Dangerous Handloads

[Marshall/Ak]

The recent post about double-charged ammo in a handgun reminded me of this incident:

This guy I know called me up one day about a year ago and asked if I wanted a box of miscellaneous ammo...that he was cleaning out his shop. "Uh...sure...why not?", I replied.
Well, it turns out a lot of that ammo was hundreds of his old reloads...maybe 300 rounds. Looking at some of his ammo I could tell right away he was not very good at it: dented brass, poorly seated bullets, mashed primers, etc. (some people should just leave loading to others...and I think he's one of them)

Then I spied this 300 Win Mag case in the box. He said it was from his rifle, that it just "went BANG!", and the bolt froze...couldn't get the action open, so he took it back home. Somehow he got the case extracted, and here's what it looks like:




Sorry, no pic of the rifle...he said he didn't have it anymore...
This is the very worst "blown primer" example I have ever seen, in any caliber. I don't know what he did, but I suspect he put the wrong powder in, like maybe H4895, instead of H4831.
Well, he had several hundred of his loads in the box, in every conceivable caliber. When I got them home I dismantled ALL OF THEM, threw the powder out, and salvaged only the bullets, and a handful of brass that he hadn't somehow managed to screw up. Some of them had cast bullets that had NO lube on them at all...zilch...nada...zip. Just fresh out of the mould and into the case...



A word to the wise: be careful of whose handloads you use and trust! If you're not absolutely sure, I'd dismantle them...don't use ANY of the powder...toss it!


Marshall/Ak

[RMiller]

Definately words of wisdom....thanks for sharing.

[Odiebo]

It's post like this that reaffirm the need to get the information first and confirm that info with someone knowledgeable. It's also the kind of post that keeps me from rushing out and reloading my own before I'm ready to. Perhaps when the other projects are done around the house you might be seeing a few questions from me.

[BrownBear]

No kidding! Egad. I bet you could build a whole web site around reloading follies.

I'm anal about safety to the point that I identify the rifle or handgun for which reloads are intended. Get up near "max" and a load that's perfectly safe in one can be a bomb in the other.

You were saying weren't you, that the guy was getting out of the business. Good ridance!

[gunbugs]

This is rule number two in my book, I will not shoot someone else's handloads in my gun, nor will I shoot my handloads in someone else's gun. Rule number one being, I will never loan one of my guns to anyone, period. Go buy your own gun.

[Smitty of the North]

It's post like this that reaffirm the need to get the information first and confirm that info with someone knowledgeable. It's also the kind of post that keeps me from rushing out and reloading my own before I'm ready to. Perhaps when the other projects are done around the house you might be seeing a few questions from me.

I agree with that approach.

Handloading is a serous undertaking, and much moreso, than some folks seem to think. Even serious handloaders can make mistakes.

It's mostly handloaders, who won't shoot other people's handloads. I had no fear of shooting handloads, until I started loading myself, and became aware of how other's sometimes, put'em together.

I'm not adverse to loaning a rifle, but I can agree with Gunbugs, "Let them buy their own rifle", too.

If its someone who just wants to say they are hunter, and killed a moose, that borrower doesn't appreciate rifles. If they did they'd probably own one, already.

Smitty of the North

[BrownBear]

If its someone who just wants to say they are hunter, and killed a moose, that borrower doesn't appreciate rifles. If they did they'd probably own one, already.

I agree, but then have to acknowledge that visitors coming on airlines sometimes arrive without guns, but with only a short layover before the trip out on a float plane. I keep a couple of loaners around, always in good shape, sighted in, and accurate. It seems like at least every other year at least a guest arrives with no rifle. Or no handloads or ammo for some obscure caliber or wildcat. Sad fact of life with air travel. As for locals? Let em buy their own guns.

[ADfields]

I'm happy to loan a gun long as I'm goin where it goes, I even have ole-long-tom (a brake action Savage with 30/30 and 16 gage berrers) just fur that. Then there are a select fiew (brothers and life long best frend) that my gun rack is their gun rack and virsa visa.


Loaning guns can be a very hard choice sometimes though!
I had a nephew (by mirage) ask my brother (not his dad the other brother) to loan him a gun because some 18 year old kid said he was gonna kill him. Brother declined and hauled him over to the Sheriff’s office to report the threat, they investigated and said it was nothing, just an old $300 drug dept so brother was glad I hadn’t armed the nephew. 2 weeks later the nephew disappeared, gone without a trace. After a week my sister in-law and brother (the step-dad brother) were putting up missing flyers . . . 3 weeks later they found his body in a shallow, grave 12 gage at close range. Now the brother that didn’t loan him a gun is eaten up that he didn’t give the kid a gun and teach him to use it . . . and now my brothers don’t talk to each other anymore. I'm not saying loan or not just saying in real life it ain't a cut-n-dryed deal and ether way you will need to be able to live with it!

http://billingsgazette.com/news/loca...d04ed51e9.html

http://www.azcentral.com/community/w...ON.html?&wired

[Yukoner]

No kidding! Egad. I bet you could build a whole web site around reloading follies.

I'm anal about safety to the point that I identify the rifle or handgun for which reloads are intended. Get up near "max" and a load that's perfectly safe in one can be a bomb in the other.

You were saying weren't you, that the guy was getting out of the business. Good ridance!

One can never be too anal when it comes to re-loading and firearm safety in general.

[Smitty of the North]

I agree, but then have to acknowledge that visitors coming on airlines sometimes arrive without guns, but with only a short layover before the trip out on a float plane. I keep a couple of loaners around, always in good shape, sighted in, and accurate. It seems like at least every other year at least a guest arrives with no rifle. Or no handloads or ammo for some obscure caliber or wildcat. Sad fact of life with air travel. As for locals? Let em buy their own guns.

I wouldn't like hunting, nearly as much if I couldn't use my own gun.

When I was younger, I went hunting 3 different times, with 3 different people, who FORGOT to bring their rifles. They all discovered it after the trip started, and went back home for them. One guy had to go back from the Airport.

Some folks are more enamored with hunting, than with rifles. With me, it's the opposite, guess.

Smitty of the North

[BrownBear]

Truth time?

I keep the loaners for the same reason. I DO NOT want them using my good stuff if they don't arrive with a gun of their own. Having a decent beater around solves it all with it for a hapless visitor, or if I'm using it myself in conditions where I don't want to risk carrying my good stuff. And I don't think "forgetting" a gun is always accidental. Had a guest show up (he's no longer on the invitation list, BTW) that showed up without and was pretty insistent that qualified him to have his pick of my rack. Shoulda seen the look on his face when I handed him an old Sears 06 with a cheapy scope! Better yet, you shoulda seen the looks on our faces at the end of his visit. Some guests arrive from hell.