Blowing up your ammunition is no laughing matter. As serious as you may be about your shooting hobby, making mistakes in the reloading process can have dire consequences.
Specifically, mistakes can lead to injuries, loss of life, and the destruction of countless dollars’ worth of equipment. But what mistakes should shooters look out for when using reloaded ammunition?
Before loading each round into your firearm, take some time to review this list of common reloading mistakes. By correcting a few common errors, you can safely and efficiently create your ammunition.
Table of Contents
1. Unseated Primer
This can cause several problems, including misfires, jams, and even dangerous safety concerns. To avoid this, make sure the primer is seated correctly in the primer pocket before you start to reload the ammunition.
Another way to avoid this mistake is to use a primer tool to seat the primer correctly. This tool ensures that the primer is seated correctly and can help to prevent any accidental misfires that may lead you to face a wrongful injury case.
2. Wrong Powder Charge
Using the wrong gun powder charge can be a very dangerous mistake, as it can lead to serious injury or even death. Using too much powder can cause the bullet to travel at a much higher velocity than intended, which can cause it to penetrate through targets and into bystanders.
And using too little powder can cause the bullet to travel at a lower velocity than intended, which can cause it to bounce off targets or not penetrate through targets. Always be sure to check the powder charge accuracy loading data for the specific bullet you are using to avoid this mistake.
3. Cartridge Casings With No Trimming
When cartridges are fired, the brass expands and becomes longer. This expanding and lengthening process is called working the brass. Over time, the brass will become too long and needs to be trimmed back down to size.
Failure to trim your brass can lead to problems such as misfeeds, chambering difficulties, and cartridge malfunction. To avoid this, invest in a quality case trimmer. A good case trimmer will make the job much easier and faster.
Then, check your brass regularly and trim it as needed. Don’t let it get too long before trimming it back down. Finally, be careful when trimming your brass. Don’t trim too much off at once or you could end up with brass that’s too short.
4. Cracked or Dented Casings
Cracks can occur in the brass at the neck or shoulder, and dents can happen anywhere along the body of the case. These flaws can cause problems when the case is fired, such as split cases or jammed guns. Inspect your brass carefully before reloading to ensure that there are no cracks or dents.
If you find any, discard the case and use a new one. It’s not worth taking the risk, no matter how small it may seem. You can discover more amazing firepower options here.
5. Over-Crimping
Crimping is the process of compressing the brass around the bullet to keep it from moving. While it is important to keep the bullet in place, too much crimping can cause problems.
It can cause the brass to split, crack, or become dislodged from the case and it can also increase the pressure in the case, which can lead to dangerous situations. To avoid excessive crimping, only crimp enough to keep the bullet in place.
6. Insufficient Crimping
Insufficient crimping is failing to properly measure the case’s mouth. This can cause several problems, including but not limited to, bullets moved backward in the case during firing, bullets pushed out of the case during firing, or bullets not staying in the case during feeding. This can be avoided by using a caliper to measure the case mouth before reloading.
Another mistake that can lead to insufficient crimping is using the wrong size die for the case. To avoid this, be sure to use the proper die for the job. With a carbide die, you only need to lightly crimp the case.
If using a steel die, you will need to apply more pressure to achieve the correct amount of crimp. Be sure to check your work after crimping. The case should be firmly seated in the die, and the bullet should not move when you push on it with your finger.
7. Lacking Lube
This can lead to increased wear on the equipment, and cause bullets to wobble thus decreasing accuracy, increasing friction, and potential safety issues. To avoid this, be sure to use a quality lubricant on all cases, and consistently check to ensure that they are properly lubricated. If possible, use a lubricant that is designed specifically for reloading, as this will help to ensure optimal performance.
8. Case Mouths Shave Bullets
Not properly resizing the case mouth can cause the case mouth to be too small, and the bullet will shave when seated. This happens when the case’s mouth becomes damaged and essentially shaves off a small layer of lead from the bullet as it’s being inserted. This can lead to major accuracy issues and can even be dangerous.
To avoid this, be sure to carefully inspect your cases for any damage before reloading them be sure to properly resize the case mouth, and align the die with the case before reloading. If you do find any damage, dispose of the case and do not use it.
These Common Reloading Mistakes Can Be Life Threatening To You And Others
Many common reloading mistakes can be made, but fortunately, they can all be avoided with a little knowledge and attention to detail. Always double-check your work to make sure you are doing it correctly.
By taking the time to learn the basics of reloading and paying attention to your equipment and components, you can avoid these mistakes and produce accurate, safe, and reliable ammunition.
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