Mike V's handloading/reloading article!

[1Shirt]

:lol:A tip of the old Hat to Mike V for his article in the most recent Handloader. Makes for good reading, good conversation, and in general good jawboneing between the "handloader and the reloade types". Have never had a great deal of satisfaction out of "handloading" handgun ctgs. in quantity. Probably because, I am not much of a hand gun shooter. On the other hand, I take great pride in being a "reloader" of rifle ctgs. particularly for the ctgs. that I load for cast blts, and for the jacketed that I load for long range varmint shooting. In those two catagories, I am looking for the holy grail of accuracy and am trying for the maximum potential of the ctg. I don't knock the hand loader who just loads for convenience and savings. Thats me for handgun ctgs. But when it comes down to the n-tcutting for accuracy thats when the reloader in me kicks in. I want the brass to be the same batch and head stamp, I want the primer pockets clean, and inside deburred, I want the cases trimmed exact, I want the powder measured exact, I want the blt seated to the most accurate length, etc.etc.etc.
So--------Here's to Mike for another good article, just one among many!
1Shirt!:guntootsmiley:

[Larry Gibson]

+1 on the article from me also. I always enjoy Mike's writings and his point of view on shooting, especially with cast bullets. We have some different ways of doing things and I always like to read about his ways. Good article Mke.

:drinks:

Larry Gibson

[runfiverun]

i always viewed a handloader as one that used new components.
and a reloader as one that used his brass twice. :lol:

[Recluse]

A month or so ago, Frankenbarb started a post here about "Who are the experts at Cast Boolits?"

Lot of folks marveled at the experience and knowledge that is represented here, and I tossed out my own opinion on the evolution of gun-owners and shooters--





4. The reloader. This person is a serious gun owner AND a serious shooter. Reloads to keep his sport/hobby affordable and doable. Often ends up with the progressives because this person shoots a lot of rounds every week.

5. the handloader. This person is the reloader who has graduated to handloading because they have an insatiable quest to "build the perfect round" for each of their firearms under a plethora of shooting conditions. This individual has taken shooting and reloading to new heights.

6. The bullet caster. A handloader on CCI primed steroids. At first, casting was to "save money," (didn't we ALL say that at first? ), but as the addiction grew, the quest to make the perfect cartridge begins and ends with the silver stream we lovingly pour into molds of varying manufacture. The bullet caster is at the pinnacle of the shooting world in terms of knowledge, experience and ability.

When I started out reloading with my dad, HE did it to make shooting affordable. It was the only way we could afford to shoot. Some ten years later when I started shooting competition, and especially IPSC, I moved from the Rockchucker single stage press into the progressives. My only goal was to crank out hundreds and hundreds of rounds each week to shoot during the matches and for practice.

It wasn't until maybe twenty years ago that I became a "handloader" and started seeking "ultimate" ammunition.

And now, all those years later, I enjoy casting and reloading more than I enjoy shooting.

:coffee:

[nanuk]

I guess I've never been a reloader, really.

I think I've been a handloader from the start. I've never run a progressive. Always one at a time.

and now I am getting into LeeLoaders for the tinkering fun of it.

[Three44s]

I was an "early" caster until I met all of you GREAT FOLKS!!

.......... now I am pretty much "corrupted" .......... LOL! ........... "Lost In Lead"!


Three 44s

[Char-Gar]

I have yet to read the article, but it is on my "to do" list. The distinction between a reloader and handloader goes way back and have nothing to do with whether the brass is new or used. There is also not a standard definition, but here is mine.

A reloader is a person who is trying to duplicate factory ammo and the primary goal is saving money.

A handloader is a person who is trying to optimize the performance of his firearm by searching for the best combination of components. Money may be saved in the process, but the goal is finding the very load that will give sterling performance in his firearm.

That has been my understanding of the terms for over 50 years.

I also like the writing of Mike V, but I have noticed his absence here, since he took a swipe in print at internet gun related boards in general and this one in particular. My sense is that he showed up here not to teach or learn, but to get the lay of the land. He figured out that his income lay with the people who read print and and it was in his best interest to direct his readers away from the internet lest they stop buying print. I could be wrong, but that is what my gut and knowledge of the human animal tells me.

The internet has changed the landscape of what Americans buy and how they buy it. Many types of business have lost great market share because of this change. Print journalism in all it's forms have taken a beating from the Internet. There is no reason to think the gun press is not feeling the same pinch.

This morning I was reading a 1985 issue of Handloader Magazine. Not one of the ads had an internet address. In today's issues, all of the ads have web sites. If I need a provider I will ask somebody here, or go to Google. I will not look in the pages of a gun magazine. The advertising revenue stream for gun press is in danger and one day will dry up entirely.

It is advertising that makes the money and pays the writers. But nobody will buy the ad space, unless folks will read the darn thing.

[troyboy]

I would much rather a magazine in my hand or a book than the screen.