There a many different kinds of mistakes a handloader can make and a minor one can become a major one if repeated enough times.
Such was the case last Fall when I set out to reload about 1,200 rounds and use up all the cast lead SWCs on hand, about 600 H&G 130s and 600 H&G 68s. A few years ago I had begun to load the stubby 130s a little long so their shoulders were impressed onto the barrel freebore when chambered. Did this not to improve accuracy but to reduce leading by not allowing hot propellent gasses to blow by the bullet. The bullet seating die was adjusted for the longest COAL that would still let my wadcutter gun reach battery with the case head against the breechface and the bullet shoulder forced against the barrel freebore (the tapered part of the throat between the chamber stop shoulder and leade).
Barrel Throatb Throat In SIG 1911 Scorpion Short, Post 3.jpg
While I don't recall which of the two bullet types was loaded first, the same procedure was used to readjust the bullet seating die between bullet types. My cache of 1200+ rounds of 45 Auto SWC waited through the long cold Winter for warm weather, outdoor and centerfire shooting to return.
My mistake? Loading about 600 of the longer H&G 68s without checking to see if they'd fit in the magazine - and they didn't!!! The cartridge shown in the center was simply too long!!!!
H&G 68 Nose Job.JPG
Spent some time agonizing over how to fix the problem and finally decided to simply cut a little off their noses using a bandsaw and the cartridge fixture shown below:
H&G 68 Too Long.JPG
The bandsaw fence was adjusted to barely clear the blade, the too-long cartridges loaded into the fixture with their noses and fixture held against the fence, cartridges held in place by the stick seen on top of the fixture, the bandsaw turned on and - zip - off came about 0.075" of bullet nose:
H&G 68 Shortened.JPG
Took about six minutes at the bandsaw (turned off between each sawing operation) to trim the noses of 50 rounds. Another few minutes to put them back into their compartmented boxes. The moral of this story? Don't do this!
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