Maybe. But he could have verified with the check weight and still have set the scale wrong when he went to load. If that is indeed what caused it.a set of check weights would have caught it, as well. I don't know how I got along without those for so long. They verify that my scale is set correctly and leveled properly. I use them at the start of each loading session. It adds about 1 minute to the "loading time"... I'm still using the Ohaus scale I bought to start reloading with back in 1970-ish.... still right on the money.
I don't doubt that, but not if he did it correctly.Maybe. But he could have verified with the check weight and still have set the scale wrong when he went to load. If that is indeed what caused it.
Yeah, that would prevent it.I don't doubt that, but not if he did it correctly.
Set your scale for what charge you are going to use.... get out the check weight, pick the weights that most closely add up to your "set" charge weight, and put them on the scale.
If he was going to use 9 gr, but set it for 19, the 9 gr charge weight wouldn't even move the scale... should be pretty obvious.
I was going to use 4.7 gr in my acp load, so I set the scale, and put the 4 gr and the .5 gr weights on the scale, and it read correctly.... easy peasy...
This is the set I bought.... $35.... pretty cheap insurance for quick "sanity checks"....I use the Lee autodisk mounted on the press on the powder through expanding die for most handgun rounds. The scale is used to weigh the first few charges to verify, then about every 10th one... it doesn't take long (what's time to a hog, right?) and I get a warm fuzzy. Depending on the powder, Bullseye, 231, True Blue, etc that meter so consistently, I measure about ever 25th one or so. They just don't vary. When using the flakes like 700X and Unique, I measure about every 10th one.
Some will spot check, some will weigh every charge, everybody needs to find their own comfort level.
You don't drop into water when you anneal? I just got my machine and not sure if I'm supposed to or not.Cleaned up all the brass from Saturday's range trip.
Reloaded 150+ .44spl. Ready to shoot.
deprimed, resized, trimmed, belled, reprimed 100+ .45Colt.
Reloaded 100 .38spl. Ready to shoot.
Deprimed and annealed 40 30-30 brass. After they cool off I'll resize, trim, prime them.
Used up all the .44 and .357 bullets I had on hand. Trip to reloading store soon.
Need some more plastic ammo storage boxes anyways.
You don't drop into water when you anneal? I just got my machine and not sure if I'm supposed to or not.
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Finally, if your press allows it a powder check die can really help. I use the RCBS lockout die and it checks for over and under powder loads. Pistol only.First off let me start by saying you're doing it the right way. You're not wrong. Nothing that follows should be taken that way. I used to do something similar. I changed after a couple of decades.
I used to do spot checks. I only found something once. It was in my first year (1983) with the Dillon. The powder adjustment came loose (I probably didn't tighten it) on my DIllon powder measure and my charge weight changed a little. At first it was at the high end of the range, then just a tad over, which is when I started looking and found it. This is one reason I went to the fixed disk measures.
Since I now check (when using the Dillon) every 100 rounds when I reload the primers, I would have caught it at the tail end, but I would have had to pull a hundred bullets at worst. I was loading .38 and the overweight was still well within .357 magnum specs so nothing would have happened. But still. Not good.
A couple of decades went by and I ran into another problem. I had 200 rounds with 10% squibs. I had spot checked all of these but if you have 10% wrong and you're checking 5% you could easily miss it. I did. This made me question even doing the spot check. It's a fixed disk measure. It can't change outside of a random malfunction or a one-off error in operation. Those are definitely possible but the random check is unlikely to catch it. So I stopped. I decided it was a waste of time for me.
Now the batch with 10% squibs made me go real slow trying to figure it out. Turned out it was the spring operation on my Auto Disk. Every once in a while it would stick in the forward position and not return to pick up powder. I replaced the measure and also got rid of the spring return and rigged a chain for the return so the disk is driven to return. It will either return or the chain will break, which would be obvious to the operator.
The bulk of my loading is done on the Dillon. They are not conducive to frequent checking. Besides, what's the point of speed if you're going to slow it down like that for no real benefit that I can see. Might as well just load on a single stage. When I load on a single stage I use loading blocks and visually inspect. I'm also likely using an adjustable measure so I do check them more often.
In my 40-something years those are the only two issues I've had. I hate pulling bullets but that probably takes less time than slowing myself down by checking it more often. The other part of this is I don't really enjoy reloading. It's interesting, but not really fun to me. It's a means to an end for me.
Some will spot check, some will weigh every charge, everybody needs to find their own comfort level.
You know, I should try one of those. I only have four stations but with a lot of bullets it's O.K. to seat and crimp in the same die. I load mostly SWC's for revolvers and the crimp groove usually will allow for it.Finally, if your press allows it a powder check die can really help. I use the RCBS lockout die and it checks for over and under powder loads. Pistol only.