My first deer was killed with a 6.5x55. I was amazed at the damage it did. I knew then that I didn't need any more power than that. I've almost never loaded a cartridge for maximum power. The '70s era Lyman manual listed their most accurate load, and I always went with that. Never had a problem with a reload except the time I cleaned my cases with WD-40. Worked great, but when I fired at a running elk, it just went click. Turns out WD-40 kills primers.
Remembering the Older Days of Reloading/Shooting
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Was loading some .44 Mags and missed a powder charge in one. Good way to lock up a cylinder on a revolver! Used a wooden kitchen spoon to tap the bullet back down into the case so I could swing the cylinder open. Always double/triple check now!
Seabeeken
Well-Known Member
Since moving and no electric in the shop yet, I've gone back to beam scale, hand trimming, etc and find I prefer it so I'm going to stay with it. I miss the old days
memtb
Well-Known Member
I had a pretty big one, when I bought a bunch of yard sale equipment and had virtually no clue had to how to use the Ideal powder dispenser …..in my defense, I was 18 I think, and had no one to train/assist me. Prior to that….my only experience was a Lee Loader, "even a caveman can do it"!
I didn't realized that's there were 3 slide bars for adjustment…..and I was adjusting all 3 together. That made for a very deep, narrow opening. I got a throw which was very close to target weight, and never made additional throws to verify.
Thank goodness I was pushing those 148 grain WC's through a Model 28 Smith (N Frame)…..as a large variance in charge weights when using Bullseye makes for some huge pressure variations. Like the young idiot I was, I was shooting double action rapid fire. The shots varied from near normal, to likely beyond .357 mag pressures, to only a primer firing! Thankfully, the primer only fire was followed by a near normal load……pushing the stuck bullet from the barrel.
I learned a whole bunch of things "not" to do in that first outing! memtb
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memtb
Well-Known Member
Yep, after my major screw—up…..I always do a powder check in the loading block with a good light.
Though, this is almost a non-issue now….as the majority of my loading has a long drop tube involved in getting the powder into the case!
memtbMike Matteson
Well-Known Member
I have a 45 1911 pistol. Missed a powder load in a case. At the range I tried that case. Put the bullet into the barrel. It ejected the case and loaded another. The seond one push the first one out the barrel, but it expanded the barrel. New barrel. After that I got a hell of a lot more careful on placing powder charges. 
Done some others too. Forget to move my funnel to the next rifle cases. Spilled powder into other cases, trying to get that case out of the tray, Had to empy other cases out to besure that I didn't increase my powder load in the other cases. Learned to leave a row in the case tray empty. Place a powder charge in a case and move it forward to empy place inline. Never had that problem again. I use a powder bump, then scale my rifle powder before placing in the case or cases. Only have the one powder that I am using out on the table.
Done some others too. Forget to move my funnel to the next rifle cases. Spilled powder into other cases, trying to get that case out of the tray, Had to empy other cases out to besure that I didn't increase my powder load in the other cases. Learned to leave a row in the case tray empty. Place a powder charge in a case and move it forward to empy place inline. Never had that problem again. I use a powder bump, then scale my rifle powder before placing in the case or cases. Only have the one powder that I am using out on the table.
WYO300RUM
Well-Known Member
I did similar thing with a Glock 21 45 auto about 10 yrs. ago. I was shooting up some 20 year old reloads. I was shooting and thought that a case didn't eject. Manually ejected. Next round wouldn't chamber all the way. I'm hitting the slide with my hand trying to chamber all the way. Ejected that round and tried another. Same thing. About 1/16th from completely chambering. I thought it was my reloads . I just happened to look down the barrel. A bullet was stuck in it....I have a 45 1911 pistol. Missed a powder load in a case. At the range I tried that case. Put the bullet into the barrel. It ejected the case and loaded another. The seond one push the first one out the barrel, but it expanded the barrel. New barrel. After that I got a hell of a lot more careful on placing powder charges.
I thanked the Lord and learned a good lesson.
WYO300RUM
Well-Known Member
Delete 
When I first started reloading, bought press and dies for .270. Did not have manual so called "friend" who I thought was "experienced" and knew what he was doing. Told him I had IMR 4831 for 130SP Hornady. He gave me load data for H4831 and told me to start at max though he didn't tell me the bottom load was max nor that it was for H4831. Told me to try several loads 1 gr up. Well first load was pretty snappy but being new no inkling. Second load and got blow back out bolt port on Savage 110 and hard lift. Hmmm that doesn't seem right. Thought I made mistake so fired off next load one shot. Which was all I could do, bolt stuck, went home got it open. Talked to "friend" and "oops my mistake"! Lesson learned and bought Hornady manual asap.
Cemeteries are littered with people who had "friends with experience"
Count your blessings, you survived....
I think most have, at least if they have loaded long enough. Back in my very young and beginning years of shotshell reloading, which was the first reloading I ever did, my brother and I were planning on a never before attempted Canadian goose hunt at a nearby lake shore. Only having #4 shot as the largest on hand, these were the old days of lead shot for waterfowl, I decided to buy few boxes of copper plated BB's. Those old half-pint milk box sizes once sold by Daisy. Well, in my youthful exuberance and ignorance, I simply loaded those lighter copper plated steel BB's into my routine duck load wads and Blue Dot powder charge thinking everything was just fine.
Once that exciting morning arrived, we began to ignorantly "sky bust" those high flying geese. I noticed that my shells would, ever-so-often, give a strange sound and low recoil. Not to be denied the excitement of my first possible goose kill with several geese flying around, I kept shooting. I noticed one shot had much less sound and I could even see the BB's flying through the air. No matter, I fired another that really kicked and thought, that was different. By then, it was time to reload the old pump 12ga, and then I noticed the barrel just behind the choke section was bulged but still functional. However, that ended my hunt. I did go on to use that barrel for several years for field usage, but eventually decided to replace it with the then new screw-in choke replacement barrel.
That taught me to research my reloading failure, and learned steel BB shot was lighter and needed either a larger payload to equal lead weight or a different powder for better ignition. Youthful lesson learned.
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Yes. I remember buying 30-30 shells for $3.99 during pre-season sales. Similar dove shell loads for $1.79 at, of all places, a furniture store who traditionally ran sales just before dove season. It was a great marketing trick to bring in the wives with hunters to shop for new furniture.
I came away with "trust your own data" and never faltered from that premise!
