Reloading Story - From Another Site

[JPope]

THREE GRAINS



You might find this hard to believe, but it was told to me by someones honesty that I would not doubt.

He was out shooting at the range when a young couple pulled up, took a new ruger . 357 out of it's box, loaded it's cylinder, cocked the hammer and fired ther first shot. It was an obvious squib load and left the bullet still in the barrel. "Stop, do not shoot another round, put the gun down". They looked at him strangely, but did as he said. He explained to them that they probably had a bullet stuck in the barrel and the next shot would damage the gun or worse.

He asked them what they were shooting and they said, . 38 special a 158 grain bullet and three grains of bullseye, pretty much standard load. When asked where they got the ammo, they said it was their first handloads for their first gun. How did you weigh your powder? Weigh ? We didn't have to weigh anything, just took our (TWEEZERS) and put three grains of powder in each shell casing.

In this case they took three granules and grains to mean the same thing. When it was explained to them as to what they had done, the lady said, "I thought the can of powder would last an awfully long time. "

 

[Greenleaf]

Here's Your Sign

 

[RandyHamilton]

Here's Your Sign

OMG, THAT is FUNNY!! But in this case they need TWO SIGNS!!!

 

[moparguy]

No wonder I used to go though a lb. of 2400 so fast. I didn't use tweezers. LOL



RR

 

[JSienkowski]

Betcha they thought hand loading was a real pain in the ***!!!

 

[Sled Puller]

I bet that Ruger would handle another round, pushing the first out without exploding!!



Here... your turn... ... . :-laf

 

[WDixon27]

my engineer dad proved that a good round won't push out a squib in my ruger super black hawk . 44 it didn't blow but did destroy the barrel, "i think i can shoot that out of there" according to my uncle who witnessed the colossal act of stupidity

I bet that Ruger would handle another round, pushing the first out without exploding!!



Here... your turn... ... . :-laf

 

[JSienkowski]

I had the misfourtune of shooting a squib in my . 357-didn't even push it all the way out of the case, locked the cylinder closed made life a little interesting.

 

[KBennett]

Funny story JPope.

I have heard of people being asked how much powder they put in the case and saying " as much as I could get in the case".

In a little case like a 9mm it would not be a big deal but in a 44mag or 45colt that could be dangerous.



My buddies wife shoots in Cowboy Action and took the top strap and half the cylinder off due to a squib load. I think it was a Cimmaron pistol and they split the cost of a new pistol with her. She was not injured.

 

[Greenleaf]

I have not loaded any of these for some time, but it think it's the 30/30 that I have loaded and put it right to the top with what ever powder I'm using. IMR 3031 I think. The compressed loads are not nesessarily dangerous providing it's with specs of the firearm. Some loads have to be compressed. It's all in the powder/bullet/chamber design.



My 45/70 loads have a lot of room left in there. And they are considered "hot"

 

[KBennett]

I have not loaded any of these for some time, but it think it's the 30/30 that I have loaded and put it right to the top with what ever powder I'm using. IMR 3031 I think. The compressed loads are not nesessarily dangerous providing it's with specs of the firearm. Some loads have to be compressed. It's all in the powder/bullet/chamber design.



My 45/70 loads have a lot of room left in there. And they are considered "hot"

Very true, but in most cases you don't "fill it to the brim"

I have loaded . 223 to the point of the powder being compressed and if the case would have been bigger it still would have been a safe load according to the book.

 

[WDaniels]

Greenleaf,

I use 88 grains of IMR 4350 in my 375 Ackely Improved. The bullet really compresses the load. Shoot, I use 5 grains of Bullseye just fire form my brass.

WD

 

[WDixon27]

all of the reloading i do so far is for pistols and when i am cooking up a load for a new caliber i use loads with powders that fill the case over half full, so a double charge would be spilling over and obvious

 

[Greenleaf]

A double charge would be downright dangerous. I do not load for handguns and understand this is more common when doing so. It's safe to say that I could not install a double load into any of my rifle brass.



The match loaders will use a very slightly compressed load as it has proven to be most accurate as poopsed to a load which has the powder laying along the inside of the case with an air gap. Not important to most of us. These guys weigh each bullet and shell case too. Man that's picky.



I often mix my brass brands which is a no-no due to manufacturing tollerance differences among the various makes. To each his own.



BTW I measure each load of powder. Each one. The powder measure (RCBS and Laymen) are supposed to be accurate enough to be within specs. with a check every 10 loads. LOL

 

[WDixon27]

i was standing next to a guy that found a double charge the hard way with his peformance center s&w 357, took half of the cylinder and the top strap and dispersed them around the room, these were with reloads he bought from a guy that got to buy him a new smith

A double charge would be downright dangerous. I do not load for handguns and understand this is more common when doing so. It's safe to say that I could not install a double load into any of my rifle brass

 

[AMink]

I was working at our local range one day and a guy was shooting a Ruger Mini14. I saw that he was having problems cycling the action-no semi auto action that day. I went over and picked up some of his cases and saw the primers were flattened, backed out, and the cases were misformed. I told him he was shooting at too high a pressure. He said he shot the same handload through his other Mini14, so it was fine. I told him it may be fine in his other gun, but there was something wrong here and not to shoot it anymore. I went back to the booth and he fired one last round. There was a very wrong sounding bang and pieces went everywhere! He was shooting over his left arm; the bottom plate of the magazine took all the skin off his elbow, the action grenaded, and the stock (one of the nice laminated ones) split stem to stern. It was all I could do to not say "I told you so". Turns out there was a manufacturing flaw in the barrel, a "ring", that produced the high pressure. Ruger sent him a new gun. It probably got there faster than it took the skin to grow back on his elbow. Moral of the story--two identical guns are not identical.

 

[WDaniels]

Double charges are dangerous but half loads are just as dangerous. They can blow up your gun just as fast if not faster.

WD