Handloading - How Many and How Long?

[bengineer]

1985 started loading 308 with my dad for my Model 7. Killed with it for 4 years before 16-year-old sense kicked in and I had to have a 338 Win. Went back to 308 by 30 years old. Still use it. 338 collects dust. Load for others using my Class 06 ffl, and lots for myself, including:
Rifles:
17 Hornet
223
22-250 ai
243
25-06
6.5 creed
6.5/284
270wsm
7tcu
7-08
280ai
7 rem mag
300 blk
30/30
308
8 mauser
338 win
358 jdj
35 whelen
375 h&h
41 mag
44 mag
45 colt
45/70
500 smith
50 bmg
Handguns:
9
38/357
357 max
40
10
41 mag
44 spl
44 mag
45
45 colt
480

I may have more dies I dont often use…

Yeah, its my hobby. I may have a problem.

 

[Chasmo70]

Started reloading 12 ga in 1963 with a lee loader. Now I reload from 50 sharps down to 223. I use a Dillion rll1000 for 223 and 9mm.

 

[Idahohoho]

You sound like me. There was a time that I made my own longbows and Flemish twist strings, cedar and birch arrows, cut my own fletching with turkey feathers, hunted hogs with that equipment religiously, and had the energy and body to do that without a problem. Injury, arthritis, and time took care of that so I moved on to more reloading and guns, working on outboards, etc. Jack of all trades, master of none

Right, my problem is a really have a big bore addiction and two bad shoulders. One is rebuilt with $83,000 worth of titanium, polyethylene and chrome steel. The other has been scoped enough it needs the same hardware. I wake to coffee and an extra strength shot of Advil. Big slip on pads are my friend at the range and I rarely shoot prone anymore unless I want to deal with old man arthritis's wrath for a week afterwards. When you're pulling the trigger for one shot hunting you don't notice at all. Probably need to get into the 6.5 game and stop beating myself up but I have enough bigboy components to last way past my grandkids lives. I do happen to be pumping out 9mm at the moment at the bench though, so I guess there is a few that aren't painful when you play. Every time I do this I tell myself I'm going to buy another conversion kit for my Dillion…these baby pieces of brass give me a headache!

 

[Idahohoho]

You sound like me. There was a time that I made my own longbows and Flemish twist strings, cedar and birch arrows, cut my own fletching with turkey feathers, hunted hogs with that equipment religiously, and had the energy and body to do that without a problem. Injury, arthritis, and time took care of that so I moved on to more reloading and guns, working on outboards, etc. Jack of all trades, master of none

Right, my problem is a really have a big bore addiction and two bad shoulders. One is rebuilt with $83,000 worth of titanium, polyethylene and chrome steel. The other has been scoped enough it needs the same hardware. I wake to coffee and an extra strength shot of Advil. Big slip on pads are my friend at the range and I rarely shoot prone anymore unless I want to deal with old man arthritis's wrath for a week afterwards. When you're pulling the trigger for one shot hunting you don't notice at all. Probably need to get into the 6.5 game and stop beating myself up but I have enough bigboy components to last way past my grandkids lives. I do happen to be pumping out 9mm at the moment at the bench though, so I guess there is a few that aren't painful when you play. Every time I do this I tell myself I'm going to buy another conversion kit for my Dillion…these baby pieces of brass give me a headache

 

[dan1953]

Wow, really impressive guys! I have loaded a butt load of 9mm and .45. I have also done 45-70. I have .280 dies, bullets, primers and powder, same with 300wm and 6.5 Grendel. I need to take the dive into bottleneck! I wish I had someone local who could coach me.

 

[436]

Wow, really impressive guys! I have loaded a butt load of 9mm and .45. I have also done 45-70. I have .280 dies, bullets, primers and powder, same with 300wm and 6.5 Grendel. I need to take the dive into bottleneck! I wish I had someone local who could coach me.

Since 1968 Started on .38 Special. Now too many to remember or count. Cheers.

 

[Rcritch]

Before I was old enough to vote (1964) I sold one of the old cars I had fixed up to the point that it was both operable & registered and then used the money to buy a brand new Remington 600 Magnum in the .350 Rem. Mag. caliber, which I was hoping to use for a possible future elk hunt. After the following year's hunt in which I did get my first elk, and working for less than minimum wage, I could scarcely afford to buy factory ammo so I scraped up enough cash to buy a brand spanking new one of those classic, smack it with a hammer, Lee loaders for the little 350 magnum and started reloading, mostly just .357 pistol bullets ahead of 13 grains of Red Dot powder for plinking and rabbit hunting fun. So that's when I became a reloader.

After getting a real job and picking up a nice post-WWII Model 70 Winchester in .257 Roberts for my deer hunting I bought an old, rusty C-frame press that already had the right size shell holder for my .257 Roberts and it took the standard 7/8-14 dies, at which time I got a little more serious about reloading.

Years later I took up skeet shooting and bought a four press set of MEC 650 progressive loaders for the 12, 20, 28 gauge and .410 bore shot-shell reloading.

I am currently still tooled for loading the 12, 20, 28 & .410 shotgun shells, .45 Colt pistol ammo and .223 Rem, .257 Roberts, .25-35 Win, .25-06, .270 Win, .308 Win, .348 Win, .35 Rem, .35 Whelen, .416 Rem Mag & .45-70 Gov't rifle calibers. But I no longer load for the .257 Roberts, .25-06, .350 Rem Mag or the .416 Rem Mag because I sold those guns. I'm hoping to possibly pick up or build another 257, 350 and maybe even a 416 just to fill out my collection but the two magnum calibers I would only be able shoot with plinker loads because I have a reverse total shoulder replacement and can no longer absorb that much recoil.

So with over 59 years and tens of thousands of reloads behind me as a reloader I've done a bit, but still hope to do some more before I am through.

 

[Nimrod]

I have been handloading for over 50 years and I don't honestly know how many cartridges I currently load for but I counted a while back and had 47 sets of dies for either wildcat or improved cartridges if I remember correctly.

 

[AGGRO]

Loading since 77 bunch ya'all got me beat. Hats off.

 

[MagnumManiac]

I have a bottle 416 Rigby brass never been fired. Let me know if you're interested.

Thanks, but I am in Australia and posting it here is expensive, so I will pass and thanks for the offer.

Cheers.

 

[Gpkhill2]

My dad started me loading 38 specials when I was about 14. I'm now 46. I've loaded ever since. I now load for him. I mainly load for rifles for precision.

 

[Muledeerhuntingfreak]

Thanks, but I am in Australia and posting it here is expensive, so I will pass and thanks for the offer.

Cheers.

No problem cheers

 

[sturner]

Dang count up the years of experience on this thread most of us remember when neck size was cool

 

[Groundhogshooter]

Dad & Grandpa had me helping them handload 30-06 and 257 when I was just a kid, maybe 5 or 6 years old. Started by just seating bullets for them. That was in the early 1960's.

A bit at a time I learned more and was handloading for a couple of different rifles by the early 1970's.

I've stopped loading for the 300 WSM & 300 Win Mag because I sold those rifles.

Thanks for asking, brought back some good memories.

Regards, Guy

I load for 37 currently. Started with .222 and 30/30 in 1974. Dropped .303 and 6.5 Swedish after I sold them.