A day to just hang up the Dillon and go play the guitar.

[Dusty Devil Dale]

Day started out great.  800 pistol rounds loaded in about 2-1/2 hours.  Checked powder charge on +- three rounds, after every 100 rounds.  3.1 gn in each -- Powder dispenser is working perfect. 

 

Last 100 rounds -- check powder charge on about the 40th round and -----  Oh S*!t.    There in the scale pan is the last powder charge weighed that "somebody" forgot to return to its case before finishing the round.   Fortunately every 100 round lot was kept separate. 

 

100 more rounds for the practice box.   Time to quit and go do something else less mental.  Guitar doesn't want to tune up either.   Broke the D string.   That's the one that always breaks.  I have two sets but no D string.   

 

 I wonder if my problem today is ME?  

 

[Scarlett]

I hate when I do something like that because I’m not as organized as you and don’t keep my loads of 100 separate…maybe I will start doing that…

 

Hugs!

Scarlett

[PaleWolf Brunelle, #2495L]

Couldn't you determine the powderless round by weighing each round from the last batch loaded?
Then pull the bullet to confirm?

 

(BTDT) 
 

[Cholla]

I can shake my rounds and hear the powder. It works even better of you use a powder funnel as a hearing aid.

[Rye Miles #13621]

I’d be more concerned about you breaking that D string all the time. Somethings not right. What kind of guitar, what kind of strings? Are you tuning it higher than A440??

[Roger Rapid]

DDD...

I have two solutions for you:

 

1) Add a powder charge alarm to your 650.

 

2) I'll send you some guitar strings...

 

RR

[Sedalia Dave]

9 minutes ago, PaleWolf Brunelle, #2495L said:

Couldn't you determine the powderless round by weighing each round from the last batch loaded?
Then pull the bullet to confirm?

 

(BTDT) 
 

Me too

 

I've tried weighing but with little success in pistol calibers. Mixed headstamps and/or lubed bullets make for too much variation case to case.

 

7 minutes ago, Cholla said:

I can shake my rounds and hear the powder. It works even better of you use a powder funnel as a hearing aid.

 

This works most every time.

[Dusty Devil Dale]

42 minutes ago, PaleWolf Brunelle, #2495L said:

Couldn't you determine the powderless round by weighing each round from the last batch loaded?
Then pull the bullet to confirm?

 

(BTDT) 
 

Tried weighing, but there is enough variation in the case and bullet weights together that I couldn't be sure, given that a mistake would be a squib. 

 

But I did NOT think of pulling the bullet from the first light cartridge to confirm.   That makes it possible, since I know there is only one.   I can/will still do that.  The??? box is still separate.    Thx. 

Saved me 100 primers, or quite a while pulling bullets.  

[Dusty Devil Dale]

35 minutes ago, Sedalia Dave said:

Me too

 

I've tried weighing but with little success in pistol calibers. Mixed headstamps and/or lubed bullets make for too much variation case to case.

 

 

This works most every time.

It's that "MOST" that gets ya.  

[Randy Saint Eagle, SASS # 64903]

 

1 hour ago, Dusty Devil Dale said:

Day started out great.  800 pistol rounds loaded in about 2-1/2 hours.  Checked powder charge on +- three rounds, after every 100 rounds.  3.1 gn in each -- Powder dispenser is working perfect. 

 

Last 100 rounds -- check powder charge on about the 40th round and -----  Oh S*!t.    There in the scale pan is the last powder charge weighed that "somebody" forgot to return to its case before finishing the round.   Fortunately every 100 round lot was kept separate. 

 

100 more rounds for the practice box.   Time to quit and go do something else less mental.  Guitar doesn't want to tune up either.   Broke the D string.   That's the one that always breaks.  I have two sets but no D string.   

 

 I wonder if my problem today is ME?  

 

Unfortunately I’ve done that more than once.
 

 

1 hour ago, Cholla said:

I can shake my rounds and hear the powder. It works even better of you use a powder funnel as a hearing aid.

I don’t hear well enough for that to wok for me.
 

1 hour ago, Roger Rapid said:

1) Add a powder charge alarm to your 650.

This was my solution, wish I’d done it sooner.

 

Randy

[Dusty Devil Dale]

9 minutes ago, Randy Saint Eagle, SASS # 64903 said:

 

Unfortunately I’ve done that more than once.
 

 

I don’t hear well enough for that to wok for me.
 

This was my solution, wish I’d done it sooner.

 

Randy

Thx guys, I have the powder checker in place in stage 3.  But I normally pull the rounds off of stage 4 to weigh/verify charge.  So I changed things post-checker.  

[Widder, SASS #59054]

1 hour ago, Rye Miles #13621 said:

I’d be more concerned about you breaking that D string all the time. Somethings not right. What kind of guitar, what kind of strings? Are you tuning it higher than A440??

 

I agree.

 

I rarely break any strings, either on my 6 or 12 stringer.

 

..........Widder

 

[Dusty Devil Dale]

1 hour ago, Roger Rapid said:

DDD...

I have two solutions for you:

 

1) Add a powder charge alarm to your 650.

 

2) I'll send you some guitar strings...

 

RR

Thanks Roger

Happy to pay you for the strings.

The ones I have are pretty cheap in both price and quality. 

[Sedalia Dave]

27 minutes ago, Randy Saint Eagle, SASS # 64903 said:

 

1 hour ago, Cholla said:

I can shake my rounds and hear the powder. It works even better of you use a powder funnel as a hearing aid.

I don’t hear well enough for that to wok for me.
 

 

If you have access to a karaoke machine, amplified ear muffs or something similar; You can use it to amplify the sound. Just put the narrow end of the funnel next to the mic.

[Dusty Devil Dale]

18 minutes ago, Widder, SASS #59054 said:

 

I agree.

 

I rarely break any strings, either on my 6 or 12 stringer.

 

..........Widder

 

This was on a classical with nylon strs.  But I almost always break the D String first on all of my acoustic instruments.  It's lighter than the others but has about 15% more tension.   It would be great to be able to buy just the D string, but usually changing just one string makes the instrument sound terrible.  

[Dusty Devil Dale]

3 minutes ago, Sedalia Dave said:

 

If you have access to a karaoke machine, amplified ear muffs or something similar; You can use it to amplify the sound. Just put the narrow end of the funnel next to the mic.

Whoa!  What a great idea!  I don't have a Karaoke unit, but I do have microphones, pickips, mixers, and amplifiers !  I can't believe I didn't think of it. 

 I've gotta go try it right now!  I'll get back with results.  

Thx very much. 

DDD

[Dusty Devil Dale]

It worked !

Thank you v. much, SD !

I quickly found the bad round.

I hung a unidirectional mic over the table edge, turned the amp way up, filtered out feedback, set the mixer for higher frequency ranges, and voila!  Even to my impaired hearing, I could easily hear the TiteGroup flake powder rattle. 

 

The fourth round picked up made no sound.  I verified by pulling the bullet --no powder.

I went ahead and checked the remaining 96 rounds and they all made audible sound.

 

This was fast and easy to do.  I will probably be pre-checking all of my rounds for larger matches this way   Squib-proofing made easy.  

Thx again!

 

[Dusty Devil Dale]

 

4 hours ago, Rye Miles #13621 said:

I’d be more concerned about you breaking that D string all the time. Somethings not right. What kind of guitar, what kind of strings? Are you tuning it higher than A440??

Normally, I tune to A440 for fingerstyle, classical,  or flamenco playing.  For other styles it just depends on who I'm playing with and what instruments they're using.  

D string breakage is a pattern on all of my acoustic guitars, and Friends comment about it on their instruments, as well.  It occurs more frequently on classical and bluegrass instruments with high tension nylon strings.   I play a lot, so I change strings about every 4 months to keep them fresh and crisp sounding.  

 

I've refiled and refitted the string relief across the nuts and bridge saddles (Im also a luthier) to eliminate hard edges.  That helps them tune more freely, but does not change breakage.  D always breaks first. 

 

The strings I commonly use include Ibanez, LA Bella,  Martin, Concertiste, Lisa, and some other lesser known custom-made ones.  They're in many diffetent tensions and guages on different instruments.   Brand seems to make little difference in longevity or breakage. 

Over 50+ years of daily playing, I've just become jaded to occasional string breakages.  

Many, many years ago, before I decapitated the tip-end of my left index finger in a jointer, I played 12-string.  Then too, the low D string always seemed to fail first.

[Widder, SASS #59054]

1 hour ago, Dusty Devil Dale said:

 

I've refiled and refitted the string relief across the nuts and bridge saddles (Im also a luthier) to eliminate hard edges. 

 

I'm Southern Baptist.   Maybe thats why my strings don't break as often.

 

p.s. - on my 12 string (Ovation acoustic electric, 1975), it was my high-G string always giving me issues.   I actually

got to where I would just leave it off the guitar, which made it an 11-stringer.

 

..........Widder

 

[Dusty Devil Dale]

1 minute ago, Widder, SASS #59054 said:

 

I'm Southern Baptist.   Maybe thats why my strings don't break as often.

 

p.s. - on my 12 string (Ovation acoustic electric, 1975), it was my high-G string always giving me issues.   I actually

got to where I would just leave it off the guitar, which made it an 11-stringer.

 

..........Widder

 

You're making me want to try 12 stringer again now, after 45 years.  Nothing sounds as good to me as a Travis picking a 12er to bluegrass music.  

[Springfield Slim SASS #24733]

I just put an LED light on my Dillon and look in every case. I load for 4 people in my family and can't be weigh checking that much or I'd never get done. Never had

 an empty or double case in 30 years of loading so I'm not going to change now. It helps to use bulky powder that fills the case more. Or BP.

[Oddnews SASS# 24779]

You have it right, the D string is the one that breaks. It's also the hardest one to get into tune. It's always reminded me of a quote I hard on John Denver live album -- he was playing a 12-string guitar. "You know, when you're playing a 12 string and you hear a string out, you have to go through string by string and find the one that's out of tune -- and then you tune all the rest of the strings to it."

[Rye Miles #13621]

I’ve been playing guitar for about 60 years, I dont play every day but I do play quite a bit. I have 2 acoustics, a Martin and an old Epiphone and I can’t remember the last time I broke a string ! Not bad for a drummer!

[The Rainmaker, SASS #11631]

I've had days like that. Usually goes like...

I drop something, usually something with powder or shot or bullets all over the floor... crawling around on bad knees to pick it all up.

Dillon is giving me problems, usually something not aligned right. (most likely something with the primer setup)

Primers flipping sideways and being crushed into primer pockets.

Spent primers getting wedged somewhere, making something else have a problem.

Tight primer pockets feeling "tight" as I seat a primer... BANG, primer goes off in press (I may have wet myself) and...

Shut it all down and go inside... dammit  

[Imis Twohofon,SASS # 46646]

OP Im glad you got this issue resolved, I have experienced the same thing. Unfortunately I have no musical instruments, amplifiers or mics, also no musical talent. plus poor enough hearing that shaking a round with small amounts of powder is not detectible to me. So I am hoping that someone knows of a combination that would work with an iphone and wired earbuds. Anyone help?

 

Imis

[Chantry]

14 hours ago, PaleWolf Brunelle, #2495L said:

Couldn't you determine the powderless round by weighing each round from the last batch loaded?
Then pull the bullet to confirm?

 

(BTDT) 
 

 

I've BTDT as well.

 

A qualified MAYBE, but each case and bullet will have it's own relatively minor weight variations as well, potentially enough that one might not  be able to find the uncharged case. Even with a digital scale one might not be enough to find the uncharged case when the powder charge is only  3.1 grains.

[Widder, SASS #59054]

5 hours ago, Rye Miles #13621 said:

I’ve been playing guitar for about 60 years, I dont play every day but I do play quite a bit. I have 2 acoustics, a Martin and an old Epiphone and I can’t remember the last time I broke a string ! Not bad for a drummer!

 

Thats funny RYE.

I been 'fiddling' with a guitar for 50 years and its been Eions since I broke a string.

And that ain't too bad for a Gunfighter..... 

 

..........Widder

 

[Dusty Devil Dale]

2 hours ago, The Rainmaker, SASS #11631 said:

I've had days like that. Usually goes like...

I drop something, usually something with powder or shot or bullets all over the floor... crawling around on bad knees to pick it all up.

Dillon is giving me problems, usually something not aligned right. (most likely something with the primer setup)

Primers flipping sideways and being crushed into primer pockets.

Spent primers getting wedged somewhere, making something else have a problem.

Tight primer pockets feeling "tight" as I seat a primer... BANG, primer goes off in press (I may have wet myself) and...

Shut it all down and go inside... dammit  

All of us can relate.   

Some days are just like that.

[Rye Miles #13621]

1 hour ago, Widder, SASS #59054 said:

 

Thats funny RYE.

I been 'fiddling' with a guitar for 50 years and its been Eions since I broke a strike.

And that ain't too bad for a Gunfighter..... 

 

..........Widder

 

Ha Ha Love it!!

[Oddnews SASS# 24779]

Well, I've "played around with" guitar for 45 years -- this does not mean I'm a guitarist. It means I have played a couple of (50 or so) open mic nights, that I'm usually in tune, and I only break a string about once every five years. Occasionally I go to the big music festival in Winfield, Kans., with my brother (the real musician in the family). One of the groups we sit and jam with has a camp with a vaguely Polynesian them and calls itself the "Wa Kiwi Inn" (What Key We In?)