NO interruptions when loading! (Reminder)

[grislyatoms]

Tried to sneak in loading a few rounds the other night with my daughter at home. She was engaged with the television, I thought I could bang out 100 rounds before she came looking for me. My daughter came in and said "What are you doing Dad?"

"Loading some ammo."

"Can I help?"

"Sorry, sweetie, I have to pay really close attention to what I am doing."

I just happened to be dropping powder; I throw every 10th charge onto the scale to make sure it's where it needs to be. I just happened to be at that stage when my daughter interrupted me.

Where's the charge I put on the scale? Uh-Oh.

Looked over the already charged cases. Double Uh-Oh and an Oh $^!%.

Double charged case. Scale confirmed it.

I dumped ALL the cases and closed everything down for the night.

I usually will let my daughter help me if I am sizing / decapping. Any other step and NO INTERRUPTIONS! Phone off, tv off, kiddo out of the house.

Jeez I came *this* close to a kaboom. I realize I am preaching to the choir, but this deal has really shaken me up.

 

[el44vaquero]

I think most of us that have been reloading for a while run a risk of this. We get too familiar with things. I remember when I first started I was so worried I would screw up that I checked everything twice. It would take me forever to do 50rds. Becareful and keep your head in the game.

 

[bakert]

I know your feelings very well. I won't even consider reloading if anyone around like grandkids, even my grown kids. My wife usually keeps every thing pretty quiet when I'm charging cases and seating bullets. She should because she shoots with me at times using the same ammo.
Did I do this?? Or did I check that ?? I did weigh that charge to verify?? And any other thing I just might have done wrong?
I may be called an overly cautious old fart but I won't even consider using ammo I have any doubts about at all!!

 

[Third_Rail]

The charges I use in the caliber I most often reload (303 British) can't be overloaded; the powder is too dang bulky to do anything but almost fill the case, and filling the case entirely and compressing the powder with a bullet doesn't produce enough pressure to cause unsafe conditions in my particular firearm.

If I were to use a different powder, whole different story, I'd imagine.

 

[NailGun]

Yuppers! One needs to pay strict attention when powder charging. I once got distracted and agitated by something my son said, while I was setting my scale. Inadvertently picked up the wrong load sheet for the lot I was loading, and Unique-ly charged 80 cases with 0.4 gr. over the published max load :banghead: I had checked each case with a flashlight to ensure no double charges, seated all the bullets, and applied a firm crimp. It wasn't until my last check - logging the lot data into my database - that I discovered my error. One needs to have a check system, and stick to it. ....With head hung low, I pulled down the rounds, and called it a day. Guess it could have been worse. Told my kid (age 25) that next time he came in and bothered me while reloading, I would shrink wrap and duct tape him.

 

[dfaugh]

Yup, same rules as apply to power tools. Absolute concentation is a must have. I lost concentration while working with my table saw, hust got careless after many years of working with power tools...I now have to use my middle finger to pull a trigger...The index finger is quite a bit shorter than it used to be (and the remaining 3 don't work quite so well either).

 

[caz223]

Well, you don't make those kinds of mistakes more than once or twice, at least if you want to go on playing the piano.

 

[AirForceShooter]

your daughter offered to help!!
Dump every case and start over with her help.
Never, ever miss a chance to spend time with your kids.
I'll leave it there.

AFS

 

[grislyatoms]

AFS-

I do let her help. I let her help me sorting cases, decapping and sizing, flaring, etc.

Charging cases and seating bullets will now only be done when I am home alone.

I spend a lot of time with her; she's a damn good shot with a .22 and is learning her way around a fishing rod.

Wanna know what questions I get asked most?

"Can we go fishing/shooting/camping/4-wheeling?"

 

[grislyatoms]

Thanks for the all the responses, folks.

I have been thinking of making changes to my loading procedure to prevent this from happening again. Here's what I have come up with:

1. I will no longer drop powder unless I am alone / uninterrupted.
2. Charges on the scale will go back in the powder measure, not in a case.

I think that will fix it.

 

[MCgunner]

Except for rifle stuff, I use the Lee Auto Disk powder measure and powder through expander die. As expand, it dumps. I don't weight squat. At the end of the powder/expander step, I compare levels in the cases. The cases come out of the case holder upside down and go back in with the powder right side up, another check against double charges. Oh, yeah, I concentrate, but this helps a lot.

If I'm using my progressive, I don't weigh charges, either. When I'm loading rifles with an adjustable volume type powder measure, I'll weigh every fifth round just to make sure the measure hasn't gone off, it never does. It can't go off with the disk measure. I suppose it theoretically could on the progressive, but for one I don't load hot loads, just standard on that press and for two it's such a pain to change a powder charge on it, takes tools, I don't see how it's just going to go off anyway. In fact, in a couple thousand rounds, it never has. With the disk powder measure, in fact, I just know to throw in, say, a .57 bushing size with the 200 SWC/Bullseye load in .45ACP and I'm good to go. I've loaded so much with my favorite loads, I know the bushing size already by heart.

I will load with the TV or stereo making noise in the background. I find myself not listening to it, though, as I'm concentrating on what I'm doing, so I reckon it might as well not be going. For some weird reason, though, I can always concentrate better with something making noise. I was always like that in school, too. Little weird I guess, but a completely quiet house has never been normal in my life, youth or adult.

 

[benedict1]

I am using the New Lee Classic Turret Press with Safety Primer, Auto Disk Pro Powder Measure, 4 die set and the auto-indexing of the press is ON! I would not trust myself with any press that didn't auto-index--I am too easily distracted by phone, doorbell, honey-do-this or that, etc.

Once I am past the expanding/charging die it is very hard to double-up. I would have to go all the way round again and that wouldn't work 'cause now the bullet has been seated.

I have no experience with single stage loading, but if I ever do it, every case I pick up to charge will be dumped upside down before charging to make sure nothing is inside of it!

 

[jeepmor]

I've been reloading only about 6 months

Pistols only so far, 9mm, 45ACP and 10mm. All my loads, thus far, will over fill a case and spill over if I double fill them. I did a check just because I was concerned about it. It's a little peace of mind being this way, but moving to rifles may change things a bit and make a double charge actually loadable.

Yes, concentration is required and safety is paramount. I tore 100 rounds apart one time since, like a dork, I made a setup bullet with a primer in it, then dumped it into my loading block. That was a bummer.

jeepmor

 

[Dr. Dickie]

Thanks for the reminder grislyatoms (cute play on words). I have yet to have a double or a squibb, and it is only by constant reminders from others that I hope to keep it that way.

 

[Surat]

I don't reload alot. . . I get free practice ammo for my glock .40 at work but i do reload .38 and .357 for my wife. Gonna start laoding 8mm and 7.62x54 after Christmas. I load on a single stage Lee press. I use two tupperware containers to hold the brass as I work. I size and decap the batch I am going to load (usually a hundred since that's what primers come in), then flare, then prime (priming on the handheld tool). As I pick up a primed and flaired case, I dump a load of powder, pick up a bullet and seat it all at once. I measure the charge about every tenth round.

I cannot trust myself to load powder in a "batch". Just too daggone scary, especially since I use Bullseye (so cheap!) for the .38's/.357's.

Maybe it's a bit slower (but what the heck I am using a single stage) but I can be darn sure I am not double charging or loading a squid. Turns out pretty good ammo too as I tend to pay a bit more attention to consistancy I think.

I listen to the radio when reloading but NO TV and NO conversations. If I have to talk I STOP what I am doing until I can devote my attention to the reloading. I'd hate to have my wife's nickname be "Two Finger Tammy", not to mention what I might loose if I blew up her gun/hand.

 

[Khornet]

Kids and reloading

my boys love to help. But I have them do one step only, e.g. resizing or trimming or priming or charging etc. in a session. That way I can watch, and I don't do any powder work while they are doing some other step. Whatever it is, we're both doing it. It does make for good times together.

My youngest loaded up a batch of .338 Whisper this summer that turned out to be dead accurate, and chronographs with a standard deviation of 8 fps for a 1200 fps load. It was great to take him to the range and show him how well his handiwork performed.

 

[MCgunner]

Pistols only so far, 9mm, 45ACP and 10mm. All my loads, thus far, will over fill a case and spill over if I double fill them. I did a check just because I was concerned about it. It's a little peace of mind being this way, but moving to rifles may change things a bit and make a double charge actually loadable.

Yes, concentration is required and safety is paramount. I tore 100 rounds apart one time since, like a dork, I made a setup bullet with a primer in it, then dumped it into my loading block. That was a bummer.

jeepmor

Most rifle loads fill the case completely to the neck and some I use are compressed loads, meaning the bullet compresses the powder as you seat it. No way are you going to double charge such a round.

The ones you have to watch are the light loads like 2.7 grains bullseye in a .38 special with a 148 grain wadcutter. Bullseye is very dense and it don't take much to make a charge. You could quadruple charge such a load if you were sleep-loading.

Routine, you need a routine that gives checks. For me, it's taking each case out of the tray with the bottom side up showing the primer, placed there after the priming step, place in the press and expand/charge using the Lee auto disk and powder through expander die, then place right side up in the tray. You STILL should concentrate, but with this routine, it'd be hard to double charge a load. If in doubt, always dump the charge back in the hopper and do it again.

After you've charged all the cases, take the tray full of cases and inspect them under a good light to make sure all the levels in the cases look equal. Toss any that look like they have more or less and recharge them to make sure.

THINK SAFETY! Adjust your loading routine this way to provide safety checks in every step, especially the powder charging step.

 

[2400]

I do let her help. I let her help me sorting cases, decapping and sizing, flaring, etc.

Charging cases and seating bullets will now only be done when I am home alone.

I spend a lot of time with her; she's a damn good shot with a .22 and is learning her way around a fishing rod.

If she is old enough and responsible enough to sort, decap, size, flare AND is a good shot with a 22. Why can't she sit there with you and learn how to measure and weigh powder charges? You have the perfect opportunity to SHOW her why it's so important to pay attention.

 

[Rico567]

Attention to what you are doing is essential. Good practice, added to that, can virtually eliminate any possibility of error. For pistol reloading, I use a Dillon 650. Being a full progressive auto-indexing press, it's difficult to double charge, but where that possibility exists (in .45 ACP, with me) I also use the RCBS Lockout Die. The measure is set & double-checked initially to make sure the powder charge is correct, and then checked at intervals while loading.
For calibers like .30-06, .308, and .30-30, I use a Rock Chucker, and the same sort of single-stage procedure I adopted a long time ago. All cases are charged in one step. The measure is set and double-checked, then checked periodically as the cases are charged- an electronic scale makes this much easier. The charged cases are placed in loading blocks of 50, and each block is examined visually to ensure that the powder level appears the same in all cases.
So far, these things have worked for me.

 

[Seismic Sam]

I don't care what you guys say!!!

I am NOT going to take down all the pages from my Dillon calendars that are stuck up on the wall over my reloading bench!!!!

 

[newfalguy101]

I keep a pic of a blown up M29 over my bench as a reminder to be careful.

I use a single stage RCBS and visually inspect my charged cases before seating the bullets.

For "range ammo" or "Practical pistol" matches I weight every 5th powder charge, and for hunting ammo, I weigh EVERY charge ( course I only load 15-20 rounds anyway ).

I let my daughter help with seating bullets after I have everything set, prior to that, I do everything myself with the door closed unless its late and I am the only one awake ( or at least up and around )

Thus far I have never had a bad reload, no missed powder charges, no double charges, no missing primers, unless of course you count the half dozen or so primers that got seated upside down as goofs .

I have a reading light directly over my work area and I LOOK very carefull at ever case following each step, even when I am in a hurry.

Oh and I have the radio going in the background pretty much all the time.