this is NOT like riding a bicycle

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DavidAGO

New member
I have been away from the reloading bench for quite some time, for all practical purposes three years except for a session 8 months go loading a couple of hundred .38 wadcutters. I have not been shooting much because of my hand, so have not needed to reload as much.

Went out to the reloading building behind the house last week. Sat down at the bench, looked around and realized I have to start over. I just did not feel at home, did not feel like I really knew what I was doing. I ended up taking the reloading manuals inside with me for some refreshing. I spent some time inventorying powder and primers, and going over my reloading notes to refresh my memory on what powders I liked with what loads.

How long to you have to be away from the bench before you begin to forget? And how long before it all comes back to you?

David
 
DavidAGO wrote:
How long to you have to be away from the bench before you begin to forget?
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I suffered a devastating neurological problem that kept me from both my guns and my reloading bench - except for occasional visits to show off guns to visitors or make sure my press didn't rust - for approximately 20 years.

When I recovered enough to return to reloading, I had forgotten none of the basics.
  • Decap
  • Clean
  • Inspect
  • Size
  • Trim, Chamfer & Debur as necessary
  • Expand as necessary
  • Charge
  • Seat the bullet
  • Final inspection
All of that was documented and I knew none of it would change. But, my techniques and practices were, however, not practiced so I faced a great deal of uncertainty as to what of the details of how I conducted my prior practice should be brought forward and what should be changed or updated.

And how long before it all comes back to you?
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I keep meticulous notes on all of my reloading activity, so everything I had done had been documented and that helped it come back. I converted the files from the MS-DOS program I had used in the 1990's (fortunately I still had a 3.5 inch floppy drive in one of my workstations), printed out my written reloading procedures and with the experience that comes from 20 years practice as a forensic engineer, saw where they were not what they needed to be.

I went back to my reloading manual and re-read the section on How to Reload and revised my written reloading procedures and the associated checklist that is completed for every batch of cartridges I load. And then I, carefully, cautiously, resumed reloading, working to "unlearn" some of the things I had done in my youth that I now cringe at and wonder how I managed to avoid blowing myself up.

Based on what I learned from others reporting their own mishaps, I have revised those reloading procedures three times since and I gain additional confidence each time I reload. So, to answer the last question, what I had formerly known came back in a matter of hours, but bringing what I had formerly known out of the "dark ages" is a pursuit that continues to this day.
 
I was in hiatus for 25 years? Maybe 30.

Not it was all pretty straight forward.

Unfortunately I also got into the deep end as I turned from hunting loads to target shooting.

Basics are there, then add a lot to them!
 
It IS NOT like riding a bicycle. This involves thinking.

Go back to your algebra book. Can you answer even a single question? Go borrow a bicycle can you reach 35 mph and run a fifty k track?

You've heard some stupid things in your life.
 
I took a 12 year break. When I started back up I was only reloading 45. Not much of a relearning curve. After a few months I added 9mm with no problem. Going back to loading rifle - there was the big relearning curve.
 
I too had a 15 year break and just went back to basics, didn't take long to get back in the swing of things. Sure is a lot of new stuff though, wish I had researched equipment instead of just purchasing same stuff I used back in the day. Also, the Internet has sure made finding out info so much easier, love You Tube for help.
 
"...begin to forget..." Forget what?
The process is like riding a bike. Everything else you should be writing down anyway.
 
While I have not stopped reloading pistol or shotgun, I haven't reloaded (or shot) my rifles in 15 years. The basics are still there in my brain; but making sure I adjust the neck-sizer or seating die would take a few seconds.
 
I’ll reload hundreds of rounds of pistol and rifle and then not load again for 6 months. I always feel a bit unpracticed when I set up again to load, so I go real slow and think it out step by step.

One thing I always do is take only the specific powder and primers to the workshop for one caliber at a time. I never relax that rule.
 
It IS NOT like riding a bicycle. This involves thinking.
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Hmm, well I didn't hang my brain out to dry for all those years, I did use it fairly successfully.

So it was not hard to get up to speed. Really good loads took more work, but the basics are not that complicated. More good discipline following procedures than thinking.

And you would be surprised how much thinking goes into surviving on a bicycle! - which I was doing all those years I didn't reload (and still am)
 
I got lost for a decade from just about everything. When I got my life back, I started many things over. For shooting and reloading I had abslutely nothing left from before. But I took right to it like a baby duck takes its first swim; as if they had been doing it for years.
 
Is it like making babies? Make 3 or 4 and you think you're done. Then 10/15 years later the wife comes home and tells you you're going to be a daddy again! Yikes
 
I too took some time off, about 10 years. Had no problem getting back into it again. If you know the basics there should be no problems.
 
There is always a learning curve when you've been away from something for awhile...how long, I don't know, I think it varies with the activity...

But even if I loaded some yesterday....I don't just sit down to the bench and start yanking the handle and loading 500 rds....

../ its always a good idea to check the press, make sure you have the right powder, etc....

( I put a piece of masking tape on the front of the powder measure facing my stool ...that says caliber, bullet, powder, Min and Max and target goal for my drop...( 9mm, 115gr Montana Gold FMJ, TiteGroup, Min 4.5 - Max 4.8. Goal 4.6 ....) just handwritten with a marker....but a reminder on what I'm doing....

Turn on powder scale...and warm it up.../ calibrate the scale .. !!

check all the dies in the tool head, make sure they're tight...make sure everything is clean...( all the little stuff )...

check the first 5 powder drops with scale - then after every 10 rds or so / make sure the "powder check die" is working properly.../ case gague the first 5 rds...all that little stuff ( then I'm ok ).
 
Is it like making babies? Make 3 or 4 and you think you're done. Then 10/15 years later the wife comes home and tells you you're going to be a daddy again! Yikes
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Well I made sure that could not happen, but I was not in a good place to do so until about 12 years ago and by then it seemed like something best left undone!
 
I was away from reloading for about 10 years and what I learned was you can't always go back and use grandpa's nicely set up reloading bench. Now that he's in the VA home I have half of his tools mixed with mine. And the best tool I have bought since was the Lee perfect powder measure. I have one set up for 6.5 jap and another for 30-06. I will not be adjusting these as they're set correctly for my pet loads. But I do weight every pour.

Did I mention I hate ladder tests. At grandpas house and 60 acres we could test at the picnic table in the back yard or if it was raining right out the bedroom window. In the city that isn't going to happen.
 
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