I Did It I Did It I Did It I Did It I Did It Can you tell I am happy? Had a bad 40SW round at the range. Don't know if bad primer or what, but wouldn't fire. When I got home, I pulled the bullet, dumped the powder. deprimed it. Weighed the bullet to make sure what I was dealing with. Then I went thru the whole process til I had a reloaded cartridge and made sure it barrel plunked and twisted. It took quite a while this first time getting each die just how I wanted. Well, then I did something I am not proud of, but not wanting to drive 20 miles to the range at their busiest time, I fired the one round into the ground in the back yard grass. And it worked! It fired and chambered the next round just as supposed to. OH the satisfaction felt and the wish to continue, but alas I cannot until I get my bullets. Kicking myself for not reloading sooner. What fun. And I said, such a sense of satisfaction from doing it myself. I did the math and I really don't save much money. It will probably be a year and half until the equipment is "paid for" but what fun! Anyways thanks everyone for the help and I can now understand why all of you get so much pleasure out of the process. Doc
Yep it isn't quite as difficult as imagined, at least I felt that way. I do really watch what I am doing to be on the safe side. If we kicked ourselves for not doing something sooner reminds me of things I did that I did get kicked for doing that I shouldn't have done. Win some lose some so don't sweat it on the hind sight.
Doc, I am proud of you!!!! If you take your time and mind your P and Q's you will do fine! Just remember to set up your system and don't deviate once you have it down and don't get distracted. You will save money in time, but remember, now that you are reloading you might find yourself shooting more. I used to shoot 50 rounds at a time when I first started reloading, now 100 rounds are the norm. Take your time. You have no reason to hurry and remember one thing-SAFETY COMES FIRST!!! Tommy
Yep, take your time. It's very satisfying to literally make your own ammo. Or assemble at least. I can still remember the first time I fired a reload. I was so nervous! I didn't even bother to aim I just sorta pointed at the dirt. One things for sure, you'll save money alright! Sort of. Before I reloaded, I only shot my .357 about once a month, because a box of .357 cost $20-25! Now I can make it for $9. Now, since I started casting, I can make it for less than $4! Buuuuut, I go shooting AT LEAST once a week. Sometimes 2-3 times. My point is that you end up shooting a lot more. Which is good! Have fun and stay safe!
Congrats Doc! I felt the same way when I finally started reloading. Why in the world did I wait so long? I don't do it primarily to save, but for the fun. It is a great hobby. Now my equipment is more than paid for and I am saving on some of my calibers. I don't have a 9mm anymore so I don't have to reload for it. I probably wouldn't right now anyway since 9mm is so cheap for now. I'm glad you got it right, now like Tommycourt said, just keep it safe!
I started with the Lee Hand loader and a wooden mallet. In 1980. I took an eight point buck with my loads and a SS Security Six. 25 yard shot on a creek bank. Then several deer with my M77 .270 Win. I do hunt with Remington 130 Core-loks, but all hand gun ammo are mine. Best load for .44 SBH 23 gr of IMR 4227 I load hundreds of rounds for AR 556 Mini 14
Thanks everyone Yeah, I put a lot of thought into how to keep things safe and I have set up a couple desks and shelves and have everything spread out and very organized so the process should stay clean with plenty of room. Can't believe how hard the wait to really start is. Meant it when I said waiting for my bullets was like a kid waiting for Christmas. Grrrr. Doc
