Discouraged

[Greg Bell]

For lube I do the lanolin on the hands and roll a handful of brass at a time thru your hands. Its cheap, effective, and does not contaminate the inside of your cases. I also load with a work lamp mounted right over the top of my bullet seating station so I can see powder before I set a bullet on top.

[doc540]

I was instructed that since I was using carbide dies I didn't need use a lube.

So, I didn't use a lube, just inspected each round of empty brass to make sure it was straight and clean.

Maybe I just need to learn to shoot WWB accurately instead of trying to up my game by reloading.

[carlosa]

we are drifting but I got an SD of 4 using ACE brand pure silicone sprayed in a bag like Grumpy does. I can't help but think if lube is causing squibs and high SD or ES', etc, ya'll are using way too much! It only takes about a two second blast in a bag.

i lube the crap out of my brass makes my press run noticeably smoother..

the key is to not get any inside the case...

i hope this is the problem seance it's so easily fixed..

cheers,

Los.

[carlosa]

I was instructed that since I was using carbide dies I didn't need use a lube.

So, I didn't use a lube, just inspected each round of empty brass to make sure it was straight and clean.

Maybe I just need to learn to shoot WWB accurately instead of trying to up my game by reloading.

Oh man that's a real bummer

if you do figure it out let us know.

good luck.

cheers,

Los.

[Greg Bell]

I would measure 50 actual powder drops to see what kind of variation you are getting.

[GrumpyOne]

You don't need to use lube, and I've loaded thousands of rounds without it, but it does make the process much easier. More than likely, you problem lies with the powder you have chosen, and it's metering problems...

[98sr20ve]

His measure is the same as the one on my press. The Failsafe rod on newer Dillons do a pretty good job of settling powder in the powder bar. It's a waste of energy to blame the equipment. Won't hurt to check the measure. If you want to improve the thing a little polish the inside of the funnel on the measure with a dremmel. The part above the powder bar/below the clear plastic.

Doc540,

You need to have faith in your equipment and yourself. It's not that hard, your just overthinking it and making it harder then it really is. It's kinda like shooting a stage. You prepare your equipment, walk the stage, practice it after getting your plan, then you just run the program. You don't stop in the middle of the stage and second guess things. That is not the time for it. It's the same with reloading. You prepare your equipment, test the process by throwing some charges, but after it's time to load you don't constantly second guess what your doing. You just do it. Your visual confirmation is plenty to insure your ammo is safe. Your eye will see if the load is really low or high. It won't be so don't worry about it. Just confirm it's present, it looks like a version of normal, put a bullet on top and keep going. IF YOU THINK IT'S WRONG, pull only that one case and check it. Double check it's right before you put a bullet on it.

[doc540]

As a beginner it seems we're now starting to go in circles.

Some say use lube, some say no lube.

Some say don't use Unique powder, some say Unique powder works well.

Some say measure dozens of powder drops, some say measure ten and let the SDB do its job.

I really do appreciate all the help, though.

At this point it appears I over-checked the system, at some point interrupted it, and allowed a round to get loaded light.

I think the brass, primer, powder, and loader is all good.

I just screwed the pooch.

[Greg Bell]

I agree on the eyeball check it's what I do as well. I start a load session make sure my powder drop is still on and then drop 10 to be sure. Then I just start cranking until the measure is low on powder, fill it up drop a few and recheck weight.

Doc do some checking and you will gain the faith back in your equipment.

[doc540]

I agree on the eyeball check it's what I do as well. I start a load session make sure my powder drop is still on and then drop 10 to be sure. Then I just start cranking until the measure is low on powder, fill it up drop a few and recheck weight.

Doc do some checking and you will gain the faith back in your equipment.

Thanks, Greg.

I have absolute faith in the SDB, especially since they just refurbed it. It feels like it's running like a Swiss

watch.

It's my abilities I'm questioning now.

Right now I'm weighing the hundreds of dollars I can get for the whole shootin' match and how much WWB I can buy with it.

Listening for a squib is the last thing I need to be thinking about while I'm shooting. Heck, the front sight was just starting to become my closest friend.

[carlosa]

by the way..

you are right, if you are running carbide dies you do not need to use lube.

but it does make those cases re size much smoother, and with little effort..

so it's up to you if you want to use it or not

so in that regard your not running in circles, i hope that makes seance.

i just brought it up, because that was a problem i had that was giving me a the same problem you described.

cheers,

Los.

[GrumpyOne]

For what its worth, it is worth it to reload. No doubt about it. You may buy several thousand rounds of WWB for your initial investment, but after that, you are in the red....

[Greg Bell]

There is no way at this point I would go back to off the shelf factory ammo

[8ring]

I've had a few squibs that showed powder residue caked up on the bottom of the bullet. Hence there was powder, a primer, but bad ignition.

Be sure there is no polishing media left in your brass before you start reloading. There may be a piece of corn cob media(or whatever you use) sitting down by the primer hole. This could affect ignition.

I lube about 10% to 20% of my brass before starting. I invert the cases on a piece of useless newspaper (the Denver Post will work fine) and spray one side with case lube.

Chris

[98sr20ve]

As a beginner it seems we're now starting to go in circles.

Some say use lube, some say no lube.

Some say don't use Unique powder, some say Unique powder works well.

Some say measure dozens of powder drops, some say measure ten and let the SDB do its job.

I really do appreciate all the help, though.

At this point it appears I over-checked the system, at some point interrupted it, and allowed a round to get loaded light.

I think the brass, primer, powder, and loader is all good.

I just screwed the pooch.

People are saying pretty much the same thing. You can measure 50 drops if you like (like someone suggested). Your just doing that to confirm things are fine. You don't need to do that every time. As far as unique. It's the same thing. Check it once (with a series of test), know it works ok in your measure and then stop worrying about it. Lots of Unique has been loaded on a Dillon. But the internet will make you nervous so go ahead and check it for yourself. Just be aware to opperate the press the same each time. It will be close enough. Your throwing 10 charges to settle the powder. Nothing more. It's still on you as the loader to check and make sure it's right. But once you have used the powder and the measure you will start to see that if it's fine after 10 charges it will be fine after that as well. If it needs 15 then do 15. I tap the side of the measure a bunch to settle the powder. That plus 10 drops is fine for most powders. Don't rely on what people tell you on the internet. Test if for yourself. I have had lots of people tell me things on the internet that isn't true. Always check things for yourself.

[Shadowrider]

Doc, you can get squibs with factory loads too, so going back to factory won't totally eliminate the possibility.

Like others have said, I also think it was all the interaction with your press and all the checking you were doing. Once you have your setup dialed in you will get into a rhythm. It just takes a little time. The Dillon lube will fowl powder. I also make my own out of Hornady case sizing wax and pure alcohol or everclear. I also use the Hornady one shot sometimes and neither of these will foul powder and you don't need much lube at all anyway, but it does make the press run smoother. The light and looking at each case as it comes around is a good idea, no...great idea. I have a powder cop die on my 650 and I almost never look at it because I just naturally want to look into the case. Don't sweat your OAL varying .005" or so, it's normal to have that and won't hurt a thing.

Once my dies are tweaked and powder charge is verified (I do this at the beginning of EVERY loading session), I only check one case for powder charge and one round for OAL each time I have to drop a new tube of primers, so every 100 rounds. It's good to be cautious, but don't fret about it too much. Stick with it, you'll be glad you did.

[Amerflyer48]

Doc,..

We all have surfed this learning curve,.. I was lucky and my Dad taught me how to reload B.D. (before dillon) by letting me do a stage and inspecting,.. he would actually remove and toss into a box any casings missing the "essential" step...they are all essential steps..

Later when we got a Dillon 550 we repeated the same procedure where he would watch as I ran the hundred... both rifle and pistol looking at every step made for smoothness and consistency....and even now some 25 years later I occasionally call to bounce an idea or 3 off him... find a mentor if you can it really helps.

I have used this process when mentoring a few fellow shooters in making their own ammo,... so I would have to say it is technique that needs to be perfected because the machinery once set properly, doesn't change.. it will take time to form your own "style" but in the end it will be most worth the effort...choose a safe reliable loading and practice the fundamentals first then worry about the powder/bullet/brass combo minutia and little stuff later ie: standard deviation ,OAL out to 3 places and to an extent load accuracy (groups) all that is secondary to confidence in your gear and loading ability... after all shooting is mostly a head game anyways, a balance of thinking too much and not thinking enough to arrive at optimum performance...

Several of the above posters walk to the line and win because they believe in their equipment,processes and experience,..and rightly so..they have invested hours of reloading and shooting in practice and refining their setups...but something some shooters won't admit...

they also were where you are right now.... doubting and/or uncertain and it is normal....it is all part of the learning curve like when learning anything else..first not being able to do it ( lacking knowledge) then frustrations at not doing it right ( or to your degree of desired competence ) , then uncertain that you could repeat it ( faith in self ) ..and finally its just something you do,..and do well.

Keep surfing,.your getting closer to the perfect wave,every time you sit down to the press..

John

Edited April 13, 2011 by Amerflyer48

[ima45dv8]

It is very, very unlikely that a real squib will cycle the slide enough to feed another round. I am sure someone will say it can happen, anything is possible, but it is far, far more likely to not feed.

WIth no real effort, I can think of over a half-dozen I've witnessed within the last year.

[Pro-Pain]

"How in the Sam Hill did I not catch a weak charge when I weighed every single round?".

If you are talking about weighing loaded rounds that is one of the least accurate ways of telling anything. Too many variables.

You have to realize, you're only talking about 4.9 grains. 7,000 grains in a pound, you're talking about a VERY SMALL amount of difference here. Even though it's all WWB brass, there can be slight variables, a grain or 2 here. Bullets you can vary a grain or so. A little bit thicker walled case, thicker primer, some moisture, scale error, etc. it's very easy to miss.

You're not the first person to get a squib, and definitely not the last. The light is a great idea, and getting advice here is too. There are a lot of good ideas. These things happen. Like was said, let the press work for you, it's made to run and run.

No one's going to quit shooting because they miss a target, or bobble a mag reload. Hiccups happen. Learn and move on!

Edited April 13, 2011 by Pro-Pain

[98sr20ve]

It is very, very unlikely that a real squib will cycle the slide enough to feed another round. I am sure someone will say it can happen, anything is possible, but it is far, far more likely to not feed.

WIth no real effort, I can think of over a half-dozen I've witnessed within the last year.

You don't know for certain if it was a complete lack of powder or a partial lack of powder. Either way a visual inspection will solve all the concerns.

Edited April 13, 2011 by 98sr20ve

[Dan Hefta]

Be sure that the wing nut at the bottom of the failsafe rod is not catching on the spent primer catcher... I had this happen to me and my powder charges were all over the place... including a sqib I replaced the primer catcher with a cut down gladware container (holds a lot more spent primers) just set it under your press (if you have the strong mount)... this is an easy fix... if that's what's wrong?? Good luck and as others have said, "don't give it up".

[ima45dv8]

It is very, very unlikely that a real squib will cycle the slide enough to feed another round. I am sure someone will say it can happen, anything is possible, but it is far, far more likely to not feed.

WIth no real effort, I can think of over a half-dozen I've witnessed within the last year.

You don't know for certain if it was a complete lack of powder or a partial lack of powder. Either way a visual inspection will solve all the concerns.

True, I don't know the exact cause of the squib. At that moments, who does?

The point I was trying raise is that many squibs do in fact push a bullet far enough down the barrel to allow another round to fully chamber.

I wouldn't want anyone reading here to get the idea that because the gun went into battery the bore is not obstructed and it's OK to pull the trigger again.

[Singlestack]

Doc,

I would bet that the press did not mess up. The powder measure works well. You caused the problem by pulling every round off the press to check the powder charge. You probably forgot to pour the powder back in a case or spilled some of it.

Look at every powder charge. Mount a light where you can see in the case. You will be able to tell if the drop was good. Let the press do its job.

[doc540]

I really do appreciate all the good advice and everyone's effort to help a new loader.

The Dillon system worked flawlessly. I didn't.

I sold the whole kit and kaboodle this morning within 10 minutes of the ad appearing locally.

From here on out when I want to shoot reloads I'll just provide the supplies, and a friend and experienced reloader will reload for me.

Edited April 13, 2011 by doc540

[Coach]

I had squib from WWB last year at a steel match. It can happen.