The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The Skunkworks > Handloading, Reloading, and Bullet Casting

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old November 12, 2012, 07:03 PM   #1
brigond
Member
 
Join Date: October 28, 2012
Location: PA
Posts: 47
WARNING for new reloaders

I'm a new reloader myself. So far I only reload 9mm. This is a little embarrassing but ill share it in the name of safety. I have heard many different types of warnings but this one I haven't heard much. Actually a friend of mine who also reloads warned me about this. I'm glad he did cause it happened today . While shooting some test reloads I came accross one that seemed really weak. It made more of a poof and had little or no recoil. If I were really new to this and was not pre warned I may have continued shooting.. Instead , I stopped shooting and field stripped it on the spot . Yup, there was a bullet jammed in the barrel. If I ignored the symptom I could have been hurt. Somewhere along the line I failed to put a charge in the round and the primer was enough to push the bullet out. I'm using a turret press. I was distracted at some point. When my friend warned me I immediately started taking precautions but I reloaded this batch before the warning. I used a wooden dowel rested the breech end of the barrel on a block of wood , and was able to get it out. I lost some range time and gained some wisdom. I will always look down in to the case with every stroke of the press.
brigond is offline  
Old November 12, 2012, 07:54 PM   #2
tkglazie
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 3, 2011
Posts: 558
excellent post. I love seeing these. newbie or veteran, it never hurts any of us to be reminded how quickly our fun hobby can turn deadly or injurious if we fail to pay attention to the details. thanks for sharing.
tkglazie is offline  
Old November 12, 2012, 08:16 PM   #3
velillen
Member
 
Join Date: October 20, 2012
Posts: 93
Definitely a good thing you realized it was a squib. But also not something just for reloaders either. Ive mentioned it to a few friends who shoot and they dont htink it can happen with factory ammo but it can and has. Good rule of thumb for me is if i pull the trigger and it doesnt do what its supposed to then stop and see why.
velillen is offline  
Old November 12, 2012, 08:29 PM   #4
floydster
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 26, 2008
Posts: 472
I am an old guy and at our range the other day one of my old Geezer friends that has been reloading for over 60 years had a squib in his 1911.
He looked at me with a strange look and ask me if I had a rod and hammer in my range bag--I said yup I do
He said in all the years at the reloading bench he can't remember having a bullet stuck in a barrel---so just goes to show you

I have been reloading for over 55 years--I guess me time will come yet
floydster is offline  
Old November 12, 2012, 08:40 PM   #5
Edward429451
Junior member
 
Join Date: November 12, 2000
Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado
Posts: 9,494
Good catch! A good reminder for us all to pay attention. Quality control never stops, it just starts over when we pick up our empty brass.
Edward429451 is offline  
Old November 12, 2012, 09:37 PM   #6
brigond
Member
 
Join Date: October 28, 2012
Location: PA
Posts: 47
Another thought is if you hand your gun off to a friend or anyone at the range. I usually bring friends with me. I will warn and watch them while they are using it. On a positive note , I was able to use the stuck bullet to take a measurement (slug the barrel) since I'm using lead cast bullets.
brigond is offline  
Old November 13, 2012, 09:07 AM   #7
spacecoast
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 14, 2009
Location: Sunshine and Keystone States
Posts: 4,461
Good to hear that you caught your squib in time. I've had two squibs, both with factory ammo, one in .22LR and one in .25ACP. So far, every round of mine has been a good one.

I have a fairly foolproof method (learned on TFL) whereby I pick up an empty primed case, put powder in it with a dipper, and add it to the rows of cases with powder. Then when all the powder is added (usually a batch of 50 or 100 or however many I need to fill a partial box) I check them with a flashlight before going on to the next step of seating the bullets.

Yes, it's slow, and I only have a hand press, but I've gotten faster over the years and have 100% confidence in my ammo. I would not recommend anything other than a single stage press to a new reloader, or maybe a turret operated in single-stage mode. Even with the experience I have accumulated, the chance of a kaboom isn't worth (to me) the time savings.

If you were in a live rapid fire match and not casually shooting at the range, you might not have time to react to a squib. Some guns are capable of containing multiple jammed bullets in the barrel with only a bulged barrel resulting, but some are not and break apart under such pressure.
spacecoast is offline  
Old November 13, 2012, 09:30 AM   #8
fehhkk
Member
 
Join Date: September 17, 2011
Posts: 16
Make it a good habit of lighting up your press, and before you place a bullet on a case with powder, always make it a point to spot check the powder level. Even on rifle cartridges, you should always check. Been reloading for almost a year now, around 7,000 rounds, never had a squib so far.
fehhkk is offline  
Old November 13, 2012, 09:37 AM   #9
Stressfire
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 16, 2011
Location: Ohio
Posts: 1,497
Good looking out on that squib.

I'm a newish loader as well, also doing 9mm and on a turret press.

To minimize mistakes (especially due to distraction) I use it more like a single stage that I don't have to swap dies on.

Everything gets done in stages. I.e. - decide how many I want to load and them decap/size all, then prime all, then expand all, and finally charge and seat.

It's slower, yes, but thus far have had no issues or skipped steps
__________________
"The best diplomat I know is a fully charged phaser bank" - Montgomery Scott
Stressfire is offline  
Old November 13, 2012, 01:03 PM   #10
coldbeer
Junior member
 
Join Date: February 21, 2012
Location: Woodhaven MI
Posts: 477
I weigh my bullets after reloading them. One time not too long ago after loading a batch of 45-70's I came across a round that was heavier than the rest. After pulling the bullet I found a 22lr case inside the 45-70 case. I don't know how it got their or how I didn't notice when resizing but I can only wonder what would of happend.
coldbeer is offline  
Old November 13, 2012, 01:18 PM   #11
willr
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 23, 2006
Posts: 356
What Spacecoast said is really worth listening to. I would add only two comments: even the "flashlight" test doesn't always work because it is sometimes hard to tell visually just how much powder is in a case. I have come to using either a dowel or brass rod marked from a properly loaded case, dropped into each case in a lot to be sure there is no squib.

My second comment is that I will not use the reloaded ammo from a gun show. If I can make a mistake myself, how can I be sure that someone else hasn't also made the mistake.

willr
willr is offline  
Old November 13, 2012, 02:01 PM   #12
jwrowland77
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 23, 2012
Location: Conway, Arkansas
Posts: 1,398
This is why I have a dowel rod cut for a smaller piece, then after powder I check each case to ensure that the line I marked on it is right at the top of the case. If its below, then no/low charge, above then its double/over charge. Haven't gone wrong with it yet.

Congrats though on finding it before things got ugly though.
jwrowland77 is offline  
Old November 13, 2012, 02:45 PM   #13
tkglazie
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 3, 2011
Posts: 558
This is why I prefer loading in index mode on the turret press. Every charge I drop is visually inspected on the press the second it is dropped and every visually inspected charge is immediately covered with a bullet with no delay. If there is any delay or distraction (or spot check) the charge gets dumped back in the hopper and the case is verified empty and returned to the press. In the case of deep .38 cases that cant be inspected on the press, the charged case is removed, inspected and covered with a bullet then returned to the press (replacing an uncovered, charged case to the press is a big no-no in my book). With only one case in process at a time and 100% visual inspection the chances of a squib or double charge are reduced exponentially.
tkglazie is offline  
Old November 13, 2012, 02:48 PM   #14
Brian Pfleuger
Moderator Emeritus
 
Join Date: June 25, 2008
Location: Austin, CO
Posts: 19,578
Quote:
Originally Posted by tkglazie
This is why I prefer loading in index mode on the turret press.
I agree.
__________________
Nobody plans to screw up their lives...
...they just don't plan not to.
-Andy Stanley
Brian Pfleuger is offline  
Old November 13, 2012, 05:04 PM   #15
tkglazie
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 3, 2011
Posts: 558
I am not surprised BP- most of what I didnt learn on my own I picked up from following you and Lost Sheep
tkglazie is offline  
Old November 13, 2012, 05:14 PM   #16
mikld
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 7, 2009
Location: Southern Oregon!
Posts: 2,891
Yep, I learned the same way. But that was 35+ years ago and I did it with a Lee Loader! Now, I look in every case to make sure there is powder...
__________________
My Anchor is holding fast!
I've learned how to stand on my own two knees...
mikld is offline  
Old November 13, 2012, 06:10 PM   #17
Brian Pfleuger
Moderator Emeritus
 
Join Date: June 25, 2008
Location: Austin, CO
Posts: 19,578
Quote:
Originally Posted by tkglazie
I am not surprised BP- most of what I didnt learn on my own I picked up from following you and Lost Sheep
Oh hell! You don't let people near you when you shoot those reloads... do you!?

I just made an unforced error with my own loads... I may have to reinvigorate my Confessional Wall of Shame thread...
__________________
Nobody plans to screw up their lives...
...they just don't plan not to.
-Andy Stanley
Brian Pfleuger is offline  
Old November 13, 2012, 08:03 PM   #18
tobnpr
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 1, 2010
Location: Tampa Bay
Posts: 4,556
Charges that fail to drop properly is an issue that is easily monitored on a progressive:

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/199...powder-cop-die

That said, along with the rest of the basics drilled into my sons when we started shooting, was that if ANYTHING doesn't sound or "feel" exactly "right" after the trigger pull...

STOP. If it failed to fire, wait to avoid the possibility of a delayed primer detonation. Inspect the weapon.

Whether it's shooting, reloading, or whatever...chit happens when we get in a hurry and become complacent.
tobnpr is offline  
Old November 13, 2012, 11:29 PM   #19
RC20
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 10, 2008
Location: Alaska
Posts: 7,014
I did the same thing with 9mm a while back.

Got back into reloading the last few years.

I don't use a progressive, but I was doing a fill and bullet seat and got lost.

Now I fill them with powder, look into each case and then proceed.

I actually had tow out of that batch. Same drill, dowel down the barrel cleaned it then stopped, took them home and weighed them to see if they had powder in them.

For me I am not good at remembering if I looked at each one so single loading is better for me.

ps: my brother who is very meticulous (progressive loader) had a couple of duds with his rifle reloads. Same thing. We were both talking about it and he admited it first. I told him, well, I don't feel so bad!
RC20 is offline  
Old November 14, 2012, 12:46 PM   #20
53rdcard
Junior Member
 
Join Date: September 17, 2012
Posts: 7
Im pretty new to it as well, so i am paranoid and weigh every 5th to check, also have another check, when i first started, i was extreamly careful to make test loads to find the sweet spot load for my 9mm, once i found it i again being extreamly careful to triple check each round, even went so far as to weigh all of them, made a box of 50, and set them in the tray, then put that tray on my digital scale to weigh the entire thing, wrote that and the finished correct bullet weight down and taped it to the scale for handy reference, now as i finish a box, i use the exact same tray to make sure it isnt in the equation, and weigh each box to make sure nothing is off, if the weight is off plus or minus, i check each bullet to see what is up.

doing that has saved me having 2 unloaded and 1 double loaded round in the few months i have been doing this.
53rdcard is offline  
Old November 15, 2012, 07:29 PM   #21
straight-shooter
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 12, 2007
Location: North Central Indiana
Posts: 436
Yep, been there and done that. I had to hammer a bullet out of a Ruger Super Redhawk .44 magnum. If I hadn't stopped... it could have gotten ugly real fast. It was my first and only squib and has made me much more cautious on the reload bench.
straight-shooter is offline  
Old November 17, 2012, 05:37 AM   #22
brigond
Member
 
Join Date: October 28, 2012
Location: PA
Posts: 47
I've since added a bench light that shines straight down into the case. Like some here have suggested it helps reduce the odds of it happening again. I couldn't find one of those flexible , clamp to your bench lights. Instead, I found a very small light weight flashlight at Walmart for a little over 2 bucks. I used a coat hanger wire screwed to the side of the bench . I bent the wire around the flashlight which holds the light and is adjustable to a certain extent. It's thin, lite , works well , and its out of the way. This allows me to eyeball the powder level and is sort of a reminder when I get a clear view of those little round 231 powder disks. It's a definite improvement .
brigond is offline  
Old November 17, 2012, 09:19 AM   #23
Uncle Billy
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 10, 2009
Location: Small city in New York
Posts: 482
I don't have a progressive press, I have a "regressive" press, one die at a time. My procedure is to set the primed, empty case on a digital balance and set the tare weight, drop the powder, then weigh it again to see how much powder got loaded; if it meets specification the bullet is seated right away, if not it's dumped back into the powder measure and recharged; either way the bullet seated immediately after charging, one at a time.

I don't separate dropping the powder and seating the bullet into stages, dropping powder and seating the bullet are one stage. If I get interrupted after dropping the charge and before seating the bullet, the case gets dumped back in the powder measure right away; when I return to reloading I begin with dropping the powder again.

A case on the bench in a loading block is either primed and empty, or completely done.
__________________
Despite the cost of living, have you noticed how popular it remains?
Uncle Billy is offline  
Old November 17, 2012, 12:39 PM   #24
tkglazie
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 3, 2011
Posts: 558
excellent process uncle billy. that's about as safe you can get assuming you check your scale regularly, and considering how detailed your process is thats a pretty safe bet.
tkglazie is offline  
Old November 17, 2012, 07:11 PM   #25
Mac Sidewinder
Member
 
Join Date: March 2, 2012
Posts: 84
A few of you have explained that you either weigh individual completed rounds or boxes of completed rounds to ensure you didn't short or over charge with powder. With the variances in bullet weight and case weight how can you tell especially in 9mm? I would imagine that there could be a big difference between individual completed rounds even if everything was done correctly.

I have weighed bullets and found some that were off by a couple grains, coupled with the fact that cases can be a couple grains different completely makes finding a over or under powder charge impossible in some instances.

I wouldn't depend on this as a fool proof method of checking cases. I ALWAYS visually inspect each and every case for a correct powder charge. I also measure each 10th charge on the scale. Call me paranoid but I would rather be safe than sorry.

Just my 2cts

Mac
Mac Sidewinder is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:15 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.09470 seconds with 11 queries