When did you start reloading ?

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1126192213~2.jpg 2013, had a series of shoulder surgeries done and needed a 1 handed hobby(pun not intended). Started reloading for my win 94 30-30.

I had pulled the old 94 win(1961 production) all apart, cause when I got it, the action was. Early seized taking that apart one handed,cleaning it lubing it and refinishing the stock was no mean feat by itself.
I started reloading for it after that, in the course of the surgery and recover I totally lost about 7 months of memory, spotty before and after.
The end result was I ended up going back to rhe range after recovery with a rifle I had no recollection of taking apart and putting together, fixing to shoot ammo that I didn't remember reloading. Closed my eyes with my cheek away from the butt I. The first shot.

Ironically I took very good notes on the reloads,and had made A few videos of the overhaul otherwise I would not have had a record of what happened and likely oulled it all apart and started over.
 
I started reloading in '75 with a Lee Load All tool. Scared the heck out of my dog when a few primers went off but for my limited amount of shooting it worked well. After a month I bought a used Dillon 300. What a joy. No problems at all.

I've upgraded over the years to a 450, 550 an 650 with all the bells and whistles. With the bullet and case feeder I was loading about 850 rounds per hour.
 
Started about 1 month ago, sort of anyway. Lee 4 hole turret and 223 dies. I've been doing case prep on 3k pieces of once fired LC brass (which I'm already sick.of). Gotten everything i need except for the SRP. Who knows when I will be able to load my first live round, that's probably good because I'm learning a lot as I go along. Looking to get into 9mm eventually also...
This forum is a really good resource for us new loaders. I'm sure I'll be asking some questions once I get my primers and I'm ready to load my first completed cartridge.
 
2015 - 9mm.

In the fall of 2014 my wife asked why I wasn’t going to the range as often. I told her I shot up my monthly ammo budget already. She then said, “Can’t you make your own bullets?” I told her yes and hold that thought. 2 months later and whole bunch of YouTube/internet research I sent her an Amazon link for a Lee Turret Press as Christmas present for me.

Five years later I moved up to a Dillon XL 750.

When normal comes back, I’ll be looking into .223 for my ARs. The AR story is even better!...
 
1962. My dad and I both shot 16’s and good shells were hard to find even then. Started with a MEC 400 in 16 ga , added a 12 ga conversion for my uncle’s shotgun after a year or two.
Chapter two. Metallic. About the same time, the jack rabbits were getting too wary for 22’s so my friends and I dug out the deer rifles, a sporterized 1917 for me. No such thing as light bullet 30-06 at the local stores so I bought a Lee whack-a-mole kit and some 110 gr hp bullets and the rabbits were not safe. I soon figured how to use the Lee and the MEC together so no more hammering primers in.
Went from that to various single stage presses and progressive shotgun presses. Bought a Dillon 450 in 1980, upgraded to 550 when available. Haven’t bought many factory loads since 1962.
 
1962. My dad and I both shot 16’s and good shells were hard to find even then. Started with a MEC 400 in 16 ga , added a 12 ga conversion for my uncle’s shotgun after a year or two.
Chapter two. Metallic. About the same time, the jack rabbits were getting too wary for 22’s so my friends and I dug out the deer rifles, a sporterized 1917 for me. No such thing as light bullet 30-06 at the local stores so I bought a Lee whack-a-mole kit and some 110 gr hp bullets and the rabbits were not safe. I soon figured how to use the Lee and the MEC together so no more hammering primers in.
Went from that to various single stage presses and progressive shotgun presses. Bought a Dillon 450 in 1980, upgraded to 550 when available. Haven’t bought many factory loads since 1962.
are Jack Rabbits tasty?
 
At age 8 (1967) my father started me quail hunting with .410 shotgun. It wasn’t long before we moved on to 20 and 12 gauge. In the off season we shot trap almost every Saturday. We had two MEC 600’s and reloaded constantly. I didn’t have any money for supplies and Dad didn’t have the time to reload, it worked out well for me, I gained a lot of experience.
 
I had a good teacher decades ago. I can't even guesstimate how many rounds I have reloaded over the decades. I haven't shot any rounds that were re-loadable since 1965. This includes many thousands of skeet reloads. I have never had a reloading mishap that I didn't catch at my reloading bench. I am forever grateful for the man that taught me to reload.
 
Started reloading 380 acp, 38 special, and 357 magnum in 2014. Lucky to have a great shooting buddy at work who taught me.
As a kid I wondered what the green contraption on Dad's work bench was (RCBS press). He reloaded .308, .243, and 38 special. My brother sent me some spent .38 special brass that Dad had loaded back in the 70's. I have reloaded it several times and appreciate the heritage he left his boys. Hot loads back then based on the data he wrote on the box:).
 
Received my first issue of Outdoor Life on October 22, 1962. I was 11 years old and had been mowing yards for 2 years saving my money to buy a deer rifle. We lived on a small farm that had an occasional deer wander thru and I so wanted to deer hunt. I had been dove hunting for 2 years and had become a fair wing shot. I talked my older brother into buying a used Savage M110 30-06 from a small gun shop where I had found it for the sum of $85.00 in the spring of 1963. By the end of that summer I had a RCBS press, a set of Ohaus scales, and a set of 30-06 dies that cost $16.50. The price is still on the box, used those dies today as a matter of fact. I used an empty 16 gauge shotgun shell to pour powder into the scale pan for my loading. I loaded my first shells in September of '63 and the barrel was completely shot out of that rifle by the end of the next summer. I was gifted several cases of NM ammo from a local NG Armory and used that up and reloaded all the brass for years. I also got all the unused 22 rimfire from that armory until 1975.
 
I had a good teacher decades ago. I can't even guesstimate how many rounds I have reloaded over the decades. I haven't shot any rounds that were re-loadable since 1965. This includes many thousands of skeet reloads. I have never had a reloading mishap that I didn't catch at my reloading bench. I am forever grateful for the man that taught me to reload.
WOW! just plain out WOW!
 
Got into it late January of 2020. Was looking at purchasing a .new 44 special GP100 that Cabela's had marked way down to clear out their stock. I hesitated for a few days because I just could not see myself paying almost $40 dollars a box for ammo!. Wow things are different now. Anyway I finally decided to buy the gun and they were sold out. So I figured I would get into reloading and be able to buy any caliber I wanted without worrying about ammo cost. I had plenty of 38 special and some .357 mag brass I had been saving. Bought a Lee classic cast single stage press and dies. Bought some Unique powder, a few hundred primers and bullets and got started. Earlier my shooting buddy had warned me off saying reloading was too tedious and only for precision rifle shooters but I found out I actually liked the process way more than I would have guessed. I do admit to making just about all the mistakes one can possible make while learning to re load.
Well timing couldn't I have been better because by mid March the government had us under a loose form of house arrest due to covid. Heeding warnings of a possible shortage, I did manage to score 5k small pistol match primers and 1k large pistol primers and a few hundred magnum primers of the same before primers had vanished from stock. This was just before the lockdown I think. Processing all that brass I saved gave me something to. do while locked up. Feeling really blessed that I started when I did and also that I managed to get the primers I did. Pure luck on my part. Since then I've managed to get enough powder and bullets to use up my remaining primers so my supply is in balance I am set for now and no longer shop for any components. Will wait for the buying panic to settle down I did buy a 41 magnum Henry lever gun (first rifle) and a 41 blackhawk revolver so I did follow through on my plan to buy a non mainstream caliber. While I've loaded a few hundred 9mm and 45 ACP I mostly focus on 38/357 and .41 as they last a lot longer at the range.
 
Got into it late January of 2020. Was looking at purchasing a .new 44 special GP100 that Cabela's had marked way down to clear out their stock. I hesitated for a few days because I just could not see myself paying almost $40 dollars a box for ammo!. Wow things are different now. Anyway I finally decided to buy the gun and they were sold out. So I figured I would get into reloading and be able to buy any caliber I wanted without worrying about ammo cost. I had plenty of 38 special and some .357 mag brass I had been saving. Bought a Lee classic cast single stage press and dies. Bought some Unique powder, a few hundred primers and bullets and got started. Earlier my shooting buddy had warned me off saying reloading was too tedious and only for precision rifle shooters but I found out I actually liked the process way more than I would have guessed. I do admit to making just about all the mistakes one can possible make while learning to re load.
Well timing couldn't I have been better because by mid March the government had us under a loose form of house arrest due to covid. Heeding warnings of a possible shortage, I did manage to score 5k small pistol match primers and 1k large pistol primers and a few hundred magnum primers of the same before primers had vanished from stock. This was just before the lockdown I think. Processing all that brass I saved gave me something to. do while locked up. Feeling really blessed that I started when I did and also that I managed to get the primers I did. Pure luck on my part. Since then I've managed to get enough powder and bullets to use up my remaining primers so my supply is in balance I am set for now and no longer shop for any components. Will wait for the buying panic to settle down I did buy a 41 magnum Henry lever gun (first rifle) and a 41 blackhawk revolver so I did follow through on my plan to buy a non mainstream caliber. While I've loaded a few hundred 9mm and 45 ACP I mostly focus on 38/357 and .41 as they last a lot longer at the range.
Awesome...best way to learn... great for you and your family
 
Started in 2013 I believe, loading 12 gauge on a MEC Jr. I joined the skeet league that summer, realized how many shells I was going through, and figured it would make more sense to load my own.

Started reloading Centerfire rifle and pistol a year or 3 ago.
 
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Started in 70 after I graduated HS. We made a couple of bird hunting trips to old Mexico and I bought a MEC 600 JR to load 20 ga. Started loading rifle a year or two later.
 
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