Caught out, or the Joys of reloading.

[muffett.2008]

Had an interesting experience today, I had several batches of different calibers to reload.
You know the kind, the odd few rounds that were used for sighting or testing.....not enough to do a decent run, but enough to take up bench space waiting to be done.

Well back to the story....I was filling 5.56 cases, noticed a small black spider but never paid it any attention, concentrating on the task in hand.....well that is where I came unstuck.

Dropped the measured powder into the next case, overfilled..? shook the powder funnel as sometimes the powder sticks in the neck, no? Did I inadvertantly double charge? emptied the charge back into the pan....correct weight, so picked up the case for a sqizz.....bugger, theres that bloody black spider in the case thumbing his nose at me.

Do you know how hard it is to get a spider out of a case when he doesn't want to go.
I was trying not to squash the damn thing as that would have contaminated the case with fluids.....but eventually had to go for the kill. Cleaned up the inside with a cotton bud and after a wasted half hour, finally managed to finish the rest.

Told the wife the story at lunch, she looks at me poker faced and says "Aren't you supposed to be scared of spiders.....you are a Muffett after all?"

A reference to the poem about little miss muffett and the spider.

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[browningautorifle]

Should have used the kinetic bullet puller, he'd have come right out.

[Bruce McAskill]

I know a new primer, then firing would have corrected the problem and cleaned up the inside of the case. Wonder if the spider could have broken the sound barrier???

[Ovidio]

There is some humanity on display here

[smerdon42]

Mate it was probably the infamous redback , one almost got me while cleaning up a wood pile on the block while back in Australia in April .

[RCS]

some years ago my friend and I were loading some 45 ACP using unique and lead bullets. He placed a cartridge case with the
powder charge on the loading press and was really to place the bullet, when a small spider went into the case. He put the bullet
on top over the spider and seated the bullet. He always said that round was louder then the rest !

[ssgross]

oh my thanks. what a great laugh!
With primers going for a premium now, no way I'd fire the spider out or float him out with water. I'd of probably tweezererd, until that failed, then set it aside and let him take his time.

[CINDERS]

You would have got a mighty shock Muffett had it decided to vacate the case and lob on your hand now that would have been a sight to see.

My wife was bitten on her face when a teenager by a red back spider, paralysed half her face for a good while with excruciating pain.

[muffett.2008]

C'mon you lot, a Redbacks bum would not fit into a 223 case. Just on spiders, I was scoring for Bernie Doohan at a Queens Shoot in Sydney at 800m when he asked me to remove the spider in his front sight.
Well as that would infringe on the rules to touch a competitors sights I said "No Bernie, I'm a Muffett and scared of spiders" thinking he was having a go at me, but on further discussion, yes there was a bloody spider in his foresight.