I'M A BIG DUMBELL!!!!!!!!!!!

[Dusty Miller]

I finished reloading some 45 Colt rounds using H110 and promptly poured the unused powder into about half of an 8 pound keg of AA5, AAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!  So, I tossed about $50 or $60 dollars worth of powder into the trash.  Somebody please stop by my place and kick me right square in the backside!!

[Buford]

Compared to the other alternatives on the table, that is a cheap lesson for a lot of folks........at least you were alert enough to spot it now before some reall damagae happened!  Toss it.....

[Questor]

Ouch! But it's better than blowing up a $600 gun, losing your eyesight, and having your right hand blown off.

[Graybeard]

Some times, not often, rarely maybe even all is not lost when one pulls such a blunder.

Some powders are so close in both burn speed and mass density that the same volume of both or charge weight of both are useable. I have no clue if that's the case here. I'd have found out before doing away with it. ONCE I was able to save my mess up that way. Yeah only once.

But at any rate powder is an excellent high nitrogen fertilizer so don't trash it, put it in the garden.

I long ago learned from just such mistakes a valuable lesson I practice to this day.

NEVER EVER have more than one can of powder on the bench at once. It is the one you are loading. Keep that can right by where you are charging the cases. As soon as you finish the session put it back in that ONE CAN and ONLY ONE CAN that is on the bench. No exceptions no matter what.

[Jerry Lester]

I feel for you!

I've actually done the exact same thing a couple times myself...

[jh45gun]

That is why the number one rule of reloading should be ONLY HAVE ONE CONTAINER OF POWDER ON THE BENCH. Or if you do not have a bench only have one container of power out within sight of your reloading area. I keep my powder in a file cabinet and only take out what I am going to use so there is no mistakes.

[jack19512]

I was pulling some bullets and powder from some 7.62X54 mil-surplus ammo the other day and let my mind wander for a second and instead of pouring the powder from the case into the powder container I poured it into my glass of Pepsi I was drinking.  I decided it was time for me to quit for the day.   

[bigjeepman]

You might feel pretty dumb but you might have helped another reloader in the meantime by bringing this info to this forum. Some very good points are being made here concerning safety and good practices. It might sound extreme but I do not even allow music in my reloading room. Now, I am very fortunate to have a wife who "gave" me a 10' by 8' room to use for my reloading room. The only possible distraction I have in this room is my laptop. I always reload with the door closed. But the most important self-imposed safety rule I follow is I never reload when I am tired or not feeling 100%.

[Don Fischer]

I think to help you remember what you shoud do is salvage the powder. Learn what each look's like then pour the keg out on a table, your wife's kitchen table! Next, using a sharp knife seperate each kerrnel/flake of powder putting each powder into seperate piles. Upon completetion of that, go agan thru each pile doing the same thing. Keep doing that until you are left with only two pile's. At that point, I suggest you throw it all away for fear of a mistake that could come back to haunt you!

[wncchester]

Awww, now Dusty you ain't really all THAT big!     
 
And I bet you won't NEVER, EVER make that mistake again. 

It's good of you to share it for the "caution" value.

[Dusty Miller]

Thanks for the support guys, yeah, I've learned my lesson for sure.

[stimpylu32]

Don't beat yourself up too bad , i pulled a dumb stunt last night . I was loading some 22-250s and after the first box i relized that i was 10 grains low on the scale . Had it set at 24 gr. not 34 gr.

I was just about ready to start pulling bullets when i remembered something on the Hodgdon site about reduced loads , so i got to looking and they will work for my sisters kids to shoot .

Acording to Hodgdon , when using H4895 , you can reduce up to 60% with this powder and that was what i was using.

It sure snaps you back to reality to think what the out come would have been had it been the other way around .

[williamlayton]

I do not know how much excess powder we are discussing but if it was a small amount mixed in with 4#'s and shook up well--it might not be a disaster.
Blessings

[De41mag]

Well Dusty;

At least you caught it before you started using that AA#5 in one of those Freedom Arms.
Better to lose $50 than a 15 to 18 hundred dollar handgun plus injury to yourself.
Thanks for sharing that with us.

Dennis 

[jd45]

Yeah Dusty, exactly HOW MUCH H110 did you mix in with 4 pounds of AA#5..........if it was only a few ounces it wouldn't have any real effect, I'd think. But just to be sure, I'd check with Hodgdon & Alliant. Just my 2 cents & Merry christmas, JD45

[Paladin]

aa#5 is about #22 on the powder burn list and #110 is about 46- (better safe than sorry)

[vonfatman]

Sorry to hear of your mistake.

I did the same thing a week or so back!!!  Fortunately, I only dunped a few ozs. of Tight-Group into about a 1/4 lb of 231....thus...all I lost was a small quantity of powder (and a little pride).  I decided right then I would use tape and place the name of the powder right on the powder drop.  I trust I'll be smart enough to read my own message next time I think I'm being efficiant!

I did enjoy burning the un-used powder the next night!

Bob