Anyone posting this late in the game blaming the surplus powder doesn't have the critical reading skills to safely engage in reloading, and that's a fact. One has to read tabular data and lots of warnings and then synthesize all that information... If one goes about skipping the big red print like this feller did, well, I wouldn't want to shoot beside him at the range!
HF
I give loading advice based on my actual results in factory rifles with standard chambers, twist rates and basic accurizing.
My goals for using cast boolits are lots of good, cheap, and reasonably accurate shooting, while avoiding overly tedious loading processes.
The BHN Deformation Formula, and why I don't use it.
How to find and fix sizing die eccentricity problems.
Do you trust your casting thermometer?
A few musings.
When you're a hammer, all of your problems look like nails.
Or in castboolits parlance, when you're looking for a SEE, you'll find a way to make it a SEE.
Geez! Glad you were not hurt badly...
It is good to hear about such things... It'll remind me (as a beginner) that reloading is not a hobby for folks who have sloppy work habits. Now I know why my friend Bob (my loading teacher) insisted that only one powder can be on the bench at a time, each case visually inspected for powder level, etc.
It is a VERY GOOD thing to be careful and meticuous with this stuff....
Thank you, jonk, for posting and eating a little humble pie for the masses. I have always been meticulous at everything I do and this applies to reloading as well. I've not shot any reload that the charge hasn't been weighed.
I do not trust any powder measure except my black powder measure. I know it is a volumetric measure for black powder and one cannot go wrong with using it. However, smokeless powder is a totally different animal.
Eventhough I've mounted my powder measure to the top of the press for charging pistol cases I do not trust it. I weigh every charge. Sometimes the charge from the powder measure is a few granules too light and sometimes it is a few granules too heavy.
I don't think that the Lee PPM is all that "perfect" as it leaves a lot to be desired. I don't think the Lee has ever thrown the same charge twice in a row, so I weigh every charge. I know it takes me a lot longer to reload, but safety is paramount in this hobby.
Jonk, I'm glad you weren't hurt. The rifle can be replaced. You cannot. I'm also glad that you were able to identify the problem that caused the kaboom. Many aren't that lucky. Take care and be safe. BC
Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me."
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