First reloading mistake since beginning 4 years ago... and it almost ended badly

[NORCAL50]

So, I had a round fail to chamber and get gouged up in my AR-15. I pulled the bullet and powder, and set the case next to my AMP MK.2 to analyze it and get the anneal code when the time came. Few weeks go by and I finally get around to needing to analyze my brass, so I run AZTEC and analyze the case. I get my code 0149, and remove the case from the machine and go to set it in my glass cooling tray.

The second the brass slips just a little out of the shell holder, misaligning the shellholder primer hole with the primer in the case (my dumbass didn't to notice I left the primer in there) the primer cooks off. Scared the shit out of me, but no one was hurt and nothing damaged thankfully. I usually just use a case after it had been fired to analyze, so I guess the change in routine allowed me to negligently let it slip past myself, as well as the fact that I subconsciously assumed I'd have completely disarmed a case before setting it next to the AMP to be analyzed. Moral of the story: Don't let your good track history allow yourself to get sloppy.

TL;DR: Don't analyze primed cases for you AMP AZTEC owners out there.

See cool photo below, also I already know how much of an idiot I am. Telling me won't make it any more obvious Just putting my mistake out there, so others can learn from it. And despite being common sense, perhaps there is something more to learn here.

 

[pmclaine]

One primer and you had to change your underwear?

Wait until you have a stack go up in your Dillon progressive and you have to change your underwear for the next 7 days.

Glad you survived!

 

[roostercogburn98]

Eric Cortina had a video on YT where he did this on purpose to see what it did

 

[NORCAL50]

Eric Cortina had a video on YT where he did this on purpose to see what it did

Well just watched it. It's nice to know I'm not the only one that has made the same mistake haha. I knew they packed a punch, but it really surprised me just how powerful they were. Especially practically holding it in your hand when it happens lol

 

[Highbrass]

Just the other day I was making up some .270 Win rounds with StaBall powder. I ran the load thru QuickLoad and had made a print out of the load specs. Don't know why but for some reason I got it in my head that the load was 44 Grains when it should have been 54 grains. I caught my mistake 20 rounds in and went back and broke them down....Mental drift .....

 

[roostercogburn98]

They make some noise for sure. I set a couple of 50BMG primers off in my Barrett once to get some “duds” to load display rounds with. They still make some noise in a 29” barrel

 

[NORCAL50]

They make some noise for sure. I set a couple of 50BMG primers off in my Barrett once to get some “duds” to load display rounds with. They still make some noise in a 29” barrel

That's funny that you mention it, because I reload .50 BMG. Yup that would have been even scarier. Glad I learned the hard way with the small ones lmao

 

[rustyinbend]

So, I had a round fail to chamber and get gouged up in my AR-15. I pulled the bullet and powder, and set the case next to my AMP MK.2 to analyze it and get the anneal code when the time came. Few weeks go by and I finally get around to needing to analyze my brass, so I run AZTEC and analyze the case. I get my code 0149, and remove the case from the machine and go to set it in my glass cooling tray.

The second the brass slips just a little out of the shell holder, misaligning the shellholder primer hole with the primer in the case (my dumbass didn't to notice I left the primer in there) the primer cooks off. Scared the shit out of me, but no one was hurt and nothing damaged thankfully. I usually just use a case after it had been fired to analyze, so I guess the change in routine allowed me to negligently let it slip past myself, as well as the fact that I subconsciously assumed I'd have completely disarmed a case before setting it next to the AMP to be analyzed. Moral of the story: Don't let your good track history allow yourself to get sloppy.

TL;DR: Don't analyze primed cases for you AMP AZTEC owners out there.

See cool photo below, also I already know how much of an idiot I am. Telling me won't make it any more obvious Just putting my mistake out there, so others can learn from it. And despite being common sense, perhaps there is something more to learn here.

THANK YOU for putting yourself out there and sharing this lesson-learned. I had a similar one I shared where I got lazy in seating a suppressor on an ASR Brake ... and shot my SilencerCo Chimera out of my 300-WM and 20 yards down range. It's a good story ... you can read it "HERE". I believe in sharing lessons-learned, even if they make me look like a moron ... if it might help a single shooter avoid my mistake. Good On Ya !!!

 

[pmclaine]

Well just watched it. It's nice to know I'm not the only one that has made the same mistake haha. I knew they packed a punch, but it really surprised me just how powerful they were. Especially practically holding it in your hand when it happens lol

When places like Lake City mix priming compound its done in an outbuilding away from the facility.

They only make small batches for the immediate production.

The shit, unlike the flammable powder, is an explosive.

Primer compound is no joke.

One of the mil manufacturers had their daily production supply blow up and I think it killed people.....

After Deadly Explosion At Lake City Munitions Plant, The Business Of War Proves Costly

Two years after an explosion at a crucial Army factory that is the country’s largest producer of small-caliber ammunition, the underlying cause of...

news.stlpublicradio.org

 

[smoothy8500]

Hmmmm, nobody ever wants to find out what happened when I got my weiner caught in the zipper....

 

[pmclaine]

Well just watched it. It's nice to know I'm not the only one that has made the same mistake haha. I knew they packed a punch, but it really surprised me just how powerful they were. Especially practically holding it in your hand when it happens lol

Being a dumb kid I emptied out a bunch of 30-06 blanks to collect the powder.

With the brass and a live primer I jammed the round head down between a concrete slab and the remains of the 2x4 form that surrounded it.

I took a finish nail, aka a firing pin, and a carpenters hammer, aka the firing pin spring, and smacked the primer.

My thumb, forefinger and middle finger were buzzing like a vibrator for the next couple hours. Loud noise and hurt fingers. I didnt expect that.

 

[pmclaine]

Hmmmm, nobody ever wants to find out what happened when I got my weiner caught in the zipper....

 

[acudaowner]

yep primers are explosives



glad your unharmed you are your own best safety feature if you use it .

 

[264Proto]

As far as reloading accidents go its minor and you're lucky

Couple years back a guy at the range had his AR blow up in his face.......parts flew everywhere, blew up the upper, bcg was toast

Dude walked away with nothing more that a stain in his underwear.....we suggested he buy a lottery ticket that night cuz he was 1 in a million lucky.

He believes he accidentally charged the 556 cases he loaded with pistol powder instead of the rifle powder he normally used.....b/c he apparently leaves both on his bench at all times.

Moral of the story.....organization, organization, organization......dont set up your bench in a manner such that you can confuse/interchange powders......

Only one powder on my bench at a time......the rest is stored separately.

 

[mtrmn]

1st reloading mistake in 4 yrs. You got a lot of catching up to do

 

[The D]

1st reloading mistake in 4 yrs. You got a lot of catching up to do

Lol, nope. I believe I’ll lag behind as far as possible

 

[Doom]

Yep, actually a couple of mistakes. Haven’t made that primer mistake but have made some others including AR rounds that won’t chamber. Looking at what happened here the first mistake was not checking the round and ending up with a round that would not chamber. In an AR this in itself is a safety hazard as stuck rounds frequently cannot be readily extracted. This is why it is good practice to use a case gauge on all AR or other semi-auto rounds.

The second was partially disassembling a round without having a process for handling that round separate from normal rounds.

FWIW, as I expanded from bolt action rifle and pistol reloading into different calibers and semi automatic rifles, and getting older, I have found it necessary to keep a log of what I do at the reloading bench and have actually gone to the trouble to write out procedures for resizing, loading, and most importantly quality control and assurance. I also keep address labels at the bench so if I interrupt the process I can put a note on the round/container noting where I left off.

 

[Rookie]

I've always thought there must be some level of risk using a kinetic bullet puller on live ammo. But, I have used one bazilions of times without incident until that one time. It must have been the good Lord himself that kept that exploding primer from igniting that rifle powder charge. If you've done it, you know a primer will shoot sparks out the rifle muzzle so I can't explain why the powder didn't light. Anyway I changed my shorts and now only use collet pullers on live ammo. Lesson learned.

 

[rustyinbend]

Answer is simple ... it was not yet your time.

 

[rustyinbend]

BTW ... a few years ago as I was planning what to do with bullet dismantling, the idea of hitting it inside a hammer just seemed crazy. I bought the RCBS bullet puller and collets for every caliber I reload, and have never regretted that decision.

 

[DownhillFromHere]

In our teens, a buddy of mine and I pulled the bullet out of a milsurp .30-06 cartridge , held the powder in with a paper wad, and "fired" it out of his father's '03 Springfield, pointed straight up. Of course, all that happened was the powder charge sprinkled down unburned.

So, when my adult son asked recently what would happen if a completely unsupported cartridge were fired via hitting the primer hard enough with a small pellet.

I confidently told him that the cartridge case would fly one way and the bullet would go a lesser distance in opposite direction.

He said, "You're wrong. Here's the video. Watch all of it." I was skeptical, but it's hard to argue with repeated results: the primer flies backward out of the case, followed by the primer anvil and a stream of powder particles. The bullet didn't even come out of the case in one firing, and barely came out in another. (Full disclosure: I have not listened to the audio track and have fast-forwarded through parts of the clip.)

So then the video repeats - with a .22LR, so the primer cannot fly out. That was a bit more predictable, but there was a twist.

Interesting trivia, for what it's worth.

 

[cas6969]

But I know if you cook them off they will "explode" and open up like metal fireworks. What the difference is I dunno.


But even then all the powder doesn't go off at that time, but does in a secondary burn (assuming you're talking about fire).