jr_watkins
Member
Thanks for the lesson Blarby, heal up quick!
A series of unfortunate events ( WARNING : GRAPHIC, VERY )
- Thread starter blarby
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blarby
Member
well, based on what shook out of the tube on the table ( NOW they shake out, right ? ), what came out of my hand, and what was stuck in the ceiling, somewhere between 30 and 40.
Another wise man once said, and I forget who at the time, but :
"Reloading in itself is not dangerous, it is however very unforgiving of mistakes."
True statement.
So, the post has since disappeared, but it was a valid one and I'll answer it :
No, I haven't soured on reloading, and I'm eager to get back "on the horse". Just not "that" horse. What bothers me is this is the start of the shooting season for me, and thats pretty much nixed for the foreseeable future- and this on the heels of a new XDs in 45. Gives me something to look forward to, or, a great chance to work on weak hand shooting. Maybe thats the gold lining there, it was almost my weakest suit.
I do hope I regain full function in my pinky, the only digit with significant on digit and in hand muscle damage, but it does have full tactile response, so thats good. If pinky doesn't come back 100%, my days of full tilt 44 mag and larger are pretty much done, and thats sad. We'll burn that bridge when I come to it.
With more pointed directions to navigate through google ( thank you ! ) i've learned that im not the only creator of the dillon smoothbore. I don't think its a Dillon thing, I think its an inherent flaw in stacking primers on top of each other in a tube :/
I'm not using that to discount the events laid out here, only to point to myself that its not an isolated incident- and that bothers me greatly. I can add "research better" to the list of mistakes.
I'm done with that business, the boom tube. Its a finicky system at the best of times anyway- and I know im not alone in that lamentation. This just kinda ices the cake.
I don't really like the hand-priming jobs. I do like my lee safety prime.
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Jim Watson
Member
While I agree that the primer feed is a finicky system, and the Dillon worse than my old CH, it is hard to blame the design when continuing to use a damaged or defective tube leads you to all that shaking and poking.
I have popped two primers in presses over the decades, but they did not gang fire the stack.
Any road, heal well.
I have popped two primers in presses over the decades, but they did not gang fire the stack.
Any road, heal well.
vaalpens
Member
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Blarby, thanks for sharing this incident with us. I think we get lax sometimes and it is a good thing to be reminded again that we can make mistakes and mistakes have consequences. I am just glad that it seems that no serious damage was done to your hand or face. Happy future reloading and be safe.
that's gonna leave a mark. Hope you heal quickblarby
Member
Not blaming the design as the sole reason for not wanting to use it, but the culmination of it all left me with a bad taste in........my nostrils.
I'm not trying to justify my dislike based solely on the mishap.
deadeye dick
Member
Not to steal your thread ( heal up fast and learn by your mistakes)
When I was young and dumb and discharged from the U S Army in 1963 I brought home some Garand blanks to make some **** out of. Put in the vise and ( I thought I removed the red wad) decapped it with a nail set pliers and a hammer. BOOM! Very lucky 1 piece if shrapnel in my left knuckle and a scrape in my right arm --6 stitches. **** happens.
When I was young and dumb and discharged from the U S Army in 1963 I brought home some Garand blanks to make some **** out of. Put in the vise and ( I thought I removed the red wad) decapped it with a nail set pliers and a hammer. BOOM! Very lucky 1 piece if shrapnel in my left knuckle and a scrape in my right arm --6 stitches. **** happens.
kerreckt
Member
Best wishes and count your blessings. You are a very lucky man. Things could have been much worse. You have cautioned me to slow down and take special care. I use an unaltered 450 to load all my .45acp. I have fussed with the sometime ornery primer system.
I have been frustrated and in a hurry and done just as you did. The difference may be that I use CCI and Winchester pistol primers, exclusively. I have learned something very valuable. Slow down and take care of business is my personal take away. In fairness when the Dillon system is set up and going properly it is almost flawless. Thanks and Godspeed with your healing.
I have been frustrated and in a hurry and done just as you did. The difference may be that I use CCI and Winchester pistol primers, exclusively. I have learned something very valuable. Slow down and take care of business is my personal take away. In fairness when the Dillon system is set up and going properly it is almost flawless. Thanks and Godspeed with your healing.
Maj Dad
Member
Glad you're basically intact & back on your reloading feet. Having been doing this since the 60's it's a wonder I'm still intact considering all the dumb things I've done. I have learned an "Alexandria Library" full of reloading wisdom the old-fashioned way, but nowadays, it is available on line, right here. Your contribution is a valuable one, and your scientific approach to the cause & effects is top-notch. Your integrity is also admirable - hope everything heals up eventually and you get back to baseline. I have certainly learned some things from you and I will keep it in mind when using my RL-550 & RCBS bench and press mounted auto-prime tools.
All of us on THR are fortunate to be able to share all this wisdom, and even more fortunate to have the particularly valuable mentoring from the Chief Librarian at the THR Library in the person of rcmodel. I understand he studied under Archimedes at one time, and was a mentor to Elmer Keith ("Hell, he was there!"), at least according to some of the assistant librarians...
Best regards & good luck!
George J.
All of us on THR are fortunate to be able to share all this wisdom, and even more fortunate to have the particularly valuable mentoring from the Chief Librarian at the THR Library in the person of rcmodel. I understand he studied under Archimedes at one time, and was a mentor to Elmer Keith ("Hell, he was there!"), at least according to some of the assistant librarians...
Best regards & good luck!
George J.
TexasDon
Member
blarby
WoW....Thats one of the scariest stories I have read lately.
I've only had a few primers "pop" on me in several years, it was unnerving at first, then I researched into how it happened. ( My Fault )
VERY glad you made it with no major injuries. Not that your hand and face is minor, but you did the smart thing as in having glasses on.
I did not use to wear safety glasses every time I loaded until several years ago when I read a story like yours...But that guy had primer debris in his eyes. (NO glasses at all )
I surely see NO reason for anyone to criticize or roast you. You have gone through enough..!!!
Heal Quickly....You've got work to do..!!
TxDon
WoW....Thats one of the scariest stories I have read lately.
I've only had a few primers "pop" on me in several years, it was unnerving at first, then I researched into how it happened. ( My Fault )
VERY glad you made it with no major injuries. Not that your hand and face is minor, but you did the smart thing as in having glasses on.
I did not use to wear safety glasses every time I loaded until several years ago when I read a story like yours...But that guy had primer debris in his eyes. (NO glasses at all )
I surely see NO reason for anyone to criticize or roast you. You have gone through enough..!!!
Heal Quickly....You've got work to do..!!
TxDon
jwrowland77
Member
No blasting from me....just glad to see you're ok, figuratively speaking.
As you put in all caps, ALWAYS wear safety glasses like you were. If not, by what you described, you could very well be blind. This is the reason I always wear my prescription safety/shooting glasses when I reload and never have my daughter (10) prime the cases.
Good luck and God Speed on a quick recovery man!
As you put in all caps, ALWAYS wear safety glasses like you were. If not, by what you described, you could very well be blind. This is the reason I always wear my prescription safety/shooting glasses when I reload and never have my daughter (10) prime the cases.
Good luck and God Speed on a quick recovery man!
Parman
Member
Wow! I'm glad to see you wasn't hurt any worse than you are. Thanks for sharing your story. Hopefully it will stop someone else from gettting hurt.
Beanie-Bean
Member
Glad that your at OK. Thanks for sharing your account of the terrible accident with us, and I wish your a full and speedy recovery.
Get back on that horse so that you can take the XD-s out for a spin, and perhaps some full tilt .44, too.
-BB
Get back on that horse so that you can take the XD-s out for a spin, and perhaps some full tilt .44, too.
-BB
blarby
Member
Mighty kind words, as I can certainly see a few !
Thats the ticket, right there !
lauderdale
Member
Thanks for sharing your incident B. get that hand back up and runnen!
tightgroup tiger
Member
It really hurts me that you got hurt. I hate it!
These mishaps can happen to the most careful of all of us.
I've gone through 43 years now of reloading and the older I get the more careful I get because I am way, waaaaay overdue.
Primers are the things I fear the most. I give them a lot of attention and respect.
I run a LNL-AP and prime on the press and have not had any problems yet but when I feel the slightest thing that is out of character when the downstroke hits bottom I go on RED ALERT!
I also wear ANSI 40 polycarbonate lenses ( my work glasses) when I reload.
BUT!!! I don't and won't use Federal primers, I don't care what kind of deal I get on them.
I am so glad I load to mostly magnum or maximum loads and use a tougher primer like Winchesters. I've always been afraid that Federals would pierce so I use Winchesters exclusively and they have never left me down.
(This isn't a plug for Winchester primers, it's my possibly misguided insecurities coming through)
I have had them get stuck and when I got them out of the primer system they were mutilated beyond use.
BUT THEY DIDN'T BLOW UP ON ME!
GET WELL SOON AND BE SAFE! I DON'T LIKE THIS AT ALL.
These mishaps can happen to the most careful of all of us.
I've gone through 43 years now of reloading and the older I get the more careful I get because I am way, waaaaay overdue.
Primers are the things I fear the most. I give them a lot of attention and respect.
I run a LNL-AP and prime on the press and have not had any problems yet but when I feel the slightest thing that is out of character when the downstroke hits bottom I go on RED ALERT!
I also wear ANSI 40 polycarbonate lenses ( my work glasses) when I reload.
BUT!!! I don't and won't use Federal primers, I don't care what kind of deal I get on them.
I am so glad I load to mostly magnum or maximum loads and use a tougher primer like Winchesters. I've always been afraid that Federals would pierce so I use Winchesters exclusively and they have never left me down.
(This isn't a plug for Winchester primers, it's my possibly misguided insecurities coming through)
I have had them get stuck and when I got them out of the primer system they were mutilated beyond use.
BUT THEY DIDN'T BLOW UP ON ME!
GET WELL SOON AND BE SAFE! I DON'T LIKE THIS AT ALL.
Blue68f100
Member
Blarby, I wish you a speedy recovery.
This issue been around since the 70's, when I was looking at a progressive and passed, went SS. I was at a gun store where a customer came in bandaged up, and a damage press. This is one area of reloading that presents the most danger. Dillon could redesign the primer system if they wanted too, but fail not to. The 650 has a bad history on setting them off too. Federal primers are listed as a NO NO for a lot of equipment due to there sensitivity. I never liked the bulk packaging of them, this shows why it's required to survive a drop test during shipping.
Even hand priming can cause a detonation if one gets turned/cocked.
Just reminds us as how dangerous reloading can be.
Thanks for sharing, and glad you did not get hurt any more than you did.
This issue been around since the 70's, when I was looking at a progressive and passed, went SS. I was at a gun store where a customer came in bandaged up, and a damage press. This is one area of reloading that presents the most danger. Dillon could redesign the primer system if they wanted too, but fail not to. The 650 has a bad history on setting them off too. Federal primers are listed as a NO NO for a lot of equipment due to there sensitivity. I never liked the bulk packaging of them, this shows why it's required to survive a drop test during shipping.
Even hand priming can cause a detonation if one gets turned/cocked.
Just reminds us as how dangerous reloading can be.
Thanks for sharing, and glad you did not get hurt any more than you did.
Blarby thanks for,sharing. I for one am using this as a lesson. I am headed to my lgs for some safety glasses. I am new to reloading (2 years in). I just purchased my first dillon after cutting my teeth on single stage. I have made mistakes but none this costly. I admire you for coming forward and I for one am thankful you weren't injured worse. We should all take inventory on our safety practices. Thank you. Heal up soon.
silicosys4
Member
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- Jun 29, 2012
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- 3,677
Wow. I'm glad to hear that you are healing up fine, nothing permanent. I'm also glad you posted this.
No roasting here, that could easily be me. I popped a primer the first few days of having a progressive because of the LnL's finicky primer system and my own ignorance. I used to approach primers with a bit of a casual attitude, but seeing this and a few other threads changed that.
I'm even considering picking up some safety glasses to wear over my prescription eyeglasses during reloading.
Think I'll do that this evening.
No roasting here, that could easily be me. I popped a primer the first few days of having a progressive because of the LnL's finicky primer system and my own ignorance. I used to approach primers with a bit of a casual attitude, but seeing this and a few other threads changed that.
I'm even considering picking up some safety glasses to wear over my prescription eyeglasses during reloading.
Think I'll do that this evening.
jmorris
Member
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- Sep 30, 2005
- Messages
- 24,208
Glad it was not worse.
No roast from me I have done more not smart than I care to remember.
I will note, yes hind sight is 20/20, Dillon will send you a new tube and oraface tip for free if you give them a call and tell them you have a primer stuck it the tube. They generally send several tips at a time.
As you now know, it's not worth the risk of a kaboom.
No roast from me I have done more not smart than I care to remember.
I will note, yes hind sight is 20/20, Dillon will send you a new tube and oraface tip for free if you give them a call and tell them you have a primer stuck it the tube. They generally send several tips at a time.
As you now know, it's not worth the risk of a kaboom.
SwaneeSR
Member
Blarby
Thank you for sharing. I sure needed a reminder about the dangers of handling primers and the need to wear my silly bi-focal 3M safety glasses.
Primers = mini bombs.
Thank you for sharing. I sure needed a reminder about the dangers of handling primers and the need to wear my silly bi-focal 3M safety glasses.
Primers = mini bombs.
cat_IT_guy
Member
Thanks for sharing that. And glad thats the worst you got - inconvenient and painful I bet, but seems like you'll be no worse for the wear. Always a good reminder the amount of potential energy that is stored is such a small space as a primer or cartridge.
hamp sandwich
Member
No roast from me! I just happened to read about this sort of thing in the Dillon manual. I didn't imagine it like that though. I'm glad it wasn't worse.
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