i want to show you something

[44man]

Friend that can't follow directions or listen. .44 dies, rusty, primer punch broken and rod bent. Said he had a stuck case and beat heck out of it with a hammer and screwdriver.
Guys, this is the expander die! No way to stick a case in the expander die.
Had .223 dies too with the primer punch broken, Collete broken and screw bent. Seating punch missing and screw bent like a pretzel. Also rusted. I told him to buy new dies, can't fix them. I can make the .44 dies work.
Some should NOT go near reloading, Yeah, Dave that can't hit a deer and blew his .41 Ruger to pieces. 123374

[Alan in GA]

Hopefully this stopped him from 'completing' some reloads!

[Tackleberry41]

Just way some people are, imagine most of the stuff in his garage is the same way. And probably not the guy you want to loan anything to.

[tazman]

Reminds me of the guy who kept taking his rifles back to the local gun shop complaining they were no good. Turned out he was trying to load a 243 Winchester magnum by seriously overloading a 243 Winchester standard case, usually using really fast rifle powder. This took place well before there were any 243 magnum cartridges available.
After the third rifle came back, they refused to sell him another one.

[Idaho Sharpshooter]

I had such high hopes for this thread. Sigh...

I remember when I was a sophmore in HS, this girl I really liked told me that...

[dragon813gt]

I will one up and say that some people should not go near any tools period. Doesn't matter what they are for. Some people have zero mechanical skill and should realize this. My father is the prime example. Him "fixing" something just leads to a lot more work for me.

[aspangler]

Some people could tear up an anvil with a rubber mallet. My great nephew comes to mind.

[stubert]

If you threw my son in law a screwdriver, he would stab himself in the hand.

[aussie-dave]

Sounds like he was following the Lee Loader instructions using a steel mallet.....

[cbrick]

I've known guys I wouldn't let near a light switch. Your friend sounds like one of them. Any chance you could talk him into taking up something else? Checkers maybe?

Rick

[bedbugbilly]

Amazing . . . he probably belongs to the "if it won't go, get a bigger hammer" club? I certainly can't pass judgement as he may be a very nice guy . . . but some guys . . . and gals . . . should never attempt things that require tools. I learned many years ago to never loan any of my tools to anyone . . . that was right after I loaned my good 48" brass bound wood level to a guy I knew who was doing some cement work and needed a level to put his forms in. When he returned it, I couldn't see the wood as it was covered with cement. When I got done chewing him a second one . . I never had to worry about him ever asking again.

[Down South]

Friend that can't follow directions or listen. .44 dies, rusty, primer punch broken and rod bent. Said he had a stuck case and beat heck out of it with a hammer and screwdriver.
Guys, this is the expander die! No way to stick a case in the expander die.
Had .223 dies too with the primer punch broken, Collete broken and screw bent. Seating punch missing and screw bent like a pretzel. Also rusted. I told him to buy new dies, can't fix them. I can make the .44 dies work.
Some should NOT go near reloading, Yeah, Dave that can't hit a deer and blew his .41 Ruger to pieces. 123374

I'd bet the expander plug was rusted already when he decided to reload another batch and that caused it to stick. Like you said, your buddy should not be reloading.

[Bzcraig]

Seems to me ALL tooling should be kept away from him!

[Blackwater]

Obviously a member of the B.F.H. School of Engineering! I haven't done anything like that since I was 13!

[Iron Whittler]

Reloading your own ammo is an enjoyable undertaking. It usually results in ammo that is equal to or exceeds factory loadings. THAT BEING SAID, RELOADING ABSOLUTLY REQUIRES YOU TO FOLLOW CERTAIN RULES AND PROCEDURES. THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT DOING SO ARE NOT VERY FORGIVING. IT CAN RESULT IN SEVERE INJURY OR DEATH TO SHOOTER AND BYSTANDERS.:cry:

[koehlerrk]

Some people could tear up an anvil with a rubber mallet. My great nephew comes to mind.

Is his name Dave? Because that's the only guy I've ever met who meets that description...

Seriously, some folks are a danger to themselves with no more than a rolled up newspaper.

[nemesisenforcer]

and I thought I was a primate with a club . . .

[smokeywolf]

Took me a long time to get to the point where I didn't throw a major fit when some idiot would demolish a piece of tooling or equipment. Finally, after at least ten years, it finally sunk in that those are the people who keep people like me in business.
Much of the work I've done over the last 35 years has been either fabricating parts that others couldn't or fixing other's screwed up attempts at fabricating or fixing parts.

I should say thanks to all who are mechanically inept.

smokeywolf

[btroj]

Bet you didn't teach him to cast.....

some people shouldn't own tools

[bobthenailer]

Bigger Hammer mentality !

[Loudenboomer]

44 man Just don't let him re finish any of your gun stocks ;)

[44man]

Yeah, I taught him to cast, caught him rapping the sprue plate shut with the blocks still open. Buggered an edge of a cavity.
Now my dad was one of those to. First thing he would do when he bought a car was to toss the air cleaner, said the engine can't breath with the contraption. Seen him sitting on the engine more then once wailing away with a hammer.
I was about four when watching him trying to get something apart. I watched and told him to try it this way, he said "what do you know?" But he tried and got it apart.
Then the old Chrysler engines would get plugged oil drain holes that he struggled with. I poured oven cleaner in the holes and in the morning they were all open.
He would wear out engines fast so he poured aluminum paint in the gas to coat cylinders but would plug filters and carbs. I had to tow him home a lot. Pull the tank, carb and filter.
I grew up with one of them, life was a challenge every day. I became an auto and truck mechanic, TV and radio repairman and anything else that needed fixed or built from furniture to house construction, gunsmith, custom rifles. Make my own boolit molds.
Why I don't understand why some do what they do!
By the way, Dave was an aircraft mechanic lead.
Now Don, my hunting buddy fixes helicopters for the gov't, some are the black ones.
I was ramp at UAL but hung with maintenance only, ramp tramps were stupid but mechanic friends still bring stuff to fix. I had the run of the tool room at UAL and even mechanic supervisors let me use all the tools and materials. I could get anything, drill bits, files, metal and nobody has ever had it like I did. I was the only ramp man allowed in the stock room. I would ask for something, they opened the door and said, "you know where it is."
They would remodel and put file cabinets, tables and benches next to a dumpster. I would slap my name on them, get a slip, drive my truck to the gate and load it up.
Life was good. Then 911 happened and I hated to go to work, they took nail clippers and my fork out of my lunch bucket. You would think 42 years at the airline was worth something. I retired.
Most important thing to me was the passenger, never, ever fool with their bags and get the bag on the plane even at push back. A smile and thumbs up from a window made my day.
I flew a lot and stews would give me a handful of miniatures to take with me.

[smokeywolf]

44man, you were very fortunate to have been there during that time period. Also to have been one of the few everyone could trust. Imagine people starting with the airlines since 9/11 and trying to stick it out for 35 years.

smokeywolf

[RG1911]

Many moons ago when I was stationed in San Diego, I was able to go directly to the Star factory (looked more like a large garage) for parts. One day I was chatting with one of the men who related a story about a person who should not be allowed near equipment.

If you're seen a Star reloader, you know that there is a thick tapered pin that goes in from the back and that holds the top assembly to the steel shaft. The holes in the top assembly and the shaft are tapered to match the pin. All parts have some degree of hardening.

A customer managed to drive the pin in from the front, going through two layers of the steel head and a few inches of solid steel center shaft.

Richard

[44man]

Yes. I had the best of the best but also worked very hard. I was called the pit
master, getting over 150 bags in the front of a 737. we called the plane a 'guppy." i called load planning and said zero rear. The plane does not like rear weight for trim.
I went to be the loader on the 777. What a great plane. I hated the load system on the DC10. The 747 was as bad. Cargo liners at freight just plain sucked. I worked mail one day, took overtime. The 8000# of mail I worked had to go into a DC-8 stretch belly and I had to load it myself.
You do not know what work is. Maybe it is why I am still a tough old goat. Don't cry on me!
The 727 had a heat duct from the APU going through the back pit. Hot as hell. Floor was all sweat.
My favorite day was up in the rear pit door of a DC-10, friend chewed baccy big time. Spit a huge wad out and a supervisor was sneaking and got the load in his face.
I respect all here that did the work but there are always a few that just read and repeat.
Nobody here worked as hard as me. Crawl under an 18 wheeler to take a spring off with a 1" impact driver and complain about a size die.
Go to other sites and see how many shoot from a keyboard.

[Pilgrim]

Nobody told him about a stuck case remover? If you don't wanna buy one they are pretty easy to make. I've had to use mine once or twice. FWIW Pilgrim

[mdi]

Yep, there are just some folks that are not mechanically inclined in the least. I've been a machinist/mechanic for mebbe 40 of my 67 years (I drove line for a while) and saw this kind of mistreatment of tools quite often. I like tools and when I see this kind of abuse I have to walk away or confiscate the tools. Ive seen nut-jobs use a grinder for aluminum and wood (a good way to die! The alum. clogs the grinding wheel, overheats, and comes apart at 3500 rpm). Most of us are guilty of some mis-use, like using a screwdriver as a pry bar (I saw a guy gouge his head, about 3" long, just above his eye, using a 8" screwdriver to pry open a glove box). Some folks should be kept away from tools!

[44man]

Nobody told him about a stuck case remover? If you don't wanna buy one they are pretty easy to make. I've had to use mine once or twice. FWIW Pilgrim
From a full length die but why an expander? No, no way unless you go way over the plug and mash brass above the plug. tell me you stick a case in an expander and I will tell you to watch TV, Oprah is a start.

[Elkins45]

Reminds me of the guy who kept taking his rifles back to the local gun shop complaining they were no good. Turned out he was trying to load a 243 Winchester magnum by seriously overloading a 243 Winchester standard case, usually using really fast rifle powder. This took place well before there were any 243 magnum cartridges available.
After the third rifle came back, they refused to sell him another one.

I had no idea there was a 243 Magnum.

[tazman]

I had no idea there was a 243 Magnum.

My point exactly.
Actually there is a 243 super short magnum now. There was no such thing then. The guy was just being stupid. I later found out the last 2 he blew up he put in the crotch of a tree and pulled the trigger with a string. He knew he was overloading them and did it anyway, trying to make a magnum out of a standard cartridge.

[xs11jack]

I have a neighbor like 44's. After the 37th time he screwed something up and then destroyed it in a maniacal rage, I told him to take it to the dealer, I am just too busy to fix it. After a lot of whining, he got the idea and hasn't come back.
Ole Jack

[William Yanda]

"if it won't go, get a bigger hammer"

I once heard that technique described as "Beat it to fit, paint it to match"

Somehow I think reloading is not going to be the area where he shines.

[alamogunr]

I envy some of you guys. I can do a lot of things but my most valuable skill is knowing when the job is beyond me. I know when to find someone who knows more than I do. I've often wished that I had learned machining and welding.

[TXGunNut]

I should say thanks to all who are mechanically inept.

smokeywolf

Amen! Stuff doesn't break as often as it used to, kinda nice when someone helps something expensive blow up.

[possom813]

I can sympathize. Last year I thought I taught a man how to reload. I spent several hours over several days to show him the basics of setting up dies, zeroing out his scale, how to use a powder trickler, how to setup a crimp die, and everything else I'm forgetting right now.

He called me a few times for day-one questions and I(like an idiot) would drive out to his house and show him the same thing I showed him, again.

After the umpteenth time he called me so I could show him how to set up a f.l. sizer, I finally brought him the ABC's of Reloading and a Lyman 46th and explained to him that the answers to all of his questions could be found in there.

About a month after that day, he called me and asked me to come show him how to setup his dies for a different caliber...I asked him if he'd read the manuals about it, and he said, "No, I left those in the carport and they got rained on"...

I had to cut bait on that one...

[Okie73]

I actually told one of my guys that I was going to take his hammers away if he didn't stop buggering up the end of shafts. It drives me crazy to hear someone say "I can't get the bearing off the end of this shaft". When you go over to look at it the end of the shaft looks like a fresh picked mushroom because they were using a large ball peen hammer to knock it out of the machine. Some people just don't get it!

[DougGuy]

I still love the story of a friend who threw a weed eater out in the front yard and proceeded to empty a 16ga pump shotgun into it.. I bet that one will NEVER put up a fuss again ya think?

[charlie b]

Friend was a gunsmith. Lots of stories like these. The best was one of the local cops. He got a new Dan Wesson .357mag and was reloading it. He brought it in and said it doesn't shoot worth beans anymore. Gunsmith takes the gun and looks it over. He gives it to me and my father-in-law to look at. Gun looks good so we suggest checking the chamber alignment. Dowel in from the muzzle. Seems like no interference, but, if feels 'funny' as in loose. Got a factory loaded round and it goes in easily and has abit of play. So he gets out a chambering reamer and drops it in a cylinder. It goes in and rattles around!

Gunsmith had also got a box of the ammo the guy reloaded. We pulled a few. They were all compressed loads and looked like bullseye. The next week the gunsmith gives the guy back his pistol and tells him it is ruined and to send it to DW to get it fixed. In the process the guy admitted he didn't weight the loads, just filled up the cases and rammed the bullets in!

End of the story. The guy got a note back from DW asking where he bought the gun to verify the purchase so they could refund his purchase price. They were not going to return the gun, nor fix it. They actually told him they did not want him to own one of their guns again!

[gwpercle]

I had such high hopes for this thread. Sigh...

I remember when I was a sophmore in HS, this girl I really liked told me that...
OK.... so what did she "show " you?.... her reloading dies? I'm liking this story!

[truckjohn]

When you go through the book of Proverbs - one of the interesting bits of wisdom is the characteristics of a fool....

A fool will not accept correction.
They are arrogant and careless
They have no discretion
They don't try to learn from their mistakes...
They always trust in themselves (even when they shouldn't)

The interesting part is that being a "Fool" has nothing to do with intelligence... We know people who are "Foolish" that are brilliant - and we know others who are not...

My guess is that this is not the first time such person has done these things.... and it won't be the last. Sometimes, the best thing you can do is to simply back away and let them reap what they sow...

Thanks

[44man]

I got the dies fixed, removed the rust, made a new headed primer punch, straightened the threaded part.
I chucked the expander and cut the bottom of the die smooth. I went to remove the seat punch nut and could hardly budge it, Got it off and found plier marks on the threads, trip through a die fixed that.
The more I think about it the more I think he ran the expander into a .41 case.

[1911cherry]

I still love the story of a friend who threw a weed eater out in the front yard and proceeded to empty a 16ga pump shotgun into it.. I bet that one will NEVER put up a fuss again ya think?

I am extremely mechanically inclined ,an engine technician by trade.
I too have shot a finicky weedeater except I used a .45

[Gtek]

IMHO the Liberal Progressive left over the past several breeding cycles has been able to install safeguards that would naturally inject chlorine in many of these gene pools. So much for the strong herd!

[44man]

I am extremely mechanically inclined ,an engine technician by trade.
I too have shot a finicky weedeater except I used a .45
Some cheap machines can't be fixed, Mac10 chainsaw comes to mind, the Poulan small chainsaws, no bearings on the piston pins, needs 25 to 1 mix or it will lock up. Cheap weed whackers that refuse to start.
Lot of problems are carboned up exhausts but after a carb rebuild and exhaust cleaning, still needs shot. Rings, seals, etc still OK.
The Mac10 was a two limb saw until it would never run again. Some of that junk will give you a Popeye arm!