TEN Worst Reloading Mistakes — Do You Agree with This List?
Last fall, Shooting Times released an article entitled “Ten Most Common Reloading Mistakes”. Listed below are the Top Ten mistakes hand-loaders can make, at least according to Shooting Times. What do you think of this list — does it overlook some important items?
Top Ten Reloading Mistakes According to Shooting Times:
1. Cracked Cases — Reloaders need to inspect brass and cull cases with cracks.
2. Dented Cases — Dents or divets can be caused by excess case lube.
3. Excessive Powder Charge — Overcharges (even with the correct powder) can be very dangerous.
4. Primers Not Seated Deep Enough — “High” primers can cause functioning issues.
5. Crushed Primers — Some priming devices can deform primers when seating.
6. Excess Brass Length — Over time, cases stretch. Cases need to be trimmed and sized.
7. Bullets Seated Too Far Out — If the bullet is seated too long you may not even be able to chamber the round. Also, with hunting rounds, bullets should not engage the rifling.
8. Burrs on Case Mouths — Ragged edges on case mouths can actually shave bullet jackets.
9. Excess Crimp — This is a common problem with pistol rounds loaded on progressives. If case lengths are not uniform some cases will get too much crimp, others too little.
10. Inadequate Crimp — This can be an issue with magnum pistol cartridges in revolvers.
Do you agree with this list? We think some important things are missing, such as not adjusting full-length sizing dies properly. This can cause the shoulder to be pushed back too far (or not far enough). Another common mistake is using brass that is worn out, i.e. stretched in the case-head area from multiple cycles of hot loads. We also think the #1 error a reloader can make is using the wrong powder altogether. That can be a fatal mistake. See what happens when you load pistol powder in a rifle.
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Tags: Hand-loading, Powder, Reloading, Shooting Times, Sizing, Top Ten
Don’t forget excessive headspace clearance. Will cause the case neck to protrude forward against the throat and result in high pressures. A buddy of mine did this for a F-class match. Pierced primers and locked up firing pin. He had about .020″ headspace clearance when rechecking his reloads.
I am also surprised that incorrect powder isn’t on this list.
Joe:
If that rifle / ammo combination had that much “wiggle room” what sort of excess striker protrusion was there to set them off?
Cetntre-fire striker protrusions, (large rifle primer), usually run in the .040″ range, give or take a thou. Much more protrusion in a properly headspaced rifle and you run the risk of puncturing the primers, thus causing gas-cutting damage to the striker tip and the bolt-face.
Number one absolutely has to be not paying very close attention to what you’re doing. Everything from getting powders confused to failing to use the right dies is a consequence. It’s pretty critical to ensure that you don’t try to save time by doing more than one thing at a time.
The time you save by skipping steps will be spent in the ER.
IMHO one of the top reloading mistakes is not having a clear, defined, repeatable workflow that includes checkpoints for its crucial phases.
One I see a lot is switching components with out working up from the bottom again. Another question I ask , have you ever read the front section of your reloading manual and the answer is usually NO .
A case with no powder – seriously scary stuff! The primer theoretically has enough pressure to lodge the bullet beyond the throat (or so I read). Very unpleasant consequences if in the heat of it all at the range or in the field you don’t recognize what happened and fire another round.
I’m not to proud to admit when I started reloading I didn’t realize only one spot on my hornady progressive press was capable of depriming the case. Yes I bent the pin. Rcbs sent me a bag of pins free of charge and feel free to call with any questions.
Also: Loose primer pockets that are reloaded anyway. No savings here.
Disregarding incipient head separation signs and reloading the case one more time, a sophisticated version of Russian roulette.
Thinking that a correct max load for a Sierra 168 grs will be safe with any 168 grainer from any brand.
11. Not using enough lube on the case before running it through a sizing die resulting in a stuck case. This is my most common mistake even after 50 years experience reloading.
Respectfully submitted,
Mousegunner
I know of more than on rifle that was blown up because of loading the wrong powder. Only have one container of powder on your bench at a time, and take the time to take a good look at its label. When throwing charges you need to look at the thrown charge to see that it comes to the same level as the others. In some cases bridging inside of the measure can cause a short charge followed by an overcharge. When loading for a situation where a problem chambering a round could be expensive or dangerous, take the time to pull your striker assembly and function test all of your ammunition in your rifle, to make sure that it chambers smoothly.
I once shot during a club challenge match when the rain belted down.
It was the first time I have ever loaded wet cartridges in my rifle. So many of the primer pockets were too big afterwards when I tried to re-load. That was a big surprise.
All good points. My advice would be like others have pointed out. Pay attn. Keep bench clean except only one box of bullets and one open container of powder at one time. I was handloading for my pre 64 win 70 once and was in a hurry, i had been working with max loads of h 4831 and was using both the sierra match 150 grn hpbt and 168 grn hpbt. At a glance both bullets look the same except the oal. It was about dark and i loaded 5 brass with what i thought was the 150 grn. I grabbed the 168 by mistake. I stepped out to the bench and quickly reliazed my mistake. Long story short i blew the primer out, the head seperated, gas shot in my eye along with brass shavings. I finally got the bolt open three days later with a large rubber mallet. This is one very strong action, ill attest to that. After testing headspace and really checking things properly i shot the gun. This featherweight would actually shoot the first three bullets inside a 5/8″ size group very consistintly. Not after the accident it shot about 2″ . Never could figure this one out but am much more careful after this . It could have been disterous. Thanks to the good guy above no one was hurt. I keep that piece of brass in the middle of my bench at all times ( as a reminder) .RLP