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Thread: I probably should have stayed in bed, it was one of those days.

  1. #1
    Boolit Master

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    I probably should have stayed in bed, it was one of those days.

    This past Saturday the freezing weather went back up north where it belongs. I wanted to load some .308 rounds and head to the range.
    I have been having some trouble with an old RCBS digital scale so I drag out the Dillion Eliminator beam scale. I get the scale set up and ready to go.

    I was going to load some ladder loads with a NOE 310-167-FN-AK3 gas checked bullet, lubed with Carnauba Blue. I had good luck with 17.0 & 17.5 gr of 2400.
    the groups Were getting close to MOA groups at 100 yards. Things went to **** at 18.0 grains of 2400. I am still looking for the sweet spot and was going to start
    at 17.3 and load up to 17.7 and see if I could find that sweet spot somewhere in between.

    Here is where everything went to the dogs so to speak, a major mind fart. I had 20 rounds loaded and then noticed that the scale was set for 16.3 grains and not
    17.3. Well I pulled the bullets and started over and made sure it was set for said 17.3. I load 10 and forgot to bump the load up the 1/10 of a grain and loaded 10 more.
    Being too irritated to destroy more bullets so I have 20 to put on one target, and finished out the rest of the batch up to 17.6.

    I hope I am not the only one to have a major mind fart like that while reloading. Those senior moments happen from time to time but the switch back to a regular scale
    sure had me stumped. And no I didn't make it to the range.

  2. #2
    Boolit Master 44Blam's Avatar
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    The other day I loaded a ladder of w296 boolits for my tokarev. Was just finishing up and I dropped the box of boolits. They scattered and I had no idea of which were which. So, loaded 30 more and didn't drop it... I think I'm gonna be pulling those tonight.
    WWG1WGA

  3. #3
    Boolit Buddy
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    don't feel bad. 2 weeks ago I loaded 40 rounds of cast for my 300 bo. it was the only gun I took to the range the next day, which is 35 miles away. pulled the trigger on the first one, nothing. thought, bad primer. next one, same thing. now something's wrong. never had 2 bad primers in a row in 30 years of reloading. 3rd one was a squib that lodged the bullet about 3 inches into the barrel. you guessed it - no powder. I usually run a penlight over the rounds as they're sitting in the block, before seating the boolits, didn't that time. moral of the story? don't load at 3 am when you're tired but can't sleep. old and confused doesn't help either. and no, I wasn't drinking.

  4. #4
    Boolit Buddy 458mag's Avatar
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    Don't even get me started. Some days it just sucks to be us.
    Most folks see a firearm as rifle, pistol, shotgun, ect.... I see a canvas.

  5. #5
    Boolit Buddy
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    I still say the worst day I ever had at the range beats the best day I've ever had at work.

  6. #6
    Boolit Master

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    dogmower - The gun club I belong to is right at 36 miles from my driveway. I get over there one day and get my rifle, rest and rear bag all set up, shag
    a target out to 100 yards and flip the lid on my rifle ammo and discover that I didn't put the ammo through the FCD and nothing I had would chamber.
    I'm just glad I had some handguns and ammo with me. So it wasn't a total loss.

  7. #7
    Boolit Master
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    Wondered why one day when I was shooting my ladder loads that my groups had vertical stringing like I’ve never had before......I was grabbing a shell w 23.0gr then a shell w 24.0gr then a shell w 25.0gr etc. I was grabbing them wrong lol.

    Luckily for me I just repeated that test on all new and clean targets then laid them on top of each other and compared that way.

    I did think to myself how could I have let this happen!

  8. #8
    Boolit Grand Master tazman's Avatar
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    Momma always said there would be days like this. She just didn't say they would come this often.

  9. #9
    Boolit Mold
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    I have had similar issues so I now mark all rounds with data directly on the brass casing. Lasts for onee range date and if dropped can be put back in sequence without much cussin

    Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk

  10. #10
    Boolit Grand Master OS OK's Avatar
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    hehehehehe...I'm glad that I never make mistakes & never screw up & never forget anything...hehehehehehe

    and...I 'almost' never lie
    a m e r i c a n p r a v d a

    Be a Patriot . . . expose their lies!

    “In a time of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” G. Orwell

  11. #11
    Boolit Grand Master tazman's Avatar
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    I ain't talking about mine. As far as you know I never made any. As far as you know.

  12. #12
    Boolit Master 40-82 hiker's Avatar
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    Back in the late sixties my Dad and I went to the range to shoot BP guns. This time in particular we forgot the BP. How does the human brain work? Heck, I still remember it as a fun day, at any rate.

  13. #13
    Boolit Master


    Walter Laich's Avatar
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    Just today ran across a lone .45 Colt cartridge--was going to guess either pistol or rifle and decided pulling the bullets was the safest decision

    I did pull over 100 .45-70s, all reloads, that went through flooding from Hurricane Harvey. They sat is water for over 2 weeks. Amazing 1/3 of them were still dry inside.

    After wet tumbling for 4 hours cases looked like new. Lead bullets went back in pot and used the powder on the flowers in the garden
    NRA Life
    USPSA L1314
    SASS Life 48747
    RVN/Cambodia War Games, 2nd Place

  14. #14
    Boolit Master
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    Loaded 50 ladder loads in .375 H & H in tray and only marked the ones along the edge with the charge wt. thinking "hey, I won't turn that over". WRONG!
    Decreed by our Creator: The man who has been made able to believe and understand that Jesus Christ has been sent into this world by the Father has been born of the Spirit of God. This man shall never experience spiritual death. He will live forever!

  15. #15
    Boolit Master

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    I am human and make mistakes.

    After an extended reloading and handgun shooting weekend, I later put rifle powder into the hopper of the Progressive press without cleaning the remnant handgun powder from the hopper first. The resultant rifle round primer went off, the mixed powder went "pop", and I watched the bullet dribbled out of the muzzle end with nearly zero velocity to land about 4-feet in front of the bench. There was a mess of unburned powder in the barrel.

    Oh Boy! THAT got my undivided attention! My private range session was immediately terminated. My guns were packed up, I headed the 30-minutes home, and the investigation for cause was ON!!!

    Ten bullets were dismantled and WRITTEN procedures put in place to LABEL the powder dispenser, EMPTY the hopper at the end of EVERY reloading session (no more waiting till tomorrow), and CHECK for an EMPTY hopper prior to filling with new powder.

    It only takes a millisecond for the brain to check OUT and then IN again. In that millisecond, conditions can change.
    Watch for it.
    If it was easy, anybody could do it.

  16. #16
    Boolit Master redhawk0's Avatar
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    I'll take a crappy day reloading or hunting over the day I had yesterday.

    My boss wants me to attend a training class in Shanghai, China. Next month...I hate news like this...Not real excited to go to Communist China for 2 weeks. Although I should be used to it...I do live in Communist Massachusetts.

    redhawk

    The only stupid question...is the unasked one.
    Not all who wander....are lost.
    "Common Sense" is like a flower. It doesn't grow in everyone's garden.

    If more government is the answer, then it was a really stupid question. - Ronald Reagan

  17. #17
    Boolit Master

    dale2242's Avatar
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    I drove 120 miles for an eastern Oregon sage rat shoot only to discover that the bolt to my 223 was still in the safe at home.
    Luckily I had my 22 hornet with me.
    After spilling one box of ladder loads and mixing them up, I started marking the primers of each load with different color felt markers and recording not only the load but which color primer each was...dale

  18. #18
    DOR RED BEAR's Avatar
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    Seems that i have a lot more of these type days than i used to. Best to just smile and remember tomorrow is another day.

  19. #19
    Boolit Grand Master

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    Some days just be that way. Its too bad that we don't know ahead of time when they are going to happen! I guess its called life for a reason!

  20. #20
    Boolit Grand Master

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    Ya gotta have the bad days, to make ya appreciate the good. My appreciator is getting worse for all the recent wear.
    Information not shared. is wasted.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check