| If you have been reloading for a long time, you | | | | this was a session I had at the range. I had |
| have probably made mistakes. Most of the time | | | | finished reloading 180 grain, lead, round nose, flat |
| those mistakes were not disastrous, but | | | | point bullets from my 40 S&W. I didn't realize that |
| inconvenient. An example would be seating a rifle | | | | one of my reloads was under powdered. When I |
| bullet beyond the specifications on your reloading | | | | shot this round, it all seemed "normal." When the |
| book. At which case, you would only have to | | | | case ejected and the next round was being |
| take the bullet out, check your bullet seating die, | | | | seated, the slide would not close all the way. The |
| and seat the bullet to its proper depth. | | | | lead bullet had gotten stuck in the chamber and |
| Reloading as a hobby and as a business deal with | | | | the next round could not seat in properly. Had I |
| potentially dangerous materials. Our cartridges can | | | | forced this round through could have been |
| create very high pressures for being such a small | | | | disastrous to me and my firearm. Luckily, I had |
| object. Most accidents that occur can be traced | | | | stopped to troubleshoot why the round would not |
| back to making mistakes at your reloading bench | | | | chamber and only after disassembling the firearm |
| or at the range. | | | | had I noticed that the barrel had a bullet stuck, or |
| Over pressured rounds can potentially kill you and | | | | a "squib." I hammered the bullet out and went |
| at the bare minimum, destroy your firearm. Some | | | | home to check my ammunition. |
| signs of over pressure can be bulges in the case | | | | Most mistakes are not made only at the reloading |
| or primer separation. Being in a hurry to get to | | | | bench, but when testing your reloaded ammunition |
| the range and shoot is not an acceptable reason | | | | at the range. Careful scrutiny is needed on what |
| to be careless with your reloading procedures. As | | | | is normal versus what is abnormal. This also |
| simple as switching from slow burning powder to | | | | includes reading what your cartridge is telling you., |
| fast burning powder with the same charge can be | | | | such as bulged cases, blown primers, extruded |
| lethal. | | | | cases when they shouldn't, etc. Inspecting each |
| When testing your reloaded ammunition, stopping | | | | case as you shoot each round is safer than not |
| after the shot seems odd should be a general rule | | | | checking them at all. It's better to err in safety |
| and common sense. Another one that should be is | | | | rather than find the consequences due to a lack |
| if doesn't feel right, stop. A good of example of | | | | of attention to detail. |