Reloading anxiety

wavygolf · May 12, 2020

First time gun owner. Is this thread about loading your own cartridge? or loading the magazine? a bit confused

PowPow · May 12, 2020

wavygolf said:
First time gun owner. Is this thread about loading your own cartridge? or loading the magazine? a bit confused

Loading your own cartridge. Case + Primer + Powder + Projectile.

Muleskinner · May 12, 2020

KRC said:
"old Winchester 231 powder"

How old? Sometimes old powder gets far more powerful. (If the retardant degrades faster than the propellant chemical. I have 7# of old Tubal 3000 that blows primers HARD at minimum loads - good only for the firepit now.) I had to disassemble rounds loaded with this stuff and am thankful I started shooting the lower charges first. You might want to invest in a pound of fresh 231?

Old powder makes excellent fertilizer since it contains a lot of nitrogen.

mac1_131 · May 12, 2020

When you load fast powders that don't fill up the case, always take a second look under a light before you seat the bullet to look for accidental double charges.

It will be obvious when you see one twice as full as the others.

When you do high power rifle stuff those usually almost fill up the case so a double charge would be spilling over the top.

But good to check those little pistol rounds that use small amounts of powder.

Don't ask how I know...

jr355 · May 12, 2020

One reason to use slower powders is that a double charge usually nearly fills or overflows the case. Messy but effective.

Speedluvn · May 12, 2020

Bikebreath said:
I recall loading some light load .357 in the first month of my hobby. I had forgotten to zero out the scale. They were not light loads. No damage to my Ruger SP 101. It was extremely difficult to pull apart the mistakes and 150 rounds went in the oil bin.

My very first firearm is a SP101 with a 2 1/2 barrel

KRC said:
"old Winchester 231 powder"

How old? Sometimes old powder gets far more powerful. (If the retardant degrades faster than the propellant chemical. I have 7# of old Tubal 3000 that blows primers HARD at minimum loads - good only for the firepit now.) I had to disassemble rounds loaded with this stuff and am thankful I started shooting the lower charges first. You might want to invest in a pound of fresh 231?

Initially I considered buying fresh gunpowder but I decided against it. I detect no foul odors. It was from my father and it’s in metal cans. I will be loading “light loads” with the powder until I become confident in my reloading abilities, the process and the supplies.

Pinecone said:
If it looks and smells OK, it will probably be fine.

I have been loading some almost 25 year old 231 without any issues.

Still in the metal can :thumbsup:

squaregrouper said:
I agree with the others that your OCD and paranoia for your first loads is a good thing. The guy who thinks he is perfect and invincible is the one who gets hurt from reloading.
.
The only thing I have to add is- are you sure your scale is accurate? If it is a balance beam type and you balanced it at 0.0gr, you should be good to go. I am happy to give you a hand if you're within a reasonable distance to Pikesville.

I have the Lee Powder Scale as well as a Hornady Digital.

guzma393 said:
New reloader here (about 7 months in). I started off with 9mm too, and I am now starting to branch into necked cartridges such as 223, 7.62x39, 243, and 308. I was anxious about reloading at the beginning, especially when reading up on online references on things that could go wrong, overpressure diagnosis, "i blew up my gun", type of references.

Call me overkill, but I double check, triple check, and second guess all my reloads, especially if I am running them off my progressive. I try to explore and implement all types of best practices to assure on what I am loading will feed on my guns.

These are a list of best practices of what i can think of and what i do right now:

Make dummy rounds (for chambering/plunking/hand ejecting purposes)

add lights to visually expect the case necks (inspect for cracks) and check for powder

measure the powder charge every 10th round

use a sharpie to mark questionable/reject cases or reloads.

measure the case specs after resizing

start with clean and spotless casings

random sample analysis (weigh charge) pull a couple of rounds from a large batch

When in doubt, bin the case/reloadExplain!

Don't reload after dark.

I appreciate your tips as I create my reloading routine

Muleskinner said:
Old powder makes excellent fertilizer since it contains a lot of nitrogen.

I was telling my kids that just this morning.

mac1_131 said:
When you load fast powders that don't fill up the case, always take a second look under a light before you seat the bullet to look for accidental double charges.

It will be obvious when you see one twice as full as the others.

When you do high power rifle stuff those usually almost fill up the case so a double charge would be spilling over the top.

But good to check those little pistol rounds that use small amounts of powder.

Don't ask how I know...

Until I get to the range to shoot my first test rounds, no more than ten or so rounds of each caliber, I will be weighing each charge by hand :party29:

I just returned from the Gun Shack to pick up some CCI 450 primers (can someone confirm that the 450 primers are small rifle magnum primers) to hopefully load .300 Blackout rounds if I feel reasonably comfortable with the process.

Squaregrouper · May 12, 2020

Speedluvn said:
I have the Lee Powder Scale as well as a Hornady Digital.

The Lee scale is great, provided you zero it, with the tray installed, at 0.0gr every time you start. Gravity never lies.

Yes, CCI 450 are small rifle magnum. I use them in my .300 Blackout subsonics and all of my 6.5 Grendel loads.

Speedluvn · May 12, 2020

squaregrouper said:
The Lee scale is great, provided you zero it, with the tray installed, at 0.0gr every time you start. Gravity never lies.

Yes, CCI 450 are small rifle magnum. I use them in my .300 Blackout subsonics and all of my 6.5 Grendel loads.

Thanks for the confirmation on the primers :thumbsup:

KRC · May 12, 2020

I don't know WIN 231, and you're likely fine, but hard experience has taught me the "smell test" for bad powder is NOT adequate.

And it's more fun to throw it on the bonfire than sprinkling it on the petunias.

Speedluvn · May 12, 2020

KRC said:
I don't know WIN 231, and you're likely fine, but hard experience has taught me the "smell test" for bad powder is NOT adequate.

And it's more fun to throw it on the bonfire than sprinkling it on the petunias.

You can bet that I’ll be the first to the range and to report on my outcome.

trickg · May 12, 2020

I always enjoy threads like this - the paranoia some people bring to reloading I suppose could be healthy caution, but reloading isn’t rocket science, and modern guns are built to withstand a lot of pressure. Case in point, when they were testing the H&K USP when it was in development, they purposely lodged a slug in the barrel and fired another round behind it. It bulged the barrel, but it didn’t blow up the gun and it remained functional.

“Old Win 231” - properly stored powder literally lasts decades. Alliant has some Unique that’s over 100 years old that they test periodically and it burns within the original spec. If it isn’t smelling funky or isn’t discolored, it’s fine - use it according to the manual. With that said, she in doubt, throw it out - sprinkle it on the lawn.

Regarding bullet weights, remember that there is a range within a load that’s considered safe, and there’s often going to be variance on bullet weight. As long as you aren’t loading to maximum or minimum of what the manuals suggest, you’re going to be fine.

There is also allowable variance on overall length with straight walled pistol cartridges. Make sure you are within the min and max and you’ll be fine.

Keep in mind, im not saying to be cavalier about it - check, double-check and triple-check everything. The goal is always to make the most perfect ammo you can, but it’s not the end of the world if you spot check your powder drop and it’s 1-2 tenths of a grain off. What you most need to worry about are double charges, or no charges, which result in squibs, and can lodge a bullet in the barrel.

Pay attention, read the manuals so you understand what you are doing, double and triple check everything, but don’t stress it - it’s like making a cake. Measure your ingredients, follow the recipe, and it’ll be fine. As long as you do that, there’s nothing to worry about, at least where pistol cartridges are concerned.

Reloading for rifle takes more care and there are more steps, but reloading for pistol is pretty straightforward.

Speedluvn · May 12, 2020

trickg said:
I always enjoy threads like this - the paranoia some people bring to reloading I suppose could be healthy caution, but reloading isn’t rocket science, and modern guns are built to withstand a lot of pressure. Case in point, when they were testing the H&K USP when it was in development, they purposely lodged a slug in the barrel and fired another round behind it. It bulged the barrel, but it didn’t blow up the gun and it remained functional.

“Old Win 231” - properly stored powder literally lasts decades. Alliant has some Unique that’s over 100 years old that they test periodically and it burns within the original spec. If it isn’t smelling funky or isn’t discolored, it’s fine - use it according to the manual. With that said, she in doubt, throw it out - sprinkle it on the lawn.

Regarding bullet weights, remember that there is a range within a load that’s considered safe, and there’s often going to be variance on bullet weight. As long as you aren’t loading to maximum or minimum of what the manuals suggest, you’re going to be fine.

There is also allowable variance on overall length with straight walled pistol cartridges. Make sure you are within the min and max and you’ll be fine.

Keep in mind, im not saying to be cavalier about it - check, double-check and triple-check everything. The goal is always to make the most perfect ammo you can, but it’s not the end of the world if you spot check your powder drop and it’s 1-2 tenths of a grain off. What you most need to worry about are double charges, or no charges, which result in squibs, and can lodge a bullet in the barrel.

Pay attention, read the manuals so you understand what you are doing, double and triple check everything, but don’t stress it - it’s like making a cake. Measure your ingredients, follow the recipe, and it’ll be fine. As long as you do that, there’s nothing to worry about, at least where pistol cartridges are concerned.

Reloading for rifle takes more care and there are more steps, but reloading for pistol is pretty straightforward.

Good info, thanks!

damifinowfish · May 13, 2020

1st

Be mindful of how your gun sounds, feels (recoil), and ejects when shooting your new reloads compared to factory loads. I say this because if you noticed something off STOP! Check your barrel for a stuck bullet.

2nd

Label the hell out of everything

3rd

Enjoy

Pinecone · May 13, 2020

squaregrouper said:
Ahhh, good point. Zero the scale before EVERY reloading session.

And recheck the zero every so often.

Also double check the scale setting.

Bootknife · May 13, 2020

Always a good read! I started loading in 1962 on my Herter's 8 Station Turret Press...I am still reloading on that $13.00 Press! I can't seem to wear it out. I double-check
my charges once with the Crank PM and every tenth charge in the Pan of the Oil Dampened beam Scale also from Herter's. Never have Powder Opened around Primer Operations. Do not Try other endeavors while Loading. I clean the Primer Pockets and check that the flash hole is Clear. I have never had a Miss-Fire or Squib ...I do not think it has anything to do with Luck!

Glaron · May 13, 2020

Speedluvn said:
I’m having initial doubts with the stuff that I reload or at least until my first shot.

Muleskinner said:
Old powder makes excellent fertilizer since it contains a lot of nitrogen.

Pinecone said:
And recheck the zero every so often.

Also double check the scale setting.

Dude. You want anxiety reloading? Try seating a 500 cal too deep... Then using a kinetic bullet puller. Live round? beat it on concrete? Check, Check!

trickg · May 16, 2020

Speedluvn said:
Good info, thanks!

Something to add, touched on a bit by others, is to log everything you reload, and always label your reloads so that you know what they are.

My log book has things like date, powder, powder charge bullet type/weight, primer brand, primer type (standard/magnum) and any other notes such as, “first loads with new dies.”

I also put a little card in the box/container with that same basic load info.

GuitarmanNick · May 16, 2020

I have found using painters tape on the storage boxes as labels works nicely. As you recycle the boxes, it is easily changed without damaging them. I use a gray sharpie to make things easier to see. Also works well on plastic cases and does not come loose like many labels will.

Pinecone · May 16, 2020

trickg said:
Something to add, touched on a bit by others, is to log everything you reload, and always label your reloads so that you know what they are.

My log book has things like date, powder, powder charge bullet type/weight, primer brand, primer type (standard/magnum) and any other notes such as, “first loads with new dies.”

I also put a little card in the box/container with that same basic load info.

I wrote an Access database. I now even keep powder and primer lot numbers. Just in case of a recall.

And of course, how many rounds were loaded.

Speedluvn · May 16, 2020

trickg said:
Something to add, touched on a bit by others, is to log everything you reload, and always label your reloads so that you know what they are.

My log book has things like date, powder, powder charge bullet type/weight, primer brand, primer type (standard/magnum) and any other notes such as, “first loads with new dies.”

I also put a little card in the box/container with that same basic load info.

Thanks. I was just considering the simplest way to log, as well as identify my rounds.

Reloading anxiety

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