My Reloading Journey Thread

[mhblaw]

Calibers I reload for:
32 H&R
32-20
38 Spcial/357 Mag
38-40
41 Mag.
44 Special
44Mag.
45 Colt
Lots of quiet time doing that.

[mhblaw]

Forgot 44-40.

[Encore64]

I load for 80+ calibers. Perhaps I have a problem...

[eisenhower]

Jun 6, 2024 17:04:00 GMT -5 paul105 said:

Started my reloading journey in the early 60s with a Lyman Nutcracker (.357/.38) to feed my Ruger Flattop .357. Ten plus yrs ago, I gave it to Rob (Simply Rugged) who was outfitting a new shooter with with a simple reloading setup.

Also had the Lee Basic reloader (like the one pictured above) in 6mm Rem. Friend and i used it to load for our Rem 600s (bought with summer job money). Had a primer go off when hammering one home - scary but noise only so no damage done.

If you continue shooting in any volume, you will quickly end up with more advanced equipment.

Enjoy your Journey.

Paul

Truthfully, Paul, I bought 1000 Winchester primers for this and I'd be willing to bet I never use them all. This pistol will just not get shot a lot. I have a habit of spending time on a firearm, getting it shooting well, sighted in, etc., and then putting it on "inactive reserve" duty for years at a time. I just felt having the capacity to load .44-40 was the only way to keep this pistol viable, so that's why I embarked on this journey. It may lead to a deeper interest in re-loading, but if I can find a very simple load that is pretty accurate for this pistol, I'll bet I never delve any deeper into reloading for the .44-40. I'll probably shoot it for a few weeks, then load up a bunch of round and put them away for next time. But even that will make me happy knowing I can shoot this pistol whenever I want (which I can't do now given difficulty in finding .44-40 anywhere.)

Now ... I also love the .303 British caliber, which has similar supply problems, so if I do delve into more reloading, it may be with that cartridge, which will require a more modern/proper setup I'd imagine.

DeWayne

[drycreek]

Jun 6, 2024 17:31:28 GMT -5 Encore64 said:

I load for 80+ calibers. Perhaps I have a problem...

There are worse problems to have…….

[AxeHandle]

Personally started reloading in '75 with the primary purpose just to make ammo to shoot. Flash forward and now I enjoy the loading process as much as the shooting. I like the semi wildcats best!

[sharps4590]

I still occasionally use my Lyman 310 tool, for nostalgia. I'm glad I have it but I'm equally glad it isn't the only way I have to reload.

For 10-15 years I deliberately sought out rifles chambered in cartridges for which you HAD to be able to turn, form and fire form brass, needing custom bullet molds and for which no data existed. I learned an immense amount.

Eisenhower, good luck to you, sir. Keep in mind it is a journey and not a destination.

[brant]

You can still get the Lee hand loader kit for the 303 British, if you want to stay simple and compact.

Good for you for getting what you need to s
Keep that one in the game. I DO NOT enjoy loading, unlike most here. For some, their favorite part is the load development, trying different bullets, powders and load sizes. Not me. It is a necessary chore that I do, but when my proven load is found I celebrate. From then on I consult my notes and crank’em out! But I like to shoot so I do it.

[eisenhower]

Well, that was a load of fun! I really enjoy using this vintage tool. When I think of the guys who loaded on it before me, and what they were using their 44 WCF cartridges for, it's a cool connection to a slice of American history.

Of course, I ruined two rounds getting my bearings. I learned that I cannot close the tool completely down to the rim of a cartridge or it will crumple the case neck when seating. I assume this is because the geometry of the bullets I'm loading is different than the bullets the tool itself would produce from the mold. But I quickly realized that if I compress it down to the beginning of the groove before the rim, it seats the bullet consistently, tightly, and in measuring all my cartridges, they're all coming up the same length, so it seems to be a good, repeatable result. I'm not getting a visible crimp, but I cannot move the bullet with finger pressure, so I am assuming it's well seated.

Lessons learned today in my inaugural outing with the nutcracker. ... From now on, I shall only buy pre-lubed bullets! The mess created in lubing them myself slows the process and makes it much messier. If I were using pre-lubed bullets, I would be able to go much faster, and not have to wash my hands repeatedly to stop the migration of lube to everything else like my powder measure, etc. Beyond that, I didn't encounter any difficulty and am happy with the components I bought.

I've loaded up 12 rounds with 5.5 grains Titegroup, and 18 rounds of 6 grains. This will give me at least two groups with each cartridge to see if I detect any accuracy advantage one way or another.

I'll post again when I get a chance to go to the range and let you guys know my results. So far, I really enjoy using this tool!

[contender]

Kudos on stepping your toe into the reloading pool.

But if you have a few different calibers that ammo is hard to find or very expensive,, then it is truly the only way to go. No firearm is anything more than a paperweight unless you have ammo for it.

You don't have to devote a whole bench or spend a ton of money to get some basic tools to make the process easier & allow you to load different calibers.
Inexpensive presses, and other basic tools can be found used & for very little money if you just quietly shop around & pay attention. Then a small section of a bench can be used when necessary by just drilling a few holes & mounting it up when needed. Take it down & store it when not in use.

I had a few of those old school tools LONG ago,, and decided quickly I liked shooting enough to where better equipment was necessary. But being young, broke, and having to scrounge & be very frugal,, I slowly built up what I needed.

Keep us posted,, we do enjoy seeing how new folks try stuff.

[sharps4590]

As an example of what contender just said, and there has to be hundreds of thousands, a friend of mine was scrounging around at a flea market/antique store and came up with a NIB RCBS Rock Chucker press....for $100.

[eisenhower]

You guys stop trying to get me to buy a dang press and all the other stuff! That directly goes against the mission here of an old-school, minimalist approach. Let me enjoy my luddite backwardness for a while!

[bigbore5]

Your ludite will get tired of lube mess and dedicate a toaster to powder coating soon enough.

[eisenhower]

Well gents, I made it to the range today to try out my first hand-loads. I was really pleased. Have not shot this pistol since 2012 when I first got it, and reported that it would shoot 1.5" at 15 yds. Sadly, my eyesight will no longer let me shoot it at 15 yds with any kind of precision. I now have to wear some shooting glasses with +1 magnification so I can see the pistol sights sharply, and that makes any target past about 7 yards too fuzzy for me to see for accuracy shooting. That's why I have almost fully switched to red dots on handguns, which make precision at 25 yds possible.

Nevertheless, I did what I could do reliably, and that's 7-yard groups from a rest. Both my 5.5 grain and my 6 grain loads shot the same at that distance, essentially stacking all six rounds. I think this probably correlates to the 1.5" groups at 15 yards I reported from years ago. Regardless, I'm pleased to see groups like this, as I think that means my hand loads are at least as good as cowboy stuff off the shelf and a little hotter to boot.

With this result, I'm really not interested in pursuing other powders, bullets, etc. - tomorrow I'm going to load up 50 rounds of 6-grain loads and put them away for my next range session, hopefully when I can get out in the country and shoot some steel plates.

At any rate, my first loads were fun and I consider them a success. Can't ask for more than that!

DeWayne

[contender]

Kudos!!!!!!!!