reloading thumb

paper killer · #1 10-27-2009, 09:00 PM

My brother-in-law got me into guns, reloading and trouble with my wife. He helped me with gun selection, tips on hitting the target and got me started reloading, but he didn't mention how bad it hurts when you get your thumb in the press. I know I can't be the only rocket scientist out there so fess up has anyone else got there thumb in the press?

Treeman · #2 10-27-2009, 09:20 PM

I've never heard of such a thing. How on earth did you do that?

durco · #3 10-27-2009, 09:32 PM

Not me.
However, now that you've made it sound so appealing, I'm sure I'll soon do it.
Mike

Smithhound · #4 10-27-2009, 11:19 PM

I got my middle finger once, had my hand around the seating die (luckily not deprimer!) and press and bent over to pick a dropped bullet, hit the handle with my shoulder and, well you know the rest.
Sure is a good machine to make blood squirt out.
RD

ecam8000 · #5 10-28-2009, 09:07 AM

I load on a single stage. On some of my varmit loads I have made small holes in my fingers with those plastic tipped bullets. I thought that after the first one I would have learned my lesson..... You are never too old to learn.

Nygma · #6 10-28-2009, 11:01 AM

Guilty. I have a couple of smiley shaped scars on the right side of my left thumb.

Andy Griffith · #7 10-28-2009, 11:38 AM

Yes, I was "bitten" once when I got in too big a hurry on my Hornady progressive. It smarted!

Marksman · #8 10-28-2009, 12:02 PM

I've never caught my finger in the press, however I had a buddy who bent over his press while the handle was in the down position. I don't know what he leaned on but the handle rocketed to the up position, rapping him rather smartly right where it hurt the very most. It was a lesson he NEVER forgot, it still makes me cringe describing it.

Fred in Alabama · #9 10-28-2009, 12:36 PM

I have a very old Lyman turrent press I use for decapping brass prior to cleaning, trimming and sizing. I have "gotten into the flow" several times and failed to get my fingers out of the way in time. Ouch!

Step N. Mud · #10 10-28-2009, 12:51 PM

It's been quite awhile, but when flairing some cases on a single stage press and picking up rhythm speed, I did succeed in leaving the thumb on the case a tad to long on the upstroke. Not in as big a hurry these days.

Marksman · #11 10-28-2009, 12:55 PM

Like the press lever uppercut to the "jewels", I'm sure the half moon sheared out of one's finger leaves a long lasting impression.

paper killer · #12 10-28-2009, 05:49 PM

I'm glad to see I'm not the only rocket scientist

!!!!

Vulcan Bob · #13 10-28-2009, 06:42 PM

I havent managed this one quite yet but I have suffered the dreaded M 1 thumb!

Engineer1911 · #14 10-29-2009, 06:15 AM

Hand writing was becoming a real challenge. I couldn't even read my printing and didn't know what was going on. At night both wrists had a slight tingle that would wake me up in the moning.

I was reloading 44 mags on my upgraded Dillon 450. The handle has to be moved with some force when seating bullets in tight cases and doing a strong roll crimp. The left thumb is resting on the shell plate between powder dispense and bullet seating and I didn't know, see, or feel it there.

Right hand pulls the handle firmly. My wife heard the scream from the garage inside the house. She became concerned. She heard the profanity and didn't want to know. I went to the doctor and found out just how bad the carpal tunnel problem was. Don't ever do elective surgery requiring a cast in July or August.

500 Magnum Nut · #15 10-29-2009, 06:20 AM

Never caught my thumb in a press, but I caught it in a M1. Should have listened to dad...

chriske · #16 11-19-2009, 10:14 AM

I do some pretty clumsy/stupid things every once in a while, but I've never had any fingers caught in my reloading press yet.

Read on another forum of a guy piercing his thumbnail with a decapping pin, once. That must 've smarted.

Jellybean · #17 11-19-2009, 11:47 AM

The only injury I can recall is when I was casting bullets at work and forgot my gloves. There is still a small scar where the lead splattered on my hand.

paper killer · #18 11-19-2009, 10:04 PM

I wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed growing up , and physics wasn't my forte'. I'm not sure how my thumb got in the press, but I quickly grasped the physics behind mechanical advantage. My hind end was water tight. Believe it or not it didn't even break the skin, but the pain was incredible. I've been told if you do it right the first time you might be lucky. Get your thumb in the press that's a lesson not soon forgotten.

Hyperion · #19 11-20-2009, 01:04 AM

Yep, pinched my left thumb in my Dillon 650. I don't know how I did it then, and I've never done it since. It did get my attention though...

Beemer-mark · #20 11-20-2009, 10:21 PM

I manage to do it once in awhile. 45 acp, very short, single stage press. Get in a hurry, loading a bunch and you get in a rhythm where your letting go of the case while pushing down on the ram. That's when the left hand moves slower than the right hand.

And yes it hurts like heck.

brick · #21 11-20-2009, 11:22 PM

Took a piece out of my finger sizing and depriming 44 special cases once. Won't do it again.

BUFF · #22 11-20-2009, 11:38 PM

Resizing and decapping (.30 Herrett, I think) with the TV on. Upstroke of ram, left thumb in the way. Like has been mentioned, compound leverage! Caught between the case mouth and the bottom of the die, the decapping pin ran right through my thumbnail. Missed the bone and poked out through the other side!

It hurt!

So, natural reaction was to jerk the hand away from the press. Hadn't really realized yet what had happened and hadn't lowered ram, so the case mouth and decapping pin still had the thumb trapped.

It hurt more!

Mortech · #23 11-25-2009, 07:03 PM

Yes my first time reloading a couple weeks ago ! Doing exactly the same way Step did ........I consider it a semi-touch of honor like old Garand thumb