Teaching my Son to Reload
- Thread starter Jimster
- Start date
Ohen Cepel
Member
Good on ya!
splattergun
Member
A most excellent skill to pass on. Slightly more important than brewing beer, Just a smidge less important than basic auto repair.
tightgroup tiger
Member
Your lucky, my son has no interest in reloading. He sure likes to shoot my loads though.
Howland937
Member
We incorporated the math and science parts of reloading into some homeschool projects for my kid. He enjoyed learning it and can make safe, functional ammo...but he doesn't like to. Not old enough to buy his own ammo yet though, so maybe he'll come around.
AJC1
Member
I really enjoy passing on knowledge to others at the bench, but it absolutely hits diffrent when it's my son.... feels more satisfying.
Arkansas Paul
Member
Awesome.
My daughter has loaded some with me. When she was 10 she loaded the round that killed her first deer. Even now at 20 years old if she's feeling stressed and wants some mind numbing task to take her mind off thigs, she'll join me in the reloading room and sort brass, prep brass, size cast bullets etc.
It's a great feeling to share that with your kiddos, for sure.
My daughter has loaded some with me. When she was 10 she loaded the round that killed her first deer. Even now at 20 years old if she's feeling stressed and wants some mind numbing task to take her mind off thigs, she'll join me in the reloading room and sort brass, prep brass, size cast bullets etc.
It's a great feeling to share that with your kiddos, for sure.
I'll take beer brewing or distilling first. Haha.A most excellent skill to pass on. Slightly more important than brewing beer, Just a smidge less important than basic auto repair.
I see you have a Lee press. Love mine.
Arkansas Paul
Member
This post got me to thinking that I probably had a pic saved somewhere. I found this one of her sizing cast bullets when she was 9 years old.
You could try introducing him to a progressive press.
There's a different sense of accomplishment having a completed round pop out with each lever pull
Howland937
Member
Crawl, walk, run...
But actually he did learn on the LNL AP because I wasn't getting in to switching dies and all.
The deal I had with my kids was "load it or buy it". They all came around pretty fast.
They got me some nice Christmas gifts in the past; a 550B, case feeder for it, RCBS bench prime, and a set of those Lyman caliber specific funnels. The 550B blew my mind!
They got me some nice Christmas gifts in the past; a 550B, case feeder for it, RCBS bench prime, and a set of those Lyman caliber specific funnels. The 550B blew my mind!
BJung
Member
Showing my 5th Grade daughter how to powder coat 45-225gr bullets.
HowardC
Member
It's come to pass that any auto repair has become beyond my skill level. I used to be the world's ace starter replacer, at least on Chevrolet station wagons. Now anything under the hood is mysterious at best and otherwise impossible. Ya can't beat a '61 Impala for simplicity. It would take longer to expose an engine than to extract it. Such is progress.....
-West out
lightman
Member
I taught one of my Sons and a Grandson to reload. The other Son has no interest. I've also taught a couple of Friends to reload and to cast. Its a great feeling to sit at the bench with someone that you love!
mstreddy
Member
I've had my 14 YO son help me on the reloading bench for a while. He recently "discovered" my Glock 22 and .40 cal. Went through the stash of 400 rounds in a few outings. So, I had him help me with the reloading. We loaded three different bullets that I hadn't loaded before, so showed him to work up a charge and test the batches at the range. Then we settled on the charge to use and loaded up another 400 rounds. Throughout I explained the basics of reloading. What the dies do, powder charge, seating, plunking, etc.; I realized that in general he was just pulling the handle (LNL - AP) and not really learning to reload. I've since decided that I'm going to take him through the fundamentals and have him load a batch from scratch. This will include setting the dies for each step. And then go through the full run. So, I assigned him a couple of chapters in the Lyman book. Then we'll go through the processes. And that will include removing the dies from the LNL bushings and starting from zero.
He does have an interest in cars and turning wrenches, and he's been helping me on the very long process of working on my 1980 Corvette. He helps me change the oil on our cars. He's helped me with plumbing and electrical projects in the house. And he has 8 lawn service customers. I'm his helper and transportation. It's a good way for him to earn some bucks and it gets us outside and a workout.
He does have an interest in cars and turning wrenches, and he's been helping me on the very long process of working on my 1980 Corvette. He helps me change the oil on our cars. He's helped me with plumbing and electrical projects in the house. And he has 8 lawn service customers. I'm his helper and transportation. It's a good way for him to earn some bucks and it gets us outside and a workout.
My now 5 year old loves to help, and has since I started loading on my own 3 years ago… Obviously very closely supervised… she has her own chair at the bench. And if she comes home from her moms and sees a tub of range brass in its spot… she will jump up and down and “lets pop bullets daddy”… (decapping) it’s going to keep evolving I’m sure…
I’m one of those that started out young pulling the handle on the Rock Chucker at Grandpas side… so I’m inclined to have a big soft spot in my heart for teaching/learning for sure. I helped load the load(as I recall) that took my first buck. I also helped load the load that took my second, third and fourth buck… that also helped fuel the quarter bore bug…. Anyway… I digress!
Congrats on getting another one started! May he stick with it and his groups be small.
I’m one of those that started out young pulling the handle on the Rock Chucker at Grandpas side… so I’m inclined to have a big soft spot in my heart for teaching/learning for sure. I helped load the load(as I recall) that took my first buck. I also helped load the load that took my second, third and fourth buck… that also helped fuel the quarter bore bug…. Anyway… I digress!
Congrats on getting another one started! May he stick with it and his groups be small.
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ADKWOODSMAN
Member
Be sure to teach him to look in every case after powder is added to make sure it has powder. When our club held PPC matched one reloader blew up 3 guns.
Great advice and I sure did. We even weighed the powder charge about every 15th round or so. A few times he started to lower the case from the deprimer before adding the new primer but I hovered over him and I think he’s going to do just fine as time and experience set in.
tightgroup tiger
Member
My grand daughter would help me in the reloading room when she was younger, I had her seating bullets when she was five. She had to stand on a stool to reach the press.
She's 16 now and has other interests of course.
She's 16 now and has other interests of course.
Pat Riot
Contributing Member
This is a great thread. 
One thing I taught my daughter to do when she was helping me was to wear nitrile gloves and a dust mask when handing brass and cleaning media when emptying the tumbler. It’s protection against the dust from the cleaning process and I am sure there is lead in that dust.
Also I had her wear the gloves when handling bullets until I switched to Bear Creek Supply lead bullets. They have a Moly and wax coating on the lead. You do get moly on you when handling them.
One thing I taught my daughter to do when she was helping me was to wear nitrile gloves and a dust mask when handing brass and cleaning media when emptying the tumbler. It’s protection against the dust from the cleaning process and I am sure there is lead in that dust.
Also I had her wear the gloves when handling bullets until I switched to Bear Creek Supply lead bullets. They have a Moly and wax coating on the lead. You do get moly on you when handling them.
This is a big reason I switched to wet tumbling. I only use dry for extra polish with clean brass now.This is a great thread.
One thing I taught my daughter to do when she was helping me was to wear nitrile gloves and a dust mask when handing brass and cleaning media when emptying the tumbler. It’s protection against the dust from the cleaning process and I am sure there is lead in that dust.
Also I had her wear the gloves when handling bullets until I switched to Bear Creek Supply lead bullets. They have a Moly and wax coating on the lead. You do get moly on you when handling them.
