Share Some Reloading "Accidents"
I'm at work and bored. Last night I was decapping .45 cases and punctured my thumb, all the way to the die face. Hurts like a mother.
Want to hear some stories from you all on some harrowing experiences at the reloading bench...
Want to hear some stories from you all on some harrowing experiences at the reloading bench...
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At a weak moment...I let my younger brother load some 9mm's for his service Glock. Luckily I was with him at the gun club inside range the next day...as he was shooting away, a round made a 'poof' instead of a bang...I stopped him and checked his weapon, yep, a bullet was lodged about halfway down the barrel...he was amazed at how stuck it was, requiring a brass punch and hammer the remove it. I guess a picture is worth a thousand words, this one had a happy ending...I no longer let anyone near my loading bench... 0 -
99% of the time you will need a hammer. I have been able to ram my hex bolt with my hand maybe once to get it out...the rest have needed at least 3-4 hits with a hammer. 0 -
I had what I guess you could call an accident friday, I was pulling some 38spcl to use the bullets in my 9mm since in my wife's airweight, the 158's about jump out of my hands and leave a nice mark on my finger (eventhough they aren't even +P). I hit my block with the puller and the puller flies apart the cap goes 1 way, the chuck another, the bullet in another, and the case in yet another direction, and of course I get a face full of powder. Luckily, it all missed the lights, but could've been a PITA 0 -
I found some old spent 12ga. cases that had probably been stored too long in a not-so-dry environment...I loaded'em up, and while at the trap range I noticed they were loading in my pump chamber very tightly, I was having to ram the forearm forward with significant force to get the action to lock, (yes I had resized them)...well, about the 4th round on station #3, all I remember is my ears ringing and everyone running out of the trap house to see what had happened...yeah, that round had gone off with the Marlin 120 pump not locked in battery quite all the way...I know it shouldn't have gone off, but I also will never try to chamber tight shells again...Oh, luckily I was OK aside from the ringing and some scracthes on my arm from the splintered forearm...lesson learned 0 -
I put a pool 8 ball on my ram handle and one night let my grip loose and the ram took about 1/4 inch of my pointer finger off when it fell do to the weight of the ball. DO NOT MODIFY THE EQUIPMENT!!!!! 0 -
If you ever have a bullet stick in the barrel due to no powder, DO NOT POUND IT OUT!!!!!!!!! Take it to a gunsmith and let them drill it out, pounding it out causes metal fatique to the barrel and it will fail!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 0 -
LOL...it's funny you mention that. The big wood ball just fell off my Lee Turret yesterday. I was thinking of what I could put on there, but finally put some glue in it and stuck it back on. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by joker19
If you ever have a bullet stick in the barrel due to no powder, DO NOT POUND IT OUT!!!!!!!!! Take it to a gunsmith and let them drill it out, pounding it out causes metal fatique to the barrel and it will fail!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I never heard this before. Pounding it out with a couple light taps causes metal fatigue (keep in mind that we are talking about a lead bullet in a steel barrel), yet forcing it down the barrel at 1000+ fps doesn't??0 -
quote:Originally posted by gknaka2
quote:Originally posted by joker19
If you ever have a bullet stick in the barrel due to no powder, DO NOT POUND IT OUT!!!!!!!!! Take it to a gunsmith and let them drill it out, pounding it out causes metal fatique to the barrel and it will fail!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I never heard this before. Pounding it out with a couple light taps causes metal fatigue (keep in mind that we are talking about a lead bullet in a steel barrel), yet forcing it down the barrel at 1000+ fps doesn't??
+1 If a gunsmith ever put a drill bit into one of my barrels, He would find out about my back-up gun!!!0 -
Photos here http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=561992 and at link below also. Not mine> 
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Around 30 years ago ,I was loading some 38's with a compressed load .
My daughter (3 y/o)liked to watch me load .
I had 50 cases in the block ready to put the powder in ,when i got a phone call .
While I was on the phone ,she decided to help Daddy .[;)]
Sh was chewing some of the Chicklets mini gum pieces .
She put a piece in each case !
It sealed tight against the primer hole when I added the powder .
At the range (needless to say )I had problems .
When i got home and pulled them down ,I had a good laugh .[:D]0 -
quote:Originally posted by joker19
If you ever have a bullet stick in the barrel due to no powder, DO NOT POUND IT OUT!!!!!!!!! Take it to a gunsmith and let them drill it out, pounding it out causes metal fatique to the barrel and it will fail!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You can not cause metal fatigue by pounding a bullet out. Fatigue happens at above the glass temperature of materials. Could you cause damage to the rifling? Yes, maybe but not barrel fatigue.0 -
quote:Originally posted by shoff14
quote:Originally posted by joker19
If you ever have a bullet stick in the barrel due to no powder, DO NOT POUND IT OUT!!!!!!!!! Take it to a gunsmith and let them drill it out, pounding it out causes metal fatique to the barrel and it will fail!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You can not cause metal fatigue by pounding a bullet out. Fatigue happens at above the glass temperature of materials. Could you cause damage to the rifling? Yes, maybe but not barrel fatigue.
You don't want to pound it out, because as I stated above, it will get peened into the barrel.0 -
put this down in the Bad Days book...I had loaded some 30/40 Krag rounds. While at the range a round wouldn't go in all the way in the chamber, then I couldn't get it out...so, I just bumped the bolt handle lightly on the edge of the wooden shooting bench to try to pull the bolt back...pop, the bolt handle broke right off...and I really felt stupid, when all I had to do is stick a screwdriver between the bolt face and the reciever opening and easily pry it back...another lesson learned... 0 -
quote:Originally posted by trapguy2007
Around 30 years ago ,I was loading some 38's with a compressed load .
My daughter (3 y/o)liked to watch me load .
I had 50 cases in the block ready to put the powder in ,when i got a phone call .
While I was on the phone ,she decided to help Daddy .[;)]
Sh was chewing some of the Chicklets mini gum pieces .
She put a piece in each case !
It sealed tight against the primer hole when I added the powder .
At the range (needless to say )I had problems .
When i got home and pulled them down ,I had a good laugh .[:D]
I have heard reasons for not using a block, but this one takes the cake. [:D]0 -
quote:Originally posted by joker19
If you ever have a bullet stick in the barrel due to no powder, DO NOT POUND IT OUT!!!!!!!!! Take it to a gunsmith and let them drill it out, pounding it out causes metal fatique to the barrel and it will fail!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So how is this different than 'slugging' an barrel? Wood dowels and a hammer to dislodge the bullet. Drill in a barrel? I'm not a gunsmith but that just does not sound right.0 -
You guys are making me nervous to pick up reloading. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by utbrowningman
You guys are making me nervous to pick up reloading.
The benefits and fun far outweigh the risk...Honestly, as long as you use your head and wear proper safety equipment, serious accidents are very rare.
The only death I know of is the glass jar full of primers, but that was a very unfortunate lapse of reason. Glass jars or glass anything have no place in reloading.0 -
OK, here's mine. Have been reloading for years and have experienced most of the uh-ohs of the hobby. This one caused a short spike in my blood pressure. I hand prime all my rifle cases and every once in a while drop a couple, but then, who hasn't. Sometimes, they all can't be found and are forgotten about. OK, somtimes I get a little sloppy. I use an old barstool with wooden legs at the reloading bench. One evening I'm sitting on the stool reloading and go to pull the stool closer to the bench and POW. One of the misplaced primers had embedded itself into the bottom of one leg. Blew a quarter size hole of concrete from the floor. Anyone need a three and one-half legged barstool? 0 -
"3.5 leg stool"...LOL...give it a peg leg
I prime very close to my car. What would happen if I ran over a primer?0 -
I have an indoor-outdoor type rug on the floor of my workshop where I reload. I had a primer flip tray slip when I was putting the lid on and dropped a few. I found 99.9% of them. My wife found the rest when she vacuumed.
She wasn't happy.0 -
I have those textured gym mats that you put together like a puzzle. They work well to cushion falling primers, tools, etc, but act as a trampoline. If you don't watch the item fall, there is no way you will be able to find it under 5 minutes. 0 -
OK some of this reading is too funny (some is scary) For those of you that think that running a drill bit down a barrel is better than tapping it out. Well, all I can say is you need to bring your weapon to me. I'll take it in the back and while the drill press is whirring away, I'll gently tap out stuck bullet. Then I'll do a complete D.A.C.O and charge you fifty bucks.
If you have a smith that REALLY drills out stuck lead rounds you need to find a more professional craftsman.
I keep literally dozens of brass punches of different diameters and nose profiles for doing this.
Anyone that loads much should at least have a wooden dowel of appropriate diameter.0 -
quote:Originally posted by gknaka2
I'm at work and bored. Last night I was decapping .45 cases and punctured my thumb, all the way to the die face. Hurts like a mother.
Want to hear some stories from you all on some harrowing experiences at the reloading bench...
done that!!!!!!!!!!0 -
This one comes to mind from a long time ago. I was about 14 years old and went along with some older cousins who were plinking with a new .38...they stuck a half dollar on a tree between a couple small nails...I was standing about 10 feet behind the shooter and can still see that half dollar spinning end-over-end right past my head...missed me by about 2"...we found it embedded about 6" in the soft ground about 10' behind me...and yes, that was the last time I ever went along with them... 0 -
quote:Originally posted by perry shooter
I once bought 6 one hundred pound drums of 4831 surplus powder at $55.00 per 100 pounds. I transported it in my small car one drum in right-hand front bucket seat three drums just fit standing up side by side rear seat and two drums in trunk . I had over 100 mile trip and smoked a pipe at that time I gave up smoking for 3 hours. If I had not quit smoking for the trip most likely someone else would have written about this accident that was waiting to happen [:0][:0][:0][:0]
600 Lbs!?!?!?!
I think I'm now as about as jealous as I could be to have that much powder. Moving it 100 miles in a car. WOW! You know you couldn't explain that one away these days to anyone that pulled you over!0 -
I've been pretty lucky. I've had some cuts and skins from helping a case on its way up, but no lost chunks.
I think my biggest accident was grabbing 4831 instead of 4198 for 100 rounds of 22 hornets. Had to pull em all.0 -
Hello 1988 Z01 now if you really want a laugh . I bet you won't even come close to guessing the price. Not even any where near close scroll down THOSE were the GREAT days of reloading .
Would you believe $55.00 per 100 pound drum. THAT'S right 55? per pound [:0]0 -
quote:Originally posted by perry shooter
Would you believe $55.00 per 100 pound drum. THAT'S right 55? per pound [:0]
How long did it take u to go through all that? or did u give some away?0 -
I bought a bunch of one gallon new empty paint cans $1.00 each from a Sherwin Williams paint store. 8 pounds to a can and sold 500 pounds at gun show $20.00 a can . I would take 25 cans to each show and sell out in first hour Was a great way to get people to look at other stuff I had for sale.. I used to go to auctions when gun stores closed up and buy big lots of stuff . . I made good money then but of course that was over 30 years ago . Still better then the stock market . I still have bunches of Bullets but they are too heavy to pack and unpack for gun shows. I don't see how ammo and book dealers can do it . 0
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