It's time for a safety talk

[Longshot4]

It's good practice to talk safty and on this forum we often mention safe practices. Although I think it is time to have a discussion on loading safty.

First of all most all good loading manuals have a chapter on safty and that should not be overlooked.

I know that for me remembering can be the first safty check.

Safty Check: When loading check to have one powder on the bench. When loading particularly light loads or loads that fill less than half case volume double check visually that the powder is all the same with no haste. I have a old story on that subject. Way back when I first started loading for pistol. A friend was just starting to get into loading. I believe it was 357 Mag. He was disturbed in the middle of loading and when he returned he continued loading without double checking powder charges. Well he proudly gave me some loads to tryout. I went to the range and as I was shooting my pistol I noticed a different sound... I stopped with wonder. As I inspected the revolver I found the cylinder would not rotate. I had a bullet stuck between the cylinder and the barrel. There was no powder residue telling me It was the primer that launched the bullet. If it were a light powder charge I would of likely found the bullet in the barrel. Not a time to ignore the odd firing sound... I could of just as easily followed up with a hot load behind the jammed in the barrel.

Lets hear some thing from all of you out there. It would make a good safety talk.

[bfoosh006]

After reading the thread on the fellow that used a fast burning pistol powder instead of Varget in his rifle load...http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=553905

I think a wrap of red 1" electrical tape around all of your pistol powders might be a decent idea.... and a completely different color around rifle powder... etc...or something like that.

I realized that you can accidently use the wrong powder far easier than we would like to think.

I do think that talking about reloading safety will help all of us focus more on it. So please add your 2 cents of input.

Maybe all the input here will help someone avoid a problem.

[schmellba99]

I do a couple of things, probably the same thing that most everybody here does:

1. Load for one caliber/type at a time. This limits my brain function to concentrating on what is in front of me. Even if I load a particular caliber with different powders or powder weights, I will batch load one type of powder or charge weight at a time to limit confusion. I use the same mentality with primers.

2. Only the powder I am working with is on the bench with me.

3. Whenever I put powder in my powder drop, I use some blue painter's masking tape and write what powder is in the hopper. I do this on my LnL AP, and on my RCBS Chargemaster. Same with primers on my priming tubes.

4. When I am done loading, i put the unused powder back in the factory jug. I have left it in the hopper overnight, but that is only when I'm working on the LnL and know that tomorrow when I get home from work I'm going to load up a few hundred more rounds. Same with primers.

5. My kids don't get to play with my reloading stuff. Ever. Even when they beg me to.

6. I bought one of Inline Fabrication's light kits for the LNL - and it makes a massive difference in being able to visually check the charge weight. I also us a Powder Cop die.

The one thing I do probably different than many:

1. I don't get wrapped up in whether or not I can crank out X or Y number of rounds per hour - I am more concerned about making sure my rounds are done right. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast. And whether I make 200 rounds per hour or 300 makes zero difference to me - especially when it means coming home in once piece with an operational firearm after a good day at the range, or a KABOOM.

[olddav]

Bfoosh006
I too saw that thread and noticed that both powder cans looked too simular. I have purposely avoided buying powder that came in simular containers. After purchasing powder I then mark with a Sharpie what round I use it for (30-06, .223, 44 mag etc...), mark it on the label and lid. Having labeled the powder I can dedicate my attention to making sure I set the scale correctly, the next opportunity for disaster.
Of course the main thing is to KEEP YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME when reloading. If I am distracted by anything I just don't load bullets at that time.

[mikld]

The OP missed one very common safety measure. I never shoot anyone else's reloads! Good, well meaning friends make mistakes too, and some make more than others.

The best safety recommendation I make is; Go slow, double check everything, and have fun...

[Clark]

Handloading is fairly safe.
I have never been hurt by my reloading.
I have been in the emergency room for; motor cycle racing, car wrecks, bar tending, pole vaulting, topping a tree, roofing, grinding, adjusting a ladder, clearing land, running a lathe, ... only 10 times?

Worrying about reloading safety is like so many other things in life...
My wife, the software engineer, predicted that Y2K would not wreck much. She said it is seldom the problem you worry about ahead of time that bites you.

[Longshot4]

I agree with most of the issues although when we ask the producers of powder to color code our containers more than what we have we need to understand that actually they do a much better job of labeling than we give them credit for. For example (LARGE print) it is there, (Color code) it's there, and Eye catching design it's there. It is us the loaders than need to stop, slow down and always be not assuming. If I the loader don't make a reasonable attempt to be careful I have my self to blame. That is ok until I get hurt. That's why it is good to be able to talk about how we can help our selves not make those un seen mistakes. I'm telling you I with age creeping up on me I much to often forget. Although it's not 100% old age that is the problem it is how we train our selves to not make the mistakes. It started at day one. When we decide to get into reloading. It's when we need to study safety. Read those new and old manuals. Just because it's old doesn't mean the information is not any good. Understanding is probably the hardest part of life to pick-up.

What else can we do to be safe?

[condor bravo]

My main safety concern with loading handgun rounds is failure to notice throwing a partial powder charge (or none at all), leading to the possibility, when.at the range, of firing the next round on top of a stuck bullet. I don't find this an issue with loading rifle rounds due to technique of throwing and checking powder charges.

[olddav]

Let me offer clarification to my earlier post. I label everything not because the manufacture didnt clearly mark its containers, but because I have limitations. I reference reloading manuals every time I load, again because I have limitations. I go slow and double check everything because, as you may have guessed, I have limitations.
Not everyone is like me, in fact most arent, but I am going to take advantage of every system availiable to me. No bonus for reloading mass quantities of ammo in the shortest time possible, but there is a penalty for making errors.

[wogpotter]

You're probably going to laugh, but the best safety improvement I made was attaching those flexible LED light strips to the press. Now I can easily see down inside cases to verify powder drops. It makes the primer feed easier to see as well.

With the large top ends of many progressive presses even the best lit bench is going to have some dark hidey-holes.

[jimbob86]

There was no powder residue telling me It was the primer that launched the bullet.

A good roll crimp should be used with magnum rvolver loads ... just sayin' ....

[flashhole]

Handloading or reloading is not for everyone. If you are not a detailed oriented person you may want to rethink this activity. Handloading it not something you can/should rush in to because you are anxious for the results.

Safe practice is the number one consideration for handloading. Good points made in the earlier posts, just have to always adhere to them. Seems people who get into trouble are the ones that don't study or research the effects.

[Daffy]

Specs for particular round on bench in front of me, primer/powder/bullets/cases for reloading for that spec only thing on bench.

Try really hard to use a powder that not only works well for the given reload but is impossible to double charge.(That has gotten tougher with the last shortage.)

Verified primer for case and load.

Verified powder drop for several cycles.

Verified OAL for bullet to be used.

Powders/primers/bullets for handgun in one cabinet and rifle in another.

I probably go over each step three times for rifle rounds before starting verifying since I don't do them progressive.

I recheck the powder drop at each refill (got the lid off might as well)

If I happen to leave stuff out overnight I'll check it again. (Got one dog I ain't never trusted, shoulda named him Fart)

I passed a link to the thread aforementioned along to several buds that reload all said the same thing. CRAP

The one word that came up in that thread and between some friends was "Complacent" I've reloaded and casted for almost 40 years and 20 years ago if you'd told me I needed the internet to do it I'd laughed at ya. Today I look at it like just another tool or reference to be considered and learned from.

[Gster]

I load single stage and load in batches. One thing I am anal about is, once I get to the priming stage, there is NEVER a case in the loading block primer down until it has the powder in it. The case comes out of the near side of the block and is moved to the far side after it is charged. I always go over them with a bright led bar light. Knock on wood, I have never discovered a double charge.

[Geezerbiker]

I've been loading my own ammo safely for 30+ years. The one rule I never break is to only have one can of powder on the bench at a time and to double and triple check it's what my load data calls for.

As for checking my charged cases, I put them in a loading block then go up one side and down the other with a flashlight and if one looks the least bit low or high, it gets dumped and re charged. For many of my rifle loads I use the powder measure to dump a load into the pan of my scale then trickle it the rest of the way to the full charge.

I do all the other safety stuff too but color coding powder cans makes no sense since they're clearly labeled from the factory.

With all things my motto is "a little paranoia goes a long way."

Tony

[James K]

Another safety aspect is care in casting and reloading lead bullets. Lead IS a hazardous material and needs to be handled carefully, in a well ventilated area and without breathing the fumes from casting. Even handling lead bullets can be dangerous in the long term, so the use of gloves is a good idea.

I lost a very good friend at a much too early age because he insisted on casting bullets in an unventilated basement. His doctor (a shooter and reloader himself) had repeatedly warned my friend about the harm he was doing to himself but, like many others, he disregarded the advice.

BTW, I fully agree with Mikld about not shooting others' reloads. I always say that I shoot only my own; that way if something goes wrong, I know the name of the stupid SOB who made the mistake and I can slap him upside the head.

Jim

[pathdoc]

Thus far I have only loaded shotshells (machine workflow works against double charging) and non-reduced bottleneck rifle (impossible to double charge without overflow). My worst efforts have earned me two shotshell bloopers and a .303 squib. All three were ultimately harmless and taught me valuable lessons in what these things look, sound and feel like.

You have NO IDEA how paranoid I am going to be when I get around to loading for pistol. Charge, glance, seat bullet, with a check weigh on my beam scale every 5 rounds or so. If not every round for the first few hundred...

I always write the recipe I'm about to use on a whiteboard, which I keep hung just above the bench. And I keep a diary of everything I've just done, right down to the lot numbers. That forces me to look at the label one more time before I put everything away. And then I write the load on a sticky label and put it on the box of ammo. Three checks before I shoot. And finally I shake every metallic cartridge as I box it, just to be sure I can hear the powder moving about. No more squib loads for me!

[tangolima]

I remember I said this in some other thread, wouldn't mind repeating it here.

Friends ask me to teach them hand loading. Some I will gladly accept, other I will firmly refuse. I will say no to those who have "lol" or "dude" in every other sentence. I need to see some fear in their eyes. It is this balanced burden that has keep me safe thus far.

-TL

[snooze]

In response to the thread where titegroup was loaded instead of varget, I store my pistol powders and rifle powders in separate locations to prevent this sort of catastrophic mishap.

[Magnum Wheel Man]

LONGSHOT... you seen this pic before???



my machinist buddy removed 5 bullets from this guns barrel, gun owned by another friend that was just starting to reload, & didn't understand why the minimum charges were so high in the load manual... I guess he found out, when he did half the starting charge for cast bullets, with jacketed bullets... BTW... this new reloader, is a TV addict, & can't do anything without the TV on... I keep telling him that reloading requires his undivided attention...

I'm sure you guys know people, some that you would shoot their reloads, & some you would not... I strive to be that guy that people would trust my reloads

gun above was saved... but a good lesson to learn... get at least one ( & two or three is better ) load manuals, & follow the directions in the manual... newer reloaders should never substitute any of the components, or vary from the recipe, no matter how simple it seems

[Brutus]

All good advice. One thing I do differently on my single stage press when loading handgun rounds is to charge the case and immediately peer into the case as I put the bullet in place on my way to the seating die. This way I never have to worry about a double charge or light throw as every case is inspected while seating and no case goes back to the tray without a bullet in it.

[Ozzieman]

I totally agree, we do need to keep safety in mind.
I have shared this with TFL before and I will again.
15 + years ago I was at a meet and the person next to me blew up an AR15. The T handle hit me in the face and broke my glasses and nose.
Loaded pistol powder in a 223 case. When he was asked later he said "You know the first two rounds did feel odd."
Several years later he blew up a hand gun but I never heard how.
You cant fix stupid but you can loose your range privileges which he did.

[mete]

A bullet caught between cylinder and barrel can be caused by a bad batch of primers !!!
A friend had such primers but he was a bit slow in following my advice to toss the primers ! He carried a wooden rod to drive back the bullet into the case .That's how I found out about his problem !
The primers were hot enough to push the bullet forward but not hot enough to ignite the powder .

[Colorado Redneck]

Calibrate the scale often.

Check the COL with several sources. Or else determine the COL by using one of the methods commonly used to find max COL for your gun.

Load data can be wrong, even in reputable books. Mistakes are made.

Good thread!