Handgun range brass for "Pearl of Wisdom" (ALL WELCOME)

[roscottjr]

While I could use some brass and would have chosen the 30-06 as that will be my next rifle purchase, I will say before anyone else does that I was not late finding this post. I spoke with a member earlier today who sent me the link to this post. He is wonderful and gave me lots of info. Since this was a post looking for pearls I wanted to post mine as a beginner who is still in the process of gathering equipment on a very low budget. In my opinion, if you are reloading and have never been to this castboolits website then you are missing out, of course if you are reading this then you are already here, . Books are as important if not more so than anything else. If I keep on at the rate I am going I will have a castboolit book due to all the things I have printed out from this site. I stopped printing and just started saving because there was so much. I am on this site everyday reading. Yes I check for good deals on things but without any money there is not much I can do, but I still look. I can already see that this site is great and I am very happy that I joined.

Robert

[digger44]

Great Idea

[NewbieDave007]

While I could use some brass and would have chosen the 30-06 as that will be my next rifle purchase, I will say before anyone else does that I was not late finding this post. I spoke with a member earlier today who sent me the link to this post. He is wonderful and gave me lots of info. Since this was a post looking for pearls I wanted to post mine as a beginner who is still in the process of gathering equipment on a very low budget. In my opinion, if you are reloading and have never been to this castboolits website then you are missing out, of course if you are reading this then you are already here, . Books are as important if not more so than anything else. If I keep on at the rate I am going I will have a castboolit book due to all the things I have printed out from this site. I stopped printing and just started saving because there was so much. I am on this site everyday reading. Yes I check for good deals on things but without any money there is not much I can do, but I still look. I can already see that this site is great and I am very happy that I joined.

Robert

Robert,

Welcome and as you stated this is a great site with a great deal of information and wonderful members.

I'm also trying to do this on a shoe string and still haven't been able to reload my own rounds as of yet, but I would point out one thing. Trading can be a very useful tool especially for those of us that can be creative and work hard to obtain either free or low cost items to then sell or trade. For instance, I go to a state range near me and pick of brass and at that same range I have harvested several hundred pounds of lead. Even if your goal right now is just to reload, you can either trade or sell the brass and lead you aren't using for equipment or money towards your reloading goals. It is a slow road, but at least it is moving forward.

Welcome and good luck.

Dave

[roscottjr]

I have considered going to the range and pick up cases. There are a few problems for me though. One range has an annual membership fee of over $200 plus fee each visit to go out on the range. There is a government range but they have a rule to pick up your own brass. Not sure if people actually do it or if they throw it all in a can yet as I have not been there but plan on going.

Id be happy if I could find some wheel weights. At least then I could start casting boolits and they would be ready when I start loading. Tire places around here are out every time I go. Salvage yards have none. But I will get there..

Robert

[NewbieDave007]

Let me clarify. The range I go to only allows you to pick up you own during normal hours. After hours they allow you to walk onto the grounds and pick up whatever brass is left behind. Personally I sweep up, pick up trash, put the benches on the tables, etc. that was they know that I've been there and actually want me to come because the range looks much better after I leave than when I get there. Since it is a state range and I knew that I wasn't going to be digging at the berms, I picked up my range lead as low impact as possible with yielding the most I could and didn't bother asking. Sometimes it is better to ask for forgiveness than permission. Since this is all after hours I have to park outside the gate and carry everything in and out.

[2AMMD]

Great thread. I don't need any brass or have any great "PEARLS OF WISDOM" but offer this advice. If you are new to reloading, buy a single stage press and do each step one at a time to learn the process. Second, NEVER, EVER load anyone's "favorite" or "most accurate" load without checking the bullet or powder mfgrs load data. Work up your own loads from that data!!!

[DukeInFlorida]

I have always kept good notes of EVERY time I have loaded a batch of ammo. Even if it's the same recipe. I especially keep copious notes when working up a load for a rifle caliber. And, I always check that list of reloads every time I reload. I keep these notes now in the form of an EXCEL spreadsheet. Occasionally, I will print out a section, and put it in the appropriate area of the reloading data book.

I recently gave a good friend of mine the current edition of the Sierra Load Data Book, and he was delighted when the sheet of paper with my 30-06 notes for the past 40 years fell out of the book. On a lark, he tried the recipe that had the most glowing comments. Low and behold, that recipe turned out to be a five shot/one hole recipe for his gun, at 100 yards. I'm now his favorite hero. Of course, he just got lucky, but you can't convince him of that.

So, always document every time you reload. The EXCEL spreadsheet is very easy to work with. Or, just writing it down in a notebook would also be easy.

[BrassMagnet]

To the top because there is such great info here!

[DRNurse1]

How did I miss this thread?!

Dave thanks for the summaries.

My PEARL comes straight from Starfleet and fits in the organize your space theme: use Stardate or something like it. Year (four digits) <dot> month(two digits)day(two digits)<dot> hour (military/24 hour clock without the colon).

This post occurred about 2013.0927.1905

This puts all of your 'stuff' in ascending number order and you can easilly identify cartridges you loaded last summer from those you loaded 20 years ago (yes, some that old are still floating around my gun room).

It also can help sort out all those pages of notes by adding a page number as a letter or <dot>0001, etc.

This post occurred about 2013.0927.1905A

This post occurred about 2013.0927.1905.001

[brstevns]

To some new loaders. Remember just beause a powder gives this FPS and with that amount powder and has this amount of Pressure, does not mean you can use a ratio and think each grain of powder will give this much more Fps and so much more pressure. It does not work that way!!!!!!!!!!! That is a good way to get yourself hurt.

[NewbieDave007]

Something good to read... bump

[BrassMagnet]

Something good to read... bump

Only because I said so!
There are a lot of good ideas in here to think about!

[rockrat]

If you load in the house, do NOT use your wifes good vacumn to vacumn around your loading bench. Get your own cheap vacumn, so when the inevitable happens, you will NOT get the "LOOK" and you will survive relatively unscathed.