A warning, this is kind of a rant fueled by a little kicking chicken, so... warnings and all that jazz.
Anyway, was doing a bit of reloading tonight, figured it would take me about 30 minutes to pump out a few rounds for me and the old man to have on hand for this week, and I needed a way to decompress after having a gun decide to go down on me earlier today(That annoyed me). Anyway, I load up the Mec reloader I have, 650 for anyone who cares, grab some shells, powder, shot, primer, wads(reloading 12 gauge here for the local trap club. Before someone decides to get dickish, don't, you won't like the retort.), when at around 3/4 the way through the handle on the reloader became well rather difficult to compress. Think normal 8 pounds of force and it is now 65 pounds. Struggling with things, looking around the reloader for a possible jam and I come up with pretty much nothing until I grab a flashlight and begin to examine the rear of the reloader were the link pin, or bolt, or what the **** ever it is I find sheared. This is rather impressive actually now that I am not pissed off. What is more impressive is attempting to figure out how to fix it I come tot he conclusion that the four holes that this mother****ing bolt is supposed to go through do not line the **** the up! I deadly serious, if they line up I can't figure out how. It is like they were designed to be installed at an odd angle, which would explain the fact that the bolt that I yanked out of the machine had a set of grooves worn into the damn thing that I can only assume came from being used and not due to being machined that way because only a retard machinist on a four day bender of Tennessee Moonshine and Kentucky Bourbon would think that was a good idea and I sure as hell don't see it lasting a hundredth as long as it did!
*goes off to pour another drink*
Ahhh..... So before anyone gets the wrong idea here, I'm not really bitching as much as venting. The reloader has had it's issues in the past, usually due to improper setting up of the stations. Not really the reloader's fault there, as much as operator, but on the flip side for something I've reloaded, personally reloaded, about 25K rounds on in the past 3 years, plus whatever was reloaded on it prior, I bought it used, it is kind of a surprise since that part I didn't see being one that would break. In fact since there had been like literally no signs of issues as far as pumping out round after round, after round, after round, after round, I didn't even think to check it. But, by god I did break the damn thing. But, I suppose I can't bitch, I bought the reloader used for $25, put about $30 into it for parts to load what I wanted and have been running the piss out of the thing since then. Perhaps this is a sign from God not to buy that stupid PSA upper but to invest in a new reloader since lord knows I got my money's worth out of the one I have and honestly saved enough to afford a better one.
So, Monday I calling a gun company and a reloading company to try to get things fixed.
So in short, I had a shitty day. I had a gun shed parts on me, had a reloader shear a bolt and go down, and it was a dreary day for the most part. But, hey, I broke a reloader, so that is an achievement in the gun world. At least I hope it is.
PS, will try to get some pictures of the bolt tomorrow. I think someone might enjoy it.
PS PS, thank you all for giving me space to vent. I'd offer a drink, but I think I might drink it all.
