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Reloading: Elf and Safety

Reloading: Elf and Safety

Imagine having enough time and money to do nothing but reload, develop ammo and shoot. Imagine being able to employ someone to do the bread and butter reloading whilst you do the development and have all the fun. Well, forget it. The legal implications are massive. The Health and Safety requirements would probably require yet another employee just to keep ahead of the rules. Added to that, you would almost certainly have to find another property in which to conduct your ammo production. The simple fact is, as private individuals making ammo for personal use, we enjoy huge freedom from a glacial volume of controls and legislation. Not that we should ignore all of them; many are there to make life safer for us and those around us.

Ensure you’re insured

Let’s start with our working environment. If we rent the property that houses our reloading activities then we must ensure that the landlord’s terms allow us to pursue our passion. Our property and contents insurers need to be up to speed as well or it could provide them with an ideal get-out in the event of a claim. On the subject of insurance, we also need to consider public liability. Clubs and Associations do include cover with membership but it’s worth investigating the extent as it may not embrace all of your activities. Whether you’re bunny bashing or deer hunting you must have an appropriate level of third party liability cover.

Back home, the working space needs to be well lit, cool, dry and free from distractions or risk, from TV’s to ankle biters. An improvised reloading bench comprising tools bolted to a Workmate situated in front of the TV is a recipe for disaster. Casting operations need to be in a well ventilated area away from foodstuffs and close to a suitable fire extinguisher.

Dress for success?

PPE anyone? Well, we may not need to wear toe-tectors or high viz but other clothing and accessories are a no-brainer. Hands and eyes are the most vulnerable but if you cast then whole body protection is the order of the day. Relying on your prescription specs is not such a good idea given the limited area of protection that they might offer and the potential cost of replacement. Purpose made safety specs offer wrap-round primer blast protection at minimal cost. For casting I use a clear flip-down full face visor, originally bought for use with my chain saws.

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A variety of gloves are needed to best serve all the applications. Latex or nitrile disposables are ideal for handling projectiles, primers and propellants whilst leather welder’s gauntlets are the only defence from molten lead. The additional bullet casting wardrobe includes a worn but intact pair of climbing boots, heavy denim jeans/jacket, a farrier’s apron and half face RPE (Respiratory Protection Equipment). The risks associated with the inhalation of lead, tin and antimony fumes must be taken very seriously. Choosing the correct type of mask is vital, which is why I’ve enclosed this link to HSE: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pUbns/priced/ hsg53.pdf I now use a double filter valved mask as it is more comfortable and does not fog my specs.

Can the cans

How much ‘shooters powder’ do you have? The old Mode A, B and C storage rules quietly faded into oblivion with the result that many of us are unsure about the current regulations regarding propellant storage. Still got tins of nitro powder on the shelf in your loading room? Hmm, bad idea. Your FEO will not be impressed when the FAC renewal falls due. Containers should now be 550g plastic tubs, as recommended in this letter from HSE to Deputy Chief Constable Simon Taylor of Norfolk Constabulary in July 2005; - “HSE has recommended the use of 550g-capacity plastic containers for black powder and HT1 smokeless powder. The plastic containers were found to eliminate the explosion hazard. (However other materials such as cardboard and other forms of container may also have the same effect).” HSE now also state that nitro propellants “should be” stored in compartmentalised wooden boxes, as legally required for black powder. However, I cannot establish whether it is a legal requirement or merely advice! I’ve covered the odds and bought a couple of approved storage boxes. Remember that percussion caps and small-arms ammunition are also subject to storage limitation by weight. Check out our old friends, the HSE;-http:// www.hse.gov.uk/explosives/licensing/ storage/index.htm

Getting practical

Finally, we come to the practical safety issues. Never leave propellant in powder measures or containers other than those in which it was supplied. The exception to this rule? Any remaining propellant stocks that are in tins should be decanted into plastic containers that bear clear and indelible details of the product name, batch number and any other references that you can find. Never leave primers in the priming tool; they may be mistaken for a different type at a later date. I mistakenly loaded rifle primers into revolver ammo as they were visually identical to the type I required – and subsequently endured the embarrassment of successive misfires during a competition!

Never again! Always check a sample from newly loaded batches of ammo against a reference cartridge or published dimensional data. Keep copious records of your production together with cross reference data with the batches of ammo.

Keep it clean and tidy

Clean all the kit after each session, the residues of combustion can be extremely abrasive and abrasion means wear. Store everything out of reach of children and check its function before the next use… especially scales. A student on a reloading course at Bisley was loading .44 Mag ammo using about 13.5-grains of Blue Dot. To my surprise the weighed charge almost filled the case so I check weighed a sample. The actual weight was over 20-grains. It transpired that his wife had helpfully cleaned his loading bench but accidentally knocked the scales to the floor. She picked them up and reassembled them, saying nothing. It could have ended in disaster. So lastly, regularly check the calibration of your scales using check weights or, if all else fails, a selection of non degradable items each of known weight. Stay safe out there!

 

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