Who taught you to handload?

[jmorris]

I will say this, I really wish the Internet was around back then. For all of the noise and BS it contains. One can learn in seconds what might take a number of hours or days to learn otherwise.

 

[bigpower491]

I'm self taught, that old Lyman manual pit me on the right path. Didn't have the net then, and honestly, I'm a better handloader because I had to figure some of it out. The instructional video you find today would have moved the process along quicker, but I'm glad I had to use the old noggin. Makes me better at looking at information I find and deciding whether or not to use it.

 

[Mountainman2]

I started reloading cause I could it for half the price but it didn’t take long and I shooting twice as much.

 

[Hooda Thunkit]

I will say this, I really wish the Internet was around back then. For all of the noise and BS it contains. One can learn in seconds what might take a number of hours or days to learn otherwise.

I don't completely agree, not completely disagree.

Had the internet been available, I don't think I knew enough back then to be able to separate the wheat from the chaff. There's a large quantity of bogus, even dangerous, info in those videos.

I am glad I had to read and learn for myself.

 

[Hooda Thunkit]

Yeah I couldn't really get the scoops to be 100 percent the same every time so I guess you had better luck than me cause like you said, even with a scale it took a bit to get the right powder charge. How did you verify (or at least, make sure they were close) charge weights?

Verify? I scooped, carded off, charged the case. Go shoot.

If you look at Lee data in those sheets, it shows the scoop to use. The scoop data, when scaled, is very conservative. I don't think one could overload, even mounding the powder, if one used the indicated scoop.

 

[Laphroaig]

I had to say other. I inherited a box of Belding and Mull reloading equipment from a great uncle when I was 17. I bought a Lyman's 44th, read it religiously and the rest is history. I did know some kids in high school who reloaded too, but they were flying blind like me. Al Gore was still a teenager so no internet at that time.

 

[johnjohn]

I'm self taught too. No gun folks in family,no internet just me and Lyman 47, ABC's and other sources. About a week after starting I had a mold on order. I have a lot of lead experience as I was studying plumbing at the local vo tec.

 

[dartor]

Self taught. In 1996 I purchased a Rockchucker reloading kit from Midway. Filled out the order form and sent in my check (y'all remember those days, pre internet). Learned to reload from the manual that came with the kit. Wasn't long till I ordered more reloading manuals and subscribed to Handloader Magazine. Started out reloading 9mm because I'm cheap and 15 round magazines burned ammo quick. Today I reload 8 pistol/revolver calibers and 7 rifle calibers.

 

[EMC45]

In 1998 I first pulled the handle on a RCBS Rock Chucker that belonged to my moms boyfriend. The next year I was introduced to a Dillon 550 by a good buddy in Battalion. These were just introductions. I also cast bullets on deployment from wheel weights my buddy and I scrounged from alpha co mechanics shop.

In 2002 I bought the Supreme Rock Chucker kit from Cabelas. I had a very pregnant wife and money was tight, but I knew to shoot like a wanted to I would have to start pulling the press handle. It took a year of reading and re-reading Speer manual #13 till I was comfortable with loading ammo. So in 2003 I loaded some soft swaged Speer 158gr SWC bullets over 700X. Little did I know that I didn’t balance my 505 scale properly and the charges were on the light side (thank God). My dad and I shot my first handloads out of my S&W Airweight snub and they did great. I was hooked. I credit (or blame) Lyman, Lee and RCBS/Speer with this wild and extremely fun hobby.

I learned a good bit here on castboolits and from other sites like grey beards. Only had a few friends that loaded and didn’t really get a ton of info from them. Self taught for the most part with books and a little internet.

 

[45/30-06OKIE]

Verify? I scooped, carded off, charged the case. Go shoot.

If you look at Lee data in those sheets, it shows the scoop to use. The scoop data, when scaled, is very conservative. I don't think one could overload, even mounding the powder, if one used the indicated scoop.

Hmmm I do seem to remember it being a bit low or close to spec even with a basically full and leveled scoop. And that was with ball powder too... Maybe I should retest the scoops one of these days.

 

[45/30-06OKIE]

I don't completely agree, not completely disagree.

Had the internet been available, I don't think I knew enough back then to be able to separate the wheat from the chaff. There's a large quantity of bogus, even dangerous, info in those videos.

I am glad I had to read and learn for myself.

Take my 6.5 PRC load data debacle a while back... Ended up with me basically using stupid high charges for my 156gr Berger bullets. Thankfully all I had happen was filthy case necks and some very low muzzle velocity readings with our old chronograph. I then emailed Berger and got data straight from them and made a small ladder and haven't shot them yet cause I want to wait till we get all our ASR muzzle devices in for our Silencerco Hybrid 46M suppressor we just got in this week.

 

[MikeInOr]

Lyman Reloading Handbook 46th edition was my guide. There was no internet back then to ask questions or watch videos. I still have the majority of my fingers left.

 

[GW Staar]

I will say this, I really wish the Internet was around back then. For all of the noise and BS it contains. One can learn in seconds what might take a number of hours or days to learn otherwise.

All I can say is I would not want to learn to 3Dprint the way I learned to reload. Without the internet I'd still be wasting rolls of filament....it made all the difference. Oh I read all right, but it was internet pages not books. SOOOOO much faster but 50 years ago that wasn't an option.....thank goodness my eyes, and patience was better then.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Yeah I couldn't really get the scoops to be 100 percent the same every time so I guess you had better luck than me cause like you said, even with a scale it took a bit to get the right powder charge. How did you verify (or at least, make sure they were close) charge weights?

Back then if you didn’t have a scale you went by volume. Consistency meant they all looked the same. The “decent cup of coffee” test verified ability to eyeball volumes. A 6oz scoop of coffee looks about like it would fill a teacup with a pinky-nail’s gap from the rim.
A 2.8gr charge of Bullseye looks about the same in a #20 black Lee dipper. Scaled down, of course. Fill the dipper, tap out a little until you see a ring around the rim, and make sure every dip after that looks exactly the same.
Consistency is doing things exactly the same way every time; even if it is not precise.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

I had to say other. I inherited a box of Belding and Mull reloading equipment from a great uncle when I was 17. I bought a Lyman's 44th, read it religiously and the rest is history. I did know some kids in high school who reloaded too, but they were flying blind like me. Al Gore was still a teenager so no internet at that time.

Most of my peers in high school shot factory ammo. The community wisdom back then was that reloaded ammunition was dangerous and would blow your guns up. I found the opposite at the rifle club where my parents took me to shoot. Most of those men and women were European immigrants, survivors of the war and most wore the tattoos of their internment. They were handloaders for good reason.

 

[.45Coltguy]

I had no one in my family that had any real interest in firearms, so. it was left to a couple of desert buddies to show me the ropes. We were dirt bike guys back in the early/mid 70's and those guys would do alittle plinking back in camp. Didn't take me long to fire my first handgun[38/357 Ruger] or a .22 lr rifle of some sort. Bought a 10/22 and a 7x57 Mauser and later that year['77], bought my RCBS Rock Chukar and a Ohaus 10-10 scale. HOOKED!! Still have/use that press and scale to this day. Other than Dave and Gary showing me the way, just learned as I went. After lunch today, right back at it loading .45 acp.

 

[Akula69]

Dad. And I miss the hell outa him not standing there looking over my shoulder and telling me I "was doin' it wrong".

 

[rabid wombat]

Early to mid 70’s - my older brother in high school got a Lee Whack a Mole in 45 ACP. Being 9 years his junior…I got the tedious jobs. Both got ammo to shoot…

someone here on the forum said… nothing brings life into focus like setting primers with a hammer….

 

[Show Me]

Richard Lee and a Ted Williams 30-30

 

[IWAC]

I was standing at the reloading bench today and got to thinking (which is always dangerous).

I’m curious: Who taught you to handload? I’m interested in what the demographics would look like among the forum members these days.

Mostly self-taught...no internet when I started mid-last century. My Brother-in-Law loaned me his Lee Whacker reloading tool and his oooold Lyman manual. It was about 5"X 8", and bound with one of the plastic comb like thingies. finally, I had to give them back, and bought me a press, dies and manual...the Speer with the two guys on top of a stagecoach. I read everything I could about reloading, and tried a few powders. It's been quite a journey!

 

[jimbo4]

Started out with a Lee load all 2 for 12 gauge .That was in the early 80 's In the early 90's the wife got me a rockchucker kit for Christmas Keep reading anything I could find about reloading. Been going down the rabbit hole ever since.GOOD therapy! After coming home from work! Even if it is couple minutes every day.Now My time is setting up my new press old model lee pro 1000 .Like it when I harvest game with one of my reloads

 

[AJC1]

I was a lever jerk for my dad for a few years, but he never really discussed the process or the details. When he passed about 4 ish years ago. I got mountains of stuff, powders primers bullets presses the works. There were manuals, but very few notes and most had no load data at all. I dove into the rabbit hole and have continued to accelerate at 9.8 meters per second ever since. I've read piles, watched tones of videos and loaded mountains of ammo. I've loaded at several peoples houses and loaded for two friends, just to keep learning. I'll never know half of it, but I'll try!

 

[Ironicaintit]

My dad tried to teach me when I was a teenager, but I didn't really care about it at the time.
Then when he passed away I inherited his gear and books.
I sat on it all for a while and then started reading reading reading everything before I even mounted that old Lyman Spar-T. I'm a gear head and metal fabricator so it all came pretty easy really. I discovered hand loading is absolutely my cup of tea, and I really regret not spending more time loading with my dad.

I like to think he'd approve of my load development and quality control methods.

 

[JerkyFreak]

Verify? I scooped, carded off, charged the case. Go shoot.

If you look at Lee data in those sheets, it shows the scoop to use. The scoop data, when scaled, is very conservative. I don't think one could overload, even mounding the powder, if one used the indicated scoop.

Technically it is called a dipper, not a spoon or a scoop

Using them as spoons to scoop powder, one tends to get inconsistent charge weight. The correct technique is to dip the cup into the powder so that the granules flow into the cavity by gravity. Hence the term, "dipper". This way you are not forcing granules into the cup and leading to better consistency.

Found this passage in the book "Modern Reloading" by Richard Lee;
"Dean always felt no one could dip a charge quite as precisely as he. He would, and I have little doubt to this day still does, use a special technique. He pushed the dipper bottom first into the powder and let the powder flow into the mouth of the dipper. Then strike it off with one of his business cards and consistently get charge uniformity of 1/10 grain. I'm not telling any secrets, as Dean has published this method several times."

 

[FROGO207]

Yep back in the early 60's I watched my grandfather build ammo. back then. I was allowed to shoot things under supervision. In about 67-68 I was allowed an old Winchester single shot .22 and a single round to go get a rabbit for dinner. Around that time I was helping (learning) to load ammo on his Spar-T press and Ideal 12 GA reloading tools. Shortly after he, said If I wanted to shoot any of the Big guns then I had to make my own ammo for them. Then started my career making 38 SPL, 30-30, 30 Carbine, and 12 GA ammo for my own use.

I still have his old Ohaus 1010 scale and a bunch of Belding & Mull/ Ideal loading manuals along with various old reloading tools. I have since graduated to an RCBS Turret press and several MEC shotshell presses. Having passed along the older stuff to others. He taught me how to work up a load with a mystery propellant that was safe and also how to cast bullets. those were not things you could readily find info on in the books we had at the time. Both still useful today it seems. Heck I have his early 43 Underwood 30 Carbine still as well.