Ever Over Charge a Load?

[driead]

I loaded 44 Grains of IMR4064 for a 243 Winchester in my NEF Handi. It Stretched the action .004" and I had to drive the case out of the chamber! It was suppose to be a 34 grain charge. After inspecting the action for cracks, I shimmed the pivot bolt.  I really felt like an idiot.  Anyway, that was several hundred rounds ago.  

[quickdtoo]

I seriously doubt it stretched the frame,  it could very well set the underlug back tho, which happens often enough on high pressure chamberings, the .500S&W being one of em that's documented. See the Underlug Improvement link in the FAQs which can be done at home on a non-factory fitted barrel, H&R would replace the barrel for ya if you hadn't made any changed to it.

Tim

[Dave Allen]

i remember working up load's for the 25/06 using imr 4831..i had worked up to 52.5 grain's..using a sierra 100 prohunter their info show's 53.9 to be MAX..anyway i intended to try a load @53.0 grain's & call good..i got to the range & fired a shot..it didn't even hit paper..i fired another & i noticed the report of the rifle seemed unusual..again it didn't hit paper..i stopped shooting..when i got home & was putting my rifle's away..i noticed i didn't reset my scale back to zero..i alway's do that when finished..anyway it was set @ 55.0 grain's..not sure how  i pulled that off ?? anyway i was 1.1 grain's over max..my rifle didn't like it !! it could have been worse..i try to pay closer attention now !!

[canon6]

I did double charge a 45-70 case with Unique ,HOWEVER, because  I  visually inspect the contents of each and every case with a flashlight I caught it A valuable lesson for all of us       Doug

[PartsMan]

I tried to put more in my 223 case than would fit recently.
Picked up the funnel and powder went everywhere.
That's the nice thing about using compressed loads.

[chrsm]

I loaded 50, 35GR V-MAX in my 223 1in 12 bull
powders used
(H4198) at
20,22,24,26,28 grains,seated the a-max out as far as possible
sign of pressure (Primers started flattening out at 26grs)
None of the groups where outstanding at a 100yrds (my barrel just dont drill them like others but Ive seen worst) the point of impact was different between loads though.
Fastest was an average of 4100fps w/ 28grains (Note slight throat ware FROST oh so slight in rifling) nothing like a nagant 44. Bullets all stayed together no frags in target
(Green Dot) at
5,6,7,8 grains
All really light same as above w/ POI all different
8 grains up to 2200fps average
DO NOT USE THESE LOADS

[LaOtto222]

I have never over charged a case. Most of mine, if that happens, the powder will run out of the case. I do that on purpose for just such a problem. If I have a charge that does not take up at least half of the case, I visually inspect very carefully. I visually check every case but like I said when charging more than half a case full it is to see if I put a charge in at all. I had my younger brother (he was about 15 at the time) help load some 44 mags. He did not put a powder charge in at all; in 1 case. The primer pushed the jacketed bullet into the barrel and then it lodged. 1st and last time that happened, because I trust no one when it comes to my reloads.

[quickdtoo]

I've only been concerned about it with the 45-120, I don't use plinking loads in any of the 23 chamberings I load for, but the 45-120 even with a max recommended charge, the case is only half full, but I only charge one case at a time and seat a bullet in it while the next charge is being poured by the Lyman dispenser. Not saying it couldn't happen, but it's a whole lot less likely that way, I like to keep it simple, charging a loading block full of cases wouldn't be my way of doing it, but I don't load for any pistols either.

Tim

[indydave]

this is why i pick loads that are 80-90 % load density   if you do it overfills the case   loads tend to be more accurate with near 100% loading density   

[towpro]

I just picked up a digital scale at midway for $24.95 on sale.  After I have the powder thrower setup for the correct charge (using my balance beam scale) I switch to the digital scale.  I put the primed empty on the scale and hit TARE.  I charge the shell and place it back on the digital scale as a "double check".  It only takes a second or 2 extra time. I still check every 10th load on the beam scale.
While the chance of overloading a 45-70 with 4895 powder would be hard,  I think you can fit 5 charges of Clays in a 45 Colt case!

[MSP Ret]

There should have been an option of voting for "never overcharged a load"....<><....

[quickdtoo]

Ok.

[xhare]

I have never overcharged a cartridge, but I neglected to put powder in a 45-70 before seating a bullet once.  When I tried to fire it, all I heard was a the click from the hammer.  Thinking that I may have had a bad primer, a waited a few seconds before trying to eject the case.  When I tried to eject the cartridge the extractor would not pull out the case.   I ended up tapping it out with a cleaning rod.  The bullet stayed in the case, but moved enough to engage the rifling just enough to get stuck. 

As a close friend was shooting with me, the whole thing was a bit embarrassing. 

[quickdtoo]

Maybe we need another voting option for no charge!!  My worst blunder was forgetting to prime the cases before charging with powder!!

Tim

[Datil]

 I have loaded a box without primers, picked up 20 rds i thought were primed.
 Marv.

[henry1]

Well all, I don't usually share this one with nobody, but I'm quite a bit older now and feel a little better about it.

Lets see, I'm 20 now, and i was 14 or 15 when it happened. (man seems longer than that) I was pretty new to reloading. I first started when i was about 11 or 12 (doing it by myself with granddads supervision, and before that i was just soaking it all in, watched him every time he did it.) Anyways, I got pretty used to it and felt pretty comfortable and a while later i had all my own gear and tools and was leaning things quickly and confidently. I also had a buddy that was much older than me and he was getting ready to sell is Ruger Vaquero in .44 Mag. I wanted it so bad and saved up my money and worked a deal with him and it was mine! I loved shooting that thing and loved loading for it. me and granddad loaded a few thousand rounds for it before its last day. I was invited to go to NE with a friend from school and his dad and bro. My dad tagged along also, the plan was to go from Co to Ne, cabellas, relatives house and then come back. some were inbetween there we wanted to go shooting. And there we were out in a bunch of mounds of dirt. just plinking. I took out my favorite. (the .44) and loaded up my shells that i loaded myself!(I was so proud!) pulled the hammer back and took carefull aim. (i was/still am pretty good with it) I was shooting at a bowling pin about 100yds away and sqeezed. I kick felt way different and the report was differnt to. People around me (my buddy his dad and relitives and my dad) looked at me funny and my grin faded quickly. My stomach twirled. I felt nauseous. I looked at my pistol after everyone stoped lookin at me and relized that the backstrap (goes over the cylender) was blowen up about an 1'' and two of the chambers in the cylender were blowen out. one where the fired round was and the other was shrapnalized. It was a mangled mess. I knew it was over loaded but didnt know by howmuch. I showed dad (he had never actualy loaded and still to this day hasnt much.) He just said that we were lucky and he was right. and by a matter of seconds later everyone knew and was taking pictures of it. Man was i ever embarassed! and the sickness stayed with my for a long time. i still get it a little bit when i talk about it. my buddys dads watch face was cracked bad from a flying cylender peice. It was a verry expensive watch if i remember. Anways, I later contacted ruger and they said they would take the pistol back and give me a new one for half price. So thats what i did. They wouldnt let me keep the old one. but nonthe less a good lesson learned. It was a charge that ended up being 11 grs over. dont even rem the load. I rember the box and pulling all 49 shells with my grandad in his garage though. A good lesson for all. And i feel privlaged to still be here after that incident. and now today i take every precation, light check my cases, rezero my scale. dont take fone calls or have any distractions when i load. I duno, just my .02$.
Hank.
 

[rbergum95]

i have never overcharged a case (yet). i visually inspect every round i load no matter what caliber or what press i am using. worst i have done so far was reach a max load WAY too quickly in my savage model 40 .22 hornet. i was getting serious pressure problems with the 50 gr v-maxes and lil gun powder before i even reached a medium load. rather than give myself any more headaches i just stuck with the 40 grainers.

[Bingo]

 A friend of mine was shooting crows with a 410 and hand loads a friend had made for him. One of the loads was wrong and the gun blew up in my friends face putting a blind spot in the middle of his right eye.
  After my friend healed up, he went to the trap range. This was the first time he had ever shot left handed. He shouted pull, pulled the trigger and promptly droped the gun on the ground.
  An old man near by started laughing at my friend. My buddy spun on him and said. " You SOB, give me some time and I'll out shoot you on your best day".
   My friend is now in the Trap Shooters Hall of Fame shooting left handed.
   He has never shot a hand load ever since. Shotgun or rifle

[Sourdough]

I have never overcharged a load, but I did get the wrong loads in the wrong gun.  My wife loads for her .44 Mag carbine.  I can't remember where she got the load data, but I do remember it said not for use in hand guns.  These loads were meant for the .44 Mag Carbine.  She loaded them up and they shot very well in her Marlin carbine.  She carried them on several hunting trips and shot about half of them up.  She put the remaining loads in a baggy and marked them as being for her .44 Carbine.  Two moves, and 8,000 miles later, I was going hunting and needed some shells for my .44 Mag revolver.  The writing had worn off the bag, so I took them with me.  I shot one round that evening and split the cylinder, sprung the frame, and locked the gun up.  Had to take it to a gun smith to unload it.  Gun smith said I was lucky I did not get killed.  Ruined the gun.

[Sourdough]

When I am reloading I measure every charge with a scale.  The last thing I do after charging all the cases with powder is to take a flashlight and scan down in all the cases.  This assures me I did not skip any, and that the powder is the same depth in every case.  If any don't look right I remeasure them.

[bhod1]

I double charged some 9mm rounds with bullseye. Luckily I realized what I had done before I finished the whole batch.
Had to pull and re-do the whole batch.

Barry

[Freightman]

I have over charged a few never shot any as I double ck the powder measure at the first then every ten rounds, has always worked for me. I also ck. the data at least at the first and last.