Why you should be careful while reloading.

[tsxshooter]

If you look at several reloading manual that list case capacity you will see the most accurate loads are 95-105% capacity. Look at the Barnes manual. When I was working up Magpro it was a compressed load. I called them about it and they said it was fine compressed to 110%. This is where CAOL can make a difference too. I believe you want the slowest burning powder that makes the case full. This is 06 anyway. If you ever play with Quikload you will see this. Quikload wants you to measure cases with water to find volume. But it is what your rifle likes anyways and how well your POA is

I had some old timers tell me to fill the case with toilet paper. If you find the right powder you don't need it...

Pistol NO you would have the picture above if you filled a ACP to capacity an maybe blow your hand off....

[Ammosmith]

Single stage press is the safest way to load.

[coffeeman885]

I've know some guys that this has happened to. That is one thing I don't have to worry about because of my borderline OCD. What caliber was that gun? I bet the "kick" was vicious.

[Ammosmith]

Several things could have led to this. (It looks like a .44 magnum to me) A stuck bullet in the barrel or a double charge. Also a charge for a lighter bullet with a heavy monster seated in it's place.

[tsxshooter]

Several things could have led to this. (It looks like a .44 magnum to me) A stuck bullet in the barrel or a double charge. Also a charge for a lighter bullet with a heavy monster seated in it's place.

Stuck bullet would cause barrel damage. There is none. I believe it was triple charged.

basically, when you increase bullet weight in a given caliber, you will also go to a slower powder. You can use a faster powder with the heavier bullets, but you will reach peak presure before you get to max velocity. The lighter bullets exit the barrel much faster than the heavier bullets, and need a faster powder to get to peak pressure. The heavier bullets also have a longer bearing surface, and will build up more pressure with a faster powder.

Because longer barrels give the bullet further to travel, more time is available for the propellent to burn, so slower powders can also be also indicated for longer barrels.

Also, less airspace in the case often equates to better accuracy, so using a slower powder to get a larger charge into the case can also indicate a use for slower powders.

Conversely, faster powders and lighter bullets will usually get the best performance out of a shorter barrel. This is an application where longer, lighter weight solid copper bullets with their higher BC's than comparable weight lead core bullets can be of a significant advantage. Just remember, ideal twist is a function of length, not weight.

[sierrareloader]

Me looking at the pic.

O_o

Glad no one got hurt and that thing must have rang in his hand. (Laughs about Jaws theme) I've had that same uneasy feeling when using standard primers in my AR and M1A. Don't hear it anymore since I restocked on Milspec primers.

[newloader09]

Ammosmith,  I know what you mean about double checking every step.  It can take me hours to load a box of 50 rounds sometimes, but I don't load for volume.  I do it because I enjoy the process.  I have caught myself on a couple of occasions accidentally double charging a 45 ACP case, but as soon as I remove the powder funnel I realize my mistake.
I am considering getting a turret press from Lee where I can set all of my dies and then remove the whole turret, but it will still be a single stage process.  I need a new press anyway so I thought what the heck.  That's about as many shortcuts as I'm willing to take right now   I've seen too many pictures of destroyed weapons to get careless.

[Cowboy T]

I am considering getting a turret press from Lee where I can set all of my dies and then remove the whole turret, but it will still be a single stage process.  I need a new press anyway so I thought what the heck.  That's about as many shortcuts as I'm willing to take right now   I've seen too many pictures of destroyed weapons to get careless.

If you do go this route, I'd suggest the Classic Turret.  It's just solid and IMO worth the extra money.  The Pro Auto-Disk Powder Measure does speed things up significantly, even when using it as a single stage press.  I do use it in "semi" mode, with the Safety Prime and Auto-Index, and the ammo it makes in this mode is very good.

[billt]

I switched to a progressive press back in 1985, and have never looked back. The idea that a progressive press is somehow more dangerous than a single stage is a wives tale perpetuated mostly by people who don't own them. They are every bit as safe, and in many cases safer, than a single stage for several reasons. Some of the newer Dillon models employ a powder checker that will automatically sound an audible alarm if the case is under or over charged.

One of the smartest, and safest reloading practices to get into is to select a powder that fills at least 50% of the case or more. This will assure that if you should double charge a case, be it a pistol or rifle, on a single stage or a progressive, you will immediately know it because powder will spill over the top of the case. This is why I stay away from ultra fast burning powders like Bullseye and the like. It is simply too easy to double, or even triple charge the case without knowing it. There is nothing at all "wrong" with Bullseye, and or other ultra fast powders, I just choose not to use them because of this.

My wife and I both shoot a lot, and single stage loading just doesn't cut it from a time perspective. Progressive presses don't "shortcut" anything, they simply do more things at once to several cases at the same time, making the most of the time you spend reloading. They produce every bit as accurate handloads as any single stage press can. The case doesn't know if it's being pushed into a die by the ram of a single stage, or a progressive reloading press. Most shooters who I know that load on progressive machines, including myself, have only one regret. They all wish they had gone to progressive reloading SOONER!  Bill T.  

[billt]

This is a good example of progressive reloading. You are looking at less than 6 hours production of .308 ammunition I loaded up this past week. It totals 1,450 rounds. All of this will feed my 2, Springfield M-1's, along with 2 Savage bolt guns, and a Winchester Model 88. This would have taken forever and a day to load on a single stage press. This ammunition shoots under an inch in both of my M-1A's, and consistently produces one hole groups at 100 yards in my Savage 12-F/TR and 10-FP. The only thing I altered for the M-1A's was powder type and charge weight, which took about 10 minutes total to change out.  Bill T.

[XbonesX]

billt, welcome to the forum. glad to see a Patriot from the great state of Arizona. i'll be in your neck of the woods hunting in January.

while i do agree with a few things you've said, i do have to respectfully disagree with you about progressives, but to each his own. as usual we appreciate other peoples opinions on this forum and look forward to the information you can provide about progressives.

again welcome!

[Mohunter]

My pistol loading is one at a time. Double charging scares me. The flashlight thing does not work with 4 grains. Rifle I want to load 95-100 capacity. I have double charged rifle and it spills everywhere. So hard to double charge. I had a old timer tell me if your brass is not filled to capacity switch powders.


Was not my pistol. Was just sharing the pictures. I know people who start off with the MAX in a ladder test

I am to paranoid  to have that happen. I have OCD so I double and triple check everything. It takes me all night to get a CAOL measurement with a stoney point. I keep tiring different bullets....

I'm also guilty of OCD, especially when I'm reloading. If somebody comes in the garage while I'm charging cases, or seating bullets, I just stop right where I'm at. I literally drop everything until I have heard what they need to say and then politely ask them for some privacy to finish what I'm working on. My dad understands and he stays completely out of my area when I'm reloading. If he's in the garage for some reason, he won't speak to me while I'm working and he understands the 4 Foot Rule.
Nothing pisses me off more than to have someone trying to look over my shoulder while I'm working. If my personal 4 foot comfort zone is violated, I snap like a pit bull!

[Fredsterman]

 My brother in law approached me from behind while I was casting, with a drink in his hand.
 I know the pit bull reaction you're talking about.
 Simply one more step closer to this 40 lb. pot of metal with that will get you your a## roally kicked

[Mohunter]

People who aren't into, or at least "Knowledgeable" about the craft that we practice, just simply Do Not Get It.
If you aren't careful and pay strict and undevided attention to detail, you could really get hurt, or worse yet get an innocent bystander hurt.

With that being said, that innocent bystander could be months down the road when a double or triple charged round blows up inside your revolver, and while you may escape injury, someone standing 10ft. to the side of you minding their own business may catch some shrapnel from your .44 mag when it blows apart? Even worse yet, it could be his 11 year old son who just came along for a day at the range with Dad who catches the shrapnel??   These are the things that "We" as responsible reloaders must Constantly be aware of.

[Onionbreath]

Can a gun like that be repaired or is it scrap / parts now?

It's toast.