first cartridge loaded for
- Thread starter oldbear1950
- Start date
It was 1969 and it was a .222 Remington cartridge to feed a Remington 788. I used a Lyman "nutcracker" and Lee powder scoops.
Although before that time I did hang out with shooting friends who did handload. In high school, my friend "duffy" reloaded the .300 savage cartridge for use in his grandmother's savage 99 lever action rifle. He just dumped Hodgen's surplus 4895 to the top of the case and then seated a 150 grain bullet. Some of those rounds, we had to knock out of the rifle with a cleaning rod.
Although before that time I did hang out with shooting friends who did handload. In high school, my friend "duffy" reloaded the .300 savage cartridge for use in his grandmother's savage 99 lever action rifle. He just dumped Hodgen's surplus 4895 to the top of the case and then seated a 150 grain bullet. Some of those rounds, we had to knock out of the rifle with a cleaning rod.
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Marco Califo
New member
1971 9 years old. 1/2" pipe 6" long with elbow, 3" +cap for grip. Hole drilled in breech for fuse. Loaded with one Chinese firecracker and a bolt that fit into the barrel. Made a loud thud into a wood fence. Got me in trouble.
@MarcoCalifo: I just spit my diet coke out over the keyboard laughing at your post. As a teenage chemistry enthusiast and future chemical engineer, I did things over 60 years ago, that would probably get me arrested even today. It's a wonder some of us escaped childhood and adolescence with all our fingers, hands and vision intact. But it was fun and it was different times.
Pathfinder45
New member
It was 270 Winchester back in 1973. I think the primers were around 60-odd cents per hundred and powder was inexpensive and availability was excellent. I started with CCI primers, 130 grain Speer bullets, and Winchester 780-BR powder that I think I paid just under $3.00/ pound for.
Aguila Blanca
Staff
.45 ACP, for (what else) a 1911. I started with Winchester brass, because I had been buying Winchester White Box bulk packs from Walmart and saving my brass for a couple of years before I actually took the plunge.
@oldbear,
I was wondering where you found left handed cartridges for your rifle?
I started late. About 10 years or so ago.
7mm Rem Mag with the Lee Wack-a-mole loader on the kitchen table.
Now have a Lee 4 hole turret & Lee single stage.
I now load 5 different pistol cartridges & 15 or so different rifle cartridges.
Including "obsoletes" like 250 Savage, 257 Roberts, 257 Roberts AI, 25 WSSM, 284 Win, 280 Rem.
I was wondering where you found left handed cartridges for your rifle?
I started late. About 10 years or so ago.
7mm Rem Mag with the Lee Wack-a-mole loader on the kitchen table.
Now have a Lee 4 hole turret & Lee single stage.
I now load 5 different pistol cartridges & 15 or so different rifle cartridges.
Including "obsoletes" like 250 Savage, 257 Roberts, 257 Roberts AI, 25 WSSM, 284 Win, 280 Rem.
Bought a Ruger Blackhawk in .38-40/10mm because it was "unusual". Found out the ammo for both calibers was crazy expensive (this was before cowboy action shooting and the resurrection of the 10mm). A friend reloaded and I bought some dies and tried it (didn't know that those thin, bottlenecked cases were hard to load!). Fell in love with reloading and decided I was going to load all my ammo going forward. Dillion 550 purchased.
It was 1967 - 7.5 Swiss for a 1911K Schmidt-Ruben short rifle .
They sold for $19.95 and were in beautiful condition ...
but the strange Pull back - Push forward action didn't get much love from Americans .
All the other bolt action WWII military surplus rifles sold for more ...a 1903-A3 Springfield was $60 ... way out of my high-school price range .
No hunting ammo was available , only military suplus FMJ sold by Century Arms and it wasn't cheap enough for me , a Lyman press and C-H dies got the reloading ball rolling . Still have the rifle and still enjoying reloading .
Gary
They sold for $19.95 and were in beautiful condition ...
but the strange Pull back - Push forward action didn't get much love from Americans .
All the other bolt action WWII military surplus rifles sold for more ...a 1903-A3 Springfield was $60 ... way out of my high-school price range .
No hunting ammo was available , only military suplus FMJ sold by Century Arms and it wasn't cheap enough for me , a Lyman press and C-H dies got the reloading ball rolling . Still have the rifle and still enjoying reloading .
Gary
.44 Magnum for my Model 29
Fall of 1979. Bought a Rockchucker to reload .44 Mag for my 4” nickel S&W Model 29. My brother taught me. Good times. By the fall of 1980 I was also reloading .45 ACP and .45 colt for my Blackhawk convertible. Started casting Boolits at that time too.
Fall of 1979. Bought a Rockchucker to reload .44 Mag for my 4” nickel S&W Model 29. My brother taught me. Good times. By the fall of 1980 I was also reloading .45 ACP and .45 colt for my Blackhawk convertible. Started casting Boolits at that time too.