Double charging

[Chief 101]

Not wanting to bother anybody elses thread so I have a statement that I believe to be proper.
I hear about this double charge fear way too often and I have something to say about it:
I am not trying to start something here, just saying that in 40 years of reloading I have yet to charge a case twice. I have never had to worry about sloppy reloading practices and I use the powders that do the best job, not the powders that I can't double charge. While it is possible to double charge powder in some instances it should not be of great concern if you practice good reloading techniques. If you don't you better learn. There are a lot of new reloaders out there now with the cost and availability ammo such as it is, we need to reload properly and teach others the same...jus sayin, not arguing.

 

[mikld]

Agree 100%. Use good, safe techniques and you'll be keepin' all yer fingers. Seriously though, learning safe reloading from the beginning is easy and essential, IMHO...

 

[Rclark]

that in 40 years of reloading I have yet to charge a case twice.

Same here after 35 .... But I do 'fear' under loading more . That is why I like powder that fills the case at least to where I can see it.

 

[brushunter]

Have to agree , with proper technique its not or shouldn't be a problem. However you have to realize your dealing with huge audience here. From all walks of life , all age groups , and I.Q ranges........need I say more. Some just can't read and follow directions.....

As you guys have mentioned , I too have been loading my own since the earily eighties. I can count the misfires on one hand.....not sure if they were my fault , assuming they were , thats still a pretty good record.

regards , brushunter

 

[Chief 101]

Glad to see that there are ppl here that don't think everybody is an accident waiting to happen!

 

[contender]

Chief,, I'm in the same boat as you. I'm knocking on about 35 years of reloading,, and I've never double charged any cases. Never had a blown case, or such. And I have always tried to load a round with a powder/bullet combo that gives a close to 100% volume fill for many, many years now. I used to load a light charge of Bullseye AND use a poly fiberfill to fill the space, but haven't even done that in decades.
It all comes down to studying, AND understanding physics of ammo. Read the manuels, stay within the listed charges, check the loading process often, and always practice safety.
You are right,, we need to teach & lead the new folks as much as possible.

 

[Precision32]

I've got 35+ also. Like many others report, no screw ups yet.

I charge a loading block at a time. I then take a small flash light and check EACH AND EVERY case looking for no charge or a double charge. Only takes a minute to do.

Have fun and stay safe.

 

[Chief 101]

same flashlight and block trick here...well not so tricky...more like the norm, or should be

 

[5of7]

I have been a handloader for 60 years and it happened to me once.

I load in stages ie deprime/size, reprime, expand case mouth and bell same (if necessary) dump the powder and seat bullets.

On one occasion, I was interrupted during the powder dumping process and inadvertently dropped 2 charges of AA2 in 5 .38 special cases.

The good news is that another of my practices in to visually inspect the powder level in the loading block of cases before seating the bullets. That is what saved me on that occasion.

It is not a good idea to take a phone call when you are loading ammunition. 8)

 

[callshot]

Been loading since the early 1960's and never a double charge yet. I did get one without any charge while setting up my progressive press. The trick is to not get distracted, and in a hurry. Slow down and smell the powder! :shock: :?
Steve

 

[Rclark]

I charge a loading block at a time.

I do a single case at time. Charge case, check (visual), seat bullet and crimp ... repeat. If loading for a chronograph test, I check each one with the scale. Otherwise at random, I'll dump charge on to scale to see if still throwing 'good' charges. Otherwise the visual check is good enough. With .38 to .45 Colt I don't need a flashlight as overhead light is enough.

 

[Kanook]

Been loading loading one at a time since I started in the early to mid 90, s.

I load for myself and my wife. We have shot competition and never had a problem. Takes awhile to do it, but it is done right and safely so I dont care how long it takes.

 

[slippingaway]

Loading on a single stage press does make it easier to add inspection steps in to the process and keep good safe reloading techniques. Loading on a progressive makes it a bit trickier, but not terribly so. The key to staying safe on a progressive is to pay attention. If anything happens to disrupt the normal work flow, whether it's an outside distraction, malfunction, or a stoppage to refill primers or powder, I clear the press. I pull the locator buttons from the stations, pull and dump the cases, and set them aside. If a case has a new primer in it, it has obviously been sized and primed so I reload it in station 2. Anything else starts over at station 1. This process would be a little different if I were using a factory crimp die at station 4. In actual practice, this almost never has to happen aside from outside distractions or press malfunctions (extremely rare with my Dillon ) because I keep an eye on the powder and primer levels and stop feeding cases into the progressive so that I can clear everything through all the steps before stopping to refill.

 

[powder smoke]

I've got 35+ also. Like many others report, no screw ups yet.

I charge a loading block at a time. I then take a small flash light and check EACH AND EVERY case looking for no charge or a double charge. Only takes a minute to do.

Have fun and stay safe.

That is standard procedure for me! Works well unless they are ALL double charged. LOL PS

 

[mikld]

I've got 35+ also. Like many others report, no screw ups yet.

I charge a loading block at a time. I then take a small flash light and check EACH AND EVERY case looking for no charge or a double charge. Only takes a minute to do.

Have fun and stay safe.

New reloaders take note! Visually comfirm each load...

 

[don44]

same flashlight and block trick here...well not so tricky...more like the norm, or should be

Agree 100% with everything you posted !

 

[Chief 101]

Hey Don, how you doing? It finally starting to warm up a little and melt.

 

[jeffnles1]

I'm a newcomer compared to many of you guys. I've been loading for about 20 years. load on a Lee Turret press without the auto-indexing feature. I've loaded many tens of thousands of rounds.

Like many others, I visually inspect each case between the powder dump and seating a bullet. If something doesn't look right, I'll toss the charge back into the hopper and do it again. If anything doesn't feel right when seating the primer, I visually check. Sometimes they flip upside down or get sideways.

The way I reload is more to be able to shoot more for the same cost and to just relax after a long day at work. I'm not in a hurry and don't try to "speed load." If I load 100 rounds in a night, I load in batches of 50 and if I start feeling tired or my mind starts to wander, I finish off the one I'm loading and stop until the next day.

Also, another tip I learned about reloading. I only keep 1 type of powder on my loading bench at a time. I keep my powder stored on the other side of my loading area and have to physically get up and walk to that side of the room to grab a different powder. When changing loads that will require a different powder, I dump the hopper back in the powder can, and take it back to the shelf, grab the new powder and go back to my loading bench.

I sometimes wonder if the "double charge KaBooms" are really double charges or the right charge with the wrong powder.

Stay safe out there guys. If you take your time and don't allow yourself to get distracted or in a hurry, it's fun, safe, and we can tell the spouse it is economical (my wife doesn't really believe that but she has never said anything about what I spend on my loading supplies, I think the main benefit to her is I'm in my workshop and not bugging her or making a mess in the house...).

Jeff

 

[don44]

Hey Don, how you doing? It finally starting to warm up a little and melt.

Yes sir and it's about time huh ! Take it easy.

 

[welder]

I use the flashlight checking method and another little trick I read once and began to practice. I NEVER set a case in the loading block until it has powder. I work in batches and the cases are kept in little plastic baskets I got at W-M until they are powdered. As they pass through the press on each step I just pitch them into the basket. They are then powdered and set in the blocks. I look at each and every case, rotate the block 180 and look again. I pull a couple from each block and weight them too. I am never in so much of a hurry that I can't triple check each one.

 

[gmartinnc]

I've been loading since around 1975 and have yet to double charge one. Now as I'm getting older, I'm trying to be even more carefull. My biggest thing is to avoid distractions while loading, complete one thing at a time and recheck every thing I do.

 

[308 Scout]

Excellent post!

30+ years here. Let me be the first to unashamedly say I HAVE double charged one; a 303 British in a Savage Enfield. A few years ago I was hot and heavy into cast bullets in military rifles and was firing a few hundred of these loads per month. I was loading some 205 gr cast bullets over 12.0 grs. of Unique and for reasons long forgotten, I threw a double charge into a case.

When I fired the cartridge, I noticed a little extra recoil and the report seemed to be a little louder. Other than the bolt being quite difficult to open, the rifle was unharmed and I fired it many, many more times. I'll go on to say that had I been using a jacketed bullet, I might not have been so lucky. As a result I came up with a few techniques to prevent this from occurring again. These pertain mainly to reduced loads in bottleneck cases where it can be difficult to determine the height of the powder column with a flashlight.

First and most simply, I count. If I'm charging 37 cases directly from the powder measure, I count the number of times I cycle the handle on the measure and should be at 37 when the last case is charged.

Second, I cut a piece of 1/4" oak dowel about 4" long and drop it in the mouth of a correctly charged case. I then mark the dowel with a Sharpie at the case mouth. When I'm finished charging if there's the slightest doubt in my mind, I drop the dowel in each case and make sure it enters only as far as the mark.

Third, if I didn't use the dowel method and I'm a little unsure, I weigh a few assembled cartridges on a digital scale to establish a weight range, then weigh all of them looking for those that weigh significantly more than the average. This method is most reliable on powder charges of 10 grs. or more due to case weight variations.

The wife and I shoot CAS so load LOTS of reduced charge pistol cases. The visual method and counting works great for this.

Even having double-charged a case, I see no need to dumb it down with powders such as Trail Boss. We all need to be cautious, but not a bunch of nail-biting folks who are terrified of making a mistake at the bench.

308S

 

[gmartinnc]

Excellent post!

30+ years here. Let me be the first to unashamedly say I HAVE double charged one; a 303 British in a Savage Enfield. A few years ago I was hot and heavy into cast bullets in military rifles and was firing a few hundred of these loads per month. I was loading some 205 gr cast bullets over 12.0 grs. of Unique and for reasons long forgotten, I threw a double charge into a case.

When I fired the cartridge, I noticed a little extra recoil and the report seemed to be a little louder. Other than the bolt being quite difficult to open, the rifle was unharmed and I fired it many, many more times. I'll go on to say that had I been using a jacketed bullet, I might not have been so lucky. As a result I came up with a few techniques to prevent this from occurring again. These pertain mainly to reduced loads in bottleneck cases where it can be difficult to determine the height of the powder column with a flashlight.

First and most simply, I count. If I'm charging 37 cases directly from the powder measure, I count the number of times I cycle the handle on the measure and should be at 37 when the last case is charged.

Second, I cut a piece of 1/4" oak dowel about 4" long and drop it in the mouth of a correctly charged case. I then mark the dowel with a Sharpie at the case mouth. When I'm finished charging if there's the slightest doubt in my mind, I drop the dowel in each case and make sure it enters only as far as the mark.

Third, if I didn't use the dowel method and I'm a little unsure, I weigh a few assembled cartridges on a digital scale to establish a weight range, then weigh all of them looking for those that weigh significantly more than the average. This method is most reliable on powder charges of 10 grs. or more due to case weight variations.

The wife and I shoot CAS so load LOTS of reduced charge pistol cases. The visual method and counting works great for this.

Even having double-charged a case, I see no need to dumb it down with powders such as Trail Boss. We all need to be cautious, but not a bunch of nail-biting folks who are terrified of making a mistake at the bench.

308S

I like the idea about marking the dowel. I'll admit that when charging directly from the measure, I have on occasion dumped the powder out to double check the weight on any case I wasn't 100% sure about but the dowel would be better. I've been loading a lot of 45 colt with 231 recently and intend to do as you suggest.

 

[Rick Courtright]

That is standard procedure for me! Works well unless they are ALL double charged. LOL PS

Hi,

You'll still be ok, PS, if you do like I do, AFTER visually inspecting all the charged cases, and weigh one or two...

Rick C

 

[sheep.dog]

I can't understand the weighing of fully charged cases if working with low weights of powder. In my limited experience the weight of a cast lubed 240g .44 bullet can vary by 5 or 6 grains and the case by 3 or 4 grains, that a charge of unique in .44 mag.
I guess it makes sense if your charging with high weights of powder, but otherwise its no help.
Being new to this and wanting to one day be able to boast as you all do. I pick up from a tray of empties from one side of bench, charge, and set down in a tray of fulls on other. Then visually inspect...

 

[308 Scout]

I can't understand the weighing of fully charged cases if working with low weights of powder. In my limited experience the weight of a cast lubed 240g .44 bullet can vary by 5 or 6 grains and the case by 3 or 4 grains, that a charge of unique in .44 mag.
I guess it makes sense if your charging with high weights of powder, but otherwise its no help.
Being new to this and wanting to one day be able to boast as you all do. I pick up from a tray of empties from one side of bench, charge, and set down in a tray of fulls on other. Then visually inspect...

Well, like I said in my previous post, first, straight-wall cases are a no-brainer- visually inspect and second, I personally never check by weight unless I'm dropping 10 grs. or more of powder.

We need to have a serious talk about your bullet weight variations! 5-6 grains is totally unacceptable even with a 240 gr bullet. Are you casting the bullets yourself or are they commercial? If commercial, I'd have a Come to Jesus meeting with the bullet company ASAP! If they're your bullets I'd have to say your alloy isn't near hot enough. I weighed a few 492421's I cast the other day out of an NOE 4-cavity mould and there was less than 1 gr. weight difference in the heaviest and lightest bullet in that sample...and that's out of a multi-cavity mould!
When I load cast bullets for High Power matches and I weight sort my bullets, most of them will be around +/- .5 grs. Of course every once in a while there'll be the oddball that despite looking perfectly normal weighs a grain over or a grain under the average, but they are indeed rare.

308S

 

[sheep.dog]

We need to have a serious talk about your bullet weight variations! 5-6 grains is totally unacceptable even with a 240 gr bullet. Are you casting the bullets yourself or are they commercial? If commercial, I'd have a Come to Jesus meeting with the bullet company ASAP! If they're your bullets I'd have to say your alloy isn't near hot enough. I weighed a few 492421's I cast the other day out of an NOE 4-cavity mould and there was less than 1 gr. weight difference in the heaviest and lightest bullet in that sample...and that's out of a multi-cavity mould!
When I load cast bullets for High Power matches and I weight sort my bullets, most of them will be around +/- .5 grs. Of course every once in a while there'll be the oddball that despite looking perfectly normal weighs a grain over or a grain under the average, but they are indeed rare.

308S

I don't cast. And after reading your post I suspect I should be calling the company I bought my bullets from. I can't recall the name right now but you can be sure I'll check. Yes there was a serious inconsistencies in weight. I'll weigh a bunch and post for you to see.

 

[Rick Courtright]

I don't cast. And after reading your post I suspect I should be calling the company I bought my bullets from. I can't recall the name right now but you can be sure I'll check. Yes there was a serious inconsistencies in weight. I'll weigh a bunch and post for you to see.

Hi,

Regardless of whether you cast your own, buy commecially cast, or even use jacketed bullets, getting in the habit of separating by weight groups is not a bad idea. You'll normally find very little variation in good jacketed bullets, especially as compared to cast, but it's there!

Watched a show once w/ The Ol' Gunny (R Lee Ermey) where he went to visit the Marines loading for Camp Perry. They were weighing every bullet (GOOD ones at that!) and separating them into lots. I don't remember the exact range they allowed for a single lot, but seems it was VERY tight, like +/- 0.1 or 0.2 gr from the advertised weight?

My own cast bullets get weighed to establish an average for that batch, then weighed for +/- 1.0 gr from that average. That's plenty tight tolerance for my own uses. BTW, weighing lots and lots of samples is where I find a digital scale shines. (Otherwise, I like the old RCBS 5-0-5 I've had for over 35 yrs.)

Rick C

 

[David LaPell]

One of the things I do is besides visually checking my cases after loading them to see that they all look equal, I then weigh all the loaded rounds. I weigh the bullets and the primed brass so I know what all the components weigh together.

 

[Mobuck]

I'll admit to making this mistake(the only reasonable solution to what happenned) in which I split the cylinder of a Blackhawk way back when I was using a Lee Loader and a hammer on the kitchen table. Apparently, I double charged a case with Red Dot. It CAN happen. I've since become a much more dedicated and careful loader. I do use Titegroup for it's economy so there's always a chance of a double charge due to it's low volume but I keep a light over the charging/bullet seating area and visually check each case. Much less chance of double charge when using a progressive IMHO.