen and he paid the price.....nuff said.
 
09outlander said:
Labels are different, Varget and Titegroup look different and they smell different. If this guy couldn't notice the difference he shouldn't be reloading.
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I too thank him for the storey and hope he has a complete recovery ! Im thinking he should NOT have being reloading on that day as he clearly did NOT have a clear mind to CONCENTRATE on what he was doing - I DOUBT he will make that mistake ever again ! jmo RJ
 
Eagleye said:
I started reloading around 1960. I load for Rifle, pistol and shotgun. I load a lot of ammo each year.

I have yet to choose the wrong powder to load any of these. [ I will admit once pouring a small amount of powder back into the "Wrong" tin. Caught it immediately, however.]

Nevertheless, over the past 50 years, I have seen 7 rifles that resembled the one in the picture linked. One of these was from a double charge of a light load in a pre-64 M70 Winchester in 300 H&H mag. [What a waste!] The others were all from use of the wrong powder.

I have a cardinal rule: I double check before I start charging, and NEVER have more than one powder container on my bench at a time.

If I am weighing individual charges, I use 2 scales, one to verify the other. [I prefer my RCBS chargemaster, though]

I am anal when loading light charges for my handguns. Do not want any "double" charges to plague me.

It pays to be careful. This fellow in the picture will always have a reminder of his "faux pas"

Be safe with our hobby, all you reloaders out there!! Dave.
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This. 1,000x THIS!

When setting up to load a new charge, calibre, bullet, powder, etc. I ALWAYS clear everything that is not required for that load off the bench and again take inventory of what I need for the next recipe.

Just like the old man in the red suit - make the list and check it twice!

Been reloading for over 20 years and no problems so far. I'm not the sharpest tack on the board, so at least I know to not trust my brain and therefore have to pretty much idiot-proof everything I do...
 
I have never had a powder mixup, but I have twice loaded squibs with no powder... Once long ago in a 30-30 that had a good crimp and the bullet never moved. Once just recently in a 7.62x39 that went pfft in my SKS today... This one put the bullet just into the rifling, but not far enough that the next round would fully chamber... If it had gone a quarter inch further I would have conducted some high pressure testing since I was doing quick double taps at the time.... Huge wakeup call for sure... The other night I was listening to Big John's radio show while I was loading... While this is relaxing and very enjoyable, I will never do it again.. As a previous poster said: NO DISTRACTIONS
 
Wow...thanks to the OP for posting. I'm just on the cusp of reloading (most of my equipment is bought and set up) and this is pretty sobering stuff. Nothing can replace good habits like the advice that I'm reading by previous posters. I'll add that I plan to utilize every safety device in my equipment (e.g. powder check) but not rely on them - cheers
 
Salon, reloading ain't anywhere near as dangerous as this thread might imply. But it ain't like mixing drinks, either! A few simple rules, scrupulously followed, and you are good to go, for tens of thousands of happy handloads.

Get two or three good, major manufacturer manuals. Get The ABC's of Reloading. Read them. Again.

There are a few things that can go wrong. Like using the wrong powder. Folks here have it right. One powder on the bench, and double check the identity of the powder and the weight of the charge. The wrong case slips in once in a while, but this is normally detected by a drastically different feel on the end of the press handle. Check your head stamps.

The wrong bullet causes some interesting pressure excursions, and failing to notice the difference between bullet designs, (and now, materials) can cause wildly varied pressures, with the occasional excursion into not so safe ranges. Long monolithic bullets need their own data, as they are less compressible, and have more bearing surface, compared to lead core. Even significant differences in bullet form, round nose data versus spritzer boat tail, can lead to some interesting pressures.

Learn what all this means, by reading competent authorities, and think a moment before just stuffing go juice behind projectiles. And, regardless of the "authorities" you read on CGN, don't exceed book maximums. They are not there because of liability lawyers. They are there because competent interior ballisticians, using good laboratory pressure testing equipment, have determined that those maximum loads meet SAAMI maximum pressures, using the components they list in that specific test rifle or test barrel.

Have fun, and don't be a victim to the sum of everyone's fears.
 
salon_1928 said:
Wow...thanks to the OP for posting. I'm just on the cusp of reloading (most of my equipment is bought and set up) and this is pretty sobering stuff. Nothing can replace good habits like the advice that I'm reading by previous posters. I'll add that I plan to utilize every safety device in my equipment (e.g. powder check) but not rely on them - cheers
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Reloading is no more inherently dangerous than crossing the street or driving a car. The biggest reason why people have accidents is they get lazy and take shortcuts. They allow themselves to become distracted.

The internet is a great source of information but it does tend to focus on accidents and stupidity. You won't find many articles in internet forums telling you that hundreds of thousands of people (probably millions) reloaded last week without hurting themselves. That would be boring and doesn't have the rubber-necking and gossip value that a truly good accident does. :)

The gentleman who had this accident didn't read the label, didn't check his powder. That is the equivalent of driving through a busy intersection with your eyes closed. If an automobile driver had an acident in those circumstances we would all agree that he was irresponsible and we wouldn't blame the car or the road conditions. But if a reloader has an accident due to his own irresponsible actions some of us start to question the inherent safety of reloading. Go figure.

You wouldn't stop driving because somebody else ignored traffic signals and had a collision, and you shouldn't be nervous of reloading because one person out of millions didn't pay attention and hurt himself. Follow the rules of the road when you're driving. Look both ways before you cross the street. Check your powder type and charge when you reload. None of this is rocket science.

Don't let the Chicken Littles of this world scare you away from an activity that millions of people enjoy safely without incident simply by paying attention.
 
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Procedure Procedure Procedure It is posted at my bench and applies to every step in my reloading. From initial pre prep inspection of brass through to a final inspection when chambering the round.
 
Spawn-Inc said:
I agree with new camper and stubble jumper, if you can't read labels properly why should companies be responsible for your blunders...
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Yup ...... When loading, I keep one powder at a time out on the bench. No more, never! I double check and then check again the label before filling cases.
 
Reading the postings show the guy had been reloading for 30 years - he made a mistake and was embarrassed. Sometime people get complacent because they have been doing things for so long.
 
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