Do any of you worry about this?

[mugsie]

I reload on a Dillon Progressive, 550B. It has a little chute where the completed rounds slide down into an Arco bin. I always worry that some day a round sliding down the chute will strike a primer from a round already in the bin and God knows what would happen. Not something I want to be near or have happen in my basement. I could just imagine the chain reaction.

So - do any of you concern yourself with this problem or am I imagining too much. I've been reloading for years, but always use my hand to stop the round from traveling full speed down the chute. Takes a little longer but at least I feel safer.

What say ye?

[No_1]

I have had my 550b for maybe~15 years and have never had that happen and to be honest I never even thought of it until you mentioned it but I assure you that I will never worry about it.

R.

[fishhawk]

i don't worry about it at all, no way it's going to hit hard enough to set off a primer

[carpetman]

I worry about it all the time. It has kept me up many a night. The only thing that has kept me sane is that I dont have a Dillon Progressive 550b and have never seen one nor do I know what an Arco bin is. What is an Arco bin?---seems like Wiley Coyote used one to trap the roadrunner but thinking back,I think it was an Acme bin. He was fond of Acme stuff---he seemed to prefer it over Lee.

[jleneave]

Funny that you mention that, there is an article in the new issue (June 2008) of Guns & Ammo magazine on page 24 titled "Weird Stuff Happens". In the article it talks about an incident at an indoor shooting range where an empty case bounces off of a divider between shooting lanes and sets off a round in an open styrofoam tray full of ammo. I would say that if an empty case can set a round off I am sure a loaded round could do the same. Granted it is a one in ten million chance of that happening, but I guess the answer to your question is yes it could happen if the conditions were just right. Check out the article it is a pretty interesting read and they make it sound real believable. Take care.

Jody

[beagle]

In VN, I was talking with our maintenance officer and he had a 7.62 Nato round and was turning it over as we talked. When we finished and as we were leaving, he tossed it over a bank and the darn thing went off. Now, he tossed it and the drop was nearly 4 feet as I recall. That's a milspec primer and it went.

Now, that's one in a billion but things happen./beagle

[jonk]

No, I don't worry about it. I don't have a Dillon but my Lee progressive spits them down a chute into a bin too. Then again I also don't worry about tumbling loaded ammo. If one did go off in a once in a million chance, it would not be a big deal. I've had live rounds cook off in a burn barrel b/c some idiot threw them in there and they didn't even penetrate the side; not much force without a chamber to contain the explosion. I'm not saying it wouldn't hurt and wouldn't break skin, but it ain't gonna kill you and surely won't start a chain reaction unless the bullets are aligned end to end.

[bullshot]

I've loaded thousands of rounds on two Dillon 550b's. When the finished cartridges fall into the bin, they don,t fall with enough force to mar the cast boolit.
So I don't think setting off a primer is an issue. IMO

[targetshootr]

I've wondered about that too. But I don't use the factory bin any more, I prop an old cast bullet cardboard box even with the ramp so there's not much drop. Still, I can see how it might happen.

[ChuckS1]

I wouldn't worry about it. Heck, back in my Army days, we used to toss wooden boxes of 155mm point detonating projectile fuzes into the backs of the ammo trucks after we had loaded the projos and powder bags. Never had one go off...

[Alchemist]

If you were really worried about it, you could remove each loaded round from the bin and place it in whatever you store your ammo in. I can't see where it's something to worry about. The rounds just don't go down the chute that fast.

Alchemist

[NSP64]

You needn't be in on the 429303 style group buy then.

[NSP64]

I wouldn't worry about it. Heck, back in my Army days, we used to toss wooden boxes of 155mm point detonating projectile fuzes into the backs of the ammo trucks after we had loaded the projos and powder bags. Never had one go off...

We used to toss 8" ers on top of each other( untill one detonated at the end of the barrel, blowing the muzzle brake 300 yrds down range at Graff)

[Leadforbrains]

Yep those Dillons are death traps. You need to box it up and send it to me for proper disposal.
Please include all your other reloading and casting Paraphenalia, liquor, firearms, wild women on the premisis. All these items pose a danger to you and the general public.
This is a public safety announcment. Thank you for your cooperation.

[hyoder]

Never worried 'bout that and I run a pile of ammo down that little ramp. I've never even had one of the many that hit the floor go off when I let that little blue whatchacallit bin get too full.

[Tom Herman]

Hi Mugsie,


I've loaded over 100,000 rounds on my Dillon RL-550 (notice no "B" suffix) without any problems.
The rounds dropping that little way onto the ramp into the Acro Mills bin simply don't have enough energy fro a bump to cause a primer to ignite.
Even if the round goes off, most likely you shouldn't have any problems. I read in a 1950's or 1960's vintage American Rifleman or other gun magazine of tests that General Hatcher did to deliberately fire primers of various loose cartridges, and the bottom line was that most just harmlessly popped the bullet out.
Only one actually shredded the casing and generated shrapnel, which was contained by a cardboard box.
So, don't sweat it, and you can probably cancel your meteorite insurance as well.

Happy Shootin'! -Tom



I reload on a Dillon Progressive, 550B. It has a little chute where the completed rounds slide down into an Arco bin. I always worry that some day a round sliding down the chute will strike a primer from a round already in the bin and God knows what would happen. Not something I want to be near or have happen in my basement. I could just imagine the chain reaction.

So - do any of you concern yourself with this problem or am I imagining too much. I've been reloading for years, but always use my hand to stop the round from traveling full speed down the chute. Takes a little longer but at least I feel safer.

What say ye?

[mugsie]

Thanks guys - but I'm taking Leadforbrains suggestion. Tonight I'm packing up all my reloading equipment, all my casting equipment, all pointy objects and anything sharp and sending it to him. He's right, if I want to feel safe then I need to get them out of the house. Bout the only thing I'm going to keep is my aluminum foil helmet and radio wave suit I made. I still need to be protected from outside interference.

Thanks everyone.

Leadforbrains - you should be seeing everything on your doorstep some time late next week.

[river-rider]

I have a 550,650,1050 and SD. Have reloaded for years and had no problem. Even if a round went off it is not confined and will not have as much power as it would going off in a chamber.

[Ken]

If you were really worried about it, you could remove each loaded round from the bin and place it in whatever you store your ammo in. I can't see where it's something to worry about. The rounds just don't go down the chute that fast.

Alchemist
I knew a commercial reloader several years ago when I was a commercial bullet caster, that actually had this happen.

I do as described above, not so much because I'm concerned about an accident,but because its just as easy to box them as they come off as to box them later. I don't even let them hit the bin. I catch them from the shellholder.

Speaking of wierd stuff, I was shooting 22 Bullseye and had a malfunction. When I cleared it, the 22 LR round hit the concrete floor and went off. That attracted a lot of attention from the boys.

[Morgan Astorbilt]

I remember back when I used to buy factory ammo(many years ago), that the lead bullets on .38spl. ammo, had an unusual pebbled finish. I later found that the ammo company's would tumble the finished cartridges to clean them up before packaging. After building my tumbler, it was my practice to tumble my pistol ammo to remove the 50-50 Alox lube that covered it with a thin film. Never had a round show the lightest mark on a primer, let alone go off. This is a large tumbler (8gals.), the rounds must fall six or eight inches. The short drop into the Arco bin is inconsequential.
Stopped tumbling, the ammo, when I switched to hard lube.
Morgan
http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa159/pgfaini/100_1774.jpg
http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa159/pgfaini/100_1773.jpg

[Leadforbrains]

Thanks guys - but I'm taking Leadforbrains suggestion. Tonight I'm packing up all my reloading equipment, all my casting equipment, all pointy objects and anything sharp and sending it to him. He's right, if I want to feel safe then I need to get them out of the house. Bout the only thing I'm going to keep is my aluminum foil helmet and radio wave suit I made. I still need to be protected from outside interference.

Thanks everyone.

Leadforbrains - you should be seeing everything on your doorstep some time late next week.

WOO HOO!!! :drinks: [smilie=w: