Handloading - How Many and How Long?

[memtb]

I don't know how to do that

Me either, but when I figure it out….I'll invite you to become part of the "inner circle"! memtb

 

[hunter0528]

Been reloading since 1963. Started with 357 mag and a Lyman 310 tong tool. Next was 11mm Mauser again with a Lyman Tong tool (Still have both). Got my Rock Chucker in 68 and just grew from then. From 221 Fireball, 25ACP, up to and including 458 Win Mag.

Presses include
310 Tong Tool
Rock Chucker
Dillon 550
Dillon 1050
Pacific 12 Ga Press
MEC 650.

I think it might be an Addiction

 

[sailorjim]

Just a simple poll on the number of cartridges you currently load for, when you began, and what was the first cartridge/shell you began loading?

If you once did but no longer load for a specific cartridge/s, tell us why you stopped.

Currently, I load for 52 cartridges, and I began in 1973 with 12ga shells then moved up to 357/38 pistol and 30-06 rifle.

Started loading in 1968. 1st cartridge was .270 Win. Had to do it twice, I shot Rem 700, Dad shot Browing BAR, required small base dies.

 

[Turpentine21]

I'm still using 7.62 brass from the 60's. WCC 61 and 63, and Lake City match 67. I also use LC 81 and 85 match and a bit of LC 84 standard brass. Plus a smattering of LC 30-06 match. I've learned a lot about working with brass using the LC stuff. Like turning necks, annealing by hand, reaming primer crimps. It's tough stuff and I'm a bit sentimental with it. It'll shoot if you put the time into it.
I had tons of 60s vintage loading manuals and info. Herters wads, and Primed Winchester Ranger paper hulls in the original box. Plus lots of other vintage equipment, loaders etc. A freak 1000 year flood in 2015 unfortunately got a lot of that stuff. The water rose so fast I simply couldn't get it all in time.
One of the questions was if you stopped loading a caliber, why. I quit with 7.62x39 because my son has the AK and I had hoped he would take an interest in loading for it instead of just letting me do it.
Also, after I built a 6.5 Grendel I rarely load 223/5.56 anymore. 5.56 is just not one of my favorite calibers and I have little use for it Any more.

 

[Rcritch]

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!

I lost all of my right shoulder's rotator cuff (except for the deltoid muscle) in a motorcycle wreck and had to have a "reverse" total shoulder replacement on that side. But I am so exclusively right handed, footed and master eyed that there is no way I can shoot left handed so I had to give up on most long range shooting, all of the big bore magnum stuff and no more shotgunning with anything larger than 20 gauge 1 oz loads. And, like you I have since had to have the left shoulder replaced as well, old age isn't easy .... but, what the heck, life still goes on.

There is one really neat thing you can still do with your "big boy stuff" and firearms and that is to work up light plinker loads (still super sonic, but less than 2000 fps) for small game and close range medium sized game hunting. I used to do quite a bit of rabbit hunting with my light weight Remington 600 in .350 Remington Magnum throwing .357 pistol bullets at about 1500 fps ahead of 13 grains of Red Dot powder. Virtually no recoil, but that 18-1/2" barrel still had an impressive muzzle blast, raising the attention of any and every other small gamer in the woods. And one year more recently I bagged several Texas Panhandle whitetails with my .416 Remington Magnum Safari Grade Model 70 Winchester, puffing out 350 grain Speer soft points at about 2200 fps. Same thing as with the .350 Rem, virtually no recoil, since the .416 Safari Grade Win weighed a little over 10 pounds with scope. In both cases it drew a lot of attention when I was out hunting small to medium game with darned moose to elephant capable firearms! Hehehe, gotta love it!

 

[Idahohoho]

Sounds like a hoot! I've been shooting my Marlin in 32 H&R mag a lot lately, and picked up a Ruger single six with fixed sights in the same chambering. A couple grains of HP-38 and some cast bullets, you can have a whole lot of fun for next to nothing. Add a touch more powder and you can get those little bullets zinging pretty good and talk about no recoil. Bad shoulders can really mess up a good day, I wished I would have got the right one replaced about 15 years before I finally decided I'd had enough. It's been 4 1/2 years now and still works good.

 

[memtb]

I lost all of my right shoulder's rotator cuff (except for the deltoid muscle) in a motorcycle wreck and had to have a "reverse" total shoulder replacement on that side. But I am so exclusively right handed, footed and master eyed that there is no way I can shoot left handed so I had to give up on most long range shooting, all of the big bore magnum stuff and no more shotgunning with anything larger than 20 gauge 1 oz loads. And, like you I have since had to have the left shoulder replaced as well, old age isn't easy .... but, what the heck, life still goes on.

There is one really neat thing you can still do with your "big boy stuff" and firearms and that is to work up light plinker loads (still super sonic, but less than 2000 fps) for small game and close range medium sized game hunting. I used to do quite a bit of rabbit hunting with my light weight Remington 600 in .350 Remington Magnum throwing .357 pistol bullets at about 1500 fps ahead of 13 grains of Red Dot powder. Virtually no recoil, but that 18-1/2" barrel still had an impressive muzzle blast, raising the attention of any and every other small gamer in the woods. And one year more recently I bagged several Texas Panhandle whitetails with my .416 Remington Magnum Safari Grade Model 70 Winchester, puffing out 350 grain Speer soft points at about 2200 fps. Same thing as with the .350 Rem, virtually no recoil, since the .416 Safari Grade Win weighed a little over 10 pounds with scope. In both cases it drew a lot of attention when I was out hunting small to medium game with darned moose to elephant capable firearms! Hehehe, gotta love it!

Very sorry to hear about your shoulder issues!

While I don't do it because of an injury, and I am similarly handicapped with the right side only thing, I do some practice shooting from my left side. I'm pretty sure that I look a lot like that "monkey with the football"! But, I gitt'r done…..even killed a deer from the left one time!

I haven't worked up the courage to shoot my heavy kicker from the left side yet…..something about self preservation!

Also, for many years I've advocated the .35's (especially the magnums) as great candidates for light loads with either cast or jacketed handgun bullets! memtb

 

[del2les]

I lost all of my right shoulder's rotator cuff (except for the deltoid muscle) in a motorcycle wreck and had to have a "reverse" total shoulder replacement on that side. But I am so exclusively right handed, footed and master eyed that there is no way I can shoot left handed so I had to give up on most long range shooting, all of the big bore magnum stuff and no more shotgunning with anything larger than 20 gauge 1 oz loads. And, like you I have since had to have the left shoulder replaced as well, old age isn't easy .... but, what the heck, life still goes on.

There is one really neat thing you can still do with your "big boy stuff" and firearms and that is to work up light plinker loads (still super sonic, but less than 2000 fps) for small game and close range medium sized game hunting. I used to do quite a bit of rabbit hunting with my light weight Remington 600 in .350 Remington Magnum throwing .357 pistol bullets at about 1500 fps ahead of 13 grains of Red Dot powder. Virtually no recoil, but that 18-1/2" barrel still had an impressive muzzle blast, raising the attention of any and every other small gamer in the woods. And one year more recently I bagged several Texas Panhandle whitetails with my .416 Remington Magnum Safari Grade Model 70 Winchester, puffing out 350 grain Speer soft points at about 2200 fps. Same thing as with the .350 Rem, virtually no recoil, since the .416 Safari Grade Win weighed a little over 10 pounds with scope. In both cases it drew a lot of attention when I was out hunting small to medium game with darned moose to elephant capable firearms! Hehehe, gotta love it!

Yes, the 35 cals are one of the great ones to download and shoot pistol bullets for reduced recoil, small and even deer sized game within reasonable limits. Similarly, I use some 32 ACP bullets in the 303 and 30 cals for the same. Depending on the chamber/bore of the 30 cal, I may run the .312 jacketed bullets through a Lee .309 sizer for best chambering/performance, but sometimes, I can just load and shoot as is.

When deer or similar hunting, its rather neat to be able to take out a reduced load to take advantage of the small game in the area during those slow times, or for the occasional varmint that wanders in range of the camp.

 

[del2les]

Sounds like a hoot! I've been shooting my Marlin in 32 H&R mag a lot lately, and picked up a Ruger single six with fixed sights in the same chambering. A couple grains of HP-38 and some cast bullets, you can have a whole lot of fun for next to nothing. Add a touch more powder and you can get those little bullets zinging pretty good and talk about no recoil. Bad shoulders can really mess up a good day, I wished I would have got the right one replaced about 15 years before I finally decided I'd had enough. It's been 4 1/2 years now and still works good.

Similarly, I have a couple of different light 105gr cast loads for my 38/357/357Max's in handgun and rifle that have very little recoil, very accurate, deadly on small game and varmints and a hoot to shoot.

 

[memtb]

Similarly, I have a couple of different light 105gr cast loads for my 38/357/357Max's in handgun and rifle that have very little recoil, very accurate, deadly on small game and varmints and a hoot to shoot.

It's certainly easier to make light loads for the 35's than many other calibers…..unless you shoot cast bullets! memtb

 

[Shadow6arc]

Currently, 9mm, 38spl, 357 mag, 223, 6mm arc, and 30-06. Previously 44spl, 44mag, 7.62x39, and 308

 

[MachV]

started reloading for a Ruger varmint 22-250 to keep from blowing pelts in 1982. Been quit a journey since then as many rounds have come and gone. These days there are dies to reload 14 different rounds and 2 Dillons and a rockchucker to do it with.
With that said 9mm,223,6.5 Grendel,6.5 sweede,300bo and 30-06 are what get used the most.

 

[Longtine88]

Been reloading since 1981. Uncle taught me. Became obsessed with it.

 

[purpledragon]

Been reloading since 1963. Started with 357 mag and a Lyman 310 tong tool. Next was 11mm Mauser again with a Lyman Tong tool (Still have both). Got my Rock Chucker in 68 and just grew from then. From 221 Fireball, 25ACP, up to and including 458 Win Mag.

Presses include
310 Tong Tool
Rock Chucker
Dillon 550
Dillon 1050
Pacific 12 Ga Press
MEC 650.

I think it might be an Addiction

That is exactly what it is, and a serious addiction at that!!! But it is just so much fun!!!