[spitfire_er]

Went out to the smiths today to shoot some groups with my .220 swift. Was re-loading one case to try and minimize the variables. Shot about 10 times then went to shoot again.... after re-loading..... and click...... %&$^!...... Sat for a minute then pulled it out. No bullet........... No powder..... ah ha!

Primer had just enough umph to kick the bullet out into the barrel. No noise other than the click......
Glad it wasn't a mis-fire on the primer. I had been doing the same process over and over... and once I forgot to charge the case with powder........Goes to show you can never pay too much attention to detail.

On the good side I shrunk my 5 shot group down from 0.721" to 0.676"..... Not a lot but I'm still working on getting a good load with the new barrel.

 

[paleocaver]

Better a squib than a double charge.

Nice groups.

 

[broom_jm]

I had the same thing happen when shooting a 44Mag once...and it scared me pretty badly, to tell you the truth. I wasn't worried about the gun blowing up because I realized right away what had happened, so I just used a cleaning rod to tap the bullet back out. It was barely into the rifling.

What scared me is that I had made a serious mistake in my reloading...my "fool-proof" process had made a fool out of me, and I was really feeling it. Had an upset stomach n' everything. Is that over-reacting? Maybe, but that is how it made me feel.

 

[gschwertley]

In my own case, I find that when I get out of my usual rhythm or if for some odd reason I'm doing something one step at a time and not in batches (like charging cases without using a loading block), that's when the errors creep in.

Luckily, I've kinda got a sixth sense for when I've created an error. I stop and think, "Did I or did I not charge that case?" I've only had two cartridges that I've failed to put powder in during the past 25 or so years that got fired. Both of these were experimental, not made in a batch. I've probably gone back and broken down a few dozen that were perfectly all right but I suspected. I've also found a few that my sixth sense was right about, too.

 

[mattsbox99]

I was in a match one time and I heard that 'click'. I racked the slide and the cartridge came out, I saw the bullet and kept on running through the stage. After I was done I went and found the cartridge and it looked like the primer was pushed out a bit, I just tossed it into the berm and shrugged it off. First misfire ever of my handloads.

 

[broom_jm]

I was in a match one time and I heard that 'click'. I racked the slide and the cartridge came out, I saw the bullet and kept on running through the stage. After I was done I went and found the cartridge and it looked like the primer was pushed out a bit, I just tossed it into the berm and shrugged it off. First misfire ever of my handloads.

I probably should have shrugged it off, too...I don't think a person can load his own for 20 years w/o making some kind of mistake. That was just the first one and for some reason, it really bothered me.

 

[Big Jim]

Let's see, I check twice, load once. Mistakes over 5 years of reloading- Loading cases with powder and no primer in it (2), loading 223 cases with double charge (can't happen 1st charge takes up 99% of space) (5 times), Trying to seat 2 primers in the same case (3), Seating primer upside down (1). This is on over 10,000 rounds. I lied I check twice, load once and then check again. Failure to fire (0), Failure to Feed (1) (nickle case), Squips (0). It's like real estate, check, check and check again.

Jim

 

[Oberndorf]

It depends

I weigh all my charges and immediately seat the bullet in the case after dumping in the powder. Errors since 1960=zero. Take care...
Oberndorf

 

[epanzella]

The "no powder" scenario is always in the back of my mind when shooting fast with a revolver. If you get a bullet in the bore will it stick out enough to jam the cylinder or will you pull the trigger again because you're "on a roll".

 

[unclenick]

That's why I think the five station progressives have become popular. That powder check die is worth more than just its weight in added safety when you are cranking them out fast.

 

[spitfire_er]

I weigh all my charges and immediately seat the bullet in the case after dumping in the powder. Errors since 1960=zero. Take care...
Oberndorf

This is my normal procedure.

 

[Helix]

I took some of my first batch of reloads to the range yesterday. so far I can tell I'm doing something wrong. had a couple of rounds that the primer did not fire at all. checked the and they did show a good firingpin strike. I'm thinking I applied too much force while seating the primer and "cracked the crystal" after i had stepped up from my start load to the second load I had one that the primer made a dull pop and dislodged the bullet into the riffling. That sould made my stomach fall because I knew there was going to be a problem. I knew there was no way I had failed to charge the case... and it also did not have the sound of a full primer detonation as large rifle primers do more than just pop. when I worked the lever on my Marlin 1895 XLR the case came out but left the bullet and the most of the powder charge in the gun. the gun did not take kindly to having a powder charge dumped in the action and would not let the bolt move forward again. I tried to tap the round out of the rifle with a cleaning rod after measuring the depth to be just in the fist 1/2 in of rifling. No luck. the aluminum rod I had in my portable cleanging kit was just too flexible to do the job. so I had to pack it in. got back to my shop and a steel cleaning rod knocked the round out with no trouble. had me in a pissy mood though. now I have to figure out why my cases are coverd in soot on the outside after being fired from a clean rifle. looks like hot gas was able to flow back along the case all the way to the cases rim. I compared them to factory loads and found they were a bit smaller in diameter. Does this explain the piss poor accuracy I experienced? So much to learn.

 

[mattsbox99]

You don't want to push too hard, but I've smashed primers before and had them work fine so I doubt you wrecked the compound. Is the dimple in the middle of the primer? It has to work right over the anvil and if its not centered you could have problems. Are the primers new or old? Its really not an issue of age per se, but storage conditions.

When seating primers, its only necessary to seat them until they bottom out, they don't have to be crushed into the primer pocket, a high primer won't usually go off unless you have a very strong firing pin spring.

 

[Chief RID]

Not good. I would get some new primers of another brand. Primers have to be handled with extreme care. I try not to touch them and ensure you keep a good count of them. They are easy to spill and lose. That is not a good thing. They are like gold right now. I just bought a couple 1000 for 40 bucks /1000.

 

[Helix]

the primers I usd were CCI 200 s and they were brand new I have been extremely careful to keep them away from any contaminants and did not touch them at all. just flipped them into the tray. The dimple appears very near the center. after examining the powder from this round it looks funny. Some of it turned kind of light green and what is left in the case is clumped together. Maybe this was due to the primer flash being not hot enough to ignight it.

 

[Helix]

more concerning to me is actually the soot on the outside of the cases and the crap accuracy. My groups were the size of a tea saucer. with the factory ammo of the same bullet weight and shape I was able to keep the group the size of a raquet ball or better.

 

[unclenick]

That's a classic sign of a hard to ignite powder, or a powder too slow for the charge weight used or for the bullet weight used, or an inadequate crimp or primer. It means you are getting inadequate start pressure early enough in the burn. The deterrents in the powder make sustained burning without air difficult, and as soon as the initial burn floods the case with combustion gases, if the pressure hasn't gotten high enough to keep the heat great enough to sustain burning, the flame actually suffocates. The graphite surface layer is usually burned off revealing the color of the base ingredients, and the nitrocellulose melts, like any plastic, and partly fuses together. It usually has a kind of waxy yellow appearance for singed nitrocellulose, but greenish is close enough and other ingredients may be involved that affect the tint.

Four solutions: Magnum primer (these raise the pressure in the case), heavier bullet, harder crimp, faster powder, heavier load or any combination of the above.

What were your load specifics? What velocity are you trying to achieve and with what kind of bullet?

Side note: primers usually prefer hard seating to soft.

 

[mattsbox99]

I'd be surprised if the CCI200 didn't have enough energy, what powder and charge were you using?

 

[Helix]

Bullet Remington 300gr jhp
powder 43.5 grn of Reloader 7 (1/2 grn above the speer published start charge. I started with 43 and the accuracy was crap.
Primer CCI 200
Case (w-w) once fired
the crimp seemed slightly heavier than my Winchester factory ammo factory ammo
Charge was weighed in a balance beam scale

I did otice my finished reloads were sligtly smaller outside diameter than the factory loads. when they ejected they had soot up one side and a large accumlation of soot around the case rim.

 

[mattsbox99]

None of that seems out of line... I'm guessing that other than accuracy the 43 grain charge worked well? About the only thing I can think of is a blocked or partially blocked flashhole, but I'm surprised at that because RE7 is a stick powder that ignites well even in extreme temperature conditions and with regular LR primers.