I decided to finish loading a box of Rainier 125-grain plated RNFPs that I had gotten on a trade in .38 Special brass. I looked in the box and figured, "Ah, 200, maybe 250 left." At the end of the session, it turned out to be about 340. Not really a bad thing.
I load on a Dillon 550. As I pick up a piece of brass, I check the headstamp to make sure it's .38 Special instead of .357 Magnum (found two .357s) and the case mouth to cull out the ones with splits. I ended up tossing nine of them for splits, a lot more than I usually find but not unexpected since I have brass in there that's been loaded a bunch of times and some that are older than me.
Note that I didn't write that I check inside the case since I'm pretty persnickety about keeping them from landing where something might get inside of them. Halfway through the session, I lowered the handle and it stopped hard halfway through the stroke. I pull it back up, check inside the case, and sure enough there's a pebble stuck in there. I get the pebble out, put the case back in the shell plate, and try again. The handle stops hard in the same place. I pull the handle back up, check, and the decapping pin's bent. I dig in the filing cabinet drawer where I keep my dies and find the old (from the time they came in black cardboard boxes rather than orange plastic ones) Lyman carbide sizing die and switch it out. Since it was produced long before Dillons were manufactured, I had to screw it all the way down to the point where I barely had enough thread for the lock ring and it still leaves a small part of the case unsized, but I've used it before and it's not a problem.
I finally finished the box with no more drama and have a brim-full .30 cal can of loaded ammo. Now I just have to find RCBS decapping pins for the sizing die. And reset the powder measure and seating die for the 158-grain plated RNs I have to load.
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