beginnings of a handloader

[tdoyka]

this may be/not be important, but since i have a few minutes(and i'm BORED), i thought that my beginnings as a handloader is a good place to start. this is mostly about hunting deer, with a couple of targets thrown in. BE WARNED, it can/will definitely put you to sleep......

i started on my handloading experience about 25+/- years ago. i bought a lyman reloading set and a few dies, bullets, powder and primers and a few reloading books. and it made me happy that i could construct cartridges and shoot them. for about...i don't know...it could be:mrgreen: a year.

i knew everything about handloading(i thought). theres a whole bunch of things that i didn't know about...bullet construction, psi pressure, ya know the OTHER things you NEED to know. now in them days, velocity was king. it doesn't matter if the bullet strikes a deer at 30 yards(which is most likely for the terrain i hunted) or 300 yards. that 150gr in '06 gets to be there the fastest it possibly can. i would take the fastest velocity(used in the reloading books) and start from there. if a 150gr bullet can go 3000fps in the max load, why can't it go 3200fps. after all, its only there because of libilty cases from the manufacturer(i do have a bridge i can sell you, if you believe that). anyway, the book says its max load is 40gr of powder, where i start. and then, heres where its not boring, i load it up to 41gr, 42gr 42.5gr...and so on. i would crater primers until the case was cracked. i would then take it down a half of grain and i would have my load. i did this all without a chrono or pressure equipment. i'm suprised that i'm still alive. no, i'll take it back, i'm suprised that my old remington m700 mountain rifle didn't use itself to mangle up my face, like it should have done. just thinking about what i've done leaves a shiver run down my spine. i did the overmax thing for like 5 years in a bunch of chambers.

then for about 15+/- years i became a gun accuracy nut. i became so obsessed with accuracy, it became a type of religion to me. if every gun of mine could not do 3/4" at 100 yards(5 shots) it would be for sell. a couple of mine could not(they were around 1 - 1 1/2" t 100yards, i know, could you believe that!!!( bridge i can sell:lol:...) unfortunatly, my m700 mountain rifle in '06 could not cut the mustard, 1 1/4". during this time i shot and gotten rid of a few calibers, but i basically stayed the same. my handloading did go up a couple of levels. my brass was sorted out to weight, turning the necks(what i dislike the most) and such. the reloading books became my bible, no more overloading for me. i think that the 20 vartarg(tc encore/MGM barrel) is by far the most accurate gun i own, .2" at 100 yards(5 shots) with a 32gr nosler varmageddon and rel7. my dad shot it and it goes .1"(forget the number) at 100 yards(5 shots). boy the hunting stories i could tell.....

then around 4 years or so, i had a stroke(39 years old at the time). the right side of my body has no practical use and the left side of my brain does not go from my head to my mouth.(its like there is a detour from my brain to my mouth that goes nowhere) thank God i can type tho, it would be awkward to say of this outloud:lol:. i shoot left handed, so the stroke didn't harm that. what it did harm is my ability to shoot a large caliber at high velocity. and this is where cast boolits and my 44mag, 444 marlin and 30-40 krag(there is some 45-70) come into play. the 30-40 krag with a 165gr ranch dog(charge of h4198) goes about 1800fps from the muzzle and at 100 yards goes within 1 1/2 - 2 1/4". the 444(tc encore/MGM barrel) with a 280gr wfn gc(charge of rel7) that goes around 2000fps gets a 1/2" at 100 yards. i'm going to have to cut it down(velocity wise) 100-200fps, because i can, nothing to do with recoil(i got it up to 2300fps and thats where it starts to hurt). and i'm going to try a 250gr mihek hp in a ruger sbh(4 5/8") when it gets here, a charge of unique going about 900-1000fps will kill a deer at 50 yards-. although i have to buy my boolits commercially, i am going to make my own(meaning pot, ladles, moulds) in a couple of years. my handloading has become even better than it has before. i own a hornady electric powder measure/scale thingy(can't think of it) that is definitely the best thing since sliced bread. every bore has been sized, neck expanding dies, factory crimp dies....oh i think i'm in love.....
and i've been thinking, i only need two powders...rel7 and unique...now if i could get my 6.5creedmoor(tc encore/MGM barrel) i would be set.



well, thats all. i have become a novice, an overmax rebel without a clue, a accuracy zealot and finally "eh, when it gets there" cast booliter. i know that i have unlimited miles before me and i wish to become something more than a novice booliter. but i'll try my hardest to learn and acquire new skills. who said, "throw everything out the window"? he is definitely right!


sorry it took to long, its more of a rant and basically i'm bored[smilie=b:

[flyer1]

Thank you. I enjoyed the read. My best to you for not giving up.

[Prodigal Son]

Same here, many would just sit around feeling sorry for themselves, some of us had the same journey less the stroke to get where you are!

[leeggen]

If most of us older shooter/reloaders would admit it we allbeen thru some of that. Glad to see you never gave up and if typing lets you talk so to speak that is great also. That will keep the brain and muscles moving. Casting your own has a clear joy about it and then loading and shooting accurately brings on another level of joy. Keep at it you have made many advances in your health.
CD

[Swede44mag]

I have traded off or sold a lot of nice guns that didn't group to my satisfaction many of which I wish I had back.
Don't give up it will get better.

[44man]

I look back on my life of shooting and loaded for everything I ever shot. There were a few guns that needed 1/2 gr more powder then max but I never went crazy. Accuracy was first.
First shotguns had shells loaded in a Dietmeyer 500 with tons of shot and powder. Every rifle or handgun had dies and molds before the gun was in my hands. Can't do it anymore unless you cast.
Used to go to Avon Hardware and buy wads and a 25# bag of shot was $5, powder was dirt cheap and bullets were affordable to a kid with a paper route.
Back then you could ride a bike 20 miles with a gun or fishing rods. Even rode bikes from Cleveland to Akron to fish, over 30 miles. Took a long time to have a car. But we shot before that. After school with a job, loading came in big time. Herters got many orders from me. Could buy a revolver in the mail from out of state when only 18 years old.
I look back at the freedom we had and cry.
I dealt with Avon Hardware and Hart Arms in Cleveland for any gun. Charged on my account with a paper route, no interest. I got a browning Superposed and still have it, .300 Weatherby and many others. The superposed was $300 and the Weatherby was $310. Paid off quick. I was never in debt. But they gave me the guns right off. My life was a wonder you will never see again. I walked in the door and said, get me this. No problem. Dag nab it I was a kid. Even loaded my stuff back then. Cast boolits on the kitchen stove. Dad did nothing but mom let me go.
I was never home, roamed the whole neighborhood with friends. Went to the swamp under the Clark ave bridge to get all kinds of salamanders and frogs. I could be 20 miles from home and my mom did not worry.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Thanks, tdoyka, for your interesting and entertaining reloading history. This story might make you chuckle. Like many new reloaders in the early -middle 1960s I was introduced to the hobby through the purchase of a Lee Loader in .38 Special. An astute clerk at my local gun shop convinced me that since I liked to shoot so much I could save a lot of money by reloading. :grin: So, with the Loader, a 1 lb. can of Bullseye, a box of primers and a 100 count box of cast lead wadcutters I embarked on my first reloading adventure. The friendly clerk also sold me an early Lyman reloading manual and a Lyman scale. I used the components to reload two boxes of ammo. I knew that one had to be very careful and precise when reloading, so I read and re-read the instructions that came with the tool, everything written on the powder can, and the parts of the manual that seemed to apply to me. There was one thing that I just wasn't sure about which was how the graduations on the scale beam worked. The manual suggested using 2.5 gr. of powder, but was that on the left side or right side of the balance point of the scale? I decided to go with caution, so I used the lesser amount on the right side of the beam. I couldn't figure out how to get the difference between the 2nd and 3rd graduation, so went with the 2nd line, which was actually .2 gr. :roll: I carefully weighed out all 100 charges, and was impressed at what a tiny amount it took to propel a 148 gr. wadcutter. When I got done I carefully wiped the lube off of each case and packed them up, then gave one box to a friend who worked for the same security company with which I was employed. He had been a Lt. in the U.S.A.F. Security Police where his issue duty weapon had been a S&W Mod. 15 Combat Masterpiece. Since becoming a civilian he had purchased a brand new one for himself, of which he was very proud. He seemed like the ideal candidate to test out my ammo, since I wasn't going to have the opportunity to visit the range for a couple of weeks. He readily accepted the box of .38s after being assured that I had loaded them myself. A few days later I had the chance to ask him how they had shot and he was a bit upset. :-x He said that the rounds had no felt recoil at all and that he wasn't certain, but he felt that some of the bullets had stuck in his barrel. "I'd check, but I never could catch it happening, because I think the next bullet would push it out. I don't know where they went. None of them hit the target. I changed my sights as far up as they'd go. I think you need to put some more powder in them." :oops: So that's how I learned that the "2" in 2.5 is on the left, and the ".5" is on the right. The education continued when I had to buy an inertia bullet puller from my friendly sales clerk, but happily the second attempt resulted in some very serviceable ammo. Thus began my reloading hobby, and this is the 50th year! :happy dance:

[geezer56]

I have preached this sermon for a while. Like the friendly sales clerk, or old uncle Bob, we all each need to teach one young shooter to reload. I'm 65 now, and I was introduced to this fine madness by an old guy I worked with when I was 21. When us old geezers shuffle off this mortal coil, there will be no one left to continue if we don't pass it on. If we can get them hooked on casting, so much the better. It isn't magic, nor an exclusive club with a password and a secret handshake. You may actually make a friend out of a younger shooter that will haul your sorry carcass around to hunt when you get too old to do it by yourself. If you love the sport, pass it on. I try to indoctrinate one new loader a year. Get involved, pass it on.

[tdoyka]

I have preached this sermon for a while. Like the friendly sales clerk, or old uncle Bob, we all each need to teach one young shooter to reload. I'm 65 now, and I was introduced to this fine madness by an old guy I worked with when I was 21. When us old geezers shuffle off this mortal coil, there will be no one left to continue if we don't pass it on. If we can get them hooked on casting, so much the better. It isn't magic, nor an exclusive club with a password and a secret handshake. You may actually make a friend out of a younger shooter that will haul your sorry carcass around to hunt when you get too old to do it by yourself. If you love the sport, pass it on. I try to indoctrinate one new loader a year. Get involved, pass it on.

i've taught seven people how to reload. i've begun number 8(although i have a hard time speaking). i completely agree with you. mine started with a old guy/gunsmith/wildcatter that passed it on. i wish he was still here....but it only takes one more person to lite the candle.

[robg]

I've introduced 7 into reloading ,cant say taught as I feel I'm no expert ,I just teach them the basics and try to point them in the right direction to learn more and empathise safety and read the manuals.I'm still learning.

[Viper225]

Talking about the good old days. I remember buying Black Powder measured out into a Brown Paper Sack.
I have been into my Remington 7-1/2 BR Primers loading 357 Maximum. The price on the Carton is $10. (Clinton component scare purchase) I was just in a gunshop yesterday those same primers were $47 + Tax. OUCH
Powder was $25 thru $32 a pound on normal stuff. I have not had a pay increase that covered what my health insurance went up since powder was half that price.
Good reason to cast more, and save on bullets anyway.

Bob