Dangerous Brain Fart

I only have one can on the bench at a time.
When I pour powder in a hopper, I leave the can on the bench.
IF I have to have powder in 2 presses, the can is on the bench near the press, and I label the hopper with a masking tape and the powder info on it....
 
I'm glad you were able to make this post as opposed to never making ANY post ever again. Expensive mistake but at least you are living with that!
 
this is exactly what I experienced on an overpressure round. So people pay attention if you ever have hard extraction and bolt lift, mine happen to break my extractor which required me ordering a new a part, could have been a lot worst.

also start low and work your way up, my issue just happen to be with Superformance powder using properly matched Hodgdon reloading data but still caused big issues at 1 grain below published max!
 
Danimal247 said:
is it common place to weigh each individual cartridge after reloading? it would point out any double charges or under charges and would only be 1 more step to your process
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Weigh some cleaned, untrimmed, trimmed brass some time. You'll find there is a lot of weight difference between individual cases and worse between different manufacturers. I've seen 5 grains difference in case weight with some 7x57 Winchester brass. Your not likely to get a double charge to fit in a rifle case as it will spill over, and the weight difference in the brass will wreck the other part of your idea.
 
If you get interrupted in the middle of a process, when you return, don't pick up where you left off. Go back a step and verify where you are really at. I have had some brain farts too, but so far nothing worse than no powder under the bullet. It is great to use a powder that overfills a case if double charged, but with cartridges designed for black powder like 45 Colt that isn't so easy to do. I even get anal when interrupted in the middle of doing something complicated on a computer. The identifying powder sticker on the measure is a an excellent safeguard.
 
I don't load much but when I do I use a little Lee kit loader. I was tapping a primer in place in the kitchen when suddenly "BANG!" the prime ignited.

I had put it in the wrong way round.
 
If I get interrupted in the middle of a run, I leave the press handle in the down position (ram raised) which makes it easy to remember wher you are in the process (especially on a progressive press).

Auggie D.
 
I almost did it twice and only luck i noticed. Once because i didn't put the powder i was using before away, and once because i went off memory instead of looking it up.

Everyone has near misses, some of us learn from that and get more proficient.
 
jethunter said:
I almost did it twice and only luck i noticed. Once because i didn't put the powder i was using before away, and once because i went off memory instead of looking it up.

Everyone has near misses, some of us learn from that and get more proficient.
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Ya, I did that too. Once. Learned my lesson. As I get older, I have less and less memory.
 
Ganderite said:
Ya, I did that too. Once. Learned my lesson. As I get older, I have less and less memory.
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I was still young when I screwed up and didn't have but a few different cartridges to load for then. Now, 35 years later I'd blow something up twice a week if I was that careless. I don't know exactly how many cartridges I load for but there's many times more now.

I label the cartridge boxes and write it down in a loading book. I look it up in the book every time before I start, even when I "know" that I know.
 
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m39a2 said:
Take your rifle to a gunsmith who knows the action and have him remove the barrel. With that kind of preasure you might very well have set your lugs back into the reciever. What this means is, even with "Normal" loads you will have a hard time opening the bolt as the case will expand to fill the chamber as the bolt actually sits slightly back once locked. As you lift the bolt, you will actually be resizing the brass as the bolt lugs have to overcome the big dent in the lug way in the reciever.

Please have it checked before you fire it again, you may have toasted your reciever!!!!

Scott
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Exactly this!! I had the exact same issue with a hot load on my .338AI and when it was checked I had put a hairline crack in the action which could have ended in disaster if not checked. It cost me a new action but that beats the heck out of an action tearing through your hands and face.
 
I was making a pile of 45/70 the other day. PC cast 340gr with 40gr Dominion 4198. Chrono about 1650 fps. Not a weak load, but a little snappy.

I was using a powder measure and looked down about half way through and it was empty. I usually look inside each case and visually confirm the level but I was on auto pilot and slipped for an embarrassingly long time.

Luckily it's not a totally full case so you can shake test them. Separated the 20 or so that didn't shake and I use collet pullers but don't have one for .458 so I used the press and vice grips, squishing the bullets.

Then thought there is one in the bucket that has 1-40gr in it... weighed about 80 and put the low ones to the side. Looked though them when done and all were WW except one RP. Pulled that one and found 6gr in it.

I know it isn't dangerous like 91.5gr, but it still was a brain fart that took me about 30 minutes to undo. It happens easy when doing a sometimes monotonous task.
 
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