How Dangerous is Reloading Ammunition?

If you are considering reloading your ammunition to save money, consider the dangers involved. Reloading can be dangerous to your personal safety as well as those around you.

Feedback & Comments

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Sent: May 12, 2012
Subject: Reloading Dangers

I'm not sure if this is anti reloading or just plain old ignorance. Most of this is just plain out not right and seems like a large amount of fear-mongering. While some of it is slightly factual most of it, like breathing in lead dust from liquified lead, "dangerous" levels of lead absorption from touching it, and everything seeming to explode at the drop of a dime.(smokeless powder doesn't explode unless tightly and well contained in a metal box). Also the emphasis on how much safer "factory ammo" is, really is quite saddening to me in the fact that people think that ammo produced en masse is actually safer than articulate well developed precision rounds. Take a look at Remington .357 Sig to get an idea of how well factory ammo is produced and sold to people, primers extruding improper seating depths odd powder charges. Look at a few lots of Federal target loads for 20 gauge, there was at a time so much of a powder charge difference that it could be felt in recoil. In addition, please for future use check your grammar and spelling, there were noticeable amounts of mistakes that further discredits your post. Finally, saying that you have never reloaded and think that saving a "few cents" per round shows you probably do not shoot anything outside 9mm or some other popular widely produced cartridge.

I would like to specify this isn't a direct attack but it is an attempt to point out some of the bogus information put here and I hope that people see this post and see that this blog or whatever this writing is claimed as isn't accurate and should not be considered totally factual.

Edgar

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Sent: Sunday, December 12, 2010 6:00 PM
Subject: Reloading Room Hazards

I reload in a room that is below ground it sometimes gets humid which i have a dehumidifier and air cleaner machine to help ventilate the air is that enough or is it still hazardous to my health?


Dennis,

I can't answer that question for sure and I could never tell you if you are safe or not but I am trying to think what the health hazards would be for doing reloading in such a room.

If you melt and cast your own bullets, that's one thing, and you would definitely need good ventilation and working conditions but if you are just reloading ammunition where is the hazard to your health coming from?

I could see where you might not want to store your powder, primers and unlearned brass in that room.

As far as health hazards go, the only other thing that I can think of is the possibility of inhalation of gun powder vapors during the reloading process, and I don't know if that is hazardous or not. I have never heard of any such concerns. It would just be good practice to have good ventilation. Sorry I can't give you a good answer.

Tanner

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Sent: Friday, November 10, 2010
Subject: Dangers Of Reloading

I have been reloading for over 20 years and NEVER have anything Explode. If you can follow directions reloading is very safe and if you shoot a 1,0000 rounds on a week-end its a MUST. True long range shooters ALL RELOAD they are more accurate and reliable. To be scared of reloads is just rubbish. All the parts come from the same place. Because mine are Tom's ammo you will not shoot them....but if I put Tom's ammo Inc. you will. Total rubbish.
Tom

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Sent: Friday, October 08, 2010
Subject: Dangers Of Reloading

Wow. I could come up with a similar argument on the dangers of driving a car. On the other hand, fear dictates what one should do, or does do. Those that overcome fears, do more in life. (We all have a limit, so I'm not saying fearless is too bright either). I reload for two reasons: 1) In regards to pistol ammo, it cost $.15 per round vs. $1.10, 2) My loads are more accurate and reliable.

"No, I don't reload my own ammo, because humans are invariably prone to mistakes, and the odds of me double charging my reloaded rounds is significantly higher than simply buying them new. And it's not worth it to me to blow my gun up and my hand off to save a few cents." THIS COULD ALSO BE; "I don't drive a car because humans are invariably prone to mistakes, and I might uncontrollably floor the gas and kill someone in a bad accident."

Well, reloading is definitely ONLY for responsible adults, and in light of having to have your wife's approval, or not doing it based on someone else's fear, it is also only for...let's see....responsible adults.
Steve

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Sent: Monday, September 13, 2010 2:20 PM
Subject: Reloading Dangers


So my wife and I got into a discussion and I wanted to get another perspective. I just got a new rifle and my father reloads his own ammo, and has been for forty years. He has books on it and scales and accuracy is very important. I have sat with him and witnessed him even measure out powder down to the grain. He is very strict with how accurate things are. My wife on the other hand is adamant on ensuring I don't fire anything not from a ammo manufacturer, she regards the practice of loading ammo to be foolish. I have seen my father research ways to get his bullets faster or reduce the kick by lightening up the slug, but only after hours of research though. He doesn't do any experimenting when it comes to reloading rounds. I want to know what you think on the whole practice and what are some credible resources on the topic (pro or con)

James

Response - James

It's probably not what you would expect to hear, but if I had a wife who was adamant that I not reload and who was so concerned about my safety I probably would not reload ammunition. I would buy and shoot only factory ammo if that gave her peace of mind. I doubt that it is worth the marital problems. You're probably lucky she lets you shoot at all.

That being said, reloading is safe, when done correctly, but not as safe as shooting factory ammunition. Last week my brother came up from Fort Lauderdale for a visit and I took him to the range to shoot my handguns. I shot my reloads, but I gave him three boxes of 9mm factory ammo to shoot. I shoot my own reloads but I don't give them out to other's to shoot nor do I shoot other peoples reloads.

When I first took up shooting handguns at the range I looked around at the guys picking up brass and though to myself "boy are those guys stupid". Reloading you own ammo is a good way to lose a hand, a gun or even die from. I never dreamt that I would reload my own ammunition. After talking with a few of the guys and doing extensive research on the internet I changed my mind and decided to give it a try. Note - I can only speak of reloading handgun ammunition. I have never reloaded rifle ammo.

I have always considered myself a very safety conscious guy. Safety and quality control was drilled into me when I used to work as a propellant engineer at Kennedy Space Center and it has stuck with me throughout my life. So when it came time for reloading, I felt confident that I could do it safely.

But stuff happens. People are human and make mistakes, equipment fails, defective components, etc.. You might get a bad casing, become distracted or tired, load an improper charge, set the bullet to the wrong depth or a raft of other possible errors. I am fairly new to reloading and have reloaded only about 5,000 rounds. They all fired properly but one. That one gave me a squib. I still can't figure out how that happened, but it happened. Since then, I only shoot the next reload after I am positive that I know where the bullet went and I do not shoot my reloads fast.

Another bit of info. I go to the indoor shooting range each week. I would estimate that over the last two years I have not witnessed nor have I heard of any reloading accidents, but I have seen about 5 squibs resulting from reloads (and I am only there about 3 hours per week).

What are your reasons for wanting to reload? To save money? To increase accuracy? To have a hobby?

My friend send me an email of some pictures of what happened when someone shot a reload when they made the mistake of using black powder instead of smokeless powder. Let me know if you want me to email it to you. IT IS GORY. If your wife ever saw these pictures she would probably go through the roof and the decision would be made - NO RELOADING. These pictures will make you think twice before taking up reloading as a hobby.

Sorry, but I can't provide you with other credible resources (pro and con) on reloading other than what you are able to find on the internet.

Best regards,

Tanner

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