Lucky To Be Alive

It has certainly made me think of a few things, especially the idea of packing all of it, bullets, powder, primers, into a separate closet. Grabbing the wrong primer, wrong bullet, wrong powder, it can all be a dangerous mistake. So primers and bullets go into a box under the bench, and I have a cabinet that the powder can go into. My storage is in a dry basement.
 
BTW, this is one of the reasons I prefer to suggest a progressive reloader. A progressive loader, theoretically, once it's properly set up, is going to work like clockwork. No mistakes.

In theory.
 
I only use extruded powders (sticks) for rifle.
I do wish ALL powder containers had the powder name on three sides of the container. I wish the lids/caps had the powder name on them (but the companies would find the segregation and QC too costly, I imagine).
Best is to keep rifle and pistol powders in different areas/shelves.
Hope all is well.
 
Update:

Hand is coming along, lots of stiffness yet, and working with it is painful. Stitches came out a few days ago, hard to believe they can fit 16 sutures in the last part of your middle finger.

Purchased a replacement rifle today, have to say a little nervous about pulling that trigger for the first time.

I got a Tika T3 Lite LH in .308. I told the guys at the gun shop no more 7mm-08 for me, the one I shot kicked like a mule. They got a kick out of it.
 
Things to take away from this aside from obvious

Never go shooting alone have a means to call 911
Learn basic first aid and get supplies
Have a pre plan for events how does LE or EMS get past a locked gate?
 
Not going to lie was really hard shooting today, took several rounds of factory ammo 7mm-08 to relax.

Then another shooter fell and broke his arm checking a target, drove him to the ER. was starting to think I was jinxed. Went back to sight in my Tika T3 .308 and shot some great groups.
 
Glad to hear you still have your eyes

I hope you fully recover.. I also failed the multi-powder test, but it only cost me a can of powder. After reloading, I dumped the powder measure back into the WRONG container. There goes my can of Bullseye lawn food. $25!
 
Thank you

It must have taken a lot of courage to post your experience.
I don't know if I could. I started reloading in 1977 and but for the grace of God I could have been there.
Thank you For the wake up call.
 
I'm a new member and joined because of this thread. I also took a serious look at how and what I had been doing stuff in the past. Thanks for posting. Hope hand gets back to 100% soon.
 
Welcome to the forum Thunderkiss!

Like others I made at least one change. Although I never have more than one container of powder on my benchtop, I now turn the label towards me (idea posted earlier). I use a load sheet with large print (for my tired eyes). Previously the loadsheet was placed radomly on the bench. I now put it next to the powder and in view of my scale and powder trickler.

dkyser, I am glad that hand is doing well. It is something to be thankful for going into the holiday seasons.
 
Thanks for sharing your experience. It really makes me think about safety in my future reloading activities.
 
dkyser,
Thanks for starting this thread. That took guts and wisdom. I've been reloading for over forty five years, and this thread made me take a close look at how I've been doing things. Many years ago I caught a near substitution of Bullseye for IMR3031 (wrong powder measure). That's when the rule of only one container of powder on the bench was started. This thread has given me some other useful safety tips. Thanks again for starting this, and may your PT be short and painless.
 
first off, glad your injuries were not any worse, and it is always good if something useful can come from a incident like this.

Something that I do to avoid this is to have labels that I can attach to my powder measure as to what powder is in it.

I picked up a bunch of magnets about the diameter of a quarter at Hobby Lobby, with a label maker I put each name of powder on a separate magnet. Each magnet sets on top of the powder bottle until it is ready to be used, then the magnet is moved onto the rotor of the powder measure.
 
That's a great reminder and it is appreciated. Even those of us who have been loading for many years.We are all capable of mistakes.
 
Glad you're OK.

I have to say that is the most blown up rifle I have ever seen, I haven't seen many, but dang! So I guess I agree with the title of your OP.

I saw someone with a similar, although much less devastating "unauthorized disassembly" years ago at a rifle match, that left a lasting impression with me, so will this.
 
Check, double check then check again. And if you are not sure do it again.

"Stuff like this makes me wonder if I, still very much a child, have any business in this reloading stuff........"

I started reloading when I was 14, I was mostly unsupervised. The only mistakes I have made have been in the last few years, well into my 50s. Youth is not an impediment if you have the right mindset. Age is no advantage if you lack the right mindset. Fortunately for me my mistakes were minor, reading load data for a 350 grain bullet in a 416 Rigby then using it with a 400 grain bullet for example. I noticed the mistake after I shot the loads then was loading them again. Deliberately check everything, caliber, bullet weight, powder type, powder weight, etc, etc. Then check it again, then check it again.
 
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Made the same mistake with similar containers.Refilled the hopper of my Dillon with CFE223 instead of CFEpistol! I did a double check of the jug and had a few choice words for my own carelessness. There went $30 worth of hard to come by powder!! Dump and redo. I just use a small piece of masking tape on my powder measures with powder and charge weight.
 
Then another shooter fell and broke his arm checking a target,
Click to expand...

Jeez..... :eek: You'd have to work really hard to pull that one off...

Glad you're OK- could easily have been much worse.

While I don't go so far as some here by storing powder in the next county, it is a cardinal rule that only the jug I'm using comes off shelf- and sits next to the press.

When I'm loading I write in big numbers on a sheet of paper in front of me the charge I'm currently dumping for weighing my random "spot checks" (progressive press). If I change the weight of the charge (as when doing many different ones during load development), throw the paper away and start with a new one. Bullets- same rule as powders. Only the box I'm using is on the bench.

You were lucky- both with regard to your injuries, and the fact that you've learned a lesson that will be forever ingrained in your mind and will transfer to the safety at your loading bench. For sure, you'll never make that mistake, again.
 
Thanks for posting this. Glad it was your hand and not your head.

Reading this thread makes me want to run downstairs and see if I have more than one can of powder on my bench right now.

EDIT: so the bad news is that there were four different powders on my bench. The good news is that they were AA#7, 800-X, AL-8 and Trail Boss. It would be almost impossible to mistake any one of them for the others.
 
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