Have you ever decided that your reloads weren't right...

[jeffsoward]

I loaded 1000 rounds of .45ACP a few weeks ago and have come to realize that they are ALL suckfest and now I have to recycle them all.

A little backstory;

I was trying out loads, 6.4, 6.2, and 5.9gr Unique with 230gr Berry's plated. I had loaded 30 rounds of each to test. I did the loads starting at 6.4 and worked my way down. I went to the range to test them out but I shot them lowest grain weight to highest. I found that not all of the powder is being used in the 5.9gr load and basically my arms were getting coated with powder flakes.

Well, my mother passed away and things got very hectic very quickly. As part of my coping mechanism, I went out to the garage and began reloading. I went through 1000 rounds and bagged them up, not realizing that I had loaded the 5.9 and not the 6.4 that I wanted. I had even weighed the first half-dozen cartridges to check weight, but I guess it didn't dawn on me.

I had also loaded 500 rounds of subsonic 9mm (3.3gr Titegroup with 147gr Berry's plated), but of course, they are all GTG.

So, two weeks later, I'm shooting these and getting coated with powder flakes and have decided to pull them all and start over.

The PITA is that it takes so long to recover each one. I've been at it off and on for a week and I'm only half way through them.

Any opinions as to what I should do? should I chalk it up as a learning experience and shoot them light and dirty or should I continue to pull and reload? (Oh, and I've decided I don't really like Unique too much, I've switched over to Universal, so the Unique I'm recovering is going back in the bottle to sit until I absolutely need it.)

Thanks for any input.

[DWFAN]

If they function, I'd bite the bullet and shoot them light and dirty as long as you dont need them to make a certain powerfactor or need the bullets for other loads.

[Pezco]

I did 800 rounds that didn't make major in 40 cal and just use them for steel.

[CocoBolo]

Sorry for your loss. You could just wear long sleeves and shoot the rest of them up. I do confess to maybe 500 bobo s but I don't think I've redone a 1000 yet.

When I was a kid the way we got presents for mom was with Texas Gold stamps, my brother, sisiter, and I got mom a yellow bar chair/step stool kind of thing 50+ years ago. During her later years when I would visit she would be sitting on it at her kitchen Island. Today I sit on it when reloading, and at times I will pause and think about things, and how they were many years ago. So I can identify with the quiet thinking time you can spend at the reloader and the mindless hours that can be spent toiling at the handle.

I wish I had some great words of wisdom to pass on to you but there just are not any. There will be times when thinking makes you sad and times when it will put a smile on your face and with time you will have a lot more smiles.

[Graham Smith]

Just shoot them.

I have a bunch of .40 minor that I shoot indoors. These make for great practice rounds for slow fire, when you are concentrating on trigger control. Also useful for practicing one handed. And for draw and fire one shot - who cares what the PF is.

I also have a few hundred rounds of different power factors and powders that lost their labels (don't ask). I just put them all into a bag and take them to the range for practice. It actually makes me pay a lot more attention to my actions since the recoil may vary from one to the other.

[GrumpyOne]

Shoot 'em! You get practice shooting instead of pulling, so it ain't all bad. I tried to pull 1,500 one time (I didn't load them and was just recovering the brass)....I still have about 750 to go and it's been a year!

[jeffsoward]

If they function, I'd bite the bullet and shoot them light and dirty as long as you dont need them to make a certain powerfactor or need the bullets for other loads.

Well, that's a little part of the problem. they are light enough that I have some cycling issues. The slide won't fully chamber the next round on some of them. I wind up having to bump the slide the last 1/8th" to 1/32nd" on some of the rounds.

Sorry for your loss. You could just wear long sleeves and shoot the rest of them up. I do confess to maybe 500 bobo s but I don't think I've redone a 1000 yet.

When I was a kid the way we got presents for mom was with Texas Gold stamps, my brother, sisiter, and I got mom a yellow bar chair/step stool kind of thing 50+ years ago. During her later years when I would visit she would be sitting on it at her kitchen Island. Today I sit on it when reloading, and at times I will pause and think about things, and how they were many years ago. So I can identify with the quiet thinking time you can spend at the reloader and the mindless hours that can be spent toiling at the handle.

I wish I had some great words of wisdom to pass on to you but there just are not any. There will be times when thinking makes you sad and times when it will put a smile on your face and with time you will have a lot more smiles.

I appreciate it. It's been a rough few weeks. I keep trying to focus on shooting and reloading. It helps.

[GrumpyOne]

Well, that's a little part of the problem. they are light enough that I have some cycling issues. The slide won't fully chamber the next round on some of them. I wind up having to bump the slide the last 1/8th" to 1/32nd" on some of the rounds.

If it's not cycling all the way, there could be another issue with them as well.

[Sarge]

I recently had to pull about 15 bullets.

I would shoot it.

[Bob DuBois]

RCBS makes a Collet bullet pullet MidwayUSA number 680804 at $20 bucks you'll also need the collet 644361 at $12 bucks.

It is a lot easier than the impact type puller. It will leave a ring where the collet grabs the bullet.

Haven't used mine in a while but pulled 400 147 nines in about two hours Monday night, just goes to show it pays to check your notes and not rely on memory.

[jeffsoward]

Well, that's a little part of the problem. they are light enough that I have some cycling issues. The slide won't fully chamber the next round on some of them. I wind up having to bump the slide the last 1/8th" to 1/32nd" on some of the rounds.

If it's not cycling all the way, there could be another issue with them as well.

I've chamber checked every round. i thought that maybe there was some case bulge or something. Then I thought that maybe my extractor tension was off. I've checked it all. My 1911 was worked over by a 1911 gun smith here in OKC. I put the stock extractor in, same issue.

When the issue began, it happened with all rounds. He found that the barrel was seating too high in the lugs. He laser welded some ridges in the lug recesses and it stopped on everything except these light loads. Factory loads don't have the issue and my loads with 5.7gr of Universal don't have it either.

This is why I've been pulling them slowly but surely.

[wide45]

I never had a load for Unique in .45ACP that was free of unburned flakes. You could not pay me to use it again.

[Team Amish 1]

1,500 rounds is too much to pull.

If they're not dangerous, just use them for one-round drills, like was suggested earlier.

Different draws, mag changes, SH & WH drills will burn right through that batch.

The only time I'd pull them is if I am not sure that they're safe, e.g. ran out out of powder.

In that case: PULL!

Other than that, my spare time is too precious.

Once disassembled approx. 800 or so rounds - that was one female canine...

Hopefully never again.

[feederic]

After 4,000 rds of unique I learned never to try a new powder in bulk again! I've made up several batches of duds trying to work up a load, maybe about 1000 in total...but thats just haste on my end. Now I stick with the Lee Handloader for making new loads, within 10 rds I've found the velocity I want, the next 10 helps with deciding if its still what I want, and after that I make about 30 and pound them out with drills. If all is good I make up about 500, making very sure I pay attention to the notes I took at the range!

[DougCarden]

You probably have a 16lb spring in the gun. Put a 12 or 14 in the gun and shoot them. Don't waste your precious time pulling them...

Hang in there!

DougC

[Corey]

you could shoot minor for a challenge to yourself to shoot As or just use them in practice or for steel. I've had to pull like 5 or 10 before, and that was no fun, I would cry if I did what you did, then I'd wipe the tears and go shoot

[AlamoShooter]

So ...Your mistake is that you "thought" you made a mistake". and I too am sorry for your lose

If part of copping with your mother passing only cost you 1000 rounds -That Work- you are a lucky man.

I say shoot the ones you have left and selibrate some fun thought of you and your mom when you do it . Or pull the bullets and think about the same thing.

I bet you end up good both ways

I have friends that have loaded for two people to go to a major match -800 rounds-and the loads did not make 165. Both guys had to move down to minor. =They did just fine , but had to look at the scores on ware the points would have given them a trophy (IF) they had,he had, checked the loads better.