First Time Shooting My Reloads

[Sweet McAwesome]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, but here goes anyways.

A little bit of my back story:

The Christmas before last, I was the proud recipient of an amazing amount of generosity from this group that is the Tumbleweed Christmas and Brassy Clause. I've had a lot going on in my life since then, but have found a little time here and there to do some research and load some rounds. I just haven't had the chance to actually shoot anything for quite some time. This is very troubling to me for a couple reasons:
1- I've always been a shooter. Since I was 7 years old. It is a part of who I am. Going almost two years without the time/opportunity to shoot felt like I had lost a little bit of my soul. That's not good, and there is no excuse.

2- I believe in training, and maintenance of skills. How could I possibly feel confident in my skills to protect my family if I hadn't taken the time to hone those skills? This is unacceptable and I should be slapped.

A couple of weeks ago, I took the family out for some much-needed time in the woods... with guns.

My boy shot a real gun for the first time in his life. He's 12 and has been my son for almost 2 years. I gave him a nice safety brief before we left the house, then reiterated those points at the range. He wanted to put a couple rounds down-range from my XD40, so I gave him a couple of 165 grain ball rounds. He did remarkably well, then spent the rest of the day shooting my dads old Remmington single shot, bolt action .22 that I learned to shoot on as a kid. He loved it. Simply could not get enough of the fact that when he opened the breach, smoke came out.

My wife spent most of the day with my little 10-22 Carbine with a 3-9X scope, drilling holes into log rounds. I'm talking a quarter sized hole at 25 meters from a kneeling stance. And this was her second or third time ever shooting. I think I've got a couple naturals on my hands.

On to the reason of this post.

Over the last 10 years that I've had my XD40, I couldn't even begin to speculate how many thousands of rounds I've shot with it. I always shot store bought rounds, either Winchester or PWC. I used to think they were good, accurate and consistent. I was wrong. I had a couple hundred rounds that I loaded using knowledge that I've gleaned from my Dad (@bbogue1), and a few others, along with some books and research materials I've been led to. I very carefully began to load some rounds, 170 grain Semi Wad Cutters, not sure what to expect. I was careful, and maintained my attention to detail with every step of the process. But I wasn't sure what to expect.

I loaded a single round into my XD, put on gloves and safety glasses, held that gun as far from by body as possible, and slowly pulled the trigger. Annnnnd BOOM! I've never shot a round that made that pistol feel so smooth. All of that research and due diligence payed off. I fired a round that I LOADED! And it worked! I'm sure you all have experienced the pride of knowing that you are just a little more knowledgeable and self sufficient than before that moment. It is good.

I've now gone out twice and fired almost all of the rounds I loaded, so I need to load some more. They are the most consistent rounds I've ever put through that pistol. They are accurate. They are predictable. And they are mine.

I have a huge thanks that is owed to all of you on here, especially to my Dad for convincing me I need to be loading my own, and to Ron (whose screen name I can't remember) for the conversations and guidance. You all are a wealth of knowledge and an all around great community. I can't wait to gain more experience and to get to the point where I can pay it forward.

Thanks for this all,
Tim

P.S. If you know how to tag someone in a post, please let me know how. Or if you know the people mentioned, please tag them on here so that they can see this post.

[kungfustyle]

Now the fun beings. Trying to find loads for your gun adjusting the powder .2 grains at a time for pistols and .5 g to 1g for rifles. You'll get paterns at most loads then you'll find a load that you can cover with a dime. Congrats and enjoy.

[WRideout]

You sound like a great dad. I used to take all three of my girls, and my two nephews with me to shoot. We still do when we have a chance to get together.

Your methodical reloading will pay off handsomely over time. I frequently remind my wife of all the money I am saving. I like to shoot surplus guns in oddball calibers, and reloading is about the only way to go. A buck a shot is just sacrilege to me.

Wayne

[Wheelguns 1961]

I am a self taught reloader. I remember the first time I went to the range with my reloads. I was sweating bullets on the drive. After the first couple successful firings, I started smiling, and have been at it ever since.

[BNE]

Welcome to the addiction. It only gets worse from here. Just kidding, this hobby never gets old.

[Daver7]

Rolling your own is great ain't it. Have given any thought to casting your own.:D

[trails4u]

Welcome, welcome, welcome!!! And......BrassMagnet is his name....although he may or may not go by others around here. He and his minions are a good lot, or, uh.....I suppose some of them are. :)

[sniper]

[QUOTE=Sweet McAwesome;4665160]I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, but here goes anyways.
I've now gone out twice and fired almost all of the rounds I loaded, so I need to load some more. They are the most consistent rounds I've ever put through that pistol. They are accurate. They are predictable. And they are mine.***


YUP, shooting your own creations is a hoot, isn't it? Needing to load more is an ongoing thing. :mrgreen:

[lightman]

Congratulations on loading and shooting your first handloads! And good on you for involving your Family in your hobby.

[metricmonkeywrench]

The next stage of the madness is when you start doing things like buying coffee or butter just to get the plastic tubs for storing brass or crawling around on your hands an knees looking for that one piece of missing brass from the box.

[robg]

Then you start casting as well ,own boolits own loads just think of the money you'll save hoho

[6bg6ga]

If they go bang with noticeable decrease in power and noise...stop, unload and check to see the bullet made it thru the barrel. If it goes click maintain a 30 second extension of your target sight before proceeding to the next step of unloading and checking to see what the problem is.

[osteodoc08]

Congratulations on firing your first reloads.

My advice is to never become complacent. It’s easy to do as you gain more experience. Understand how to recognize a squib and what to do about it. Double and triple check your charges and manuals.

Welcome to the hobby.

[6bg6ga]

Congratulations on firing your first reloads.

My advice is to never become complacent. It’s easy to do as you gain more experience. Understand how to recognize a squib and what to do about it. Double and triple check your charges and manuals.

Welcome to the hobby.

He said it better than I did. Enjoy the new hobby. Word of caution well another word or two. Don't smoke and reload. Yes, I know ashes don't weigh much but there is always the slight chance of things going up in a puff of smoke. Another word..dont drink and reload. There is a possibility of blurred vision which could result in spilled powder, overloads and spilled booze.

[Texas by God]

And don't reload when driving. "Do as I say, not as I do".[emoji16]

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[6bg6ga]

And don't reload when driving. "Do as I say, not as I do".[emoji16]

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

I quit smoking 20 years ago. With my heart meds I can't drink.

[Wayne Smith]

Let's see, reloading successfully now. Soon you will realize there are guns out there that you can pick up relatively inexpensively because you can't buy ammo for them, and they are now available to you! Then you look into casting, and then realize that most of the above guns are on the C&R list and, with a C&R (FFL03) at $10 a year you can have them shipped to your home! NOW your hooked!

[Sweet McAwesome]

Rolling your own is great ain't it. Have given any thought to casting your own.:D

That's the next venture. Part of the great generosity I received from the Tumbleweed Christmas was a melting pot, mold, and a whole lot of lead. I need to find a handle for the mold, then I'll be able to start casting.

[JBinMN]

Welcome!
:)

[Three44s]

Awesome McAwesome!

..... and Welcome!

I began handloading at age 19 in 1975, self taught, did it by reading everything pertinent.

Took up casting in about 1990.

It’s been a grand ride!

Dittos on the posts about safety

Enjoy

Three44s

[Winger Ed.]

Its a great sensation.

My first reloads were for a off the shelf .270 Remington 700.

Store bought ammo grouped at about 2", best I could do.

After I got a press & stuff-
I found a recommended powder, reduced it about 10%.
The holes of my first three reloads almost touched.

I haven't bought a box of factory ammo since 1984.

[mattw]

Sure is a great feeling, isn't it!!! I still remember shooting my first 38 Special reloads almost 30 years ago. I did not have access to pre-cast bullets at the time, so I made a few from a mould my buddies Dad owned.

Now, you will learn what your gun likes, how to tailor the load to make your gun work differently and feel the best when shooting it. And, oh by the way... your accuracy will only get better!

Live it, Love it and Shoot it!

[JoeJames]

Three reasons to reload, one of which I recently realized: 1. Cost, 2. Improved accuracy and 3. The ammo manufacturers just don't make the cartridge the way you would want it. In my case, I wanted to shoot reasonable loads in my 44 Magnum lever action, and all factory ammo I have found locally is pedal to the metal hot - I load my 240 grain cast boolits on top of 7 grains of Unique for a modest pedestrian load at 1150 fps.

[owejia]

Sweet McAwesome what mould do you need a handle for? PM me, can send you one, have several not in use.

[Sig556r]

Remembered mine as well quite a long ways ago...feelin' both excited & terrified at the same time...it was .45acp on a milspec 1911 with 230 plated RNs...good memories

[jonp]

I loaded a single round into my XD, put on gloves and safety glasses, held that gun as far from by body as possible, and slowly pulled the trigger. Annnnnd BOOM! I've never shot a round that made that pistol feel so smooth. All of that research and due diligence payed off. I fired a round that I LOADED! And it worked! I'm sure you all have experienced the pride of knowing that you are just a little more knowledgeable and self sufficient than before that moment. It is good.

I still remember the first round I reloaded and shot out of a Blackhawk. I'm still smiling. Congrats

[Three44s]

I do not recall the very first round but being of a cautious nature it likely went in a similar fashion, that of holding my rifle (a Savage model 99 in 250-3000) out at arms length and counting digits and checking for shrapnel, getting a chuckle out of it and being surprised at how mild the suggested starting charge recoiled and moving on all these years.

Three44s

[6bg6ga]

I don't know if you ever recoup the cost of reloading equipment or recover the cost of your time. I guess it is the love of doing it that has us devoting our time, energy, and money into it.

[Wheelguns 1961]

I remember telling my wife how much money we were going to save. I am not sure I am saving, but I do shoot 4 times more than before.

[6bg6ga]

I remember telling my wife how much money we were going to save. I am not sure I am saving, but I do shoot 4 times more than before.

I figured up the cost of the equipment alone and figured at my age I could buy bullets and be ahead of the game. Somehow I just love hearing the clank when I rotate the handle and two formed bullets drop down the chute and the sprew makes its way into a collection box. The neighbors however needed some education as to what that noise was. Last time I made bullets I heard a neighbor tell the neighbor beside him that the noise was the guy across the street making bullets.

On another note... Having 10K or more bullets on my shelves when there was a ammo shortage gave me some small comfort and security.

[Hickory]

I remember telling my wife how much money we were going to save. I am not sure I am saving, but I do shoot 4 times more than before.

The common misconception about saving money is universal.
The actual result is you shoot more and enjoy yourself more.

[georgerkahn]

Congrats on you loading experience. I wish to add sincere kudos re your donning both gloves and safety glasses! These items are too often considered not needed, with "ears" as only range addition. A local high school history teacher had a dark spot in the white of his left eye -- and ALWAYS, several times per (academic) year, would tell his students how he went target shooting, and a piece of "sum-thin'" impacted his left eye. The slightly bad news is it was left for him to carry; the really great news is it was a zillionth of an inch or so (???) from having taken away all vision in that eye. Again: your glasses and gloves: GREAT NEWS!!!
geo

[frkelly74]

My advice,,,,, stock up now while there is availability and prices that are not too crazy. Components and lead and 22 ammo are all in an availability node and elections are only 2 years away. I still have pre Obama 22 ammo but you never know what the political wind may blow across the road in front of you. Keep on shooting. Way to go!!!

Actually I have some Reagan era 22 ammo and a few boxes I got when LBJ was in the White House, and part of a box of Remington copper cased 22 ammo from WWII that My grandfather got . Ive got some ammo

[Sweet McAwesome]

Gentlemen, Thank you for all the feedback. This community continues to impress me with the positivity and advice! The world needs more people like this. You guys are awesome!

[Three44s]

Yes and the OP lives in Wa as I do.

Our pols have the taste of “blood” in their mouths when it comes to the 2a so shoring up one’s shooting independence makes all the more sense!

Three44s

[jonp]

I don't know if you ever recoup the cost of reloading equipment or recover the cost of your time. I guess it is the love of doing it that has us devoting our time, energy, and money into it.

Hush your mouth. What does cost have to do with it

[pworley1]

I have tried for 50+ years to explain to my hunting friends the feeling of shooting game with bullets that you cast and loaded yourself. Most of them still wouldn't be caught dead shooting a cast bullet, but at least they save their brass for me. Congratulations on your success.

[Three44s]

I am in the same boat but I gave up wasting air on the nay sayers a long time ago. I do enjoy getting brass and lead from them however.

Threee44s

[fatnhappy]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, but here goes anyways.

A little bit of my back story:

The Christmas before last, I was the proud recipient of an amazing amount of generosity from this group that is the Tumbleweed Christmas and Brassy Clause. I've had a lot going on in my life since then, but have found a little time here and there to do some research and load some rounds. I just haven't had the chance to actually shoot anything for quite some time. This is very troubling to me for a couple reasons:
1- I've always been a shooter. Since I was 7 years old. It is a part of who I am. Going almost two years without the time/opportunity to shoot felt like I had lost a little bit of my soul. That's not good, and there is no excuse.

2- I believe in training, and maintenance of skills. How could I possibly feel confident in my skills to protect my family if I hadn't taken the time to hone those skills? This is unacceptable and I should be slapped.

A couple of weeks ago, I took the family out for some much-needed time in the woods... with guns.

My boy shot a real gun for the first time in his life. He's 12 and has been my son for almost 2 years. I gave him a nice safety brief before we left the house, then reiterated those points at the range. He wanted to put a couple rounds down-range from my XD40, so I gave him a couple of 165 grain ball rounds. He did remarkably well, then spent the rest of the day shooting my dads old Remmington single shot, bolt action .22 that I learned to shoot on as a kid. He loved it. Simply could not get enough of the fact that when he opened the breach, smoke came out.

My wife spent most of the day with my little 10-22 Carbine with a 3-9X scope, drilling holes into log rounds. I'm talking a quarter sized hole at 25 meters from a kneeling stance. And this was her second or third time ever shooting. I think I've got a couple naturals on my hands.

On to the reason of this post.

Over the last 10 years that I've had my XD40, I couldn't even begin to speculate how many thousands of rounds I've shot with it. I always shot store bought rounds, either Winchester or PWC. I used to think they were good, accurate and consistent. I was wrong. I had a couple hundred rounds that I loaded using knowledge that I've gleaned from my Dad (@bbogue1), and a few others, along with some books and research materials I've been led to. I very carefully began to load some rounds, 170 grain Semi Wad Cutters, not sure what to expect. I was careful, and maintained my attention to detail with every step of the process. But I wasn't sure what to expect.

I loaded a single round into my XD, put on gloves and safety glasses, held that gun as far from by body as possible, and slowly pulled the trigger. Annnnnd BOOM! I've never shot a round that made that pistol feel so smooth. All of that research and due diligence payed off. I fired a round that I LOADED! And it worked! I'm sure you all have experienced the pride of knowing that you are just a little more knowledgeable and self sufficient than before that moment. It is good.

I've now gone out twice and fired almost all of the rounds I loaded, so I need to load some more. They are the most consistent rounds I've ever put through that pistol. They are accurate. They are predictable. And they are mine.

I have a huge thanks that is owed to all of you on here, especially to my Dad for convincing me I need to be loading my own, and to Ron (whose screen name I can't remember) for the conversations and guidance. You all are a wealth of knowledge and an all around great community. I can't wait to gain more experience and to get to the point where I can pay it forward.

Thanks for this all,
Tim

P.S. If you know how to tag someone in a post, please let me know how. Or if you know the people mentioned, please tag them on here so that they can see this post.

This general attitude, curiosity, self-education and gratitude will carry a man far in life.

[Sweet McAwesome]

This general attitude, curiosity, self-education and gratitude will carry a man far in life.

Thank you. That is probably one of the best compliments a man can receive. Very appreciated.

[Texas by God]

Saving money by reloading varies by cartridge. There's no way I could have shot so many 38-55s and 44-40s this past year if I had to buy loaded ammo! But I seldom load .223 and 9mm because ammo is inexpensive.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[Alan in Vermont]

I've now gone out twice and fired almost all of the rounds I loaded, so I need to load some more. They are the most consistent rounds I've ever put through that pistol. They are accurate. They are predictable. And they are mine.


Maybe a little later in the summer, 1968, I mail ordered a Lee-Loader in 243 Winchester. It arrived in the mail one afternoon when I was asleep (I was working nights then) so I checked it out that night before I went to work. The next morning I took my time getting home, usually about an hour trip so I could get to our nearest city with a gun shop (that had components) after they opened. 100 primers, one box of Speer 80 gr. bullets and a can of IMR-4064.

I loaded 2 rounds, nothing bad happened, so I drove a mile or two out of town to a little sandpit back in some woods. Fired those two rounds at the remains of something, probably a bottle in those days, in the far bank. They both fired, both hit just about where I was holding. Been doing it ever since.

[owejia]

Glad to hear your Dad will be there to help smooth the learning curve on your casting adventure. Experience is the best teacher, the more you cast the easier it becomes. Success in you new endeavor.

[Sweet McAwesome]

Well Gentlemen, On Saturday my dad and I set up my Lee 4-20 pot, downloaded the calculation spreadsheet from here and melted some lead (and tin). What a learning experience that was! It's amazing how much of a difference the little details make.

So we decided on the weights of the lead and how many grains of tin to use and measured it all out, set up the pot and figured out the best way to ventilate my shed (not too difficult, considering I have a roll up door on one end and a 3 ft swinging door on the other end, and a window in the middle). Then we got to work. The first bunch of bullets I cast were wrinkly due to a cold sprue plate, and I wasn't squeezing the mold handles tight enough, leaving excess lead "wings". But as the mold and sprue plate warmed up, and I figured out what I was doing, I had some success! Over all, after a couple hours of setup and education, I ended up with 38 good boolits that I'll load and actually fire on Friday morning. It is a great feeling.

Thanks again for all the support and knowledge you've given! What an amazing community!