A Couple (Probably Dumb) Newbie Reloader Questions

[John3354]

Welcome to reloading! No question is a dumb question.

I will second that. In reloading the only dumb questions are the ones you don't ask for fear of sounding dumb. You are wading in to new territory where you are measuring weights in 1/70,000th of a pound and 5/70,000ths can mean the difference between a good load and one that blows your gun up. Proceed slowly and cautiously and ask every question that comes to mind.

I am very thankful that I have a good friend who helped get me in to reloading and I was able to ask him all sorts of beginner newbie questions. Take your time, double and triple check everything along the way and if anything causes your spidey sense to tingle stop what you are doing and ask some more questions.

Another piece of advice: Make sure you take a cleaning rod and a small hammer to the range with you. The most common mistake in reloading is a squib load and you want to clear them ASAP. I would also suggest some (preferably) orange zip ties.

When I had been reloading for a little while I had a squib load on a range trip. On a subsequent range trip I was 100% sure that I had cleared that squib but the first round puffed up the barrel on my gun. If I had a cleaning rod and a hammer on the first trip, or some way to mark the firearm when I bagged it back up, it would have saved me $150 for a new barrel, and more importantly I would not have had the possibility of serious injuring myself.

 

[JeepHammer]

I will second that. In reloading the only dumb questions are the ones you don't ask for fear of sounding dumb. You are wading in to new territory where you are measuring weights in 1/70,000th of a pound and 5/70,000ths can mean the difference between a good load and one that blows your gun up. Proceed slowly and cautiously and ask every question that comes to mind.

I am very thankful that I have a good friend who helped get me in to reloading and I was able to ask him all sorts of beginner newbie questions. Take your time, double and triple check everything along the way and if anything causes your spidey sense to tingle stop what you are doing and ask some more questions.

Another piece of advice: Make sure you take a cleaning rod and a small hammer to the range with you. The most common mistake in reloading is a squib load and you want to clear them ASAP. I would also suggest some (preferably) orange zip ties.

When I had been reloading for a little while I had a squib load on a range trip. On a subsequent range trip I was 100% sure that I had cleared that squib but the first round puffed up the barrel on my gun. If I had a cleaning rod and a hammer on the first trip, or some way to mark the firearm when I bagged it back up, it would have saved me $150 for a new barrel, and more importantly I would not have had the possibility of serious injuring myself.

I was around last weekend when a .223 squib blew up an AR-15 clone.
Brother in law & his buddy came out to shoot, brought some reloads another 'Buddy' made...
(Safety Rule #1, NEVER. EVER. Shoot anyone else's reloads unless Jesus himself made them!)
Got about 3 rounds off, squib, misfire, explosion.

No one hurt, but made junk out of a $299 farm store AR clone real fast...
Bolt split the bolt carrier/upper receiver, blew the bottom out of the magazine, bloated the mag well.
(I would have needed clean underwear had I been on the firing line... )

Last time I saw one blown apart like that was also 'White Box' reloads, stupid heavy bullets, probably too long to let the bolt go fully locked into battery,
And the bolt/firing pin/headspace wasn't correctly done so the firing pin was allowed to hit the primer.
I was standing on the firing line, other side of shooting table (maybe 4 feet), and I got peppered with small bits...
(I was 20 years younger and had a stronger bladder back then)

About the time I built my own gun range...

 

[Aszerigan]

(Safety Rule #1, NEVER. EVER. Shoot anyone else's reloads unless Jesus himself made them!)

I'm going to disagree with you on this one point. There are some of us that make perfectly good hand loads, have had licenses and do a fine job with quality control. I have friends that reload that I'd trust over Jesus since I've never met the man.

Second, if your buddy was selling homemade ammo without a license, we call that a felony.

And finally, a $299 farm store AR is junk to begin with. The bad ammo probably did it a favor.

 

[John3354]

I'm going to disagree with you on this one point. There are some of us that make perfectly good hand loads, have had licenses and do a fine job with quality control. I have friends that reload that I'd trust over Jesus since I've never met the man.

I will second that.

I hear the sentiment of never shooting anyone else's reloads all the time. I know several people that I trust their reloads entirely, and a couple that I don't. It's all a judgment call on the source.

 

[JeepHammer]

I'm going to disagree with you on this one point. There are some of us that make perfectly good hand loads, have had licenses and do a fine job with quality control. I have friends that reload that I'd trust over Jesus since I've never met the man.

Someone with a licence is a MANUFACTURER.
Anyone selling loaded rounds is responsible for that product.
Proper training, heavy on QC, has product liability insurance, etc. is the way it's SUPPOSED to be done...
We all know every gun show has 'White Box' ammo for sale, no idea of who made it, your are lucky if the caliber & bullet weight is on the box somewhere...

We are talking 'Bubba' with a hand press cranking out his first few hundred rounds here...

Second, if your buddy was selling homemade ammo without a license, we call that a felony.

Not my 'Buddy'...
'Friend' of a brother in law.
There was a reason I wasn't on the firing line and about 30 yards behind them when it squibbed, sitting on the mower.
I was far enough back I thought the squib was a misfire or I'd have been telling my head off!
I don't trust the brother in law, and I didn't know his buddy, or there buddy that reloaded.
I didn't even know it was reloads until the explosion.

And finally, a $299 farm store AR is junk to begin with. The bad ammo probably did it a favor.

I'd second that also...
LOTS of AR clones out there I wouldn't fire on a bet! Brought in for some kind of work and on inspection I just have to tell them I won't work on it unless they are willing to pretty much start from bare receivers...

Ammo too, There is a reason I built a hydraulic squib remover for my shop, it gets used fairly often...

I learned a LONG TIME AGO that *I CAN'T* control the actions of others,
That's also when I figured out I don't have to take responsibility for self inflicted damage...
Help those TRYING to do the 'Right' thing, like the OP that is creeping up on home reloading, instead of cranking out rounds for others to see if anything blows up...

There is a reason I sell reconditioned BRASS, and not loaded rounds, even though I have the equipment to load at high volume.
I'm very much aware of the law and I take my responsibility very seriously.
When I make my own ammo, every QC possible goes into them since MY FACE is behind the firearm, and others do shoot my PERSONAL ammo from time to time.