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Thread: Close to 40 yrs of reloading and I SCREWED UP

  1. #1
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    Default Close to 40 yrs of reloading and I SCREWED UP

    Talk about humbling on how stupid you can be, this may be little long but posting for those that reload to TRIPLE CHECK you set up (this may get long but please learn from my stupidity). As we always say GOD looks after FOOLS and IDIOTS and right now I feel like BOTH

    I use Nosler Ballistic Tips in my 270, 7 mag, 308 and 300 WBY Mag and have for at least 30 yrs Like the bullets (nothing is perfect that I know but these work well for me ) and to be honest very easy to look at color to distinguish .

    For most part I use 270 or 7 mag 90% of time. Back last fall was climbing in 10’ box blind and (rifle unloaded naturally ) and strap broke and gun hit the ground. Scary enough as many times as I have climbed in and out of stands I have never had anything like that happen (not going to debate using a rope to pull gun up, entirely different topic ) . Well always keep my savage 270 in truck for back up so go swap guns and back in stand.

    Worried more about scope than gun to be honest, got home pulled bolt out (Browning Stainless Stalker A Bolt) and checked barrel and all was well. Next day went to range to see if scope was even close on 7 Mag

    Shot first round and bad “blow back” and noticed case had split. Have seen this a few times over the years when I had reloaded a case too much but bullet hit target to my surprise and was pretty close . Popped another round in and same thing. Split case. YEP should have STOPPED then but this bullet also hit target . Well my dumb ass shot one more and same thing but this time could not open bolt Knew SOMETHING bad was wrong since 3 cases in a row split, no way that should ever happen. Called buddy of mine and he was headed to Greenville and said he would run it by gunsmith he knew to check it out, no big deal and we talked and really thought when gun hit ground maybe something was out of line or bent

    Actually forgot about it and was eating breakfast with my friend Tuesday and he said gunsmith found problem, “YOUR DUMB ASS shot a 270 in a 7 mag. My response was NO WAY. I KNOW BETTER and I only had my cartridge case with 7 mag at the range.

    He sent me this picture yesterday and I went home and looked, apparently in my haste of reloading I some how had a 3 270 shells mixed in with 7 mag. Stuck first 2 rounds in the case and I guess due being stumped at case splitting I NEVER EVEN noticed no belt on cartridge. I sat in my garage yesterday dumbfounded and SHOCKED that I did something like this

    When I reload I only do ONE caliber at a time and that is ALL that is on my reloading bench. I check and double check in my loading block all powder charges and every thing . However I do recall last time I reloaded some 7 mags I already was set up for that and just loaded a half dozen or so to hunt with so I guess I broke cardinal rule and got in a hurry, overconfidence I guess got the best of me .

    So when you THINK it can NOT HAPPEN TO YOU trust me IT CAN. Felt I needed to post this on here and hopefully nobody else will be as stupid as I was. In fact when I told my Wife about it should told me it was time to QUIT reloading



    By way gun has been repaired and sighted in by gunsmith , Leupold Scope held up fine to a drop from 6-8’


    And yes my hunting buddies have already started giving me a hard time on this one, I am sure it will never end LOL
    Last edited by tprice; 07-12-2019 at 02:32 PM.

  2. #2
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  3. #3
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    Shew. Glad it wasn't worse.

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    Makes sense that it hit the target since they are only 7 hundreds off in diameter. Glad you weren't hurt.

  5. #5
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    Glad for you that was no worse than that
    ....

    A friend of mine once over calibered a round and when he fired it the bolt came rearward out of a Model 700 and through his wrist...Another friend over charged a load and sheared the lugs off of a Model 70 bolt...Both of these guys were "experienced"...And I mean that quotation as the hard truth


    Not many people have built as many guns as myself...Not many people have loaded more ammo than me.

    And all of the above is why in this day and age of being able to buy quality hardware and ammo, that I quit building and reloading...I now just consider myself a "Tuner"...There was the time years ago that it was almost necessary to build and load to have a quality setup, that's not the case anymore.

    I like myself too much, and I really desire to see my grandkids grow up...Stupid mistakes kill.......
    Last edited by Swift Strike; 07-12-2019 at 08:05 AM.

  6. #6
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    reloading is fun but it scares me. Im anal about it and have a set method to my madness to do every step the same every time. If I get distracted I quit and come back another time. Ive been loading 44 mags lately and swap between unique for cast loads and 2400 for jacketed. Both powder bottle look identical and you put like 11gr of unique and 19gr of 2400. If you got them backwards and threw 19gr of unique in one by accident, it would not be pretty.
    "Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs.
    I am haunted by waters" Norman Maclean.

  7. #7
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    I am also very conservative in my loading. I stick with mid level loads on whatever caliber I load and have never had problems. I don't like living on the edge, if I want more power out of a rifle, I upgrade to a larger caliber.

    Im amazed that the magnum bolt face extractor was able to pull that 270 out especially after it split like that.
    "Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs.
    I am haunted by waters" Norman Maclean.

  8. #8
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    I like to get coked up when I reload. Improves my performance and my bullets'

  9. #9
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    See, every time I think to myself, "I might try reloading this year," I see a post like this, and I change my mind, because I WILL do something like that at some point. Thanks for sharing. Glad youre alright.
    Last edited by Scruggz; 07-12-2019 at 08:57 AM.
    Psalm 23

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by uga_dawg View Post
    Makes sense that it hit the target since they are only 7 hundreds off in diameter. Glad you weren't hurt.

    Thanks but it was the correct bullet, I squeezed a 7mm bullet into a 270 case.(that was my FIRST screw up )
    Last edited by tprice; 07-12-2019 at 09:57 AM.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Scruggz View Post
    See, every time I think to myself, "I might try reloading this year," I see a post like this, and I change my mind, because I WILL do something like that at some point. Thanks for sharing. Glad youre alright.

    DO not let this spook you, this was VERY EASILY Preventable if I was not in a hurry. Almost 57 yrs old and been reloading since before I was 20 and have NEVER had an issue. NEVER Always 1 caliber at a time and clear bench of EVERYTHING else

  12. #12
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    I knew I never needed to load my own, it's just one of those things that I cannot do. I'm not all into details, there's a bunch of winging it tied in to my lifestyle..

    Chessbay bought one when we were in high school, for a while I tried to get him to invent cool "hot loads". He told me no more than once.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Phone Man View Post
    I am also very conservative in my loading. I stick with mid level loads on whatever caliber I load and have never had problems. I don't like living on the edge, if I want more power out of a rifle, I upgrade to a larger caliber.

    Im amazed that the magnum bolt face extractor was able to pull that 270 out especially after it split like that.

    Yes me too. I am same way. All of my loads are under the “max recommendation “ and have been using same loads for years. H4831 has worked wonders for me. Keep waning to try Jack O’Connors load of 4064 but just have never got around to it

  14. #14
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    I load for everything. Only way I can shoot a lot. Cast bullets and homemade shot. Also load all my rifle cartridges. Haven't killed a deer with factory ammo in over 2o years. Only factory ammo I buy is turkey loads......Those Winchester Long Beards are BA.

  15. #15
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    This doesn't sound like a reloading mistake. More of a magazine loading mistake.

  16. #16
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    So when loading, did you size the 270 case in the 7 mag die? Or was it already loaded and you just got it mixed in with your 7mm cartridges?

  17. #17
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    Glad your ok, but as you noted cases can crack after multiple reloading (usually when fired out of semi guns)

    A good piece of norma brass can be reloaded enough times if shot out of the same bolt gun barrel to wear the barrel out.

    However.

    Back to the issue at hand.

    I hope you do not have cases regularly crack on on the rim side of the case. If so this isn't from loading a case too many times. A crack will appear on the neck side if reloaded too many times, maybe on a case that doesn't get annealed on the shoulder, but never on the middle to rim end of the case.

    Anytime the case lets go at the middle to rim of the case you just experienced a catastrophic failure of that case do to pressures way above any SAAMI specs.

    STOP immediately. Something is wrong. Look for the obvious to start with barrel blockage, wrong ammo, or someone else reloades.
    Yup, he's crazy...


    like a fox. The dude may be coming in a little too hard and crazy but 90% of everything he says is correct.

    Sort of like Toof. But way smarter.
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  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by Highstrung View Post
    I knew I never needed to load my own, it's just one of those things that I cannot do. I'm not all into details, there's a bunch of winging it tied in to my lifestyle.
    This is probably the most accurate description of how I feel as well.
    Glad it wasn't any worse than that, that's scary. Not that I suffer from add or anything but my kids seem to interrupt me and take my attention away from things long enough I have to stop and think about what I was doing to start with.
    Quote Originally Posted by BOG View Post
    Tip:
    Although it is natural for you and seems to be out of your hands, try to suppress your natural inclination towards dumbassedness and do some research of your own.I wish you luck.
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  19. #19
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    You deff dont reload with any distractions. I shut the door and cut my phone off and most of the time only do it when im at home alone or late after everyone is asleep
    "Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs.
    I am haunted by waters" Norman Maclean.

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by ScLowCountry View Post
    So when loading, did you size the 270 case in the 7 mag die? Or was it already loaded and you just got it mixed in with your 7mm cartridges?

    That is correct, ran 270 through 7mag dies . Had 7mm bullet (red tip on NBT) in 270 brass


    Quote Originally Posted by Phone Man View Post
    You deff dont reload with any distractions. I shut the door and cut my phone off and most of the time only do it when im at home alone or late after everyone is asleep

    I agree. That is scary part, I NEVER take my phone to my loading bench, do not have a tv or even radio in my shop where I reload . I like to think I am as careful as anyone can be . This was the scary part of it that I DID IT
    Last edited by tprice; 08-04-2019 at 08:18 PM.

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