First time at the range with my reloads

[mscampbell2734]

Good to see someone coming into the activity of reloading.

One thing I'll add about the squid.

I had 3 in 200 rounds when I first started and talked to some people. I found the single worst piece of advice for large volume PISTOL reloaders is to fill half the block with empty cases, charge them and move them to the other half of the block. If you use this technique you end up with BOTH empty and charged cases in the block at the same time.

While I"m sure this technique works well for people who are going to load exactly 20 rifle cases for deer season it's a total failure for pistol loaders.

I save my brass until I have at least 1,000 cases. I clean, size and prime, switch dies, I was loading for years on a single stage press, etc. This way I do everything in batches of 1000 and never have charged and uncharged cases on the bench at the same time.

 

[Jwjarrett]

Thanks 7

I've taught a lot of folks to handload, from zero to full bore. Some in person, most via e-mail and txt. I've enjoyed bringing others in to this hobby and I love giving back to a community that has given me so much. When I started handloading, the internet wasn't yet a reality at home in any form. I started with a Speer#11 and my local gun store was, frankly, obnoxious and unhelpful. I had no mentor, I had only the manual. I was 16 years old.

So the gun forums opened a huge new world to me when it came to learning and sharing about handloading.

I say all of THAT^^^ in hopes of telling you honestly where I come from and my motivation for what I'll say next. I'm a helpful person, it is NOT my goal to be condescending, mean or hurtful. I'm here to help, even if it doesn't sound like it.

No, no, and No.

Your first EVER time out and not only did you make a squib, but you feel satisfied with the experience.

I'd set the bar a lot higher than that. I think it would help you to set some tangible checks and balances in place to prevent failures like a squib and/or potentially catastrophic failures (such as another squib with different results or double charged rounds or worse)

I can definitely help with these checks and balances, I'm more than happy to give very specific suggestions on how and what to change, and how they work and how they can benefit you. I'm not here to condemn you, but your first ever box of ammo to the range and it was a failure on a realistic scale. Calling it otherwise could be deemed optimistic, but that surely isn't helpful. You are very lucky that a gun didn't get wrecked... or worse.

7, I take no offense to your critique. I shouldn't appear so nonchalant about it. I'm experienced enough to pay attention to every pull of the trigger and recognize what happens if another round is fired. The same with lite pin strikes - I call them "Click, no boom" I've had a could of those on factory ammo recently.

Today I thoroughly went over all my reloads by brand of brass, load and bullet to ensure the weight eliminated the possibility of a double or a squib. I pulled bullets on several. No other problems found.

Yes, going forward, I would love to know your checks and balances.

Interesting to me is the fact that so much reloading equipment is backordered but so few new people are showing up on the forums. I know there are a lot of new freeloaders out there.

 

[Nevada Ed]

Well I am old and use a single stage and don't get into a rush and check the power in all the cases in my 50 case holder, before I set the bullets.

1968 to today..........
no squibs yet but I did have a few X-Lite target loads in 38 and 9mm that I am glad that made it out the end of the barrel.

In my new testings with the 38 special and the 130 HST Federal bullet I am still wondering how that bullet cleared the J frame M49 1 7/8" barrel doing just.....
546 fps !!

Stay safe.

 

[SMSgt]

Squib on your first loads, eh? Guess you had to get that out of your system right away. You'll get it all figured out soon enough. Routine, routine, routine!

I started reloading in 1975, and since then had only a couple of dud primers--until last year. Worked up some loads for an AR wildcat I have and left the powder out of 5 rounds. Missed the whole row somehow. The surprising thing is I never heard the slightest primer pop and the bullets didn't budge a bit on any of the 5 rounds. Other than dented primers, they looked perfectly normal. I thought dud primers until I pulled the bullets and no powder came out!

 

[BRL40]

Same here. Single stage. Don’t see that changing.

I used to drop powder for 50 cases and line them up in loading block, then inspect with flashlight, but one time as I was nearly done with a 50 round batch my hand bumped something and I spilled the case into the open cases. Had to start all over again. So now I drop powder and seat bullet immediately. Also means if I get called away after say 22 rounds I can just walk away and get back to it later.

I can see that happening, and I'm very careful handling that loading block with 50 open powder charges sitting there!

I just like to inspect all 50 charges for comparison before seating the bullets.

 

[RobertJ.]

I eyeball every case that I load for the proper quantity of powder. I use loading blocks so I can see exactly the amount of powder in each case.

Same here. Just a word of advice- keep your mouth closed when peering into the cases if there's bacon frying somewhere in the house. Don't ask me how I know.

 

[BE Mike]

Some things can get by me even though I've reloaded for going on 50 years. Yesterday I loaded 1,000 rounds of .45 ACP. I counted and inspected each piece of range brass and thought I had recovered all the 9mm and .40 S&W, but somehow one .40 S&W got by me. Being stuck in the .45 ACP case, it showed up when I tried to load that case which had made it all the way from the hopper and feed tube of the case feeder on my Dillon 650. My point is, we are all human and can make mistakes.

 

[Jwjarrett]

Love my powder check die in my Dillon 650. When one loads a high volume it gives peace of mind to have that gadget double checking me. I always carry a range rod, just in case, for other people to be able to tap out a stuck bullet and not have to end their shooting session.

BE Mike, the Dillon powder check and I already don't get along. I can't hear the alarm in this video. That frequency is gone with my hard rock and mechanic ears. The narrator keeps saying something about the alarm and I can't hear a thing

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UafkPd06_F0"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UafkPd06_F0[/ame]

 

[glenwolde]

I know guys say it happens to everybody but unless I totally change my reloading method I will never have a squib or an over charge.

Said every guy that ever blew up a gun with an overcharge. That's dangerous thinking in my opinion. No process is foolproof without vigilance. Adding as many checks as practical reduces the odds of errors.

I know of a KABOOM with that same process. So it's "possible". The inspection in a loading block adds another level of safety in my thinking. If you somehow double charge one you have no chance to catch it seating the bullet immediately. The aforementioned KABOOM was a mystery as to how he could have double charged it, but it was obvious he did.

 

[BE Mike]

BE Mike, the Dillon powder check and I already don't get along. I can't hear the alarm in this video. That frequency is gone with my hard rock and mechanic ears. The narrator keeps saying something about the alarm and I can't hear a thing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UafkPd06_F0

I understand that RCBS has a lock out die that would work for people with your disability. [ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egs5GWG_Prc[/ame]