What's The First Caliber You Ever Reloaded?

[jdfoxinc]

.38 spl

[Der Gebirgsjager]

.38 Special with a Lee Loader 51 years ago.

[Scorpion8]

What's The First Caliber You Ever Reloaded?

30-06. Why not start with the Classic?

[tranders]

Like many others it was 38 Special with a Lee Loader. Still use it occasionally.

[LabGuy]

45 Colt 1983

[therealhitman]

.45 acp came first. Dad figured I could handle it solo. I remember being proud of my big boy self when I graduated from decapping to priming duty as a little kid. Getting to actually load the whole round was almost like driving Dad's truck to a 12 year old lol.

[Green Frog]

It's been a while, but I think the first reloads I did were with a friend from church on a MEC 600 Jr in 20 gauge. Within a short time my uncle gave Dad and me an old TruLine Jr he was no longer using, so we got a set of 38 Spl dies for it and we're off to the races! This was all back in the early '70s, so exact timing is a little foggy. The TruLine Jr is still bolted to the bench and I inherited the MEC a couple of years ago when my friend passed away. It now has its own WorkMate bench.

Froggie

[308Jeff]

This is a great thread, would almost be a good one to have a survey poll of. I am another 45acp, 1997, 12 years old with my uncle looking on.

I had thought about doing a poll, but figured if mine was 204 Ruger, there'd be a lot of other unexpected responses as well.

I figured 38 Special and 45 ACP would be fairly dominant, but it's really cool to see how many other calibers we chose as our first endeavor.

[farmerjim]

1965 I started 12 ga with a Texan loader. A few months later I started 38 sp and 357 mag. As I got new calibers I reloaded all of them.For many I have never purchased a single commercial cartridge.

[jetinteriorguy]

For me it was .41 mag in the mid 80's. I still have that Model 57 and am still loading for it. It's the only way you can afford to shoot that gun. I saw a box of factory ammo for it about five years ago, $85.00 for a box of 50. ��

[texasnative46]

7x57mm Mauser & .38SPL in 1966, when I was too poor as a college student/rookie LEO to buy "factory loads".
(The two firearms that I loaded for was a Model 93 Spanish-American War-era long-rifle (that I paid 10 bucks for to hunt WT with) & a PRE-Model 10 S&W, that I carried as a Deputy Constable.)

yours, tex

[Traffer]

My first reloading venture was 22 Rim Fire. Had to make the tools, figure out the charges, learn to prime the rim, and even determine what powder to use. All without any reference. Now that I can do that, this reloading game is pretty easy.

[bedbugbilly]

38 special

[ascast]

.222 Rem about 1969 with adult supervision on a Tru-line junior. ha udgraded to gramps pre-war Pacific next batch.

[jsizemore]

Varmint rounds for the 25-06 followed closely by casting and loading 32-20 and 45 acp for competition.

[Rick Hodges]

.308 Win with a Herter's imitation Lee style loader.

[jrmartin1964]

For me, it all started in the early 1970s with the .44 S&W Special.

[mdatlanta]

.30-06. 1974. First loads were with milsurp black-tipped a/p bullets purchased very inexpensively. I was lucky to have a good mentor.

[johnnysespresso]

For me, 30/30 With a Lee Loader in 1964 Followed by 12Ga. with a Pacific or Texan shot shell press and .270 Win. with a Lyman 310 tong tool in 1965 or 1966.

[Leadmelter]

30-30,12 guage 1972
My parents thought I was nuts, lucky for me I had a neighbor who taught me the basics.
Leadmelter
MI