Your First Reload.

[xacex]

45 acp for a 1911. I was a little worried till I pulled the trigger. Come to think of it, I cant remember the last time i bought a box of factory ammunition. Oh wait! It was for a Glock 22 purchased about 5 years ago, and promptly sold. It was a challenge from a Glock-tard that got me to that point...he was wrong.
xacex

[jdgabbard]

Geared up in 2004 for 38/357. Handloaded my first in 2007 after returning from a very long deployment overseas. First load was 38spl: 158g XTP over 3.4g Bullseye with a crimp so tight the brass was stamped into the copper. CCI primers. Minute of football stadium.

[Silvercreek Farmer]

My first time was with a 30-06 about 6 months ago. I wanted to actually be able to shoot my 30-06 with out going broke. I loaded some commercial cast and had a good time for a while before I purchased a 44 mag revolver (since I knew I could reload for it). Ordered the dies for it along with another box of commercial cast and had a good time for a while, before I decided I needed a 44 mag rifle, but thanks to this forum, I knew the .430 commercial cast wouldn't cut it, and I would have to take the plunge into casting my own. Started casting back in August and it has been downhill ever since. Just cast my first .309s yesterday, and yes, I am broker than ever, but I have never hand loaded a j-word (actually pulled a few for the brass).

[Dorf]

First loaded round? .38 Spl, unsized case -- punched out the spent primer with a piece of drill rod that I had drilled the end to accept a piece of a small allen wrench and reprimed with a piece of brass rod turned to fit the inside of the spent case and threaded into a piece of junk 3/4 " aluminium for a stand. Pushed the porimed case thru a block of canning parafin and used them in a .357 Ruger Blackhawk to "plink" in my cellar. No powder, just the primer. When I could afford to tool up, went to a Pacific Super "C" press and a set of Lyman dies, a cannister of Bullseye or 5066, and some .358477's for "real" ammunition. Amazing what an apprentice machinist can come up with when he has access to a good "scrap" bucket and no money circa. 1963. BTW, I still have the old Pacific press and the Blackhawk. Both have served me well. Stan

[nwellons]

I started with .42 Berdan, neck sized only with a .44 Russian die.

I wanted ammo for my Black powder cartridge Russian rifle and custom cartridges was far too expensive.

Of course, I needed boolits so I started casting then too.

I posted asking for help starting and, thanks to the internet, found an experienced Berdan reloader who was really helpful.

[Moonie]

My first load was at the age of 19 or 20, dad had purchased a handgun for self defense and one of his employees talked him into getting reloading equipment, he then taught us both how to use it.

115gr FMJ 9mm with Unique powder, I do not remember the load. The press was a Lee turret press. I have never had a reloading bench without one.

That would have been around 1987.

[Wayne Smith]

1969, I was 16 and got a single shot 16ga. Had been reading Guns and Ammo and learned about reloading, so got the Lee reloading kit for it. Dad had a 30-30 Marlin and my brother got one also, so I got the Lee kit for the 30-30. Loaded for my dad's rifle and brother's rifle and my shotgun. Was using 3031 then for the 30-30 and still do.

Years later I was an undergraduate at WVU, Dad was living outside of Front Royal, VA. I had upgraded to an RCBS Jr 2 and RCBS dies and still reloaded for him. He called me once and complained that my reloads weren't up to snuff, was it my new equipment? We were going to be home for Thanksgiving so I told him I would check it out then.

Thanksgiving afternoon Dad took a grocery bag and black magic marker and put a 2"black circle on the bag as a target. We took his 336 with a Kolmorgan Bear Cub 4 power scope on it, set the target about 70yds away. He sets the rifle over the top of the car, looks through that scope, looks some more, looks up at me and asks

"Wayne, did we put a bullseye on that bag?"

I allowed as to how, yes, we had.

"Did we put it in the middle?" he asks.

I told him that he had drawn an X from corner to corner and it was centered. He proceeds to fire two shots.

We walked to the target - two bullet holes about a quarter inch apart 1 1/2" above the bull.

I looked at him and said "Dad, it's not my reloads. You need new glasses!

[Swede44mag]

At 18 years old I started loading .38spc for my Hawes Western Marshal in .357 I had until some jerk stole it.
I did help Dad load a lot of shot shells when I was a lot younger.

[375RUGER]

First Shotshell, 12ga, 3", #3 steel shot, blue dot, Win 209, technically not a reload since all components were new, 1992

First Cartridge, 44 mag, 240g SWC, 700-X powder, CCI primer, Dillon SDB, for my Redhawk 5.5" stainless, 1993

[flint45]

first ever reload was a 12ga. shotshell my friend and i were aloud to reload our shells at the little gun shop in town. That was in eagle rock Ca. about 1971 we were 13 years old. A differnt time and a differnt world that little shop is long gone and i moved from that area long ago. Next was the .44 mag. same age 13 in a marlin micro groove carbine also i still have that carbine it shoots cast boolits just fine i am now 55.

[Bagdadjoe]

45 acp around 1980 with a Co-ax press that I've loaded every bullet in a wide variety of calibers since with.

[maglvr]

45-70 for a H&R Shikari

[xringshutr]

.270 Win in about 1987 or so. For a Weatherby Vanguard VGX. My first deer rifle...........instantly hooked. Really started heavy in the mid 90's on all calibers. Started saving spent primers around 2003 or so, just to see how many I could accumulate and how much I really shot. I have about a 50 cal can full of spent primers now. How many primers is that?

[44man]

Been watching this. I had dies for every single gun before I got the gun. I had to shoot some factory loads to get brass because I could not buy the stuff. The .44 mag was one and the .300 Weatherby needed H&H brass to start.
Brass was cheap when it became available.

[MattOrgan]

1973 or 74 .243 Winchester with a Lee Loader for my Remington 788, IMR 4350, Speer 105 gr. Spitzers, CCI primers. ( in secret because my mother wasn't happy that I had guns in the first place) Loading was at least as much fun as shooting. Next purchase was a set of Lee powder dippers, which was just the beginning of acquiring a huge pile of stuff. Sadly I only have the dipper set left from that time.

[429421Cowboy]

My first reload was just after i turned 18 and my dad bought me a Ruger Super Blackhawk for me with money i had saved and 3 things became apparent very quickly: 1. Magnum pistol ammo is REALLY expensive. 2. There are only two choices in .44 mag ammo around here, cowboy action, and heavy hunting loads. 3. You have to be 21 to buy pistol ammo!

We had reloaded before with friends and i had read everthing i could get my hands on since i started reading, so we had a place to start, bought an RCBS kit and took off like a house-afire and now i think i like loading a tiny bit more than shooting! It is an addictive hobby for sure.
Come to think of it, that means i have been loading for just at two years since i turned 20 last week.

[alrighty]

.243 Winchester when I was 15 or 16 sorry , but can't remember for sure.The rifle was a Remington model 700ADL that I got for Christmas when I was 12.Killed my first whitetail with it when I was 13 in the youth hunt they had at Land Between the Lakes(LBL) or between the rivers as we call it.I will never forget the looks on the check station game wardens face when we pulled that spike buck out of the trunk of Dad's 72 Lincoln Continental.I need to dig out that picture of me posing with the trunk lid open with the spike's head hanging out, it is priceless! The Lincoln is long gone but the Remington is still close by.

[Willbird]

I think my very first was pulling the Ball from BB caps, adding a pinch of bullseye, then reseating the ball.

[Shiloh]

.45 ACP. In a friends basement to see how it was done. Thats what he was loading and I loaded some of his with his supervision.

.38 special in a the same RCBS press was my first one loaded for me by me. When It went BANG and hit where I was aiming, I was hooked.

Shiloh