My first double charge? Just may be my last.

[spt_1955]

Wow.  Thanks for posting this, it helps to share both the good and the bad.

  I don't know how it happened, or what exactly happened . . I don't use a progressive, but isn't it harder to double charge when using them?

exactly the opposite.  I had a double charge when I was running a batch of brass that was not resizing/decapping and I think I pushed the handle back up after clearing a stuck primer but before it reindexed.  I had the exact results as the OP but I had CZC Aluminum grips so they did not split.  I would not worry about the integrity of the chamber.  THe overcharge blew out the grips and probably the bottom of the mag long before the pressure built high enough to damage the chamber.

[SI VIS PACEM PARRABELLUM]

Wow.  Thanks for posting this, it helps to share both the good and the bad.

  I don't know how it happened, or what exactly happened . . I don't use a progressive, but isn't it harder to double charge when using them?

exactly the opposite.  I had a double charge when I was running a batch of brass that was not resizing/decapping and I think I pushed the handle back up after clearing a stuck primer but before it reindexed.  I had the exact results as the OP but I had CZC Aluminum grips so they did not split.  I would not worry about the integrity of the chamber.  THe overcharge blew out the grips and probably the bottom of the mag long before the pressure built high enough to damage the chamber.

Proper reloading steps/techniques need to be employed to avoid mistakes like this. We do it all the time and the OP is correct to be looking for advice on what he did wrong and how to remedy that. The OP is lucky the chamber held up but a good inspection is in order anyway. Anyone who has had this happen and come away uninjured and with a gun not destroyed should say a thankful prayer because often that is not the case.

[M1A4ME]

I keep my logbook, maybe differently than some.

I enter data/record for every batch I reload.

I may have several entries per page.

Caliber, date, bullet used (brand, weight, style/type), powder used (brand, charge weight), primer used (brand/type) and case (brand).  For new loads I also measure/list the cartridge overall length.  I use a Lee brand loader with the turret so I don't have to change dies or adjust them/lock them down every time I change dies.  I use it like a single stage press.

I repeat all the above data for that batch on a small piece of paper/cardboard (I cut used/empty primer covers into four sections) and put it in the box or can or jug/container the loaded ammo goes into.

I come back from the range and write (different color pen) in the data section for that batch, anything I notice about shooting ammo from that batch.

[George16]

I have an excel worksheet detailing all important info on every single round and batch of ammo I reloaded. In the  same token, I also have an excel worksheet for each gun I own with the date, rounds fired, ammo/reload info and other related data. I know exactly how may and what type of ammo were bleep through each of my guns.

Here’s an example of my reloading worksheet:

DATE   BULLET BRAND   BULLET WT.   Bullet Type   POWDER   POWDER WT. (Gr)   PRIMER   OAL (inches)   AMOUNT   CASE   OTH
Jan 21, 2020   PD   124 Gr    JHP    SP   4.0   WPP    1.120-1.126       288.             S & B    
Jan 23, 2020   PD   124 Gr    JHP    SP   4.0   WPP    1.120-1.126       300             S & B    

Excel work sheet for my sig MPX I use in USPSA.

DATE          Number of Rounds Expended   Brand/Type/Load Info.        OTH

Jan 18, 2020   180   Handload 4.03 Gr Sport Pistol, 124 Gr JHP PD   SAPSA Match, 3rd out of 52 overall, 1st of 7 PCC shooters.

[newageroman]

I have a similar spreadsheet. One poster on here I believe led me to it. One thing I do different is add a unique ## to every batch. that is, many times I run a few batches during the corse of a day, so they would all have the same date, but each will have an , -01 ,-02 ect.. to distinguish it.

George16: what kind of measure/drop are you using to get down to the tenths of a grain? How much variance do you have with the powder drop? I'm happy with +/- .1 grain using the D650 and same components.

[George16]

@newageroman, I average 10 drops to get those readings. I’m using a 1050 and the drop variance is +/-.1 Gr according to Dillon.

[Wobbly]

@newageroman, I average 10 drops to get those readings.

Averaging is an age-old, tried and true method of adjusting the PM. At its heart is an admission that no PM is perfect. Therefore, there IS always going to be some form of variation present, no matter how small. If we set the PM based on a single drop, that one particular drop could have been higher or lower based on those variations. With a sample group of 1, we'll simply never know.

The process goes like this: You should never use the first 10+ powder drops from any PM, no matter what your process is. Then, by averaging 10 subsequent drops we actually get the PM setting closer to what we really want.

For example, say you're seeking powder drops of 4.1gr. If we find the total weight of 10 drops, then it should weigh 41.0gr. Basically, you've simply increased your sample group to 10. If it comes out at 40.3gr, then we know the setting needs to be increased because the average drop we're getting is closer to 4.0gr rather than 4.1gr.

I’m using a 1050 and the drop variance is +/-.1 Gr according to Dillon.

SDB, 550, 650, 750, 1050 all use the same Dillon powder measure mechanism. So the tips and tricks suggested for any, then work for all.

[George16]

@wobbly, I dump the first 10-15 drops from the powder measure before getting the average on the next 10 drops. I have found out that at least the first few drops have a lot of variance compared to the subsequent drops.

Oh yeah, I forgot that all the Dillon powder measures are the same. Thanks for the correction  .

[Wobbly]

@George !!

I tweaked my previous post to be clearer and be more in line with what you've written. All good points, if you know your measure and you know it doesn't settle down until the 12th or 14th drop... especially when you're using XYZ powder... do what you know works for you.

 

[George16]

No worries Wobbly  .

[newageroman]

Thanks, the reason I'm asking is that I the bold number, which seems more of a benchrest powder drop accuracy...

Jan 18, 2020   180   Handload 4.03 Gr Sport Pistol, 124 Gr JHP PD   SAPSA Match, 3rd out of 52 overall, 1st of 7 PCC shooters.

Basically, should that 4.03 be 4.3? If you really are able to measure out your charges to the 1/100 of a grain on pistol powder, I want to know how!

Whenever I touch the dial I throw at least 3, usually 5 drops and throw it back in the measure, then do 10 drops and avg those.

[Duke Nukem]

Thanks, the reason I'm asking is that I the bold number, which seems more of a benchrest powder drop accuracy.

Jan 18, 2020   180   Handload 4.03 Gr Sport Pistol, 124 Gr JHP PD   SAPSA Match, 3rd out of 52 overall, 1st of 7 PCC shooters.

Basically,  Should that 4.03 be 4.3? If you really are able to measure out your charges to the 1/100 of a grain on pistol powder, I want to know how!

Not attempting to answer for anybody else, but one way to get that is via the 10 drop average- if you get 40.3 gr. for ten drops you would have 4.03 per drop (on average).

[Wobbly]

Not attempting to answer for anybody else, but one way to get that is via the 10 drop average- if you get 40.3 gr. for ten drops you would have 4.03 per drop (on average).

Don't apologize. That's a great answer !

No one loads to hundredths of a grain for pistol. So, we would then need to round off back to the nearest tenth of a grain.

• Just as Duke said, 40.3gr for 10 drops averages out to 4.03gr (avg) per drop.... which we then round off to 4.0gr. In the example we were trying to achieve 4.1gr (avg) on all drops, so we need to increase the drop ever so slightly and weigh 10 more drops.

• Now, if the total of 10 drops came out to be 40.7gr, that would be 4.07gr (avg) per drop, which rounds off to 4.1gr and no more adjustment would be needed.

Yes, it would be the low side of 4.1gr, but most people would be hard pressed to make an adjustment so fine as to only add 0.03gr over 10 drops !!  (You can't make an adjustment that adds 0.03gr in one drop. How would you increase each of 10 drops by 1/10th of that... 0.003gr ??    )

Yes, your answer is an average, but each of the individuals is still closer to 4.1gr than you can ever get with a single sample. Is it perfect ? No way ! But because the PM has drop-to-drop variations there is NWIH it's ever going to be perfect, aka "dead nuts on".

The only way to get closer is to use larger and larger sample groups. But 10 drops is easy math to do in your head, and gets done fairly fast. In professional QC production sampling the companies I worked for typically used a sample group of 30.

Is that clearer ? 

[newageroman]

Ahh, that makes sense. All the best!

[George16]

Thanks, the reason I'm asking is that I the bold number, which seems more of a benchrest powder drop accuracy.

Jan 18, 2020   180   Handload 4.03 Gr Sport Pistol, 124 Gr JHP PD   SAPSA Match, 3rd out of 52 overall, 1st of 7 PCC shooters.

Basically,  Should that 4.03 be 4.3? If you really are able to measure out your charges to the 1/100 of a grain on pistol powder, I want to know how!

Not attempting to answer for anybody else, but one way to get that is via the 10 drop average- if you get 40.3 gr. for ten drops you would have 4.03 per drop (on average).

No apologies needed.

Winner, winner, chicken dinner  . That’s how I arrive at that; by averaging 10 drops in which I got 40.3 Gr after 10 drops.