By Duane Thomas
There are two errors, when it comes to the amount of gunpowder we’ve dropped into a handloaded cartridge’s case, that we never want to experience, the squib and the double charge. The former refers to putting together a round of ammunition with no powder. At best this will lead to a bullet stuck in the front of the chamber, preventing another cartridge from chambering. At worst the bullet will wind up stuck partway down the barrel, and when we pull the trigger again, unpleasant things happen. The second means we’ve dropped two powder charges into the same casing. Either of these can lead to gun, or even shooter, damage.
There are ways to ensure this never happens. Certain reloading machines have the option of adding to them a device called a powder check system. This is a device you can adjust so that, if the powder charge inside a casing deviates significantly higher or lower than what the sensor is set up to detect, it will give off an audible alert tone.
Low/high powder sensors are great, but they’re bit fiddly to get adjusted, and if you’re someone like me who’s constantly experimenting with different powders, and different charge weights, you wind up constantly having to adjust them. Also, not every machine has the capability to accept a low/high powder sensor.
In this case, what I prefer to do is to install a light to the machine allowing me to look down inside every case and visually verify (1) powder is there, (2) it’s of the correct height inside the casing therefore the correct amount.
Small flashlights with the light bulb on the end of a gooseneck extension are commonly available. They don’t cost terribly much, and they’re powered by AAA batteries that are likewise commonly and easily available. Rubber band one of those to your machine, adjust the gooseneck so the light shines down into the casing at the station after the powder drop, you should never have to worry about suffering a squib or a double charge. I find being able to visually verify that every single round I handload has powder, and it’s of the correct amount, takes a lot of the worry out of being close.
EDITOR’s NOTE: Dillon offers a couple of solutions to light up your loading equipment. A central light that fits a hole in the toolhead on a progressive loader, and a gooseneck light that mounts using two strong magnets.
