The last time I loaded anything other than a handful of 9mm cartridges for immediate use was November 2016. Since then, I retired, moved to another state, rebuilt the loading bench I had as a teenager, unpacked everything and got set up again.
I figured I got a little rusty, so I resumed with the familiar .223 Remington. I use a single-stage press. It took a little time to get used to following the checklist and documenting the load as I went, but that had been well-practiced and came back pretty fast. I crimp if the bullet has a canellure. These did. I crimp as a separate operation. I only have one crimp die used for both .223 and 5.7mm Johnson, so it must be adjusted each time. I just assumed it was adjusted for .223 since I had not loaded 5.7mm in as long as I could remember. I had crushed twelve rounds before I realized what was happening.
I have used a checklist for reloading for more than 40 years, but I never thought to add "Check Adjustment of Crimp Die" as a step. It has now been added.
I'm back at the bench. A little embarrassed. A little humbler. But a little wiser - and hopefully safer.
I figured I got a little rusty, so I resumed with the familiar .223 Remington. I use a single-stage press. It took a little time to get used to following the checklist and documenting the load as I went, but that had been well-practiced and came back pretty fast. I crimp if the bullet has a canellure. These did. I crimp as a separate operation. I only have one crimp die used for both .223 and 5.7mm Johnson, so it must be adjusted each time. I just assumed it was adjusted for .223 since I had not loaded 5.7mm in as long as I could remember. I had crushed twelve rounds before I realized what was happening.
I have used a checklist for reloading for more than 40 years, but I never thought to add "Check Adjustment of Crimp Die" as a step. It has now been added.
I'm back at the bench. A little embarrassed. A little humbler. But a little wiser - and hopefully safer.
