Noem asb die herlaaifoute wat so maklik insluip?! Veral die klein, onbekende glipsies wat regtig skade kan maak.
Please name those reloading mistakes that sneak in, especially those small unknown ones that can cause serious trouble?
Not checking all cases - berdan = bent decapping pin.
1. Ensuring case lengths are within spec.
2. Checking for donuts (243, 270 and others)
3. For hunting ammo ensure that you COL is such that it fits the magazine and enters the chamber without obstruction.
4. Keep ammunition out of direct sunlight - I carry my hunting ammo in a shirt pocket (the extras that dont fit in the mag)
5. Don't leave propellant in the hopper when reloading. In dry climate moisture is lost and the density lowers. If you now load per weight as is normal, the charge will be more volatile and either you lose accuracy or you can get a spike in pressure that could be dangerous.
6. Use one make of cases for rifle reloading as case volumes can differ between makes.
7. Make sure the primers are seated below the level of the base of the case.
8. The only safe load is a starting load.
9. Consult different manuals, the internet and seasoned reloaders to ensure safe charges.
10. Pressure is a fickle thing. Rather err on the pessimistic side. Gaining 100fps , but shooting at max pressure may just wreck you cases.
11. Excessive barrel wear is directly related to too high pressures.
12. Inaccuracy is solved by elimination and can be an expensive exercise. Ensure that screws and bolts are torqued to specification and this solves many of those problems.
Checking head stamps every time, nothing like having some PMP cases loaded to safe hot load , accurate except that one flyer every now and again.
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Only to find out much later that there are 2 PMC cases in batch.
Emptying the powder hopper of S341 into a tin of S335.
Lesson learnt. Only one type of powder out of storage at any one time.
Quote from: janfred on Feb 26, 2023, 05:19 PMEmptying the powder hopper of S341 into a tin of S335.
Lesson learnt. Only one type of powder out of storage at any one time.
Did that once with ball into extruded. Used sieve to separate the two. Worked well.
Quote from: Tripodmvr on Feb 26, 2023, 07:09 PMQuote from: janfred on Feb 26, 2023, 05:19 PMEmptying the powder hopper of S341 into a tin of S335.
Lesson learnt. Only one type of powder out of storage at any one time.
Did that once with ball into extruded. Used sieve to separate the two. Worked well.
Imagine if I put S321 in my tin of S341...
I did 321 and 335. I also did the sieve thing then put it on a motor to separate, then scooped the top layer off a few times. I would say I got it a least 80% fixed.
I then developed a load for each contaminated mix. I marked lid "MIX - Shake" and loaded up a few testers. I quickly got a load that worked well and marked the batch "target only". I must still have a 100 of the .223 left.
Oil in revolver case caused a squib load.
Rifle cases: primer holes unified with a too large drill causes blowback and high pressure.
When seating long boat tail rifle bullets, chamfer using a VLD tool. If you use a normal one, you tend to get microscopic brass shavings when seating. Sometimes not even visible, but when using a magnifying glass you can see it.
I'm not too worried about microscopic brass shavings. Those usually get ironed out when the bullet is forced through an orifice at 55,000 psi and obturates due to 1000+ gravities of acceleration.
My concern is the major shaving that happens when not chamfering or uneven chamfering. The kind that changes the weight distribution of the bullet. The kind where you find little half-moons of copper lying on the shell holder.
Lyman sure know how to market items.
Quote from: jager on Mar 30, 2023, 10:44 AMWhen seating long boat tail rifle bullets, chamfer using a VLD tool. If you use a normal one, you tend to get microscopic brass shavings when seating. Sometimes not even visible, but when using a magnifying glass you can see it.
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What is a VLD tool ?
https://outdoorandallsales.co.za/product/rcbs-vld-deburring-tool-with-handle/
Quote from: Tripodmvr on Mar 31, 2023, 05:26 AMhttps://outdoorandallsales.co.za/product/rcbs-vld-deburring-tool-with-handle/
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Ahhhhhhhhh! Very Low Drag tool.
interesting indeed.
Not checking that the dies in my progressive were snugged down properly before cranking out an afternoon's worth of 9mm. Had to run the whole the lot through a single stage with correctly set bullet seating die. This went on well after I had planned to be stuck into a beer or three.
Quote from: oafpatroll on Apr 04, 2023, 08:57 AMNot checking that the dies in my progressive were snugged down properly before cranking out an afternoon's worth of 9mm. Had to run the whole the lot through a single stage with correctly set bullet seating die. This went on well after I had planned to be stuck into a beer or three.
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luckily it seems it was not because of a beer or 3
Using a Dillon decaping die in my Lee Loadmaster because Dillon is "better" than Lee.
That was a lot of money I could have spent on bullets or beer...
Been away for a while, business spoke loudly.
I recall receiving a bag of 9 mm cases and with them being cleaned already I set about reloading them without wasting time. The first battle was depriming pin seemed to be off centre a lot of the time and the case holder was a loose fit.
I being early days reloading and as always in a hurry, just ploughed on.
They were 9 mm short cases and I was too lazy to check everything, besides, the seller said they were 9 mm.
Quote from: Treeman on Apr 04, 2023, 02:19 PMQuote from: oafpatroll on Apr 04, 2023, 08:57 AMNot checking that the dies in my progressive were snugged down properly before cranking out an afternoon's worth of 9mm. Had to run the whole the lot through a single stage with correctly set bullet seating die. This went on well after I had planned to be stuck into a beer or three.
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luckily it seems it was not because of a beer or 3
To date, I have never done anything reloading related except decapping with booze in me. Mates of mine that i have given crash course intros to reloading over the years have found it funny as hell because pretty much everything else I do is accompanied by beer.
I do not reload if I have drank in that day. I do not handle my weapons at home at all if I have drank.
I will hunt day after nights drinking, but while not drinking.
I honestly do not handle, work, reload or even clean weapons(weapon, as in a whole) if I have drank in that day. A way around this if I wish to have a beer when handling firearms is to do so in dissembled form, work on a stock or blue a barrel etc, I strip weapon before and may sit in front of TV cleaning a part or sanding with a beer present.
I allow myself to decap cases, tumble sort etc with a beer at hand, but never the actual assembling of cartridges.
Another quirk is, anything of the above will not be done at reloading station or even in reloading room if I am having a beer, only at a household table.
Although I drink a lot, I am scared of the stuff and treat alcohol almost with the same cautions as I do weapons.
LMBTA
Q What is the difference between reloading and driving a car?
A The potential to kill people are higher when you screw up driving a car than if you screw up reloading.
It is quite fascinating to listen to people telling you how they don't touch alcohol when reloading while nursing a few pints in the club house. Then they get into their cars and drive home...
Quote from: janfred on Apr 07, 2023, 07:51 AMLMBTA
Q What is the difference between reloading and driving a car?
A The potential to kill people are higher when you screw up driving a car than if you screw up reloading.
It is quite fascinating to listen to people telling you how they don't touch alcohol when reloading while nursing a few pints in the club house. Then they get into their cars and drive home...
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I do not find the 2 comparable. Alcohol is dangerous I know, but so is being alive.
I on the other hand believe there is nothing wrong with my body weight having 3 small beers and driving - but here in lies the problem, if I have 4 beers I know my judgement is affected. Problem is who draws the line for you and who decides what is "affected by" and how does it present itself as.
The alcohol laws are generic and that is not fair, the result of alcohol caused road carnage is also not fair.
I still do not think driving from the local home is comparable to reloading or tight rope walking.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=M_S9VHB9Sb8
Germans testing the influence of alcohol on driving abilities.
A man of 80kg has 0.3promille alkohol after 500ml beer.
A woman of 60kg has 0.4promille alkohol after 500ml beer.
Who of you have adjusted your seating dies to the sizing dies specification i.e. turned down to touch the shellholder. I did that whilst seating 375 ammo. This allows the die to crimp the case mouth excessively and I ended up with a concertina shaped case - ruined of course.
Quote from: Tripodmvr on Apr 07, 2023, 06:27 PMWho of you have adjusted your seating dies to the sizing dies specification i.e. turned down to touch the shellholder. I did that whilst seating 375 ammo. This allows the die to crimp the case mouth excessively and I ended up with a concertina shaped case - ruined of course.
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Costly mistake.
Probably not that costly. You would pretty much see the results after the first case.
I use a .32 ACP sizing die to neck-size my 303 brass. Turns out that if you put too much force on the handle, the diameter of the shoulder increases. I learnt that the hard way on the 300m firing point in the WP Bisley competition. Of the 200 rounds loaded, around 25 was impossible to close the bolt.
Thankfully, if you can get the bolt closed, firing the round resizes it back to normal. I'm glad I loaded 50 extra rounds to be able to finish the competition.
Quote from: janfred on Apr 08, 2023, 09:29 AMProbably not that costly. You would pretty much see the results after the first case.
I use a .32 ACP sizing die to neck-size my 303 brass. Turns out that if you put too much force on the handle, the diameter of the shoulder increases. I learnt that the hard way on the 300m firing point in the WP Bisley competition. Of the 200 rounds loaded, around 25 was impossible to close the bolt.
Thankfully, if you can get the bolt closed, firing the round resizes it back to normal. I'm glad I loaded 50 extra rounds to be able to finish the competition.
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Tell us the reasons for using the 32ACP die, sounds interesting
The short story. I needed a neck-sizing die, but none was available in SA at the time. I had a 32ACP sizing die available and it is almost the right size. It worked.
The long story. My SMLE circa 1918 had a very oversize chamber. So much so that the head-space was still out-of-spec even when using the largest bolt-head (no 4). Not just the head-space, but diameter of the body as well. Those with SMLE's know what I mean. I would get head-case seperation on the third use of whichever brand of cases I used.
I traced the problem to the first stretch of the case on the first firing. Also, any full lenght die would work the body above the web A LOT, weakening the case there.
First solution was to get a neck-sizing die, except none could be found. I did have a 32ACP die set as I was planning to reload for the wife's pistol. The diameter of a 32ACP bullet is .312; close enough to 303Brit. It sized the neck a little to small. So I used a normal FL die and just run the expander in and out of the case to do a final sizing. This worked satisfactorily.
Since then I have been using a Lee Loader decapping rod, then the 32ACP die to neck-size and then the 303 lee sizing die to expand the neck again to optimal size. Only down side is the extra work and the risk of expanding the case shoulder.
To reduce the stretch on first firing, some have been using solder wire or weedeater cord. That sounded like too much work. I just used 14mm O-rings. I think I was the first person to use it in SA for that purpose. Since then I have never had a case separation again.
Waar kry ek 14mm o-rings?
A blob of Prit seems to work :o
I had no O-Rings so I put a bit of Prestic on each rim, then the case only goes as far as the bolt face touch's it - the Prestic keeps the case from moving forward and against the b/face.
When fired the case is against bolt face and only expands forwards.
Quote from: Ds J on Apr 08, 2023, 03:10 PMWaar kry ek 14mm o-rings?
Enige ingeneurswese winkel. Iets soos Fowlkes Brothers in Paarden Island. Mica of Midas mag dalk ook hê.
Dit hoef nie noodwendig 14mm te wees nie. Tussen 10mm en 14 mm werk. Mens moet net die dikte gebruik volgens jou headspacing mate. Ek moes 1.8mm dikte gebruik. As ek dit op die patrone sit vir my vrou se 303 dan maak die slot nie toe nie.
Dankie
correct me if I am wrong !
Ds J - u can use anything to keep the case against the bolt face, I enjoy finding a way to do things without the correct tools. The Prestic works or so it seems, but there is a bit of cleaning up, really no big deal. I struck on the idea of using Cody's old Lu Bands (remember the craze back then).
When the firing pin hits the case with too much head space the case moves forward under the pins motion and then expands backwards off the shoulder support expanding the case till it hits the bolt face. This action stretch's the web area. The bands Prestic -string whatever keeps the case against the bolt face when firing and the case then can not stretch backwards, it then fireforms at the shoulder forward. You are effectively fireforming a case to that rifle chamber.
https://www.takealot.com/small-rainbow-rubber-bands-bracelet-jewellery-making-kit-mini-cr/PLID73054707
Adendorff - they have an Oring set of 225 pieces for R85.
Hi Janfred
I understand that you've got a successful workaround, but I reckon one of these would do the job:
https://leeprecision.com/collet-die-only-303-british
The agents, Nicholas Yale, have in the past been very helpful for me with ordering stuff that they don't keep in stock. They only do wholesale so normally you've got to formally place the order through a gunshop but if you give them a call they should be able to make a plan.
PS: I know Treeman doesn't particularly like these dies but I like them and use them on my .308, 7x64 (uses a 280Rem die) and .223 (die bought from Treeman)
Another mistake.
Turns out you cannot turn a Lee 9mm sizing die shorter in the lathe. All you do is remove the steel rim that keeps the carbide ring in place. Then you end up with a carbide ring stuck around a case and hunting around for a new sizing die.
So, when people tell me that sand or primer residue will damage their carbide sizing die I just smile.
Quote from: Tripodmvr on Apr 08, 2023, 06:15 PMAdendorff - they have an Oring set of 225 pieces for R85.
These are great and excellent value. It's almost not worth replenishing them if particular sizes run short at the asking price for a whole set. They've saved me a number of times when project was about to run into a brick wall for the want of an oring or two.