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I would say excited!!! Heck I knew I had put together just what the Speer #8 had said ....I knew that they knew what they were talking about....dang lets get a target up (empty oil can) ...BANG ..BANG ...BANG ....ahh..ahh ...dang that felt greeeat!
I’m always paranoid. I always start with minimum start loads. One thing I have found is that the higher or faster I try to push the bullets the bigger my groups are. Yes my loads may not scream down range, but they group well, are well under the maximum pressures, and I will take the accuracy over the velocity any day. It may sound funny, but some of my best loads have come from Lee load data and using the recommended Lee dipper. They normally get you at or slightly below the starting loads. They are inherently safe as long as you follow the correct data. I know some will laugh at scooping powder, striking it off and dumping it in the brass. I did to. But it works.
Yep, I felt that way a little. After that first pop, you feel everything you did was right, and very satisfying. If your gun blows up...........then not so much.
Yes I was a bit nervous - but my father in law reloaded for me so I kind of figured that I would be okay. Now I laugh when I hear people tell me they got a 'good deal' at a gun show on ammo. No such thing unless you reload - in my opinion anyhow.
I was nervous about shooting my first loads. After shooting a couple of them the nervousness went away. As long as you are mindful when loading you shouldn't have any troubles.
Sure, I was nervous the first time. Back then we were mostly on our own. A book or two, some articles in Guns and Ammo every month. but no internet full of knowledge to help out like now. When the first round went bang and sounded right, as well as hit the target, the butterflies went away.
I was excited, but then I had a Jedi master set me up the first time, and I knew the recipe was a good one. The gun I shot them through (all 800+ rounds) loved those loads. Unfortunately, I wore that gun out, and replacement parts are more than it's worth.
I can't remember how I felt. Heck, I can barely remember last week, let alone 1974. Guess that's what happens when you get old. What were we talking about, anyway? Somebody pass me my Geritol.
Jimm -
Just proves to me you have a brain. The only person NOT scared would have to be a moron. Like the others said... start at the lower end.... take your time.... keep your bench clean.... follow the books.... and read, read, read!
My first reloads over 22 years ago (moderate loading of 2400 for my colt SAA .357 magnum)...Blam. blam, blam, blam, blam, blam...Hot Damn!! This is fun. Can't wait to reload them again.
Nervous for the first 6 rounds? A little bit, but like was stated above. If you read the manual, followed the instructions and loaded according to the recommened data. You are in and bitten by the hab...Aah...Hobby...
Nervous? No. I was 16, and I just did what my uncle told me, as he watched the first few loads. He wandered off and I just kept on keeping on until I'd reloaded all the empty brass. But, by 1950, he'd been gunsmithing and reloading since around the early 1920s. I just figured he knew what he was doing, so I'd do what he said.
No, when I started reloading, I was maybe 15 years old, and too young to be scared of anything other than girls
In the last 38 or so years of handloading, I'm still afraid of girls and even though I've had the occasional double charge (WHICH SHOULD BE AVOIDED - BE CAREFUL) I'm way more afraid of other people handling firearms at the range than I am of my own reloads.
Be careful like your life depended on it. Don't allow any distractions when you reload. I've double charged maybe one per decade, but that's more than enough. Skipping a charge and creating a squib load that gets stuck in your barrel and has to be tapped out with a brass rod is annoying. A double charge, on the other hand, is exciting.
Keep asking questions, we'll be glad to answer, and consider the safety advice in particular. It's just like explosives - handle carefully, make no mistakes, you'll be okay.
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