What To Avoid When Hand Loading!

[roysclockgun]

Over the years, I have gotten a fair number of good tips to use. However, we seldom discuss what NOT to do. I hope others will contribute to my list.
(1) Avoid a fan putting any sort of draft on your scale when you are weighing propellant. This especially when using an overhead, ceiling fan that will cause your scale to give incorrect readings.
(2) If you are cheap, as I am, and adjust the propellant load in military ammo: Do no co-mix propellant dumped from the cartridges. Lowering the load in one cartridge and then disposing of the balance is the only way that I will try to get better accuracy from military ammo. Too many times I have discovered that any given lot of military ammo can be loaded with two or more DIFFERENT propellants. This making any co-mixing a very dangerous proposition.
Best,
Steve Ashe

 

[JD338]

Here are a few more that we already know...

Keep a clean work ares with only 1 powder on the bench, the one you are using.
No food or drink in the work area
No smoking
No distractions
Be well rested when you load

JD338

 

[DrMike]

One powder at a time on the loading bench. It is waaaaaaay too easy to confuse which powder is which.

One bullet type on the loading bench when loading. We can easily confuse bullet types when rushed.

Ensure that each ammunition box is labelled with the contents. The cheapest Bic pen is better at remembering than our memory.

No eating or drinking when we are loading.

These are all things that we know; however, it is easy to become complacent.

 

[RiverRider]

10-4 on the one powder rule. I once had to dump a half-pound of TAC because I accidentally dumped my measure half full of X-Terminator into it. Bad housekeeping in general was the cause.

Another time I caught myself seating 7mm bullets in 6mm-284 cases. They would never have chambered, but still---it was a careless mistake.

I need to keep an eye on ME, and I know I am not the only guy out there who bears watching!

 

[Guy Miner]

So, there's something wrong with belting down a couple of beers, listening to high volume rock 'n roll, arguing with the wife and worrying about work while I'm handloading for six or seven different cartridges outside on a windy day after working a 12 hour shift overnight?

Weird... :grin:

 

[FOTIS]

One powder at a time on the loading bench. It is waaaaaaay too easy to confuse which powder is which.

Absolutely!

 

[RiverRider]

So, there's something wrong with belting down a couple of beers, listening to high volume rock 'n roll, arguing with the wife and worrying about work while I'm handloading for six or seven different cartridges outside on a windy day after working a 12 hour shift overnight?

Weird... :grin:

Of course there's something wrong with that Guy. It just doesn't pay to argue with the wife!

 

[Mortis]

This photo was sent to me this week by an old friend who happens to be aretired handgun tester for S&W. The firearm is a .460 S&W.

In Shooters Chat last night I talked to another old friend who is still working at S&W as a tester. He sated that he had no knowledge of this blow-up, but one occurred several years ago at the Preformance Center. Cause of damage --- A squib load with another right behind it. And the PC blow-up was using factory ammunition.

I've seen 2 such incidents in my life on the ranges..... both times with reloads.

So...... always be sure you have powder in the case before ya press a bullet. Another is always make sure that you do not have a double load.

 

[Guy Miner]

That squib load problem will rear up and bite a fellow...

Ouch!

 

[nvbroncrider]

So, there's something wrong with belting down a couple of beers, listening to high volume rock 'n roll, arguing with the wife and worrying about work while I'm handloading for six or seven different cartridges outside on a windy day after working a 12 hour shift overnight?

Weird... :grin:

No, try that after 13-12 hour night shifts and getting off this morning before I start my 7 day shifts tommorow. But I may have finally solved my problems we will find out shortly as I may have seen the light with something that's been stumping me since May!

 

[nvbroncrider]

The gun always tells the truth! It just might take a little more looking and time than one might realize.

 

[FOTIS]

So, there's something wrong with belting down a couple of beers, listening to high volume rock 'n roll, arguing with the wife and worrying about work while I'm handloading for six or seven different cartridges outside on a windy day after working a 12 hour shift overnight?

Weird... :grin:

Of course there's something wrong with that Guy. It just doesn't pay to argue with the wife!

Awesome response!

Well said sir!

 

[russ808]

Yes well said. Argue with the wife is like death by dull spoon.
Russ

 

[roysclockgun]

I realize that Guy can get away with all those naughty things, 'cause he's a water walker! <8^))

Oh yeah! Again, for novice hand loaders: The issue of case lube on the fingers! Before handling primers wash hands vigorously in hot water with soap and dry, dry, dry, before touching primers.
Steve Ashe

 

[duckcreekdick]

Pretty impressive blow-up with the S&W. I've often wondered if the cowboy action shooters have their sqib load problems, because that's about what they shoot anyway, with just enough velocity to get a bullet out the barrel.

 

[duckcreekdick]

Avoid leaving your cases in the loading block and charging them directly from the powder measure. Too easy to double charge or miss a case if distracted. I always work with two loading blocks and do every case one at a time, then checking the powder level visually when I'm done, just to make sure.

 

[Oldtrader3]

I always charge cases through a funnel with the scale pan and move the funnel each time that I fill a case. I always check visually before bullet seating in cases.

 

[DaveA37]

I always charge cases through a funnel with the scale pan and move the funnel each time that I fill a case. I always check visually before bullet seating in cases.

Same here. I also digital weight each case when it's filled and BEFORE seating the bullets (Yea, I'm a bit fussy). Doing this, I once caught a case with tumblng granuals stuck inside. Can't be too careful for me.

 

[Oldtrader3]

For me the most important issue is not talking to anyone while I am loading!

 

[Guest]

Couple of experiences I've had in relation to some of the mentioned issues:

1. Loaded up two load workups for my 8x57, using the same bullets, but two different powders. Carefully put them all in an ammo box in the first and third rows across, with a label on the box with cues as to which row was which. Closed the ammo box. Went to wash my hands, came back to put the ammo box in my range box. Dropped said ammo box, breaking the tab that closed it, scattering rounds all over the floor. Thankfully, I was able to pull the bullets and salvage the powder, as it's easy enough to tell the difference between IMR4895 and W748, as one is extruded and one is ball. Just glad I didn't decide to do my comparison between the H & IMR 4895s that day...

Not sure what the solution is, except marking with a sharpie on the outside of the case. I now put workup by letter (corresponding to my box label) and charge weight. It looks something like this: A-49.5. I hate the sharpie on the cases, though, so I'm thinking of using small ziploc baggies to separate by powder and charge weight. But that could get expensive!

2. Case charging is now done much like duckcreekdick. Two load blocks. Charge a case, move it to the "ready to seat" tray. I filled a funnel with powder by double charging a 300Wby load. I'm sure the look on my face was pretty dumb when I dumped the powder, then jiggled the funnel to break the logjam, and nothing happened. But, since I only had one powder canister open, I just gently lifted the offending case/funnel apparatus and poured it all back in the canister.

Some stuff I've learned:

1. Be sure you know which is the neck die and which is the FL die. If you try to FL size with the neck die, you just buckle shoulders and destroy brass. That was with my very first neck die, ever. On the second time I put it in the press. Because it looked just like the FL die for that same cartridge, and wasn't marked intuitively from the factory. All my neck dies bear strong, unique, and custom differentiation marks now, I can assure you.

2. Work out the logistics of your work area with dry runs. I found the best places to put my powder handling equipment and case loading blocks via finding new and different ways to spill powder on my first setup. My second setup was in a very different room in terms of size and location, and before I ever uncorked a powder canister, I did a number of dry runs to see where I'd be putting my hands and how I'd have to turn/shift/move to get powder from the scale to the case, and the case from the loading block to the press for bullet seating. I spilled almost no powder on setup number two. Setup number three has been the same - almost no spillage. Curiously, the spills I've had have been due to what I can only account for as "gremlins" bumping my youthful, steady, rock solid hands. I hate those darn things!