Author Topic: What's the worst reloading advice you ever got? (Read 1341 times)

Questor · « **on:** February 13, 2008, 03:39:45 AM »

The worst advice I ever got was the whole concept of working up loads by trying a lot of different bullets, powders, etc. That was a waste of money. These days if a gun doesn't perform well enough quickly it's cheaper to just get a new barrel, or even replace the gun.

Castaway · « **Reply #1 on:** February 13, 2008, 04:01:05 AM »

Fill that sucker full of Bullseye and it'll shoot really fast! On a serious note, there's an old guy at the range that was loading 44 Mags with H110. He told me his load, and although i don't load 44's it sounded pretty stiff to me. Went home, checked the books and then straight back to the range to let him know he was WAY over max. Wouldn't hear about it and insisted it was OK since someone had told him that.

Questor · « **Reply #2 on:** February 13, 2008, 04:06:24 AM »

The bullseye thing is funny. The guy at the range isn't. That reminds me of why I try to get as far away from the nearest shooter as possible.

One anecdote about bullseye I read recently was that Weatherby used cases full of bullseye to test the mark V action. They never actually blew up an action. Gotta like that! Damage to the guns was severe but they never failed in a way that would endanger a shooter. That's a good piece of lore. Wish I could remember where I read it, but it was from a source that I didn't question the veractiy of. It was in a good book by a major author.

Heavy C · « **Reply #3 on:** February 13, 2008, 04:49:37 AM »

It wasn't advice, but an offer. "Let me reload for you."

I firmly believe if you are going to shoot hand loaded ammunition; then you should be the one hand loading. Otherwise you're just flirting with disaster.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #4 on:** February 13, 2008, 05:06:36 AM »

cases with split necks are safe as long as the split is above the bottom of the seated bullet !

skb2706 · « **Reply #5 on:** February 13, 2008, 05:56:53 AM »

There is none. I started handloading way before the internet and thus all my 'information' was attained from loading books and technicians whose job it was to make my loading safe and effective. Since the beginning I have not let anyone steer me away from the "safe and effective" part.

Basically growing up in the city I didn't have a mentor or anyone who even had a clue about handloading. In fact it was many years after I started that I actually even met anyone who did it or knew more about it than me.

Lone Star · « **Reply #6 on:** February 13, 2008, 06:09:55 AM »

Not advice, but a comment: "I always start with the maximum load in the manuals. If it wasn't a safe load, they couldn't publish it.

.

Old Syko · « **Reply #7 on:** February 13, 2008, 06:29:18 AM »

I was told many years ago that if I started reloading I would save money.

I have no idea how many thousands of dollars ago it was though.

pagris · « **Reply #8 on:** February 13, 2008, 06:59:25 AM »

Quote from: Old Syko on February 13, 2008, 06:29:18 AM

I was told many years ago that if I started reloading I would save money. I have no idea how many thousands of dollars ago it was though.

My exact thought too !!!!!!!!

NE Hunter · « **Reply #9 on:** February 13, 2008, 01:08:27 PM »

not really an answer to the question but I did get some real good advice when I started out.

I'll pass them along for anyone starting out reading this:

Never shoot anyone's reloads but your own ... this turned out to be what in my recollection the best advice he gave me. I had a friend that was reloading longer than me and had a bunch of .44mags loaded up ( 240 gr LSW with I don't remember the charge)he had to sell do to no longer having a .44 to shoot them in. Well I spent the time to disassemble them to find they all weren't loaded the same and some had no powder at all. I fired off all the primers and saved the bullets and dumped the powder on the ground.

he also said that when I met the person that knows everything there is to know about reloading ...... to run, not walk away

rks1949 · « **Reply #10 on:** February 13, 2008, 01:17:08 PM »

Quote: "You can't get too much powder in a 22cal. centerfire case" Just drag the primed case through a bowl full of powder,and srape it off level with the top of the case. No need for a powder scale,or measure!!!!!! Man what an idiot! Ron

jhalcott · « **Reply #11 on:** February 13, 2008, 04:47:46 PM »

I started reloading with my granddads help. I learned to "read the manuals" and "safety first" before priming a case. I have heard a lot of comments about reloading and asked a lot of questions. Some of the answers I got scared me. one friend bought a new Browning and tried the "ladder " method to find his best load. He had to send the gun back to Browning for repairs to the bolt. I saw a guy loading a 45-70 trap door with cast bullets at the range. He would dip each cartridge into a can of grease prior to loading it. When I asked what he was doing, he replied "Lubing the bullets"! After I explained the error of his ways,he was ready to quit casting and reloading. I worked with him for a few weeks and got him straightened out. I had an argument with the wife one day and went to MY room and started to reload some ammo for an up coming hunt. I set the powder thrower to the corect amount and primed 100 cases. When I dumped the first charge into the funnel about half did not go in the case?

I weighed another charge and it was correct. I tried to dump it in the case with only half going in ,the rest stayed in the funnel.!! I read the "recipe" again. I was holding a 30-30 case in my hand and reading a load for a 30-06! Since that day I do NOT fight with the wife (or anyone) then reload.

charles p · « **Reply #12 on:** February 14, 2008, 04:25:50 AM »

My first reloading book was a Hornady back in the early 70's. It listed 4831 but did not include "H" or "IMR' in front of the number. Makes a difference at max load. Recoil from that load sheared the bolts holding the base to the barrel.

Kurt L · « **Reply #13 on:** February 14, 2008, 04:50:01 AM »

I also started before the computer craze and I got my start from a couple people that was
already reloading and reading books I found at the library and load manuals they let me take
home and read.most of what I learned was hands on and to look back i think that was a great
help,but I can also see the problem with learning the hands on way with practices like some have
posted and they would be more harm than help.
I just got lucky and learned from a couple good guys.

Glanceblamm · « **Reply #14 on:** February 14, 2008, 05:08:30 AM »

Quote from: Kurt L on February 14, 2008, 04:50:01 AM

I just got lucky and learned from a couple good guys.

Ditto!

Lone Star · « **Reply #15 on:** February 14, 2008, 06:41:40 AM »

Quote

My first reloading book was a Hornady back in the early 70's. It listed 4831 but did not include "H" or "IMR' in front of the number. Makes a difference at max load. Recoil from that load sheared the bolts holding the base to the barrel.

This is clearly explained by the fact that when that Hornady data was developed there was no such thing as IMR4831. That powder was not introduced until 1973 and it took awhile to be well distributed. The shooting press at the time covered the risks well, but not every reloader read the shooting press. This is yet another good reason today to be careful with data from older reloading manuals.

.

mjbgalt · « **Reply #16 on:** February 14, 2008, 07:07:44 AM »

The worst advice I got was that all the neck turning, tumbling in this or that media, annealing, scrubbing primer pockets, etc would make one damn bit of difference in my loads. And NOT wasting all that time has so far gotten me sub 1/2" groups in the different rifles I load for.

I choose to use the 5,000 hours saved by NOT being anal, to actually SHOOT my loads.

-Matt

Tom W. · « **Reply #17 on:** February 14, 2008, 07:57:42 AM »

Bad advice? A man I know that lives across the river in Georgia told me "This Moly stuff is the new thing, You just tumble some of your cast bullets in it, and don't have to lube with anything else!."

I took a batch of fresh cast bullets and let him coat them. I then loaded some up for my Colt Government model. Guess what? The gent was wrong. After five shots I could barely chamber a round, and there were silver "strings" protruding from my bore.
It took a long time to clean that barrel, and a long time to pull the remaining bullets....

LHitchcox · « **Reply #18 on:** February 14, 2008, 09:39:38 AM »

If you reload you can get more velocity. $:-\$

I stayed away from reloading for several years because I saw what crap an uncle of mine loaded. He mismatched wads and primers and used one powder fro everything. I finally figured that he was the problem, not reloading. Still learning after 35 years at the bench.

Leon

Questor · « **Reply #19 on:** February 14, 2008, 10:25:50 AM »

LHitchcox:

Your uncle has been reincarnated in a scary friend of mine. He's got that dangerous combination of not making the effort to learn even the most basic safety rules of shotshell reloading and being too bullheaded to take any constructive criticism. That he uses ultra light target loads only keeps him from having a blowup of some kind.

corbanzo · « **Reply #20 on:** February 14, 2008, 07:14:54 PM »

Years ago I heard this from a friend of mines dad after we got back from shooting his 6.5:

"Of course some of the necks are going to crack on those cartridges, I loaded them at least max."

Same guy who growing up I always wondered the story of the black powder revolver with the exploded cylinder... it was a pretty simple story that included lots of powder....

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #21 on:** February 15, 2008, 12:20:37 AM »

any mistake i ever made was fully my own stupid fault.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #22 on:** February 15, 2008, 02:56:47 AM »

after reading these post i wonder just how much cash we have spent for product insurance because of idiots ?

warrior1 · « **Reply #23 on:** February 15, 2008, 08:42:58 AM »

give reloading a try. since i've been trying to figure if it is easier to quit smokin or stop reloading.

corbanzo · « **Reply #24 on:** February 15, 2008, 09:03:12 AM »

You'd probably save more money if you stopped reloading

sui generis · « **Reply #25 on:** February 15, 2008, 02:45:20 PM »

Quote from: corbanzo on February 15, 2008, 09:03:12 AM

You'd probably save more money if you stopped reloading

I did quit smoking -

at the rate I smoked and the current cost of cigarettes (not floor-sweepings, however) -

I can break even at nearly $400 a month.

Dave in WV · « **Reply #26 on:** February 15, 2008, 03:25:04 PM »

"Don't bother crimping revolver loads so your brass will last longer". I actually followed this advice and found my loads were more accurate with a good crimp and the powder burned better.

boomerdog · « **Reply #27 on:** February 15, 2008, 05:15:27 PM »

mjbgalt,
Actually, some of that "anal" stuff does make a difference, but the rifle has to be good enough to see it. Yes, in a SAAMI chambered factory barrel, it's the classic case of "putting lipstick on a pig" But done within the proper context, it shows results. Enter a serious bench rest match sometime and see where those 1/2" groups get you. (hint - those guys "actually shoot" their rifles too, and they know what works, and why)

mjbgalt · « **Reply #28 on:** February 16, 2008, 01:07:40 AM »

i was waiting for someone to say that...

all i was pointing out is that, for my purposes, without a $3,000 benchrest setup, i won't ever see the difference.

-Matt

Bill T · « **Reply #29 on:** February 18, 2008, 11:42:57 PM »

I had a older guy tell me back in the 70's when I first started to reload that you don't need to crimp .44 Mag. handloads because it just "causes the brass to split faster". About a month later our club went to a big range for a club shoot and he brought all revolvers, .357, .44 mag. .45 Colt. by the end of the day every one of them was tied up from bullets pulling out of the cases from recoil. I now have a Lee Factory Crimp Die for every caliber I reload for. Bill T.