Dumb things you did when you first started reloading?

[FiveInADime]

One time I loaded up about 40rds with differing charge weights for a load workup. I took one of each load and stood them up on the kitchen table when I was done so I could take a picture and send it to my friend. Well I walked away for a minute and came back and grabbed all the shells with one hand and instantly I realized I just mixed them all up and couldn't shoot them until the end of the load development. So instead of 5 rounds each weight I only had 4 :/

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[Peter M. Eick]

Dumb things I did when I started?

Think about it, I did not invest well early on.

Back in 76 when I started reloading, I bought cheap. Lee because that is what I could afford at the time. Almost every bit of that gear has been replaced sometimes twice now. Had I spent more for RCBS or similar quality back in the 70's to 90's I would not have re-bought so much gear.

I look back on it and realize I bought quality handguns (Colts) but bought cheap reloading gear. I look at my safe now and realize i now only own quality handguns and quality reloading gear and the lee and similar quality equipment has slowly been purged off the bench.

I am not just bashing lee, some RCBS, Hornady, Dillon even Redding gear has been replaced for various reasons. The key is to buy the best quality you can and NOT buy cheap because it is "all you can afford".

 

[Clark]

Oh yeah, the work up rounds all in a row in a plastic cartridge box with post-it map of which cartridge has how much powder.
Then knock over the box when the lid is not closed, and they all spill on the floor.
Bullet puller time.

 

[Crankgrinder]

I went to change powder/loads and failed to empty the hopper properly. unscrewing the hopper from its base (Lee pro auto disk) I lifted it up and spilled gunpowder all over my lap... Ive done this twice.

 

[THORN74]

I set off a primer in my lnl ap press... I had only loaded around twenty rounds when it happened .... scaredbthr wife more than me

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[Ike666]

I started reloading with a Dillon 550B. I was shooting a lot of IPSC and just wanted to chunk out lots of practice ammunition. I screwed .45 ACPs just about every way possible. The first six months I'd guess my good to bad ratio was a poor as 3 to 1.

I learned a lot about reloading - the negative way. This was in the days before internet forums and I'd share my mistakes with shooting buddies, go back, correct, and make a new raft of mistakes. Repeat this process often enough and two things happen: 1) you throw away a lot of good material and 2) when you've made every mistake you can, you start to turn out some damn fine ammo.

 

[dacaur]

Oh yeah, the work up rounds all in a row in a plastic cartridge box with post-it map of which cartridge has how much powder.
Then knock over the box when the lid is not closed, and they all spill on the floor.
Bullet puller time.

Ive done two variations on that one....

First time I lost the "map".... never found it. Second time I had a full box, and neglected to mark which end was which on my "map", so 2 weeks later when I went to shoot them I was like .

 

[serf 'rett]

I wasnt all that new to re-loading, but I pulled 2 major boners at once. 1. Don't reload during a major thunderstorm. 2. Don't mix reloading with food and drinks.

Glad I wasn't drinking coffee when I read 10-96's post. I'd have snorted the hot stuff out the nose and dumped remainder in lap...

Loading up a ladder or series of rounds for testing and realizing you didn't reset your scale for the next powder charge step. Now you've got two rows with the same charge. This generally occurs with the high dollar store bought bullets, of which you only have a limited supply for testing. Even worse is when the bullets were mail order. Done it more than once. Time for the kinetic and upper body work out.

 

[Clark]

Ever get to the range, and the ammo is seated too long and will not chamber?
Ever get to the range, and you forgot they are closed on Monday's?
Ever forget a gun at the range, and the rangemaster calls you wife?
Ever shoot a hole in your chronograph at the range, come back, they make fun of you, and you do it again?
Ever have a mouse chew a hole in the bottom of a container of powder, it leaks out, and you try to salvage some of it?
Ever seat a bullet so long that it gets stuck in the lands? Then when you pull it out, the bullet stays and stick powder is spilled all over? Get some sticks of powder in your chamber and the next round you fire has the brass come out with leprosy?
Ever try to moly coat soft tipped bullets and the Lead contaminates the vibrator and media?
Ever accidentally buy brass that is the wrong cartridge, but you keep it anyway, because someday you might own a gun in that cartridge? 10 years later, still no 30 Luger pistols around here.
Ever can't load anything because there is one little thing you can't find?

 

[dwhite]

I've got a .38 Special round from loading in probably 1982 with a primer in backwards. Powder, bullet, and all. I keep it as a reminder to check things before moving onto the next operation.

All the Best,
D. White

 

[FiveInADime]

Loading up a ladder or series of rounds for testing and realizing you didn't reset your scale for the next powder charge step. Now you've got two rows with the same charge. This generally occurs with the high dollar store bought bullets, of which you only have a limited supply for testing. Even worse is when the bullets were mail order. Done it more than once. Time for the kinetic and upper body work out.

Last time I did a work-up I completely skipped a step in my ladder and just barely realized it when I was done. I just went back and added that step in. I have also done the same thing and charged 2 steps with the same charge on accident but I realized my mistake before I seated the bullets.

 

[ScottRiqui]

If I accidentally charged two "steps" on the ladder with the same charge, I'd probably just set the extras aside rather than breaking them down, just in case that particular charge ended up being the most accurate - I'm just an optimist like that. Doesn't always work out, though!

 

[zimm]

Dusted off my equipment after being in storage for 5 years (was stationed overseas). Set it all up, re-read the instruction manuals and started cranking .40s&w out of my Dillion 550b. I kept getting upside down or sideways primers smashed into the pockets, and it took me an hour to make 50 rounds. Took the primer feed apart to clean and lube it. Turns out I was using the large primer pocket for small primers, and the primer drop tube was installed 180 out so it wasn't seated all the way.

Then at the range the first round jammed my m&p 40 so bad I almost had to get help to get the round out of the chamber. Looks like the sizing die was up too high in the press so I had go through 300 rounds with a go-no-go gauge to find the oversized rounds. Luckily they fit in my glock so I shot those up.

Wasted a whole day.

 

[boxerrider]

dumb things

I load on a Lee Classic turret.

I've taken the hopper off of the powder measure and spilled powder out of the bottom. More than once.

Early on I was loading 38 special and spent a lot of time trying to get the primers to drop correctly until I realized I was using the large primer arm with small primers.

Chased roll crimps back and forth from not enough to too much until I started trimming revolver brass.

Enjoy!
Jeff

 

[5R milspec]

my dad started reloading 20ga. years ago.( late 70's )he and another friend of his went out a bought two Poness Waren press' ( spelling ) with all they needed to load with.not to my story or bad boobooo

I have always been a monkey see monkey do type of person.so watching my dad I thought I got this no big deal.well I waitted till my dad was gone no where to be found.I thought I would just help him out and put out what ever I could for him.so I put the empty hull in the case slot then lowered the ram to put the empty hull in the die.I was able to complet all stations of the press.( no problem at all even for the first ten rounds ) well I got to the 11 th one and thats when I had my fist bobo.I ended up makeing a good round till it came time to remove the finished round.some how some way when I started to push out the finished round it collapsed and then got stuck into the die.I know for and soild hour I tried anything I could to get it out.well I couldn't for the life of me get it out.so I left it and walked away to let my dad find out when he went to loading some shells.needless to say he never let me around that press again or even let me hlep.it took 20 or more years for me to get into loading again.

and even years latter I end up smashing my finger in the same press when I first start reloading with it.I think the press is just trying to tell me something. like don't do what ever it was you did to me years ago.

 

[jbrow117]

Double Charge

Rotating the shell plate back because a primer didn't seat then getting a double charge of powder as it filled a case the second time. I visually saw it had too much powder but..... I now have a RCBS powder locking die in my Hornady Lock n Load. "NOT FOR PUBLIC DISSEMINATION"

 

[DogoDon]

Clark said:

Seems like I am getting dumber.

I loaded some ammo without primers.
My first clue was powder leaking out the primer pockets.

I also did that once, but fortunately I was loading pistol rounds with Clays. The flakes are so big they won't fall through the flash hole. So to compound the stupidity, I then primed the rounds (very gingerly) with my Lee hand primer. I was lucky and got away with it. Just too lazy to pull the bullets and start over.

 

[tkglazie]

I also did that once, but fortunately I was loading pistol rounds with Clays. The flakes are so big they won't fall through the flash hole. So to compound the stupidity, I then primed the rounds (very gingerly) with my Lee hand primer. I was lucky and got away with it. Just too lazy to pull the bullets and start over.

wow