What are the easiest mistakes you learned the most from when reloading?

[dlschwartz]

Reloading area; Keep it clean and efficient - everything in its place and keep it there when not in use. When you start an operation, try to finish it. If your are resizing, resize all of your cases. If your priming cases, prime all you intend to reload. When charging powder, charge all cases. Likewise seat all of your bullets from start to finish. This allows you to do quality checks specific to each operation and keeps your work in sync. Consistency rules not just in the finished product but how you get there. WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN AND DATE IT! MINIMIZE INTERRUPTIONS!

 

[fish4food1]

I have been reloading for about 7 years and never really had a problem.....I always listened to my mentor who taught me and always followed the load recipe from the books.....and again, no real problems until about a month ago. I use a RCBS rock Chucker press and both RCBS and Hornady dies.
Well I made a couple hundred 243 win loads to shoot in my Savage 243 rifle....went to the range and found that the rounds would not chamber easily....you really had to force the bolt closed to get the round in the chamber. Well, I knew something was wrong, but did I did not know what happened. I reviewed my methods and could not find anything that I did wrong. So I called my mentor, explained the problem and he suggested I check shell holder. Well, I could not remember which shell holder I used as I have both RCBS and Hornady shell holders....so I made one round with the RCBS shell holder and one round with the Hornady shell holder. Low and behold, the round I made using the RCBS shell holder would not chamber but the round made with the Hornady shell holder chambered perfectly. Remember, I made the loads with a Hornady sizing and seating die. Well I always thought the shell holders were interchangeable.......but I guess they are not! So from then on, I always used the shell holder from the die manufacturer I was using. I can tell you that it is no fun to tear apart 200 rounds and reload them. It is a real pain in the but.......so use the shell holder from the die manufacturer and all should be good! Good luck to you!

 

[HunterLongRange]

This is a great question and worthy of us all. May I chime in...
1) Forgetting to close the hopper on my RCBS scale before filling it.
2) When cleaning brass with wet media and not drying completely, thus causing a lot of Fed 210M Primers to fail. (This will never happen again)
3) Not weighing every single load. This I found to be paramount.
4) Developing a fantastic load in the Fall and making several hundred, only to find out they aren't accurate in the Summer.
5) Not chamfering the case enough causing it not to chamber because of the tolerances.

6) Telling your wife you'll be done in 10 minutes, only to find your dinner cold and in Tupperware. "That won't happen again"

 

[4 coyotes]

If you are using different powders for different calibers. When you're done loading, put the left over powder back into the bottle. Can't tell the difference between 4350 4831 1000 RL22... Ect. But your gun can.
Done that before. Had to discard the powder.

 

[J E Custom]

View attachment 117197 New to the sport and reloading. Currently working on building up my reloading bench with all the goodies needed to work. What are some do's and dont's y'all have learned over the years that you like to pass on? Currently reloading for my Bergara B14 HMR chambered in 6.5CM.

Organization !!!!

Get everything not needed off of your loading bench except what you will use to load with. Only one powder, primer, dies , brass cases with all the same head stamp and your loading notes. Once you have double checked all the components to verify they are what the recipe calls for, you can begin.

One other place to double check is after the cases are prepped, primed and charged with powder, Take the time to look in the cases in the loading block to make sure all powder charges are the same. If one or more looks different than the rest, dump them and re charge them. If it still looks the same you have not hurt anything by checking.

The final rule I have is NO DISTRACTIONS. It is to easy to mess up if you don't load in silence and by your self. Some people can multi task well, But this is not recommended when loading Ammo.

Start out this way and you will develop good safe habits that will serve you well over time. I have been loading over 50 years and still follow this routine and every now and then during my checks, I find a discrepancy that could have caused a problem.

J E CUSTOM

 

[Remmy700]

Oh and another thing. When you have a friend that shows u how to load (like me), let's u borrow their high dollar reloading stuff (like me). You should ensure that during reloading operations going on that their (mine) beer is never empty.

 

[SilverbulletMAG]

6) Telling your wife you'll be done in 10 minutes, only to find your dinner cold and in Tupperware.

Nailed it!LOL

 

[4 coyotes]

Good rule.

 

[NBShooter]

Dont use Hornady one shot or any other spray on case lube or you will get stuck cases at some point. Get a headspace comparator to measure shoulder bump and a bullet comparator to measure base to ogive. Make sure your primers are fully seated or it will throw your measurements off. Dont use too much case lube or you will cause dents in the shoulder when sizing. If you have neck sizing only dies throw them away and buy FL dies and bump the shoulder .002 back. Know your chamber specs so you can turn necks if needed. Measure your seating depth to the lands with the bullet you are using and load a dummy round and keep it with your dies for a reference later. Dont rush anything ever. And last buy good equipment and don't look back. Buy once cry once.

Got a rock chucker

Oh and another thing. When you have a friend that shows u how to load (like me), let's u borrow their high dollar reloading stuff (like me). You should ensure that during reloading operations going on that their (mine) beer is never empty.

i always bring beer over and you know it lol

 

[NBShooter]

Buy your own ---- and stop using mine! Just kidding you can use my stuff all you want just ensure you keep them beers coming!!

1) I'm working on buying it all, but you know... happy wife happy life lol
2) I always supply beer

 

[johnlittletree]

Quality Control and Case Prep: Check Each Round. I made up 200 rounds of 300WM my first time reloading. The one cartridge I did not check was the only one in the bunch that had a nasty wrinkle in the neck. After that I never did the random check ever again I check every single round before each operation and at the end as well.

 

[tooOld]

Put a mat down on the cement floor as I've wrecked the mouth on so many dropped cases !

View attachment 117197 New to the sport and reloading. Currently working on building up my reloading bench with all the goodies needed to work. What are some do's and dont's y'all have learned over the years that you like to pass on? Currently reloading for my Bergara B14 HMR chambered in 6.5CM.

 

[FlyingAlaska]

View attachment 117197 New to the sport and reloading. Currently working on building up my reloading bench with all the goodies needed to work. What are some do's and dont's y'all have learned over the years that you like to pass on? Currently reloading for my Bergara B14 HMR chambered in 6.5CM.

Don't try to memorize measurements, print off the specs(maybe that's a custom measurement for your gun).

 

[katakenm]

I've been reloading for 31 years. Mostly 308 Win. and 30-06. When I moved up to a larger caliber (338 LM) I found that some of the equipment that I have is lacking for the case length of the 338 Lapua Magnum. Buy what you think you might need in the future not what you know you need now.

One of the best things my girlfriend bought me this year was a flexible gooseneck heavy based 4 in. Magnifying Glass Lamp. It has about 20 LED lights on the backside of the magnifying glass frame. I use it to inspect my brass, my primer pockets, and even bullet tips. I have found many cases that had pressure signs or cracks in them that I wouldn't have seen with my naked eyes. I also look inside of my dies when cleaning them, it helps to see much better inside. Make sure you lubricate the inside of your dies also after cleaning them. I don't know who said not to use Hornady One-Shot Lube but that's what I use and I've never had a problem since the product came out I don't know how many years ago. And don't forget to clean your brand new dies thoroughly inside because I have found so much Machining Grit in RCBS dies it's not funny! I use a chamber brush to clean the inside of my dies because obviously it fits perfectly. I'm 53 years old now and I found that my eyes are not as good as they used to be....so get a magnifying glass!!!

Also when you get into larger calibers make sure that when you weigh your powder that you weigh it on a very good scale or confirm it from a balance scale or an electronic scale from two different sources. When your scale is off at a lower weight it reflects to be off even further at a higher weight. Example if your scale is off a half a grain at 50 grains it potentially could be off 2 grains up in the 93 grain range that I use. So buy a good scale!