gun nuts

[starmac]

I never really thought much about the term gun nuts much, but while processing some brass this morning, I got to thinking. (should never do that)

I got my first big game rifle when I was 16, rounding out my firearms which consisted of a 22, a shotgun and finally a rifle. I thought and rightly so I had all the guns i would ever need, except I knew I would eventually want to upgrade to a double barrel shotgun, but even then that was a want, not a need. lol

I had a school teacher that reloaded my hulls pretty cheap, so never thought of getting into reloading my own, even though the biggest part of my shooting was shotgun. When I got the rifle (300 savage) iirc shells were running about 7 bucks a box, soo it didn't take long to decide I needed to reload if I wanted to shoot this thing much. Life was a lot simpler back then, especially for a country teenager that didn't exactly have unlimited resources. One trip to the gunshop and probably less than 30 minutes, with help from the owner had me set up with a manual, a lee loader, the recommended powder, primer and jwords. I don't remember the cost, but it would have been way under 50 bucks total, and all I remember adding to my reloading kit was a small screw driver to clean out the primer pockets. I don't even remember getting a champher tool of any sort, probably did it with a pocket knife. I had a gun rack in the back window that would hold all three guns, so they pretty much went every where I went. I never remember owning over 1 pound of powder or a few hundred primers, or even more than a couple boxes of j words at any time over the next several years. I also never remember owning over a brick of 22 or 3 or 4 boxes of shotgun shells at any given time either, but they were available any time I went to town, so no big deal. My complete reloading setup including components fit in a shoebox, or behind the seat in my pickup. I doubt I ever had over 40 or so pieces of brass.
An hour or so, on moms coffee table or the bumper of my pickup, and I would have enough shells for the week. I thought I was set for life and in all actually I was, but that was before I started reading gun rags, and way before the internet told me, I wasn't even started yet.

I now spend more time processing brass or even just getting ready to reload, with a whole room with shelves plum full of gear and components, than it used to take me to hammer out a weeks worth of ammo. lol I am really just getting a decent start on casting, but when you add in smelting, casting gear and molds, everything would not fit in a long bed of a pickup if you stacked up as high as you could. lol

So I think there is some validity to the term gun nut, as all it took was a 10 lee loader to be happy and set up for the times, when life was a lot simpler before I ever heard of m dies, fcd dies, trimmers. etc.

Since I really can't or don't accomplish anything (other than casting) more now than I could when I was sixteen, I must be a gun nut. lol

[Bullshop Junior]

This was a good read. I can just picture you sitting on the tail gate of your pickup happily hammering out ammo. I've done it before, but I didn't use the whackamole loader, I had a lee hand press that used normal dies.

[Beagle333]

I used a .357 whack-a-mole from 1985 til 2012. I got two single presses now and about 5 sets of dies, but I still use the whack-a-mole for the 270. I don't know the min requirement to be called a gun nut, but since everybody at work knows I cast, whenever a gun question comes up, they jerk their thumb over toward me and say "Ask Chuck,.... he's a gun nut." :D

[histed]

Loaded quite a few .303 British and 30-30 with the old Lee loaders. Graduated to a used RCBS when I turned 21 - still using it almost 40 years later. Glad to wear the "gun nut" title, it puts me in the best of company

[Pb2au]

Excellent post. Thanks for sharing.

[waynem34]

Starmac very nice how bout some reloading room pics from posters.Gun nuts anonymous.

[David2011]

79 pages of 'em here: http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?12392-Loading-bench-pics

David

[Bullshop Junior]

Starmac very nice how bout some reloading room pics from posters.Gun nuts anonymous.

Starmac's reloading room is awesome, mostly because ai was involved in building it lol.

Did Starla ever let you put guns behind the TV like I said to? Lol

[psychicrhino]

25 years ago most of us high school boys in east texas had a gun rack in the back window of our trucks. I usually kept my old third hand sportsman 48 in a sleeve behind the seat. Rarely ever see gun racks anymore....times, they are a changing.

[Riverpigusmc]

I started on a wackamole loading .357...made perfectly acceptable ammo

[Hardcast416taylor]

For me, it`s comforting to read how someone else got started. I was almost to the letter the same as you wrote and started hammering out rifle and shotgun shells the same way. Also,as you`ve stated that, it might take a long bed pick-up with a trailer behind it to hold all the gear we have now!Robert

[OeldeWolf]

Nowadays, if I put guns and a rack in my truck, either they would be stolen, or I would be arrested, or both!

[Bullshop Junior]

25 years ago most of us high school boys in east texas had a gun rack in the back window of our trucks. I usually kept my old third hand sportsman 48 in a sleeve behind the seat. Rarely ever see gun racks anymore....times, they are a changing.

I have one is my truck.

[Artful]

I started on a wackamole loading .357...made perfectly acceptable ammo

My first attempt was to try 9x19 mm - didn't do well
- did much better with 38/357 with RCBS Jr and standard dies on my second attempt.

[starmac]

Nowadays, if I put guns and a rack in my truck, either they would be stolen, or I would be arrested, or both!

Seeing from where your from, I don't doubt that a bit. I had a couple of CHP's sneak up on me, in the dark, out in the middle of nowhere south of redding while I was changing a flat tire, because of that old 300 savage. That was back in about 77, I doubt things has gotten much better. lol

[starmac]

Starmac's reloading room is awesome, mostly because ai was involved in building it lol.

Did Starla ever let you put guns behind the TV like I said to? Lol

I finally built enough pawn shop style gun racks to hold them all, including those of Kevins. In fact I need two more to fill it up. lol I told Starla I had to get 2 more. lol She had me count them, and I included her 10/22 in the count. She reminded me that it was hers, and that was the only rifle that she has, so I said maybe I will just get her two more to fill the racks. lol
She kept after me to build stairs and a hand rail, so I built a dedicated gun cleaning table instead of a rail, which satisfied her there. There is a method to the madness on the stairs though, they just ain't happening. She won't climb the ladder, and all I have to do when I sneak a new gun in is tell Kevin to take one of his home. All she will know is the rack is full.

[Bullshop Junior]

I finally built enough pawn shop style gun racks to hold them all, including those of Kevins. In fact I need two more to fill it up. lol I told Starla I had to get 2 more. lol She had me count them, and I included her 10/22 in the count. She reminded me that it was hers, and that was the only rifle that she has, so I said maybe I will just get her two more to fill the racks. lol
She kept after me to build stairs and a hand rail, so I built a dedicated gun cleaning table instead of a rail, which satisfied her there. There is a method to the madness on the stairs though, they just ain't happening. She won't climb the ladder, and all I have to do when I sneak a new gun in is tell Kevin to take one of his home. All she will know is the rack is full.

That works good until Kevin has all his guns home lol

[starmac]

Then I could stick some behind the tv, one of them outa sight outa mind things. lol

[missionary5155]

Good morning
My first dies were the Lee caliber .32 Win Special for my first centerfire rifle a Marlin 336 my uncle just could not tolerate in his rack of Brownings. Shot a bunch of groundhogs with that lever flipper using those hammered out reloads from the one box of cartriges my uncle threw in when I bought the Marlin. That was closing in on 50 years ago. I still do my 12 guage with the Lee Loader and plastic hamer.
Mike in Peru

[cbrick]

Interesting fun story but a completely wrong definition of gun nut. A gun nut is someone that thinks you have no right to own a gun. Someone that thinks only the gubment has a right or need to have a gun.

So that makes you gun sane.
The anti gunner is gun nuts.

See how simple that is? :mrgreen:

Rick

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

yeah I am a gun nut or maybe gun sane depending on your definition , but my wife has a very healthy view of it , we each get a budget for hobby , how ever i choose to spend my budget is fine with her as long as it fulfills the job of a hobby to unwind , relax enjoy and learn.

trust me for every dollar i have spent on guns or reloading she has spent that much on sewing machines , fabric , thread quilting , and classes

[w5pv]

We didn't have a floor model TV to put our guns behind but a combinatio radio record player that we stored our guns behind always with the barrel pointed town to keep the oil fromsoaking into the stock a practice I still do in the gun case now.Had a thick towel of some sort for the barrel to rest on.

[starmac]

Tv is sitting on one of those fake fireplaces in the corner, so guns would be completely out of sight behind it. lol

Missionary. Glad to hear you use one of those shotgun lee loaders. Do you load shot or slugs with it?? I have an old one in the cardboard box, I have never used. I should get it out and play with it and see how well it works. I actually shoot shotgun very little, and can't really justify the space or expense of a mec, or anything of the sort.

[TXGunNut]

Hello, my name is Mike and I'm a gun nut.

TV? I don't need no stinkin' TV!

[starmac]

Well where you going to see duck dynasty at, if no tv. lol

[quilbilly]

I still have a half a dozen "whackamoles" above my loading bench. Some of the parts come in quite handy even though I have presses now. I especially like the hand flaring tool they supplied for pistols and use it now for lightly flaring rifle brass for cast boolits..

[starmac]

Yea, I have a few too, even some for calibers I have never owned. lol I Thought I was the only one that used them to flare brass before. lol

[gmsharps]

Tv is sitting on one of those fake fireplaces in the corner, so guns would be completely out of sight behind it. lol

Missionary. Glad to hear you use one of those shotgun lee loaders. Do you load shot or slugs with it?? I have an old one in the cardboard box, I have never used. I should get it out and play with it and see how well it works. I actually shoot shotgun very little, and can't really justify the space or expense of a mec, or anything of the sort.

I started reloading on a lee 16 ga whack a mole. I had a Browning Sweet 16 with 2 9/16in chambers and couldn't find any of the factory ammo so started this way. It worked fine but slow as molasses but it did work.

gmsharps

[MT Gianni]

I prefer John Barsness's term rifle loonie, but have almost as many handguns.

[Wayne Smith]

I still use a Lee Loader for 16ga to load my brass shotgun shells for the Cape gun.

[country gent]

I started out with a savage in 222 remington and a lee hammer set up. We used that rifle for years on woodchucks and other varmints around the farm for years. I hate to think of the number of woodchucks skunks possums ect ect that that rifle made good critters out of. LOL My summers were spent shooting woodchucks on most of the farms in the area. Rode my bicycle with the rifle slung over my shoulder with a couple boxes of shells in my pockets. No one even noticed back then. But as to Gun nuts very few nuts are used on guns most are screws LOL.
But yes now almost 50 years later Im still a gun nut.

[TXGunNut]

She had me count them, and I included her 10/22 in the count. She reminded me that it was hers, and that was the only rifle that she has, so I said maybe I will just get her two more to fill the racks. lol...-starmac

Should have built a bigger rack, lol.
I figure if I know how many guns I have I obviously need a few more. If I ever have a wife who knows how many guns I have I figure I'll need a lawyer...but then I'm a confirmed bachelor. ;-)
When I had a GF hanging around most weekends I kept an old soft case in my car. If I bought a gun it came thru the door in the old case. A second safe could be a good diversion as well.
I don't miss my TV. Seems I was hanging out here or surfing elsewhere when it was on anyway. I get a lot of reading, reloading, casting and shooting done while most folks are watching something they won't remember next week or even tomorrow.

[starmac]

Well I've had this wife going on 37 years, and since she drags home a gun for me once in a while, I think I will keep her around. lol

[TXGunNut]

Well I've had this wife going on 37 years, and since she drags home a gun for me once in a while, I think I will keep her around. lol

You're a lucky man. I know you're well aware of that but it doesn't hurt to be reminded now and then.
I've decided the women that I know are obviously good judges of character, the ones that don't know that figure it out soon enough. I figure I'm better off with guns, cats and the occasional dog. They don't seem to care about my character flaws.

[HollandNut]

don't need no stinking cats

good dog is right up there with a good woman and a fine firearm

My friends dad started us when we were pups , ever watchful over a single stage Lyman press loading what I thought at the time were awesome elephant slayers , Herters "banana peels" , is that right ?? Anyways they were 105 grain 243's for a M88 Winchester

D&^& that was a long time ago

[starmac]

Wife is bad allergic to cats, and that is a good thing. lol