Really didn't want to share.

[nmbarta]

After over a decade of reloading, meticulously checking myself, I screwed up bad. Nobody got hurt, but this type of mistake is inexcusable. I really didn't want to share. I just wanted to keep this one to myself.....But, it did happen. I see a lot of new guys here lately, and decided that my mistake may help somebody else from getting hurt, so here's what happened.

I was doing load development on one rifle ( friends 7 rem mag) and getting my rifle set up with a new scope ( kahles 624i is just bought from a member here) My rifle is a 7x300 win mag loading 175 eld-x...his a 7rem mag with 162 eld-x.

Everything went well, still need some tweaking on his, but mine still shoots like I expect it to.

While I was letting his cool after a couple shots, I grabbed my rifle to shoot a couple to get it zeroed. 3 shots, and I'm getting really close to shooting for a zero group. I grab his, again to shoot the next load. It shoots pretty decent. All is good. My spotter wants to verify his rifle, so we take a break from these two and let them cool, while he shoots his rifle. I shoot mine again, and get a really solid group for a zero on my scope.

I go back to shooting my friends rilfle's next load. I made a mistake right here, I left both ammo boxes on the shooting pad (same color ammo box, bullets and cases look very similar) I can't believe what I did next. I wanted to verify at 1000, so shifted everything a bit to the north to get to our 1000 ( 1005) yard target. My buddy helped move everything. During this time, the 7 rem mag somehow (my fault no matter how it happened) got switched with the 7x300.

I settled on my target at 1005 and let one go, my spotter called 2 moa low. I was really not happy about that, so I grabbed another one. I'm thinking no way I'm off 2 moa, I shoot another one ( stupid, stupid, stupid). 2 moa low again. So now I'm thinking, what the heck is going on? I'll check my zero again.....That's when I saw the two casings I just shot. I just shot two 7 rem mag rounds out of my 7x300. ( I can't believe how close those shot at 1000 yards to what mine were supposed to shoot)

I had to sit down for minute. I can't believe I did that, not once, but twice.

I know how it happened, I actually even thought about it before that. ( I didn't like that both ammo boxes were identical) But I knew what I was doing, and was aware that I needed to make sure. It was just a simple mistake (that could have been really bad). The wind was picking up, and I got in a hurry, I didn't move his box off the shooting pad, the spotter helped me move a few things, and his ammo ended up where mine was supposed to be, and they looked the same.

I broke some rules, got over confident, and made a mistake that I wouldn't expect from a rookie.

There isn't really any excuse for this, lucky for me, my rifle actually shot them pretty good, and no harm was done.

Mistakes like this are how people get hurt. Over 10 years of doing this, and getting better all the time, and then this. I've called people out on this site for doing stupid things, and I'll still do it when I see it.

I felt obligated to share this. I'm sure somebody is going to call me out for being a dumb ***, and they'd be right.

Nobody had to know about this, and that's how'd I would really like it to be......But If the stupid mistake I made keeps someone from getting hurt, and I take a beating online for it.....so be it. The truth is the truth. The stupid truth......I really, really don't want to post this

 

[Sockeye66]

Very honorable admission, very well could save another person from a disaster. This is also a fear of mine as I often do shoot two rifles at a time of different cartridges. I talked to a fella at Cabelas awhile back (a surgeon no less) that mixed his ammo and blew the bottom metal out of a Sako and some shrapnel hit very close to his eyes. No room for errors in the game of shooting.

 

[LVJ76]

First, the good thing is no one got hurt.

Second, I get it that it's something you'd want to keep for yourself, but I give you props for actually sharing it so others can learn.

None of us are perfect although in this sport/passion/hobby we pretty much have to be.

Thanks for sharing and stay safe

 

[Ckgworks]

Thanks for sharing, glad no one was hurt! I really wanted to get a 300 BO, but I guess I just don't trust myself enough......every time I think about buying one, I picture myself or someone else slapping a 300 BO mag in a .223. I can totally see myself making this mistake.....

 

[Idaholandho]

Idiot mistake and you should be embarrassed.
Yet, much respect to you to admit the mistake.
Thank you, you may of just helped and saved many of us that get too complacent in this hobby.
Be Safe.

 

[yankee outlaw]

yes sir thank you for sharing i hope every one reading this will keep it in mind we tend to just run run run instead of just enjoying the smell of gun powder at sun rise we all need a reminder from time to time thank you

 

[74honker]

After over a decade of reloading, meticulously checking myself, I screwed up bad. Nobody got hurt, but this type of mistake is inexcusable. I really didn't want to share. I just wanted to keep this one to myself.....But, it did happen. I see a lot of new guys here lately, and decided that my mistake may help somebody else from getting hurt, so here's what happened.

I was doing load development on one rifle ( friends 7 rem mag) and getting my rifle set up with a new scope ( kahles 624i is just bought from a member here) My rifle is a 7x300 win mag loading 175 eld-x...his a 7rem mag with 162 eld-x.

Everything went well, still need some tweaking on his, but mine still shoots like I expect it to.

While I was letting his cool after a couple shots, I grabbed my rifle to shoot a couple to get it zeroed. 3 shots, and I'm getting really close to shooting for a zero group. I grab his, again to shoot the next load. It shoots pretty decent. All is good. My spotter wants to verify his rifle, so we take a break from these two and let them cool, while he shoots his rifle. I shoot mine again, and get a really solid group for a zero on my scope.

I go back to shooting my friends rilfle's next load. I made a mistake right here, I left both ammo boxes on the shooting pad (same color ammo box, bullets and cases look very similar) I can't believe what I did next. I wanted to verify at 1000, so shifted everything a bit to the north to get to our 1000 ( 1005) yard target. My buddy helped move everything. During this time, the 7 rem mag somehow (my fault no matter how it happened) got switched with the 7x300.

I settled on my target at 1005 and let one go, my spotter called 2 moa low. I was really not happy about that, so I grabbed another one. I'm thinking no way I'm off 2 moa, I shoot another one ( stupid, stupid, stupid). 2 moa low again. So now I'm thinking, what the heck is going on? I'll check my zero again.....That's when I saw the two casings I just shot. I just shot two 7 rem mag rounds out of my 7x300. ( I can't believe how close those shot at 1000 yards to what mine were supposed to shoot)

I had to sit down for minute. I can't believe I did that, not once, but twice.

I know how it happened, I actually even thought about it before that. ( I didn't like that both ammo boxes were identical) But I knew what I was doing, and was aware that I needed to make sure. It was just a simple mistake (that could have been really bad). The wind was picking up, and I got in a hurry, I didn't move his box off the shooting pad, the spotter helped me move a few things, and his ammo ended up where mine was supposed to be, and they looked the same.

I broke some rules, got over confident, and made a mistake that I wouldn't expect from a rookie.

There isn't really any excuse for this, lucky for me, my rifle actually shot them pretty good, and no harm was done.

Mistakes like this are how people get hurt. Over 10 years of doing this, and getting better all the time, and then this. I've called people out on this site for doing stupid things, and I'll still do it when I see it.

I felt obligated to share this. I'm sure somebody is going to call me out for being a dumb ***, and they'd be right.

Nobody had to know about this, and that's how'd I would really like it to be......But If the stupid mistake I made keeps someone from getting hurt, and I take a beating online for it.....so be it. The truth is the truth. The stupid truth......I really, really don't want to post this

Nmbarta, first and foremost nobody got hurt and you are all ok. No one is perfect and we all make mistakes and yes it's really hard to admit that and it's admirable that you are posting this. You are obviously shaken by this and will be something that keeps you up at night for awhile as it would many of us too. You can also look at it this way, the others with you didn't catch it either. It happened and over now. A good friend asked me a long time ago,"how do you get experience?" Unsure how to reply I said IDK. His answer"from making bad decisions." That has to be one of the most all life encompassing statements I've ever heard lol. I'll garauntee you won't make that mistake again! And by posting this teachable moment maybe it will keep someone else from making the same. Keep safe and carry on.

 

[CMP70306]

Thanks for sharing, glad no one was hurt! I really wanted to get a 300 BO, but I guess I just don't trust myself enough......every time I think about buying one, I picture myself or someone else slapping a 300 BO mag in a .223. I can totally see myself making this mistake.....

I use completely separate mags, .223 go in magpul while the blackouts get clear or smoke lancer mags and I never run the opposite to avoid that issue.

Years ago my grandfather accidentally grabbed the wrong box of 06 in the morning when he went out hunting, I've been told 25-06 makes a weird noise going down a 30 cal barrel.

 

[GLTaylor]

Anyone who has loaded a few (or many years-50+ for me) has made some mistakes. My worst was loading the wrong powder. Lesson learned: NEVER have but one powder out when you're loading. All the others stay in the cabinet. Using the wrong powder can be catastrophic to you or your rifle. Ask me how I know!
Glad you're unhurt.

 

[P7M13]

Considering the similarities in the case, I can see how you accidentally swapped cartridges, but don't think your mistake is as big as you make it to be. You fireformed.
Impressive on the repeatability at 1K

 

[Quintus]

I would love to see your fireformed cases. Thank God those cases stayed together! I walked out of the woods years ago with a guy that had missed the buck of a lifetime - 3 times! H said it just stood there while he emptied his gun and then walked off. 5 guys in camp, 4 shooting 30-06, one shooting 280 Rem. Yep, .284 bouncing down a .308 tube.

 

[Mrvmax]

A friend and I were on a guided deer hunt a couple years ago and they required us to sight in the first day. We always bring two rifles just in case and he had his 270 Win and 7mm mag with him. Somehow he messed up and chambered and fired a 7mm in the 270 (and it hit the target). Fortunately he was not hurt and neither was the rifle.

Years ago I loaded some 300 Blackout for my AR. 99% of the time I weigh each charge and load about 50 at a time on a single stage press (or turret), when I charge them all with powder I take a flashlight and verify the powder levels before seating bullets. Somehow I failed to drop powder in one. I was at the range, fired and something did not seem right. Fortunately I stopped firing, open it up and looked down the barrel. The primer lodged the bullet in my barrel, if I would have been rapid firing the AR it could have been bad. That is my one and only loading mistake in the last 10 years and I learned from that one. Not sure how I missed powder but I think it was when I was interrupted by my wife while loading.

 

[Rick Richard]

Many years ago I did a similar thing, but shot a 270 round through a 7 Mag. luckily I was wearing glasses, which saved my eyes. It did though do considerable damage to the rifle which was a Browning BAR.

 

[The Oregonian]

Considering the similarities in the case, I can see how you accidentally swapped cartridges, but don't think your mistake is as big as you make it to be. You fireformed.
Impressive on the repeatability at 1K

But the larger point he is trying to make is that it could have been bad and he is reminding us not to get too complacent. I personally like to read these posts, and kudos to @nmbarta for sharing.

The reason I like them is I will spend a few minutes thinking about some of my routines at the range and hopefully avoid making the same mistakes described in these posts. My son is 11 and we have talked about a lot of things, and a lot of things about safety. But I don't think we have talked about this scenario of loading the wrong ammo and the potential ramifications. I am already thinking about the best way to have the conversation with him.