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

[NBShooter]

Thanks fellas! Takin notes! Lots of good info. Good group of people here! Can honestly says that I wasn't expecting this much info in such a short amount of time.

 

[TG-5150]

1 - no distractions at the bench people or otherwise
2 - one powder, one primer and one caliber on a time on the bench at any given time.
3 - Write up you reloading procedure accounting for every single task you make to load a round and print it post it next to bench as a ongoing reminder especially if you have periods of time between loading. Build consistent reloading process.
4 - check your scale constantly with calibration weights to insure good consistent weights.
5 - Manuals are there to prevent you from harming yourself. The loads are MAX and are not lawyer loads. Use a manual for load data and not something you took off the internet unless you have the confidence and knowledge to work a load up on your own.
6 - NEVER start a any MAX load under any conditions whatsoever. ALWAYS work your loads up for your rifle gradually. Different powders, brass, primers and bullets (even different lots) can cause instant pressure problems.
7 - Stay off the lands with your loads until you have the equipment to measure accurately and the knowledge to understand pressure.
8 - A stiff bolt is not the only pressure sign to be aware of and stop shooting immediately until you have resolved the pressure signs.
9 - Temperature has a huge impact on load pressure so a load that is fine in January may be serious pressure problem in July.
10 - record every single load you make. Use a marking system to differentiate the loads in each lot that you are testing. I've used different color Sharpies on the primers or bullets to color code each load step. One of the positive aspects of tracking loads is you know the barrel count as well.
11 - get a really good bullet puller. You will make mistakes and will want to save the load as much as possible. I have saved a lot of components with RCBS puller.
12 - 2x on the floor mat. It also traps dropped primers etc and keeps them from rolling around.
13 - I was over sizing my brass for quite a while until I bought the tools to show me how to properly headspace my brass. I wasted a lot of brass!
14 - I switched from measuring the COAL to the tip of the bullet to measuring the ogive OAL when I bought the headspace tools years ago and they really teach a lot more about consistent reloading.

Reloading is like a really good pie recipe. You have to use good components, measure accurately, and have a reloading recipe that has repeatable accuracy. You really have to track and record your data so when you look back at a load, you can legitimately decipher what you did and can repeat it. Just like the pie, why did it taste so good?

I have more mistakes that I've made over 40+ years of reloading to share but I've done enough scare even myself.
Muddy

Someone sticky this post

 

[RSWeir]

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.

Tumble/clean your brass BEFORE removing the old primers.

 

[Hunterguy36]

This might have been said already but just in case: complete each stage before moving on. ex: Prime all your cases,then fill all cases with powder. As opposed to doing each case singly. easy way to keep track of where you are at in the process.

 

[gator378]

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

Helps to find that pesty primier you dropped also.

 

[LoneTraveler]

Have some good trays to hold your cartridges between operations so they do not get dripped out any operation you are running you cartridges through to finished ammo.

 

[19 Badger]

Buy quality dies. Learn how to full length size (only bumping shoulder .002"). No neck sizing. Get familiar with a headspace and bullet comparator. When you have powder in a dispenser or powder throw(LABEL WHAT IT IS). Don't load a bunch of something unless you are ABSOLUTELY SURE that is what you want and have tested it on multiple outings.

 

[DUSTY NOGGIN]

my biggest mistake , was progressive loading a large batch on a Dillon 550 , i was using imperial wax on the neck enough start have powder start sticking to it inside the powder funnel squishing up into the powder funnel ( once apart found to be almost completely closed off )) , after a throw i seen an extremely full case completely full which spilled excess onto the shell plate ,

short version, i ended up pulling and checking powder weight on about 600-800 rounds ( all of them ) i only found a few not right , but they looked exactly like the rest

now, i size only ,,,,,
then on separate operation prime, charge seat & crimp

 

[Alibiiv]

Make sure each round you seat a bullet in actually has powder in it. If not the primer will just push and stick the bullet into the rifling a bit when it ignites. It is a pain to get the bullet out.

Amen on this one. Get yourself a good reloading tray ($10.00 Brownells), full-length resize, prime, charge with powder and into the tray, visually CHECK each round before seating your bullet. I use a small hand held flashlight when doing this, and it only takes a minute to check 50 rounds. I've been reloading 50+ years, and still always perform the visual check on all my reloads and especially all of my rifle hunting ammunition. If you're not using a progressive press when loading pistol ammunition, and you are first starting out, make sure you use the reloading tray with the same sequence as mentioned above, and do the visual check to ascertain that you did not "double charge" your brass. Fast burning powders, especially Bullseye, are easy to double-charge, when this happens it creates catastrophic damage to firearms, to the people who are shooting them, and to the people who are standing next to them when they go off. Visual inspections are also a good check to ensure that you are not undercharged (equally important), which can cause a squib load. Make sure that you have a good, safe and waterproof storage container for your primers. Nothing worse than going through all of the steps of reloading two or three boxes of ammo to only find out that your primers have been compromised by moisture. MAKE SURE that you do not become complacent because that is when you can get into trouble; cutting corners. Stuff does happen when reloading.

 

[Alibiiv]

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"

Wow, and I thought that I was the only one who has done this, MANY too many times.

 

[Alibiiv]

And......last but not least
keep reading and referencing
this forum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Information
is paramount, experience only enhances
that knowledge, and there's plenty of knowledge and experience on this forum.​

 

[Pa Grizz]

Do not change brass without checking for differances.I went from Remington to Federal Brass and locked up a 243 .

 

[MachV]

Just added the fifth press to the reloading room(second 550 Dillon) and still use the old Lyman turret press from the late 80s. Just like other things in life I learned more by messing it up than doing it right the first time...don't be that guy!
Keep good records!!
You cant missem fast enough, a critter don't know the difference of a couple hundred fps but a case and/or action sure can!!
Measure twice and make sure its right!
An MOA shooter or gun aint gonna put them into the infamous one hole regardless of how many load combinations you try ;-)

 

[wwalker]

My #1 tip: 50 years ago I was taught to rotate the case half-a-turn after seating the primer, and then gently applying the same amount of pressure again. (In essence seatings it again.). (This can be especially helpful with new brass.)
I can't say I've never had a miss-fire, but only a 3 or 4 out of literally thousands of rounds loaded. You'll likely learn to rub your finger tip over the seated primer and "feel" the depth, but with the "half-turn" method you'll very seldom run across one that's not seated properly. BTW: When a primer is not seated properly, it's totally possible for the firing pin to strike the primer without detonating. It may drive the primer deeper into the primer pocket, but the firm resistance it needs to properly crush and detonate the primer may not be be there. (A friend came to me once with a new rifle and his new brass reloads, out of which during his first range session, only 50% of them had fired. A quick review of his loading procedures proved his primer seating process was not consistent. From then on he started using my "half-turn/2nd seatings" tip and NEVER had another misfire with that rifle.) Have fun with your new hobby. There's nothing like standing over a trophy buck, knowing it was taken with a round you build yourself!