Get out the lead bullets

On his Taurus he had 4 misloads with no powder and stuck all four in the barrel.
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How...... do .... you ... do ... that. Just by the sound (the primer popping) and low recoil, you'd know instantly something is 'really' wrong. Time to check things out ... right? I usually don't make this type of suggestions... but really, I think your friend should take up basket weaving or some other benign hobby :eek: .
 
Some people have no business hand loading ammo. As for loads with no powder, the first thing to know is to look in each case to make sure it has powder before you seat the bullet. This for single stage or progressive loading. The 550 is a progressive press, it spits out a loaded round every time you pull the handle. It performs all 6 operations needed to load a round each pull of the lever. As a matter of fact the auto advance feature of the 650 ain't gonna be much faster than the 550 unless you have the case and bullet feeders on it. It takes all of a tenth of a second to advance it before you seat the bullet. Load a couple hundred rounds on a single stage(a turret press is still a single stage) and then load a couple hundred on the 550 and then tell me if it's a progressive.
 
JohnKSa nailed it with the best answer so far. Not trying to be mean but some things are not for some people. Anyone can make a mistake but there seems to be a trend here and it's leaving a trail of destroyed guns. I hope he has good medical insurance if he continues
 
I just started reloading earlier this year. I travel a lot, so I used hotel points traded for gift cards to buy my whole reloading setup. I went with the Hornady progressive, persuaded with "how easy it is to load bullets quickly" and "change calibers in minutes". And if I have it isn't coming out of my budget, why not get the top end stuff, right?

The first lesson I learned is that I think I would have been happier with a progressive press. It is much easier to pay attention to the process doing one function at a time. Trust me, I quickly learned to keep my eyes on everything, but I definitely feel I'm not really faster because i am keeping up with so much.
But it's working out.

I've also been very fortunate to have a mentor at the local range who has been testing my knowledge and checking my work, and providing a ton of great help.

So one of the final QC checks I do is to weigh my completed bullets. I will zero my scale on the first one and weigh all the others against it. Of course, there can be a grain or so difference between bullets loaded the same, but I mostly use it to double check against no powder or double charges. (I visually look while loading too). Does anyone else do a final weigh like this?
 
Does anyone else do a final weigh like this?
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No. The variance in individual case weights and bullet weights make it pretty much meaningless. Put your faith in your procedural checks.

Don
 
The main things to watch powder drop and primers. Look in each hull before placing the bullet on it and make sure to check the primer any time it doesn't feel right when you seat it. I do still have a single stage press for load testing, odd pistol loads and rifle ammo.
 
Weighing loaded cartridges may not catch a slight over or under charge but you would find double charges and powder less cases. Except maybe in smaller pistol cartridges where the powder charge is within case and bullet variation ranges. I suppose then if you sorted cases and bullets by weight it would work.
 
No I have never weighed a completed cartridge (what's 'completed bullets' BTW?). I only work on a single stage and before placing bullet into case I always glance at the power in the case. Never yet had a squib after all these years... knock on wood.
 
I've got a Lee turret press. I can do up to 130 rounds per hour at a safe steady pace. I have a light mounted over the ram so I can see the powder charge before seating a bullet.

I like the idea of one thing at a time and few moving parts. Faster than a single stage with none of the complications of a progressive.

A true friend would go and break his friends press. Just sayin' :)

All the Best,
D. White
 
Surprise, surprise, he got the bullets out by using a squib rod and a heavy hammer. I didn't think he could do it. He also didn't ruin the barrel. But I'm making time to visit him and instruct him on how to use a Dillon 550.

Do one thing at a time, do it well and move along.
 
And if someone gets honestly and seriously hurt as a direct result of one of his next handloading failures... (face palm)

Trying to school this guy (oh he's stubborn) is like finding clean needles for an addict.
 
Quote:
Does anyone else do a final weigh like this?
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No. The variance in individual case weights and bullet weights make it pretty much meaningless. Put your faith in your procedural checks.
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Yes I have with a variation: I weighed the bullets, I weighed the cases and I weighed the powder and primer. I added up the total weight of the components and then started loading. When finished any variation in the weight had to do with the amount of powder.

I understand how confusing most are but when finished there was a spread of 17 grains out of 250 30/06 rounds loaded on a RL550 B.

The advantage to knowing the weight of the components for the QC reloader can be realized when the reloader is is loading 5 different cases with different head stamps from different manufacturers. All of the lightest rounds were loaded with Winchester cases.

Something else that would confuse most reloaders; I sorted the loaded rounds by weigh into separate boxes. The variation of weight was caused by the differences in the weight of the cases.

And then one day I was standing next to a another reloader at the firing range; he could not pull his trigger, he could not rotate his cylinder, he could not pull the hammer back and he could not swing his cylinder out, meaning he had his pistol Model 66 S&W 357 Magnum locked up.

Two of us reloaders stopped what we were doing to help him. We drove the bullet out of the forcing cone and back into the case. As soon as we handed his pistol back to him he started loading 6 more rounds. We stopped him in an effort to get him to think. If he loaded a round with no powder how does he know the next round loaded des not have too much powder. We offered him all the ammo he could shoot, we offered to help him with his reloading, we offered to loan and or give him equipment etc. All we managed to do was make him mad; He left.

I could not convince him the last opportunity he had to test his ammo was just before he chambered it.

F. Guffey
 
Well, we found out why the cases stuck. It wasn't no powder, it was too light of a load.

He decided to use jacketed ammo in his .38 cases with only 3 grains of Bullseye. That won't force the bullets he was using out of the case. I know of another shooter that had the same experience with these bullets.

I told him to not load jacketed with light loads. I want him to call me when he decides to experiment instead of using loading data from his manuals.
 
My number one rule of reloading is "Never, ever, ever, use a powder you can double charge." Using a powder you can double charge is stupid. I am very careful, but this rule has saved me on a few occasions.
 
Using a powder you can double charge is stupid.
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When dealing with handgun rounds, you are eliminating a heck of a lot of excellent powders. Actually, the act of loading a double charge is stupid.

Don
 
Seven is right. Especially if you are loading accurate target ammo. One of the most popular loads is 3.5 grains of Bullseye with a 158 grain Lead bullet.

Even Unique gives you enough room for a double charge unless you are loading MAX.
 
You can educate the ignorant, but you can't fix stupid..... Sounds like you've tried the first....

As I see it you have 2 options - all of which were mentioned in one way or another above - either break the guys press and get him out of reloading, and/or avoid ever going to the range with this guy's reloads...... The risks just aren't worth it..... And you can't fix stupid.

Sounds harsh - but it's the final outcome that matters. From your story, it doesn't sound like he's gonna stop until there's blood. :-(
 
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