"I'll never reload cuz I've seen to many guns blow up"

[10 Spot Terminator]

The only cartridge malfunctions that have crossed my path and in one case required the repair of a rifle came at the hands of factory loaded ammunition . In both cases the ammo manufactures took full responsibility and either replaced the ammo with a little extra thrown in for good measure and/or repaired the firearm to as new condition . I have been reloading for appx 15 years in search of better performing ammunition and tend to be a tad retentive in my reloading process. You get out of it what you put into it. If you tend to be a bit lax you run the risk of having an incident not to be confused with an accident.

 

[xsquidgator]

What everyone else here has said.

But, if your friend is game, I have a suggestion for how to give reloading a try. Have your friend make some 38 Special reloads, and shoot them in a 357 magnum. I haven't tried double charging a 38 special as a science experiment, nor will I. But I suspect that even if you screwed up badly somehow in charging the cases, a strongly built 357 would have extra strength built in and could mitigate the effects of an overcharge.

This was my thinking when I started reloading. I started by reading 2 or 3 reloading manuals. In fact your library probably has at least one so you or your friend could read up on it at no cost. I carefully made 6 38 special rounds, put them in my 357, and had at it. I was so nervous about blowing up my gun and my face that I was almost ducking down behind the gun.

Let me tell you, you won't often get a feeling of satisfaction like you will after doing this, and the gun shoots, and doesn't blow up after all. Wow, follow the instructions in the manual and with your equipment, and it DOES really work! My 38 special reloads shot just fine, if anything they were pretty weak, but that got me hooked. I then started working up to higher charges per the reloading manual, then started reloading 357 magnum, then 9mm, then... a couple of years later now I cast my own bullets, shoot nothing but my own reloads, and I don't know if I saved money but I'm so glad to have discovered a very satisfying hobby in its own right. And it has made me a much better shooter.

Have your friend read the manuals, and then if he's game buy a kit to set him up to load 38 special. That's one of the easiest to load for, they're very forgiving especially if you shoot them in a 357, and there are some real savings to be realized by shooting reloads over buying even 38 special.

 

[rockhound758]

When I first started reloading about 20 years ago, I accidentally forgot to charge a few rounds of .45. "Pop! at the range...hmmm...that didn't sound right."

So I told one of the range masters, who then tapped the bullet out of the barrel while giving me the old "you a college boy ain't you?" kind of look. Pretty embarrassing. But it turned out I only did that to 2 or 3 cases, early on, and I learned an important lesson. You probably can't be TOO attentive to safety, either on your loading bench or on the range. Like the other guys here have said, just do it by the numbers, be smart, and have fun.

 

[joneb]

"I'll never reload cuz I've seen to many guns blow up"

Some folks should not reload, I know people that can't use a screw driver and for them to try to reload would be dangerous. I Know people that are Politicians and they can be much more dangerous than the dumbest reloader.

 

[ants]

"I'll never reload cuz I've seen to many guns blow up"

Just exactly how many guns has he seen blow up?

 

[XD-40 Shooter]

I've reloaded on the order of 7500 40 S&W cartridges, no problems and no catastrophies. I always 1) focus on what I'm doing, 2) double check the recipe for a given load, 3) set the scale for the minimum charge, 4) double check the scale and its zero, 5) visually check powder level on all cases before seating the bullet, and 6) label the box right away upon completion. I also use bulky powders such as Unique, where a double charge is virtually impossible.

 

[Varminthound]

Maybe I'm lucky but the worst "accident" I ever saw with reloaded ammunition was two consequetive missfires in a competitive match. Bad primers.

On the other hand I had a box of Winchester factory 30'06 ammo and not one of the 20 rounds fit in the chamber of my Model 70 Classic, while everything else will.

 

[qajaq59]

"I'll never reload cuz I've seen to many guns blow up"

This is just plain silly.

With all the people we have in this forum I'd bet there aren't even 10 that have ever seen a gun actually blow up. There is a lot of that, "Oh, I heard about such and such". But how many have really seen it happen? I've been shooting for roughly 60 years and I've never seen one. Of course maybe I only shoot around people that can read and follow instructions.

 

[Incrediblerod]

I'll Admit It

I used to be against reloads.
It all changed while on vacation visiting my father-in-law.
He had a lot of reloads for my wife and me. I told him my concerns about reloads and the horror stories I have heard. He asked me if I really thought that he would have his daughter shoot anything that would hurt her.
He walked me through the process and taught me to reload.
The only factory ammo I buy now is 22lr.

 

[jhansman]

I've not blown up a gun (yet?), but I did squib a .30-30 by not paying attention to the bullet/powder combo I was using. Total rookie mistake, and one I have not made (nor ever will make) again. Reloading is a learning process, and I'll wager too many of us charge into it with just enough information to be dangerous.

 

[rfwobbly]

How much damage can you do to a gun by reloading and how hard is it to screw up?

You'll shoot your eye out!



Honestly, if you can read well enough to follow a cake recipe, eat the cake, and survive that experience.... then you can survive reloading. On the other hand, if Betty Crocker has killed your spouse and 2 siblings, then you had better just let Georgia Arms do all your reloading.

 

[GaryL]

I have a background in manufacturing and know every factory, no matter what they do, screws up from time to time.

I was installing some automated inspection equipment in a factory (nothing to do with ammo) and had a post processed part come through the inspection area 3 seperate times. This was a mid-process inspection to verify the components right before assembly. The first time I mentioned it to the manufacturing engineer, he called me a liar. The second time I stopped the inspection (to save the image) and dragged him over to show it to him, and he told me that was impossible and it would never happen again. The third time he decided to get to work on fixing his robot code. All in the span of an hour. No more blaming those mysterious defects on an upstream process.

Anyway, plenty of ammo is made on WWII era machinery, and suffers from some of the same issues that affect handloaders. One difference is that the eyeballs doing quality control inspection at home are the same ones that may suffer from a lapse of attention, so there is some additional incentive to get it right.

 

[Clark]

Guns are harder to blow up than they calculate to be.

If you take the tensile strength of the brass, do a hoop stress analysis and calculate a failure pressure, and do the same for a thin chamber wall, and add those together. Then handload for that pressure. The gun will most likely not blow up.

Calculate the yield force for the breech face, calculate the pressure needed for that force on the inside diameter of the case, load ammo for that pressure, and you will find the gun will most likely not change head space.

I have tried this with many guns.

One possible reason for this:
The dynamic yield strength of metal is higher than static yield strength.

Don't get me wrong, there is a failure load for guns with thin chamber walls. There are loads that change headspace. They just not where I thought they should be.

 

[everallm]

As with anything involving firearms, follow the 7P principle

Proper
Prior
Preparation
Prevents
Piss
Poor
Performance

 

[Hawk]

What are the top 5 things on the "don't do" list?

Number 6: Don't use your wife's favorite vacuum to clean up loose primers from the floor.

 

[Papa smurf]

Never reload?????

Hay wacki
Your family frend may not want to learn to drive , I have seen to many auto accidents where people have killed or seriously imjured.---Papa Smurf

 

[moosehunt]

I may not get full agreement here, but I suggest (and have many times before) that a new loader begin with a single stage press and not a progressive, be it for rifle, pistol, or shotgun. Then, after they get well accomplished, they may wish to advance to a progressive. Waste of money? I don't think so. I still find many occasions to use my single stage presses, so I don't feel that the investment is wasted--and in most cases, one uses the same dies anyway.

 

[edSky]

I have been very happy with my single stage press. I guess I'm a little anal, but it gives me many opportunities to check cases, powder loads, etc. I QA the rounds like crazy, and the single stage approach makes it easy.

 

[38 Super Auto]

With all the people we have in this forum I'd bet there aren't even 10 that have ever seen a gun actually blow up. There is a lot of that, "Oh, I heard about such and such". But how many have really seen it happen?

I have never seen a gun blown up in person, I have been to the range a lot in the last 25 years and have discharged pretty near 100,000 reloaded rounds. I have had a few misfires, but none were damaging to me or my hardware, because I had my thinking cap on when they happened.

I did see an interesting torture test on G&A TV where they loaded 45 or 50 grains of Bullseye into a .308 WIN case. You probably know what happened. They pulled the trigger remotely with a piece of string and the chamber blew up from an "over pressurization event".

 

[Grump]

Your friend needs different friends.

Ask him to show you the pieces of all these blown-up guns.

 

[ranger335v]

"ranger335v Didn't you mean to say this???? "all those of us who blow up guns are brain surgeons with advanced degees in mechanical engineering"

Shoney, that did get a chuckle. And you may be more right than I. I mean, the over-confident arrogance of some folks is as dangerous as the oblivious ignorance of others!

Maybe most us fall between the totally brain dead and those who are so smart they think they know it all? In some near 50 years of reloading I've never seen a KABOOM, nor have I even heard of any I could believe.

 

[Claymore1500]

For those who have never seen a blown up gun.



I know, Just another picture, This was my father's .38spl. derringer.

This was entirely his fault, but it did not envolve reloading, what it did envolve was a drill bit and a .357mag round.

I told him that this was quite possibly THE stupidest thing he has ever done, (before he shot it), but he did it anyway, don't get me wrong, he was NOT gun stupid, he grew up owning guns and knew better, but just wanted to see what would happen, He wasn't hurt, in fact he tried to shoot the second barrel but it just went click (Gee, I wonder why?)

Just a note: he would probably kick my backside if he were alive and found out I posted this.

 

[saskboy]

Im fairly new to reloading and I cant imagine how somebody would dump a double charge in a case. I only do rifle so maybe in handgun brass there is room for a double shot. Reloading isnt rocket science, I know very simple and stupid people who have reloaded for years and years without an accident. As long as you have a reloading manual and study it your safe in my opinion.

 

[distra]

Im fairly new to reloading and I cant imagine how somebody would dump a double charge in a case.

Easier to do with a progressive press if you have a problem with one station that you are working on you much remove the case from the charging station and then weigh the charge just to make sure. When I first started, I was setting up my 550 and trying to get everything "right" i.e. bullet depth, charge and crimp, and dropped a couple double charges. BUT I set the first 50rds a side and pulled them all to make sure I had not screwed up. Sure enough round #2 that I loaded had a double charge. Since then I have a proceedure for fixing issues. If I have to stop and fix an issue with the press, I unload the charge station and weigh that charge and next 5 five just to make sure everything is in good shape. You have to develop a system and not loose focus on what you are doing. I tend to only run a couple hundered rounds a session. Usually only takes 30-45 mins for 300rds. It's not too hard to focus for that long.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

In theory, reloading isn't hard at all. The trick seems to be able to follow directions, not push the limits, double check your work, and consistently do a multi-step procedure over and over again with absolute consistency and QC.

In practice, a lot of people manage to screw it up and some have bad things happen.