What's the most stupid thing you did casting/reloading that you won't do again!

[Rustynails]

Okay, no politically correct concerns when I say... "There are stupid questions and actions, but we should all learn from them.

I am still new to casting and reloading...just on my first 4k rounds of casting bullets and reloaded ammo. My first and only stupid mistake, thus far, was to keep an open ingot container near my reloading bench. Somehow a live primer fell into the old coffee can full on ingots. I was starting to cast some 45 acp and I placed the last ingot from the coffee can into my melting pot and then proceeded to dump all the scrap bullets into the pot. BAM! Lead went flying!

I got just a few specks on my shirt, but most went on the table and around the lead melting pot. I had gloves and glasses on and was wearing a short sleeve shirt. I was lucky it didn't get on any of my skin.

Am I the only one out there that has done something so stupid? Lesson learnt!

So, anyone else do anything stupid that they want to admit to? Maybe your comments will help me not melt my skin away or blow myself up in the future.

[Taterhead]

Glad it wasn't worse. That must have bumped the heart rate!

Mistake: Buying gear twice by trying to get by with the cheap stuff initially.

Obtaining a supply of estate sale reloads thinking I'd pull down for components. False economy! The guy who reloaded the ammo so severely crimped the bullets that they were useless mushroom profiles. That's when I was first clued into the fact that excessive taper crimp ruins neck tension.

[3leggedturtle]

I didnt put my Bullseye away after a loading session. Hour later loaded up some rounds with Unique. YEP! I poured 1/2lb Unique into a container of Bullseye. Mixed it up good, and poured it in the snow outside the door. Had to look at it every day for 4 days til it snowed and covered it up. Still po's me that i did that... Todd/3leg
PS, that happened to a friend, after that i always put a cover on the pot any time i start up or add new lead.

[Winger Ed.]

BAM! Lead went flying!I got just a few specks on my shirt, but most went on the table and around the lead melting pot. I had gloves and glasses on and was wearing a short sleeve shirt. I was lucky it didn't get on any of my skin.
Am I the only one out there that has done something so stupid? Lesson learnt!

One thing that comes to mind was redecorating the ceiling, the walls,
and my clothes after stirring a full 20lb. pot with a damp wooden paint stick.

[marek313]

I always wear eye protection because i shoot mostly steel plates but I dont shoot anything anymore wearing just sunglasses. I had a 45acp case shoot up and right inside the sunglasses making a nice burn mark right under my eye. Now I only wear tight fitting safety glasses.

On the other hand though I love watching girls scream and run lifting their tops off when hot piece of brass gets between those girls. That doesnt bother me as much

[mart]

I have had throw out powder after I inadvertently dumped the wrong powder in the wrong can because I had more than one can on the bench at the same time. Only takes once to learn that one. Never since have I had more than one powder out at a time.

[Hossfly]

I had some new 9 mm powder coated boolits made up and thought I was good enough to hit small flower pots off steel “I-Beam and missed low a piece of lead splattered and caught me on the neck between chin and shirt neck line, had safety glasses on thank goodness. Thought 10’ Was plenty far enough back, nooooope, was going to do like Hickok 45 and smoke some pot. Did quite a few using Front sight squeeze method worked really well till that last one.

[Petrol & Powder]

Well, there was that one time I got into reloading to save money........

[KenH]

Well, there was that one time I got into reloading to save money........

That's the best one!!!

[WheelgunConvert]

Not lubing ALL of the bottleneck cases to save time.

[CastingFool]

Turning down a Ruger Red Label shot gun for $600, was the thing I will always regret

[WheelgunConvert]

I’ll add, I wish I had started documenting traceable batch information and labeling earlier.

I keep hoping someone that is tech savvy will create an app that generates and uses QR codes to track components, assembly and batches from cradle to grave.

[Tom W.]

Got three 60# lead ingots and tried to melt them with a little home propane torch. I ended up going to where my son worked and used an oxy-acetylene torch. It still took most of the night.

[jcren]

Storing all my load and chrono data on a phone app. Nothing like starting over.

[SSGOldfart]

Well, there was that one time I got into reloading to save money........

So reason I started casting and it's been over 50 years when does the saving Start????????????

[RED BEAR]

Tried to cast battery lead once almost didn't get out of my garage the fumes burnt my throat and couldn't breath. Never again and felt very lucky to get out of there. Stupid things i have done in life wouldn't fit here.

[Hickory]

What's the most stupid thing you did casting/reloading that you won't do again!

Another guy and myself were going west to shoot prairie dogs:
I let a guy load ammo with my bullets & powder on my equipment to shoot in my guns, he changed the amount of powder, even though I told him to change NOTHING and it caused my rifle to come apart.
Stupid me. Stupid "friend" who thought he knew better. He still owes me $1100 for the rifle.

[lightman]

A couple of things come to mind. One was painful and the other was just aggravating. I was changing the sizing die on my Lyman 450 and the handle fell. The top punch punched a nice round hole in my thumb nail. I also left the dump valve open on my ChargeMaster after emptying it one time. Of course the next time I used it the powder ran out of the dump and all over my loading bench!

[Tom Myers]

I’ll add, I wish I had started documenting traceable batch information and labeling earlier.
I keep hoping someone that is tech savvy will create an app that generates and uses QR codes to track components, assembly and batches from cradle to grave.

The Precision Load Records software can do that very thing for you.

(Click on links for screen snaps)

All loads and targets are keyed to individual firearms and can be saved to searchable, retrievable databases ;

You can maintain an automatically updated, running inventory of all Cartridge Cases, Bullets, Gas Checks, Primers, Powder and Loaded Ammunition.

[sniper]

Well, there was that one time I got into reloading to save money........

Didn't we all?

Then there was the time when I gave a reloading demonstration to a bunch of Boy Scouts, and had forgotten to prime the cases...Unique all over the table!