Murphy At It Again

[Eddie2002]

Nothing bad happened on the bench, just a real puzzler. I was happly pushing some primers into a batch of .380 ACP brass using a single stage press when suddenly the plunger and spring popped off the arm. I didn't checked the set screw and it worked loose, it's happened before and I usually find everything on the floor in front of the bench. This time it wasn't to be found. I spent almost 2 hours sweeping the floor, moving boxes, looking in boxes and scratching my head. Decided that it was gone, fell into some strange dark hole where socks and that extra 20 dollar bill I thought I had in my wallet ends up so I ordered a replacement.
Since the .380 ACP brass project was on hold I decided to prime a batch of 30-06. Guess what popped up in groove in the ram, yup there it was, the small primer plunger had slipped down and stuck in the primer groove in the ram. Must of been launched by the spring and bounced off the press.
Good old Murphy got me to clean out the entire corner of the shop around the reloading bench. Gotta watch out for him:bigsmyl2:

[fast ronnie]

There's a black hole in my shop floor. I haven't found it yet, tho. I thinks it may be in camo.

[TXGunNut]

A good cleaning now and then will yield more than a plunger around my bench.

[NavyVet1959]

I learned rather quickly that you should not reload or assemble ARs in a room that has carpet. Those little springs and detents on the ARs are hard to find in carpet. Primers get lost in carpet rather well also. Probably don't want to find one with a beater brush type upright vacuum. I use my shop vac, so I haven't had any "surprises" yet.

[Jupiter7]

I always find a small primer and random boolit when I get to moving stuff around the bench.

[blackthorn]

Disassembly of items with small, highly compressed springs etc. should be done inside a clear plastic garbage (leaf) bag. Saves hours of time!

[geargnasher]

Disassembly of items with small, highly compressed springs etc. should be done inside a clear plastic garbage (leaf) bag. Saves hours of time!

(smacking forehead) Why didn't I think of that! I have a roll of heavy, transparent plastic engine bags in the garage. Recently I was searching for the spring, detent ball, and extractor claw that made the "great spontaneous escape" from one of my Savage bolts. My ears tracked the ball and spring and they were found in short order, but the extractor made a soft landing and took some time to find.

Gear

[NavyVet1959]

I've also found out that you shouldn't assemble ARs on granite countertops if the granite pattern has a lot of specs of colors in it. Those little springs and detents blend right in with the colors on the granite. Still, it's better than trying to find it in carpet. :(

[Wayne Smith]

I've also found out that you shouldn't assemble ARs on granite countertops if the granite pattern has a lot of specs of colors in it. Those little springs and detents blend right in with the colors on the granite. Still, it's better than trying to find it in carpet. :(

Easy there, a flashlight laid on the counter casts large shadows of small things!

[texassako]

It's gremlins I tell you. Why else do items disappear, only to reappear right after I get a new one? Usually in an obvious spot right out in the open.

[williamwaco]

Disassembly of items with small, highly compressed springs etc. should be done inside a clear plastic garbage (leaf) bag. Saves hours of time!


That's good advice. Sounds like someone who has been there.

I use a cardboard box with a towel on top.

[smokeywolf]

Whenever I drop anything smallish, I swear it ends up in the next county.

smokeywolf

[cbrick]

Only one guaranteed way to find anything lost and it doesn't matter what it is. Walk in with the new one and there is the lost one starring right at you giggling. :cry:

Rick

[NavyVet1959]

Whenever I drop anything smallish, I swear it ends up in the next county.


if it is the detention spring on an AR that slipped, it probably *did* end up in the next county.

[John Allen]

I think we have all done this. I have a roller magnet like they use to pick up nails It has saved my butt more times than I care to admit.

[Echo]

Did you know that Murphy's Law was NOT originally proposed by Murphy, but by another guy with the same name?

[dondiego]

Everybody knows that.

[Eddie2002]

LOL It was Murphy but not the Murphy

[geargnasher]

It was Murphy, but not our Murphy.

Gear

[geargnasher]

Speaking of "laws" and such, I haven't posted these in a while.....


Gear's Rules

#1 When pouring or transferring materials, the quantity spilled is directly proportional to either it’s value, hazard, or the degree of difficulty in cleaning it up.
#2 Improve our national marital statistics: Stay out of SWMBO’S kitchen with boolit stuff.
#3 Box o’ Truth rule: Shooting stuff is fun.
#4 Just because others couldn’t do it doesn’t mean you will. Think about it.
#5 The mould will finally start dropping gems five minutes before suppertime.
#6 Don’t argue with stupid people, argue with interesting, intelligent people who happen to be mistaken.
#7 Properly stored ammo doesn't spoil, eat, or increase your rent. So stock up.
#8 You can't shoot straight wheel weights. (They have to be made into boolits first!)
#9 Hodgdon will discontinue the only powder that ever shot straight in your favorite rifle.
#10 Things go awry when you least expect it, and are particularly deficient in armor plate.
#11 Beware the loose nut behind someone else’s reloading press.
#12. If one accumulates more than 1,000 rifle or 2500 pistol cases of a given caliber, it becomes immediately necessary to purchase a gun chambered in that caliber, along with dies, moulds, sizers, top punches, powder, primers, membership to a public shooting center with a long enough rifle range, ad nauseum.
#13 Your best groups will be multiple, 10-shot ragged holes you made with no witnesses and won’t ever be able to duplicate again with the same gun and load, even when alone.
#14 No matter what you think now, you will never have enough gun stuff. Only the President does, he’s got the four long arms of the military, plus the Coast Guard, NSA, and about 2500 ICBMs with the trigger in a suitcase.

Gear

[Smoke4320]

Actually it was old man Murphys son

[cbrick]

Are you sure about rule #8?

123380

[geargnasher]

Well, maybe Rick, but the RPMTH is pretty low on those.

#9 is currently biting my butt, AGAIN. Sorry bastids.

Gear

[cbrick]

What's been discontinued now?

Rick

[geargnasher]

4320. Old news, but I just found out. Then there's that SR4759 that works SO freakin' well at launching 12-gauge Lee slugs.....and don't get me started on WW540 and how much I liked it in .45 Colt.

Gear

[cbrick]

Powder Valley has 8 pounders of IMR 4320 in stock right now. 4759 I had just bought an 8 pounder when I heard it was going away so I bought another 8 pounder combined with the 5 pounder I already had I'm kinda set. I've never used 540 so don't miss it.

Rick

[geargnasher]

WHAT? 4320 in stock? Gotta go...

Gear

[cbrick]

WHAT? 4320 in stock? Gotta go... Gear

Shame he didn't want any of that, sure sounded like he did. [smilie=1:

Rick

[geargnasher]

I got some coming, thanks for the tip. IMR supposedly orphaned it and I believe it as I haven't been able to find any in some time other than an occasional pound here and there at gunshows.

Gear

[Green Frog]

4320. Old news, but I just found out. Then there's that SR4759 that works SO freakin' well at launching 12-gauge Lee slugs.....and don't get me started on WW540 and how much I liked it in .45 Colt.

Gear

Hey Gear, what do you use that 4320 for? I got about 4-5 # of it in an estate sale and am sort of at a loss with what to use it in.

Froggie

[geargnasher]

PM sent GF.

Gear

[Lance Boyle]

This is a funny thread. It reminds me of the time I assembled an AR in my "office"/storage room/gunny place. My room I called the rubik's cube. It was so filled with boxes of stuff I had to move stuff and restack it to get to/find other stuff. Next week I'd do it again.

Yep, I launched a detent and spring in the general direction of a pile of boxes, many with open tops or stove in tops. Lets just say I spent a few hours looking for those parts, with a magnet dragged through the carpet, on my belly with a flashlight and then box by box. After than I had a spare parts box. I never needed those spares for myself but I was johnny on the spot for a coworker who did the same and was unable to find his bits.

[Green Frog]

One of the corollaries of Murphy's Law is that the part you lose will be the one for which you have no replacement in your parts bin. This is a strong corollary and seldom fails. My solution is to have at least one spare of everything... but then of course I don't have my parts bin with me when something breaks! Mother Murphy is a b!+¢h. :violin:

[NavyVet1959]

One of the corollaries of Murphy's Law is that the part you lose will be the one for which you have no replacement in your parts bin. This is a strong corollary and seldom fails. My solution is to have at least one spare of everything... but then of course I don't have my parts bin with me when something breaks! Mother Murphy is a b!+¢h. :violin:

But then you realize that you have enough parts to build another firearm, you do it, and then you have zero spare parts. :)

[cbrick]

PM sent GF. Gear

You might be sending PM's but you ain't getting any.

Your inbox is full. :cry:

Rick

[williamwaco]

Speaking of "laws" and such, I haven't posted these in a while.....


Gear's Rules

#1 When pouring or transferring materials, the quantity spilled is directly proportional to either it’s value, hazard, or the degree of difficulty in cleaning it up.
#2 Improve our national marital statistics: Stay out of SWMBO’S kitchen with boolit stuff.
#3 Box o’ Truth rule: Shooting stuff is fun.
#4 Just because others couldn’t do it doesn’t mean you will. Think about it.
#5 The mould will finally start dropping gems five minutes before suppertime.
#6 Don’t argue with stupid people, argue with interesting, intelligent people who happen to be mistaken.
#7 Properly stored ammo doesn't spoil, eat, or increase your rent. So stock up.
#8 You can't shoot straight wheel weights. (They have to be made into boolits first!)
#9 Hodgdon will discontinue the only powder that ever shot straight in your favorite rifle.
#10 Things go awry when you least expect it, and are particularly deficient in armor plate.
#11 Beware the loose nut behind someone else’s reloading press.
#12. If one accumulates more than 1,000 rifle or 2500 pistol cases of a given caliber, it becomes immediately necessary to purchase a gun chambered in that caliber, along with dies, moulds, sizers, top punches, powder, primers, membership to a public shooting center with a long enough rifle range, ad nauseum.
#13 Your best groups will be multiple, 10-shot ragged holes you made with no witnesses and won’t ever be able to duplicate again with the same gun and load, even when alone.
#14 No matter what you think now, you will never have enough gun stuff. Only the President does, he’s got the four long arms of the military, plus the Coast Guard, NSA, and about 2500 ICBMs with the trigger in a suitcase.

Gear

SO true!

Sounds like a man who has been there.

[paul edward]

Gremlins work for Murphy.

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

Yup, desert eagle slide catch spring will take off on ya everytime...

[TCLouis]

Do you know how small the detent spring and pin are for an AR15?
smaller than can be found if one loses contol ot them installing a pivot pin.

But much bigger than the plunger and plunger spring on triiger mechanism of a Ruger revolver.

They really launch if you are not expecting anything to be under tension.

Wear glasses when installing or removing one too.

[fa38]

4320. Old news, but I just found out. Then there's that SR4759 that works SO freakin' well at launching 12-gauge Lee slugs.....and don't get me started on WW540 and how much I liked it in .45 Colt.

Gear

I think HS6 is the same as Win 540

[Pilgrim]

Hs-6 = ww540, hs-7 = ww571