may be a little different type of question...

Yeah I am kinda curious about that pic too. I would really love to avoid whatever produced that flame of death. I'm partial to Bullseye just ftr.

Wanna give a show at the range?
Ask someone to watch your shots and tell you where you are shooting to adjust your sights for your first batch of reloads
In the cylinder
38spl 158gr lswc load with a light 3.4gr charge of win231
A shotshell loaded with ~4.5gr 231 and 140 grains of shot.
A blackpowder load
A empty case with primer only
A full house 357 load using h110/win296

This for sure will give you a show that will clear the range and let you shoot alone

actually, dont do this... you will likely get kicked out for trolling the range

32_d3gr33s said:

I guess I'm confused by that statement... What exactly are you proposing i learn? Reloading? Is reloading with a noisy powder some special learned skill, or exactly the same as loading with any other powder, just noisier?

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he means to not do stupid stuff and tread lightly... especially on your first batch of reloads. get a manual, read it front to back. start low and work your way up to close to max .2gr at a time. start shooting the lower charges and work your way up and take not of accuracy, controllability, look for pressure signs(sticky case ejection, flattened or cratered primer hits etc etc). stop at the point you see pressure signs and back it down a tad if that is your favorite load.

I'm confused about the OP experience, not that it is any of my business at all. The first post states just getting into reloading, and subsequent posts cite plenty of reloading experience. Like I said, not really my business, just confused.

32_d3gr33s said:

Thanks! Thats the type of info im looking for! I have put a few hundred .38 through it, effortlessly. The .357 do give your hand quite a beating so i only shoot 5 or 10 of those at a time.




Im perfectly well prepared to reload. Ive done lots of reading. LOTS! Im just not extremely well versed in all the available powders. Ive been shooting for years, and now my kids (age 10 and 12) are getting into shooting as well. I know all of the dangers of guns, along with my kids. They just get a kick out of the .357 so id see if anyone had input on some interesting loads for it. I also have 2400. I just really need to get a few rounds loaded, so i can see the differences first hand. Reading about them is one thing, but actually loading them and comparing them first hand is completely different. Thanks for your concern though !

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OK, then. I had no idea of your level of experience with guns, shooting or reloading.

While my cautionary post may have been unnecessary for you, others will read this thread with the same question as you and not have your level of experience or judgement.

I meant no offense and appreciate the temperance of your response.

Lost Sheep

32_d3gr33s said:

I guess I'm confused by that statement... What exactly are you proposing i learn? Reloading? Is reloading with a noisy powder some special learned skill, or exactly the same as loading with any other powder, just noisier?

Click to expand...

Mechanically, yes, exactly the same.

Powder selection and some of the finer points (like degree of bullet tension, primer selection and such, is an entire science - Internal Ballistics - that is still, after a couple of centuries still making advances) are more nuanced. Therein lies some dangers, not to be taken too lightly.

Once again. I couch my response for readers of all skill levels. There are many new reloaders out there without benefit of a large supply of teachers.

Lost Sheep

On mentors/teachers

I started loading with the guy who sold me my press watching over my shoulder as I loaded my first 6 rounds to make sure I did not blow myself up, load a powderless cartridge or set off a primer in the press. I could have learned more, faster with a longer mentoring period, but I learned a lot in those first 6 rounds, as he explained each step. I educated myself after that. But now, on the internet, I have learned a WHOLE LOT MORE. But in-person is still the best.

He loaded 3 and narrated while I watched and asked questions.

I loaded 3 while he watched and ensured I didn't make any mistakes.

That was it. (This was before the Internet. Before VCRs for that matter.)

After that, I read ABC's of Reloading and Lyman's manual and was VERY cautious, loading .357 Magnum at light loads, then 45 ACP, 44 Mag, 9mm and on.

I never experimented until I had completely vetted any new thing I wanted to try. I tried NO NEW EXPERIMENTS without thinking it through, researching in the gun magazines and library. And then, with lots of safety precautions.

Even at that, I was lucky. But you know, Luck favors the prepared.

Would I have been better educated and better off had I been able to attend a class or had an experienced loader teach me more thoroughly? Definitely yes. I would have been using eye protection while loading much sooner, for instance. I probably would have learned in months or weeks what I learned in years. But my point is that it is possible to learn well by yourself, but if you want to survive the experience, be cautious.

Lost Sheep

When I checked them out they were still new. However out still isn't built to be a range gun. It should have a stamp on it that says for emergency use only. Just my opinion.

Check this thread

http://www.handloadersbench.com/forum20/26317.html

Reported to give good flame (as opposed to bad flame?)

Lost Sheep