Live to Shoot Another Day

Don’t be stupid!

Careless handling of explosives can kill you. Do three things:

1. Wear safety glasses;
2. Check your powder charges with a reliable scale that can disclose variations in powder weights; and
3. Use the exact loads recommended by powder manufacturers such as Hodgdon, Winchester, Alliant and IMR.

Have you ever seen a gun blow up?

I have. One second a guy is holding his quality over/under on Station Five, and then BOOM! It explodes in his hands in all directions. In well under one second, the gun was reduced to a pile of sticks and twisted metal. I’m not exaggerating. It was amazing to watch. I never did find out if it was an obstruction, but it certainly could have been.

Follow MEC’s advice

If any of my advice conflicts with what is given by either MEC, or powder companies or other manufacturers of reloading products, then follow their recommendations. I disclaim any responsibility for damage or injury resulting from how you reload shotshells.

Use Components by the Same Manufacturer

You’ll have the fewest problems that way. The components are literally made for each other. Although there are good third-party wads and other components out there, you might solve some of your problems simply by sticking to one manufacturer’s components where possible.