Whats the worst accident youve had reloading? For the second time I have tried to take the end of my finger off not getting it out of the way when I run the ram up. One of these days I hope I learn.

I started reloading in 1962.....let me find some wood to knock on first.....but to date I've had no personal injuries at all.

It's been a very safe and rewarding hobby!

I haven't been at reloading as long as vapodog but I have never had any injuries either.

muck

Yea, just me getting in a hurry seating pistol bullets i guess

I have run a decapping pin in my finger but i learned a lesson;don't reload when tired.Good Luck

I have been reloading since 1957 I remember last year it was a nice day out I got tired and fell a sleep in my chair and woke up with a stiff neck.

I don't know how you get hurt reloading but i'm sure some find a way.

i have been reloading since 1964 and never that a accident,

Using a deburing tool on the outer portion of a 50 AE nickle case and I somehow managed to slip off and ram one of the points into my thumb. Only mishap for me. One I wont forget any time soon.

I handload 50 or 60 cartridges.
I have blown up a dozen guns with handload overloads, just to see what it would take.
I have shot 10,000 overloads.

I have never been hurt from handloads, but I have been hurt:

Pole vaulting
Baseball
Foot ball
Basket ball
mountain climbing
tree topping
motorcycle racing
gunsmithing.
riding in a car that wrecked
taking a knife out of a sheath
starting an electric motor on a bench
Bar tending
Wrestling practice
roofing
clearing land with machete
feeding a hamster
skiing
Mountain biking
Saving my baby brother from a pit bull attack


I have been warned on the internet, perhaps 1000 times in the last 10 years, that I am crazy and dangerous, and will not live long with my reloading habits.

The only warning I have ever received about the behavior that did injure me was about motor cycle racing, and that was after the first injury.

What does it all mean?
There is a terrible disconnect between the reality and the fear.

In the broader sense, it is calculated risk vs perceived risk.

I had a girl friend who threatened to kill me if I didn't quit loading and come to bed. I guess that only counts as a close call.

quote:

Originally posted by Remington720:
I had a girl friend who threatened to kill me if I didn't quit loading and come to bed. I guess that only counts as a close call.

Damn! you are my new hero...
That takes dedication,, now if it was your wife it would be another story.

quote:

I had a girl friend who threatened to kill me if I didn't quit loading and come to bed.

and......well, you're obviously not dead yet.....?

Never had an accident (knock on wood) but then again; haven't experienced living on the brink like Remington720, either.

Wow!

my dad had a primer go off when he was trying to seat it in the case.It blew off a chunk of the cast iron press,imbedded part of the primer cup in the heel of his hand,and made a hell of a loud noise.
He was making 244 rem cases out of surplus 30-06 cases,and was having a hard time seating primers.I can only guess he wasnt removing the crimp. He and I were home alone at the time,so I must have been under 5 years old. Apparently 244 cases were scarce at the time(mid to late 1960s),or maybe he just wanted to.
I can remember seeing him slamming the press handle down,trying to get the primers seated,something I cant imagine anyone, who knows anything about reloading, doing.I rather doubt he did it after that,though.

quote:

Originally posted by Remington720:
I had a girl friend who threatened to kill me if I didn't quit loading and come to bed.

Guss I never liked reloading quite that much!

quote:

Originally posted by model7LSS:
Whats the worst accident youve had reloading?

Not a single one reloading since '71. Also, not a single accidental discharge or negligent discharge since '62.

Funny, when talking of such things, I'm told "it's only a matter of time" when it'll happen to me, as 'it' eventually happens to everyone. Perhaps we should modify the old adage of the certainty of death and taxes to include reloading injuries?

Have been at it since the mid-60's. Have had no problems with overloads ... so far. Have clipped the end of a finger just a little bit once in a while.

Have had two primer tube detonations with a C&H progressive pistol caliber press set up for 45 ACP. Makes a hellova noise. Marks up the ceiling pretty good. Problem with the design of the press I think. Don't use that press any more at all.

I wouldn't call it an injury but after chamfering a case mouth, I checked it with my finger and there was still one slither of brass that I didn't see. It penetrated my finger and stung like a *&$%. Did that just last year.

Other than that, nothing.

Not exactly 'injuries' as such, as no damage was done, but I have dropped an MTM box full of 50 reloaded 270 on the bridge of my foot that had me hopping around and teaching my young fella a few new words, and I've also forgotten on more than one occasion that the metal legs on my bench have 'splayed' feet that have caused a bit of grief to my toes...

Maybe reloading gear should come with a 'safety warning' to wear shoes when partaking of this activity..

quote:

Originally posted by mstarling:
Have had two primer tube detonations with a C&H progressive pistol caliber press set up for 45 ACP. Makes a hellova noise. Marks up the ceiling pretty good. Problem with the design of the press I think. Don't use that press any more at all.

The Dillon presses can do that to you too.....

Wearing safety glasses while reloading is a very good idea

A primer went off and a particle burnt a small, perfectly circular hole in my goatee.

Embarrassing but rather benign, all things considered

Regards,

GH

Had an arrow with broadhead on the bench, i placed it on the chair behind me and started to work on my loads...forgot all about it...after an hour i decided to take a break and have a seat

I started reloading in 1954. Can't remember having any accidents since then...........

I´ve not been reloading as much as many of you here (just from 1992) but had not been hurt in a serious way reloading ammo.

The only incident I got was because usually I don´t use a tumbler to clean cases. Instead, I mount them in a shell holder attached to a drill and run a polishing fiber over the case. That way I once got a first degree burn in my right index finger when I touched a hot 30-06 case just polished, trying to dismount it from the shell holder before it got cool enough.

Nearly clipped the end of my finger off seating a 45ACP case into a die. Those cases are sharp, and I bled like hell!

Slowed down a little after that.

Cut myself on a case edge once.

And my wife threatend to shoot me if I didn't stop and go to bed once in the middle of a .223 session. Which have been funny but I bought her a new pistol the week before...

Never got hurt.....but case prep does get my fingers sore.

Damn 45 brass seems to be the death of us, huh?

Same story - slicing a semi-circle from the end of my finger or thumb (depending on which incident) as the case goes into a die.

Never detonated a primer, which is fair testimony to their stability given how I've mashed up some of them!

Mark

I went on a .223 GI brass primer pocker crimp swaging spree and got a bad case (no pun intended) of tendonitis in my elbow. It took about a year to quit bothering me.
I don't swage primer pockets any more.

quote:

For the second time I have tried to take the end of my finger off not getting it out of the way when I run the ram up. One of these days I hope I learn.

Been there, done that! Thing is, getting your finger between the case and the die is one thing, it's that knee jerk reaction that drive the case into your finger! Damn thing bleeds all ove the press and cases! Luckily it was my left hand finger and not my trigger finger! that would have been tragic. The funniest part was my companion was a medic and he nearly fainted! I ragged him about that for years.

quote:

For the second time I have tried to take the end of my finger off not getting it out of the way when I run the ram up. One of these days I hope I learn.

That's why I like the Hornady seating die.

Got my start on an old Well's press that my pop used for years. I still use it from time to time as well. The ram is supposed to have a small spring loaded ball bearing which once the ram is lowered catches in a groove to keep the handle up. Who knows how long that thing has been gone. It does keep you on your toes as the handle is balanced just so that it will raise the ram if not completely in the upright position every time you release it, and carries enough force with the cast handle to get fingers rather quickly. Been there many times as a youth.

As to incidents with loads, had one primer let loose some 20 years ago, and a piece of it lodged in my cheek just under my shooting glasses. Somehow I had managed to get a milsurp case in with a batch of factory which didn't like the pressure of the load I was using.

Never a reloading accident but when I was about 5 years old I found a 22 scatter shot lying around. Proceeded to put it in the groove of a wooden clothes pin and started hammering on it. When it went off, it put a hole in the couch and scared the you-know-what out of my mother, luckily, I was unhurt. God protects the fools and innocents, I was innocent then, now I've graduated

My first year of reloading in the 70s I managed to double-load one single 44 Mag with Bullseye and ruptured that chamber in the cylinder. Luckily no injuries but a lesson learned.

I have run a decapping pin through my finger nail sizing cases years ago. I was going way too fast.
I have also heard of guys igniting an entire primer tube in an old progressive press. I don't know which one, but maybe one of the one's from above.

Bruised my Ego, a couple of times; does that count?

been reloading since '74 +/- a year or so. worst that happened to me was a blown primer and a very wierd sounding shot from a not even close to max 6.5x.270 AI. case. even after a good looking over of the gun, it made me nervous as hell to to squeeze the next shot off!.

I have chewed up the end of my index finger a couple of times when I put a shotgun wad under the seating ram in my MEC 600 Jr. and didn't quite get it out of the way when I pulled the handle.

I have also had a primer go off in the priming station of the same shotshell press. No injuries other than nerves.

All in all I have loaded tens of thousands of rounds very safely.

I was having my 3 yoa daugther pulling the press handle one day for me years ago. she was having a good time. Did not get my hand out of the way fast enough when she pulled down on it ouch. I then had her only pull it when I said so.

Rotator Cup injury from pulling the press handle so many times !.

Had some rewarding barrel burning shotgun loads for Geese and Duck Re loads !.

If flames didn't clear the bore by 36" you weren't using the correct type or enough powder !.


Let a friend borrow my Beretta BDl 3 light weight upland bird gun and gave him Geese loads !.

We were shooting trap ! , by the 3 Rd station he fainted !!!.

Everyone on the line made steps backwards when it was his turn . Flames and concussion reports

were brutal .

quote:

Originally posted by Doc224/375:
Rotator Cup injury from pulling the press handle so many times !. :

Same injury but from neck turning about 200 cases in one night. roger