Loaded with wrong powder by mistake

[khpe]

1. Help. I loaded a .38 148 gr HBWC with 2.5 gr N340 in stead of using 2.5 gr N320. Can I use this ammo.

2. What is the general rule regarding loading normal flat based WADCUTTER vs a hollow based WADCUTTER. -- Did I load the HBWC lighter, or is there the same load for those two.


Best regards.

 

[Frank237]

Does THAT load come up anywhere in their loading manual??

A good cure for this problem....keep a clean bench....and ONLY have the components OUT that you are currently USING. On my powder measures I keep a bit of tape and Sharpie what powder is in the measure on the tape. If theres a can of UNIQUE on the bench and the measure states UNIQUE. Then it's Unique.

NO way to make a mistake.

FN in MT

 

[Skip Sackett]

Don't use VV powders much!

I'll be honest. I don't use VV powders that much. I've heard they are wonderful powders but haven't been able to prove that in my tests. I have used N340 a little in 38spl. I've been told that it is one of the cleanest powders out there. My loads smoked and left soot like crazy. Granted, they were bottom end loads and may have cleaned up real well if taken up a little.

As to your question, how many thousand rounds have you loaded incorrectly? What firearm are you shooting them out of? Do you mind loosing one or more fingers?

The last question is kind of silly and may not be applicable to this situation but it may pertain if the powder types were the other way around. More fast burning powder in place of a comparable weight of slower powder can be catastrophic. Why risk it? It may not be you that you hurt. It may just be a grandson or daughter or wife or innocent bystander though.

I like what was said by Frank. Only have one powder on the bench at a time and make sure all containers on the bench have the same powder in them.

Hope this helps, when in doubt, pull them and start over.

 

[shovelwrench]

Not that I'm saying to trust data on this type of website, but there is a load on this page for 3.2g of 320. Poster states it is his bullseye load. If you trust the info, try yours, they oughta be REAL light, just be sure they're makin out of the barrel.

http://www.handloads.org/loaddata/d...&Weight=148&type=Handgun&Order=Powder&Source=

Powder maker says start @ 3.0g, so again, you might get one lodged in the barrel, but your not gonna pop your gun.

http://www.lapua.com/fileadmin/user_upload/Relodata/Handgun/.38Special.jpg

 

[canoe on the yukon]

This is not meant to sound flippant but never seat a bullet until you are 100% certain.99% sure is not good enough.

I remember a few years ago that I loaded 100 rounds of 44 magnum one night.I was dead tired and felt bad but I loaded the ammo anyway because I was planning on heading to the range in a few days.I broke the basic rule of having more than one powder on the bench at one time and the powders were two that look very similar.

The following day I had doubts enough that I pulled them all.In other words,I didn't even trust myself.

 

[Kevin G]

"On my powder measures I keep a bit of tape and Sharpie what powder is in the measure on the tape. If theres a can of UNIQUE on the bench and the measure states UNIQUE. Then it's Unique."

I take this a bit further, for each load I produce I've got a 2" wide masking tape label that states
CALIBER
POWDER TYPE, WEIGHT
BULLET, TYPE, WEIGHT

I use 4# powder jugs and keep labels not in use stuck on the respective jug. I put the appropriate label on the front of the powder hopper and it stays there until the hopper is MT'd or I change to another load at which point the labels get changed.
It's worked for me, Kevin

 

[Beans]

When in doubt, pull the bullet out

 

[kennyb]

does that load come up anywhere in their loading manual??

A good cure for this problem....keep a clean bench....and only have the components out that you are currently using. On my powder measures i keep a bit of tape and sharpie what powder is in the measure on the tape. If theres a can of unique on the bench and the measure states unique. Then it's unique.

No way to make a mistake.

Fn in mt

huge + 1

 

[khpe]

Thanks yor your replies

1. I will keep a clean working desk during my reloading
2. I will go into my reloading routines
3. I will pull the bullets out. (I loaded 40 bullets for my S&W m-66, 4")

I also learned that hurry is a bad thing when it comes to reloading ammo.


Thanks.

 

[HAWKEYE10]

Sorry but I say pull the bullets. You may have heard
of Dave Ramsey A financial counselor on radio. He says
when you make a mistake it is [STUPID TAX] Don

 

[n4zov]

Back when I was about 16 and had just learned to reload, a friend and I were reloading some .220 Swift rounds using his Dad's equipment and supplies. We carelessly loaded the wrong powder in the Swift cases and quickly found out that IMR 4320 and 4350 are NOT interchangeable just because the "numbers are close!" Anybody want to guess how hard it was to open the bolt on that old Mauser '98?

The moral of this story is to never load the wrong powder or the wrong amount. Ever.

 

[Alk8944]

1. Help. I loaded a .38 148 gr HBWC with 2.5 gr N340 in stead of using 2.5 gr N320. Can I use this ammo.

2. What is the general rule regarding loading normal flat based WADCUTTER vs a hollow based WADCUTTER. -- Did I load the HBWC lighter, or is there the same load for those two.


Best regards.

khpe,

Hope you see this after all the other "Good Practice" and how to suggestions, not to mention the doom & gloom!

Bottom line is N340 is two steps slower than N320. The same would apply to Unique/Blue Dot, or HP 38/HS-6. The same charge weight of a slower burning propellant will produce lower pressure and velocity. There are no exceptions to this! If you have a chronograph shoot a few and if they give a reasonable velocity, say 650 FPS or greater then just shoot them, nothing bad is going to happen.

If you get less than 625-650 then breaking them down would probably be a good idea as there is too good a chance of having a squib that sticks a bullet in the barrel.

So far as the difference between hollow base vs. flat base wadcutters. The flat/solid base bullets can be loaded just like any other bullet. The hollow base should be used for so-called mid-range loads, under 800 FPS. The standard mid-range load is nominally 770 FPS. The reason for this is the thin hollow base bullet can expand in the barrel throat and actually can damage the revolver. This can even go so far as blowing the front portion off the bullet leaving the hollow skirt stuck in the bore like a squib just waiting for the next round to bulge/ring your barrel. If you are going to shoot anything heavier than moderate target loads then use the flat base bullet.

 

[DougE]

Data I have in front of me shows n320@ 2.9 to 3.2 gr and n340@ 3.5 to 3.9 gr. for a 148 gr. wc. n340@ 2.5 gr. seems way light and may likely cause you problems. I would not shoot them, but that's just me. It can't be said enough ............. careful attention to detail is a must when reloading. One powder on the bench at a time ( double and triple check to make sure it is the right one too).