anyone in Mid TN wanna teach me how to reload?
- Thread starter Ocraknife
- Start date
AHHH ya just fill up the case to the top with any ole powder what's to know?
It took me 2 hours to type this with the 1 finger I have left on my one good hand.
Seriously though good that you are asking for help, read as much as you can and take it slow. I don't reload but have family who does and you need To be very disciplined
Be safe have fun
It took me 2 hours to type this with the 1 finger I have left on my one good hand.
Seriously though good that you are asking for help, read as much as you can and take it slow. I don't reload but have family who does and you need To be very disciplined
Be safe have fun
While you're wisely seeking instruction, I recommend you read this thread if you haven't already http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=230171
Also, the NRA does offer reloading courses. You can search from here http://www.nrainstructors.org/Search.aspx
Also, the NRA does offer reloading courses. You can search from here http://www.nrainstructors.org/Search.aspx
polyphemus
New member
OP,reloading is only as complicated as you want it to be.
Start simple,straight wall pistol cartridge for example.
Basic equipment,ask here the fellows will tell you.
Get some new brass and a few jacketed bullets.
And a bullet puller.
No need to load live rounds to start,get the resizing,bullet seating and crimping
process down pat and then pull the bullets and do it again until you are confident.
Learn to use a vernier caliper to check dimensions.
Next priming,again ask the fellows for guidance.
And last but not least powder charging.
Get a good reloading manual before you actually plunge in and carefully read it.
good luck you'll be fine
Start simple,straight wall pistol cartridge for example.
Basic equipment,ask here the fellows will tell you.
Get some new brass and a few jacketed bullets.
And a bullet puller.
No need to load live rounds to start,get the resizing,bullet seating and crimping
process down pat and then pull the bullets and do it again until you are confident.
Learn to use a vernier caliper to check dimensions.
Next priming,again ask the fellows for guidance.
And last but not least powder charging.
Get a good reloading manual before you actually plunge in and carefully read it.
good luck you'll be fine
expendable
New member
Go over to the Tennessee Gun Owners forum and ask, lots of Nashville guys on there.
Koz
Koz
William T. Watts
New member
Before you start read a couple of reloading manuals I.E. ABC's of reloading, Hodgdon reloading manual or Ken Waters Pet Loads, there are many books that cover the reloading concept plus help you develop a vocabulary to be able to understand the terms we use. Reading is an essential step to learn the fundamentals plus helps you develop safe loading procedures for this hobby. I have no other hobby that I enjoy as much as developing loads for each of my firearms and to test at my local G&F shooting range plus my ammunition usually produces smaller groups than factory ammunition. I hope you find a mentor plus it usually lessens the learning curve. I've helped only one person who has become a good friend (Jeremy) in addition he is an outstanding marksman, I hope one day he goes to the Nationals and if he does I hope to be there and watch.. William
Lost Sheep
New member
Welcome to reloading. Thanks for asking our advice.
What cartridges will you be reloading? Shotgun loading is very different from metallic cartridge loading. Bottlenecked (rifle) cartridges are different from straight-waled (handgun) cases and among hanguns, rimless (generally semi-auto pistol) are a bit different from rimmed (generally revolver).
You are wise to ask. If you don't know of any gun club or range where you can meet someone, inquiring here is worth a try.
Finding a mentor is a smart move. But first, prepare yourself with a little background. (Forgive me if you already have. You may or may not have, so I make no assumption.)
Study up in loading manuals until you understand the process well, before spending a lot of (or any) money on equipment.
Read as many manuals as you can, for the discussion of the how-to steps found in their early chapters. The reason you want more than one or two manuals is that you want to read differing authors/editors writing styles and find ones that "speak" to you. What one manual covers thinly, another will cover well so give better coverage of the subject; one author or editor may cover parts of the subject more thoroughly than the others. The public library should have manuals you can read, then decide which ones you want to buy. Dated, perhaps but the basics are pretty unchanging.
I found "The ABC's of Reloading" to be a very good reference. Containing no loading data but full of knowledge and understanding of the process. I am told the older editions are better than the newer ones, so the library is looking even better.
There are instructional videos now that did not exist in the '70s when I started, but some are better than others. Run all casual information through a "B.S." filter.
After you have a bit of knowledge (but not having developed any bad habits or picked up too much misinformation) you will be a more efficient student.
Here is the story of my mentoring:
When I bought my first gun (.357 Magnum Dan Wesson revolver), I bought, at the same time, a reloading setup because I knew I could not afford to shoot if I did not reload my own ammo. My setup was simple. A set of dies, a press, a 2" x 6" plank, some carriage bolts and wing nuts, a scale, two loading blocks. Mo bench, just an end table and coffee table with the plank belted down or wedged in place..
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.
There is no substitute for someone watching you load a few cartridges and critiquing your technique BEFORE you develop bad habits or make a dangerous mistake. (A mistake that might not have consequences right away, but maybe only after you have escaped trouble a hundred times until one day you get bit, for instance having case lube on your fingers when you handle primers; 99 times, no problem because primers are coated with a sealant, but the hundredth primer may not be perfectly sealed and now winds up "dead")
Lost Sheep
What cartridges will you be reloading? Shotgun loading is very different from metallic cartridge loading. Bottlenecked (rifle) cartridges are different from straight-waled (handgun) cases and among hanguns, rimless (generally semi-auto pistol) are a bit different from rimmed (generally revolver).
You are wise to ask. If you don't know of any gun club or range where you can meet someone, inquiring here is worth a try.
Finding a mentor is a smart move. But first, prepare yourself with a little background. (Forgive me if you already have. You may or may not have, so I make no assumption.)
Study up in loading manuals until you understand the process well, before spending a lot of (or any) money on equipment.
Read as many manuals as you can, for the discussion of the how-to steps found in their early chapters. The reason you want more than one or two manuals is that you want to read differing authors/editors writing styles and find ones that "speak" to you. What one manual covers thinly, another will cover well so give better coverage of the subject; one author or editor may cover parts of the subject more thoroughly than the others. The public library should have manuals you can read, then decide which ones you want to buy. Dated, perhaps but the basics are pretty unchanging.
I found "The ABC's of Reloading" to be a very good reference. Containing no loading data but full of knowledge and understanding of the process. I am told the older editions are better than the newer ones, so the library is looking even better.
There are instructional videos now that did not exist in the '70s when I started, but some are better than others. Run all casual information through a "B.S." filter.
After you have a bit of knowledge (but not having developed any bad habits or picked up too much misinformation) you will be a more efficient student.
Here is the story of my mentoring:
When I bought my first gun (.357 Magnum Dan Wesson revolver), I bought, at the same time, a reloading setup because I knew I could not afford to shoot if I did not reload my own ammo. My setup was simple. A set of dies, a press, a 2" x 6" plank, some carriage bolts and wing nuts, a scale, two loading blocks. Mo bench, just an end table and coffee table with the plank belted down or wedged in place..
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.
There is no substitute for someone watching you load a few cartridges and critiquing your technique BEFORE you develop bad habits or make a dangerous mistake. (A mistake that might not have consequences right away, but maybe only after you have escaped trouble a hundred times until one day you get bit, for instance having case lube on your fingers when you handle primers; 99 times, no problem because primers are coated with a sealant, but the hundredth primer may not be perfectly sealed and now winds up "dead")
Lost Sheep
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I live in Columbia TN. Thats a little south of Franklin which is a little south of Nashville. I shoot at the Charlie Haffner Memorial Range in Franklin and work there as a range safety officer. I've been reloading for the past four years now. I'm no expert but I know whats safe and what isn't. Reloading needs time and patience and research and double checking that research before squeezing off a question mark round. I've reloaded for 9mm, 38 Special, 45 Colt, 45 ACP, 30-30 Winchester and 7x57mm Mauser and I'm a black powder shooter. Reloading no matter what cartridge it's all the same. Look up the data, check your components, set up the press and measure everything twice or more! Like the others said theres a lot of info on the web that'll get you moving along but incase you need or want any guidance let me know.
Ole Joe Clark
New member
Learn how to be safe first. Read about how to handle powder and primers, and how NOT to handle them.
When I started loading 40 SW last year, (loaded rimmed cartridges and rifle since 1975 or so before that), I had the bright idea of looking on you tube for helpful hints. I found this guy that was gonna tell me all about it, then I saw loose primers on the table and more loose primers in a glass jar. That shook me up so bad I turned him off, and looked for an older guy that still had both eyes and all his fingers.
Again, learn to be safe first.
Have a blessed day,
Leon
When I started loading 40 SW last year, (loaded rimmed cartridges and rifle since 1975 or so before that), I had the bright idea of looking on you tube for helpful hints. I found this guy that was gonna tell me all about it, then I saw loose primers on the table and more loose primers in a glass jar. That shook me up so bad I turned him off, and looked for an older guy that still had both eyes and all his fingers.
Again, learn to be safe first.
Have a blessed day,
Leon
Absolutely the first step in reloading is buy Lyman's 49th sit back and read it cover to cover. Then read it again. It will give you a solid base understanding of handloading. Then your ready too seek out a teacher or simply start by yourself. Once I established questions that could not be answered in a book or online I had a friend from my gun club show me some more technical aspects that I never would have learned from a book. For example how to feel and differentiate primer pockets for looseness. He showed me on a press what an acceptable and not acceptable primer fit was.
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Machineguntony
New member
Reloading is much simpler than you think. To become good at reloading is another story that requires experience and knowledge.
The main goal is to not hurt or kill yourself. There are really only two ways to seriously hurt yourself: mix pistol powder in a rifle load, or load up a double charge or squib. Things such as smoking while reloading are so extraordinarily absurd that they don't count as reasonable dangers.
As long as you aren't helpless, you'll figure it out.
Start and enjoy.
The main goal is to not hurt or kill yourself. There are really only two ways to seriously hurt yourself: mix pistol powder in a rifle load, or load up a double charge or squib. Things such as smoking while reloading are so extraordinarily absurd that they don't count as reasonable dangers.
As long as you aren't helpless, you'll figure it out.
Start and enjoy.
The OP hasn't replied back...
My suggestion is to go to www.hornady.com/ballistics-resource and go through their free published data. Then get a Layman or Speer manual and read through the "how-to" on it. Once that is complete then hit a LGS that sells reloading supplies/equipment and talk to them to see if they can recommend somebody as a mentor.
My suggestion is to go to www.hornady.com/ballistics-resource and go through their free published data. Then get a Layman or Speer manual and read through the "how-to" on it. Once that is complete then hit a LGS that sells reloading supplies/equipment and talk to them to see if they can recommend somebody as a mentor.
"Buy a manual Lyman’s 49th edition is a good choice but most others will be OK. Read and reread the early chapters. They will explain the basics and help you learn a lot."
^^^^^^^THAT^^^^^^^^
"Much knowledge can be had watching videos on YouTube."
^^^^^not so much confidence in that^^^^^^^
^^^^^^^THAT^^^^^^^^
"Much knowledge can be had watching videos on YouTube."
^^^^^not so much confidence in that^^^^^^^