Well, I guess if you reload long enough, you'll see just about everything.
While loading ammunition this afternoon, I had an explosion on my Dillon 1050. Below is the description, but I'll urge everyone to wear your safety glasses while your reloading. I'm glad I was wearing mine.
I visually inspect the powder charge on each cartridge that goes through my Dillon, so while bending over the machine, there was a primer that got wedged into the primer insertion plate and detonated. Normally that wouldn't be a big deal, but it initiated a 'gang break' and detonated every single primer in the primer stack. There were probably fifty large pistol primers in that hopper, and every single one exploded.
Luckily, Dillon primer feed tubes offer a dual tube hopper, the inside being aluminium and the outside being steel. When it blew, all the force was projected through the top of the primer hopper, blowing out the primer follower rod, peppering my lights with exploded primers caps, destroying my lights above my table, and sending glass and metal flying everywhere.
Normally, I warn people against using Federal primers in auto-feed systems, since they're more volatile than normal primers. But I was using CCI's, so it can happen with any brand.
I'm a little deaf in my right ear, but I'm fine. Can't say as much for my machine. Going to relax for a few minutes before I dismantle it and see how much damage there is.
Photos below: The damage on the bench, glass everywhere, and the primer follower rod that was 20 feet from the press. (notice the melted and crushed end)
Really, guys.... wear your safety glasses. It can happen.
While loading ammunition this afternoon, I had an explosion on my Dillon 1050. Below is the description, but I'll urge everyone to wear your safety glasses while your reloading. I'm glad I was wearing mine.
I visually inspect the powder charge on each cartridge that goes through my Dillon, so while bending over the machine, there was a primer that got wedged into the primer insertion plate and detonated. Normally that wouldn't be a big deal, but it initiated a 'gang break' and detonated every single primer in the primer stack. There were probably fifty large pistol primers in that hopper, and every single one exploded.
Luckily, Dillon primer feed tubes offer a dual tube hopper, the inside being aluminium and the outside being steel. When it blew, all the force was projected through the top of the primer hopper, blowing out the primer follower rod, peppering my lights with exploded primers caps, destroying my lights above my table, and sending glass and metal flying everywhere.
Normally, I warn people against using Federal primers in auto-feed systems, since they're more volatile than normal primers. But I was using CCI's, so it can happen with any brand.
I'm a little deaf in my right ear, but I'm fine. Can't say as much for my machine. Going to relax for a few minutes before I dismantle it and see how much damage there is.
Photos below: The damage on the bench, glass everywhere, and the primer follower rod that was 20 feet from the press. (notice the melted and crushed end)
Really, guys.... wear your safety glasses. It can happen.
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