Wow, the original post title is "Hardest part of reloading?"
The actual question was "most trouble with in learning this hobby?"
Maybe we should include Reading Comprehension, Writing, and Spelling as an answer in relation to this forum!
Wow, the original post title is "Hardest part of reloading?"
The actual question was "most trouble with in learning this hobby?"
Maybe we should include Reading Comprehension, Writing, and Spelling as an answer in relation to this forum!
USMC 1980-1985
Trimming brass and when the pile seems to be growing as you work on it ...me thinks the non trimmed are breeding and making more.
After my 2nd session pan lubing, case trimming is back to the #1 spot. Everything has a learning curve, but case trimming is just not fun for me. I enjoy everything else about reloading.
kyswede
I think the hardest part for me was actually getting my own equipment and not having to use my Dad's any longer, although I liked it.
Now the hardest part is actually shooting what I have loaded. I don't want to short myself any ammunition so I tend to load it, put it in it's box and sit and look at it.
In a crisis you don't rise to the occasion but rather default to your level of training!
Forgiveness is between them and God, it's my job to arrange the meeting.
-John W. Creasy (Man on Fire)
The more people I meet, the more I trust my bird dogs. They're loyal and know when to keep their mouths shut!
getting the money for the things that this hobby requires.
In a crisis you don't rise to the occasion but rather default to your level of training!
Forgiveness is between them and God, it's my job to arrange the meeting.
-John W. Creasy (Man on Fire)
The more people I meet, the more I trust my bird dogs. They're loyal and know when to keep their mouths shut!
Determining LOA with a new bullet is hard for me. I have three calibers in single shot break open rifles and like to try new bullets. I don't have a Hornady LOA gauge and use a bizarre method that takes 4 hands after I drop a bullet in the chamber and measure with a depth gauge. Positioning the bullet and case outside the rifle and arranging and holding them to measure LOA is really hard on my concentration, my hand coordination and my temper. I should buy the stupid tool I need and not be so cheap!
Gary
Why don't you build a depth gauge from a fire formed cartridge?
Simply drill out the primer hole, thread the hole, and put a long threaded bolt in that rests against the base of the cartridge. Place the bullet in the cartridge and turn in the bolt until it pushes the bullet against the lands, remove the case and the bolt acts as a bullet stop to determine the length you need for the bullet to touch the lands.
As far as learning or getting proficient in a new skill, for me it is casting boolits of consistent weight. I have not been casting long, so I am still climbing the curve.
If I could wave a wand and have 1 step done for me, it would be sizing/decapping handgun brass.
I think the only other problem I have about reloading is to find the time in amongst everything else I have going on, to do it.
The only other part that I hate having to do is size my cast boolits. I love casting and reloading, but I don't have the confidence to load without sizing.
In a crisis you don't rise to the occasion but rather default to your level of training!
Forgiveness is between them and God, it's my job to arrange the meeting.
-John W. Creasy (Man on Fire)
The more people I meet, the more I trust my bird dogs. They're loyal and know when to keep their mouths shut!
For me the hardest thing to lear and become comfortable with was setting the charge thrower and the seat/crimp die.
GH1
case prep, specifically cleaning the carbon off the case necks of bottle neck rifle cases.
Scrubbing the lead out of my 1911. And trying figured out how to stop it even when my loads only run 820 fps.
Funny thing is in .357 with my 686 four inch and Rossi 1892 20 inch all my loads shoot with no lead problem. Even the 1600+fps rounds out of the rifle.
i guess pan lubing would be it for me also. i actually gave up on it. now, i just dip every boolit, set it on wax paper, and when i am done lubing all of them, i size them. then i get out the paper towels, and wipe off all the excess lube. one day, i will be able to afford a lube/sizer. until then, it will just take a lot of time, and paitence.
Silver and Gold are for rich men. Lead and Brass is MY silver and gold! And when push comes to shove, one of my silver and gold pieces will be more valuable than a big pile of actual silver and gold.
Sizing and lubricating using my Lyman 4500.
One bullet placed in at a time and a little pressure applied to the lube crank to fill the lube rings. Remove the bullet, wipe off any lube from the bottom if necessary, set it aside then grab the next one.
I'm only casting for 9 mm at this point. I clean brass in lots of 500 or 1000. I load several hundred at a time. I cast six bullets at a time and do several hundred per session. But I have to lube and size one at a time. This is, for me, the most time intensive and boring part of the process.
I makes me wonder, why go through all this effort to save $0.05 per round?
I just got done sizing brass for my wife's 7mm-08. It's not a hard part, but I don't like lubing brass to size them. I don't like getting the stuff all over my hands and all the other stuff. It's messy. Again, it's not hard but I don't like doing that part about it.
Last edited by 40sandwfan; 04-27-2011 at 01:29 PM.
In a crisis you don't rise to the occasion but rather default to your level of training!
Forgiveness is between them and God, it's my job to arrange the meeting.
-John W. Creasy (Man on Fire)
The more people I meet, the more I trust my bird dogs. They're loyal and know when to keep their mouths shut!
You don't know "hard" until you've had to clean up 25 pounds of #9 shot spilled into the carpet when you get the bright idea to set up a shotshell loader on the coffee table. (Can you tell I'm not married?)
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |