Safety Reminder (Double Charge)

[LeadFarmer74]

Just saw this on the web. A large percentage say they are from double charges. The pictures are worth checking out. Be cautious out there.

http://www.wideopenspaces.com/good-guns-go-boom-catastrophic-gun-failures/

[stilly]

Yeah that was posted like last year, and the year prior, and two years prior...

And the Glock was po- DAMN, my nose is on fire. I gotta go.

[AandO]

Thank God I've caught all the bad loads and will continue to do so.

[Win231]

Never had to catch a double charge. I charge cases in a separate operation & check cases before seating bullets. No relying on sensors. And I only use charges that take up half the case so a double charge would be easy to spot. I could see how a double charge can happen - especially when loading on a progressive where speed is emphasized.

[CGZ]

This is why I use powders where a double charge would overflow the case.

[Bikertrash]

I remember that picture attached to an article about bad chinese ammo & beware.

Gotta love the internet

[ar15robert]

Most of my loading is done on a single stage so before dropping bullets i shine a light over my case mouths to inspect for any odd looking charge.

For my 45 i use a dillion SDB and either bullseye or hp38 so i i try and peek over if i can to see how it looks but still easy to miss one on that machine.If for some i make a mistake on that machine (primer feeder jams up,get a berdan primed case in the deprimer,etc) i will pull the fresh charged case out and dump it too and restart

[kriller134]

Never had to catch a double charge. I charge cases in a separate operation & check cases before seating bullets. No relying on sensors. And I only use charges that take up half the case so a double charge would be easy to spot. I could see how a double charge can happen - especially when loading on a progressive where speed is emphasized.

I don't see how you can double charge on a progressive unless your powder measure is broken/malfunctioning or you take the cases out and forgot which station it was on. I would argue that it's easier to double charge using a single stage. Either way I look before I seat a bullet.

[bsumoba]

That is why I use a powder that is hard to double charge.

[Psychbiker]

This is why bullet feeders scare me. Using one typically means not using a powder check die of some sort.

[croue]

This is why bullet feeders scare me. Using one typically means not using a powder check die of some sort.

Just started using my bullet feeder die. You can still put the powder check in, at least on the Hornady, but I find that tends to spray powder around a bit when doing pistol loads which can lead to other difficulties.

I just use a good light (just got the inline fab lights which I will install) and visually check each pistol case. With one less thing to do (no hand loading the bullet) I think it's actually safer.

C

[dwalker]

I don't see how you can double charge on a progressive unless your powder measure is broken/malfunctioning or you take the cases out and forgot which station it was on. I would argue that it's easier to double charge using a single stage. Either way I look before I seat a bullet.

I agree, it is far more common and easy to doublecharge on a single stage press than on a progressive but it can happen, especially if there is an interruption or distraction that causes the loader to half-stroke. This is one of the reasons Lee and others have designed thier powder measure so it requires a full stroke to reset the thrower with a new charge.

However on a SS or turret press where you are charging the case in a separate operation with a powder like titegroup or clays it is easy for a loader to doublecharge and never notice it at all, especially if doing batches of 50 or 100 at a time. All it takes is a distraction or interruption, and pouring a second charge over the first thinking it was the next in line instead of the one you just filled.

[JohnCCW]

This is why I use powders where a double charge would overflow the case.

^^^ Best answer!

[tanks]

This is why bullet feeders scare me. Using one typically means not using a powder check die of some sort.

I can't see how one can double charge on a progressive with auto index. Worst case is that you will get interrupted during a stoppage and put NO charge in the case due to the auto index if one is not doing a visual check (and you should regardless).

[camshaft]

This is why 9mms won't double charge folks! Small case.....

Btw. I've double charged on a progressive. It's easy. Knowing how to double charge too makes it easier to understand how it can happen on the "throws" of the machine.

45s are easier to see also if you have a double. And hard at times. Especially with 4-4.5 gr.of anything. The base is wide enough to peek in tho.

Longer cases is where the trouble lies. 44 mags and 357s. Mix titegroup in there and yuup. Gotta make sure all your "throws" are complete. On 357s I like power pistol alot because it WILL overfill. And it's accurate.

Safety sure. Label everything and write down the days powder and disc cavity sizes. I smell my powders too. When I shoot, I say, yup- that's bullseye or 2400. They have distinct smells.

But- that's not crazy. Right?

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