Thread: And the “dumbest mistake while reloading” prize goes to…

Originally Posted by rambo-6mmrem

ok here it is @Makros and @akaroa1 asked for
I'm a bullet and sinker caster who has been doing it for 15-odd years with no serious accidents
about 2 months ago I was cleaning up the reloading room and off the floor, I picked up quite a few cast bullets that I dropped and thought I'd get that later
for those of you who don't know cast bullets need to be lubricated with a sticky wax-based concoction

anyway, a week or so later I had the lead hot and thought (I'll add those old bullets to melt back down) something I do all the time it's a standard practice
unknowing to me there was a live primer that i must have dropped without realizing that had stuck to the wax lube on the bullets

boom molten lead everywhere including myself
to cut a long story short I'm still recovering from some bad burns over 2 months later the pot was about 500c at the time

Other stories I can laugh at but that one just made me wince - burns are the worst

Originally Posted by 308

Other stories I can laugh at but that one just made me wince - burns are the worst

Didn’t hurt too bad actually
Probably because it got some nerves maybe
The doctor was checking it every day (i just had to go in every day for like 2 weeks
Then every 2 days for a bit) im completely doctors free now and they are healing on their own

Got away with one really as could of needed skin grafts but they ended up not being that bad


Im changing my system for adding old bullets to the pot
Ingots are ok to add hot as they are clean and guaranteed dry

Remelts are a little more risky as I found out so from now on I will add them cold and turn the pot on before going and having coffee until it’s hot
That way if anything happens im no where near it

While you guys are making me wince, it's also good to know others can manage the same or similar levels of self mutilation as myself. My partner reckons I'm on a 2 year cycle of ER visits... Like clockwork.

Originally Posted by rambo-6mmrem

Didn’t hurt too bad actually
Probably because it got some nerves maybe
The doctor was checking it every day (i just had to go in every day for like 2 weeks
Then every 2 days for a bit) im completely doctors free now and they are healing on their own

Got away with one really as could of needed skin grafts but they ended up not being that bad


Im changing my system for adding old bullets to the pot
Ingots are ok to add hot as they are clean and guaranteed dry

Remelts are a little more risky as I found out so from now on I will add them cold and turn the pot on before going and having coffee until it’s hot
That way if anything happens im no where near it

A piece of stainless mesh relatively fine stuff stops a lot of the fun as well. Doesn't build up pressure/lets the smoke out etc etc...

Originally Posted by Missalot

Sitting here feeling a little sorry for myself… chipping away sizing some 223 brass. 50 odd cases in thinking I was doing pretty well. Then managed to leave my finger on top of the brass case as I slid it into the shell holder, whilst pulling on the leaver with my other hand. Result was a neat .224 sized whole cut in the bottom of finger and small but deep puncture in the top of finger from decaping pin. Not to mention more squealing than I’d like to admit and some choice language as well.

Got me thinking, surely that’s not the worst someone has done amongst all you fine folk?

No. This could never have happened to anyone. That pain was caused by something else. Crikey that hurts. LOL.

Putting old lead head nails into the pot, there must have been some moisture in some of them. Fortunately just a heap of steam and bubbling but no spray. Now they go in as a full charge from cold and I resist topping up except with ingots that have sat on the lip for a while.