are we losing something?

[Plastikosmd]

losing, maybe
gaining also, for me it is time, to load more, shoot more etc

[mozeppa]

i want to shoot more...so i'm building a machine thats very much like a washing machine...or blender!

dump in brass...powder...primers and projectiles ...and whe the buzzer goes off , VOILA! you have finished clean and shiney cartridges to shoot!

(leave the room during the spin cycle...it can be a killer!...you can patch the walls later.)

[GhostHawk]

Single stage here, I'm in no hurry so I don't mind taking my time over each round.

I do have the advantage of not having a job to go to.

I don't think a lot is actually lost. Some stuff might get misplaced for a bit until one of us slow and steady guys shows up.

But I don't think lost.

[Gtek]

Two Chuckers, hand crank reamers, a lot of single cavity blocks, yes Sir! Every other part of my waking hours seems to be go-go-go. Shut the door in "The Room" or out back over the pot is ME time preparing for ME range time. Low and slow in the happy place.

[captaint]

The only tools I plug in are the tumblers. Oh, and the Star. That's it.

[1johnlb]

are we losing the skill we used to have in reloading?
I was making up some loads for the 220 swift today and after neck sizing the cases, I took them out and run them through the auto-annealer.
and it got me to thinking.
I have auto-mated tools for just about everything I do. [back up hand tools too]
annealing, stainless pin tumbler, automatic powder dump, primer tube fillers, motorized trimmer, motorized champhering/primer pocket uniformer/flash hole de-burrer tool, a Dillon 650 with motorized case feeder...
I realized that even though I don't use those tools every time [heck most of the time] I do rely on them for many things.

so have we lost some of our 'skill' in reloading?
the ability to read a dial, or feel the press, or feel the boolit sizer being off just a little bit.
maybe it's not a loss of skill but more of a need for speed in today's world??

so what's yall's thoughts on the matter?

Dude! I thought I had it bad!

Melt more lead , load more bullets, shoot more guns!

Don't be alarmed, those fillings will pass.

If your reloading bench is bigger than your living room, you might be a addict!

[IraqVet1982]

I have both manual and automated tools and with both I've found that some are like snake oil. But I learn something new from this forum and hands on experience everyday.

Hell, now I'm exploring how to load black powder in pistol cartridges in case I run out of smokeless.

Unfortunately I live in an urban area that doesn't afford me the ability to shoot as often as I want but someday hopefully.

All that being said, I know more today than I did yesterday, so I am not worried about losing skills.

[rhead]

If necessity is the mother of invention, then surely the other parent must be inspired laziness, ie: There has to be a better way to to this.

Skills stay with you. They may get a bit rusty from lack of use, but will come back when needed.

You might need to dig out that old Lee Loader and reload a few.

Necessity is also sometimes the child of invention. Did you parents find these things necessary?

I find myself having to think about how to read a vernier scale. There was a time when i could do the mathematical proof of why one works. I now use electricity to melt my alloy instead of charcoal. I have a table with an overhead flood light to inspect powder levels in charged cases, I do have a tumbler. Most of my reloading is done on a Rock Chucker. I use an All American turrent press for high volume loading. Lyman 55 powder measure and a RCBS 505 powder scale take care of the powder handling.

[Cherokee]

I don't think I have lost a thing, but I'm not "fully automated" like some folks. I have and use a 650 frequently, but I still load small batches on the RCBS Jr and the CH 4 station presses. I still prep cases amd prime them by hand. Although retired, I could not shoot the 5-600 rounds a week that I do without the 650 and still get other life things done.

[GARD72977]

Time is important to me. I shoot IDPA, Muzzleloader Competition, Air gun silhouette (postal only) and 10m pistol postal match. I load with a Dillon 650 and cast with a Master Caster and size with a Ballisticast sizer. I only shot 9mm pistol and almost no cartridge rifle but have a single stage Rock Chucker. I have become streamlined and efficient.

There was a time when I had so many die sets that they would not fit on one shelf. I was proud of all the different stuff. Now it is all gone or working on getting rid of it.

What I have gained is a being happy with my shooting life now. Im not a gadget person but if it helps me make a better bullet or loaded round faster then I want it.

[Wayne Smith]

Years ago, either here or on Shooters.com, we had a thread "Do you shoot to load or do you load to shoot?" I think we reprised that years ago here with the word changed to "cast".

I think how one answers the above question(s) will inform if not direct the answer to this one. Some have fun casting and loading and shooting is incidental. No way we would automate an enjoyable process. Some load so they can shoot hundreds or thousands of rounds a week. They need to automate as much as possible. And, no, Run, I don't think they have lost anything that they had to begin with!

[Hickory]

In the OP the main question is;

are we losing the skill we used to have in reloading?

After thinking about it a bit, my conclusion would be, it's like riding a bicycle when you start out as a youth in your first attempts in self transportation, and then graduate to a motorcycle or car or truck.
With the motorcycle you can do everything that you can do with a bicycle only with less effort and more efficiently.
And you can after years of not even considering riding a bike, get on one and go without any problems what-so-ever.

As long as you have the KNOW HOW you can always go back to the basics of reloading.

[smokeywolf]

My only volume oriented mechanization is a vibratory tumbler and I motorized my old Wilson case trimmer. Anneal using the old drill motor and socket method. Still using the same Hollywood single stage and Hollywood powder measure that dad used in the 1950s. No digital scales. Weigh 90+ percent of all charges on an old Redding oil damped and weigh all finished cartridges on an Ohaus 3100. Clean, ream, chamfer, deburr case mouths, primer pockets and flash holes by hand.

Someday I'll happen on a good deal on a Hollywood turret AND have the money at that very moment. And, because annealing is a bit of a drag I may one day build myself an auto annealer.

The rest of it is both enjoyable and therapeutic.

Also have to agree with Hickory on the bicycle analogy.

Good thread Lamar.

smokeywolf

[dudel]

Losing something? Possibly, but those interested in speed are willing to make the tradeoff to produce more ammo. Some like the product; others enjoy the process. If you enjoy the process, then you choose to spend the time crafting each round. If you like the product, then you get as many tools as you can that will give you more product.

I think someone who enjoys the process, tends to build more skills than one who prefers product.

It's all about choices.

[texassako]

I don't think anyone is losing a skill, just using a different tool to get the job done. There may be tricks and nuances to each tool that may be lost. I have yet to see someone on here say "I need help loading with this single stage press, been using my Dillon so long I forgot how it works."

[fivegunner]

Run Fiver Run ,I think we are making better ammo, and saving time doing it!

[DeanWinchester]

You may be right. I used to think I knew what I was doing with a .308.

What a deluded fool I am.

[osteodoc08]

Handloading is an artform. It takes years and decades to learn all its intricies. I am still learning and growing. Heck, not too long ago I made it through my first brick of primers without losing one or screwing up a case. That was a milestone for me. I dont think its lost, but the equipment is better and makes it easier. I think the finer points of handloading perhaps are not passed down as much since we have a large population of new reloaders without much in the way of formal teaching as an apprentice.

[tomme boy]

When I was younger I used to just ride a bicycle. Then along came the freestyle bike fad of the 80's. I became one heck of a bike rider. We used to go to competitions and do shows at the local fairs. We had our own 1/2 pipes and 1/4 pipes. I really miss being on the 1/2 pipe 20 feet in the air with 2 other riders at the same time. The skill involved progressed to an expert level. I had all of the new safety equipment. The latest bikes and equipment for them. I would love to do this today again. But the shape of my back and legs and shoulders are in now is from all of the crashes I was in trying to get as good as I was.

The same can be said for reloading. It just makes you a better reloader "IF" you know how to use it.

[big bore 99]

I only reload for myself and do it all the old-fashioned way. Use a single stage press and sometimes a Lee Loader. Those who may reload for others, I can see the "automation process". Myself, I enjoy the process. So why would I change?