Ian M
Well-Known Member
Dave King recently mentioned that he sees his reloading as quality time, time to slow down and enjoy life. I really respect that idea, from the "recharging the old batteries" aspect and also from the accuracy viewpoint.
I used to enjoy reloading for similar reasons. Somehow my reloading changed and I have become too impatient - no time to smell the sizing lube. This probably peaked when I punched a decapping pin through my left thumbnail during an all-night reloading session before a Montana prairie dog shoot. I still remember the pain. Found out that you really don't appreciate how much leverage a Rockchucker generates until your thumb is...
A significant booboo was getting my hands on a progressive press. All of a sudden my Rockchucker was too **** slow. Found out that when a die goes out of adjustment - you turn out a whole bunch of crappy rounds in a short time.
I also picked up the whole set of electronic reloading accessories - more time savers, higher degree of accuracy. Some save a lot of time, some just burn time. Probably the best of the lot is the motorized case trimmer.
Another thing that has changed my attitude toward reloading is the fact that factory ammo is just plain better than it used to be. I would never hunt with factory ammo, had to be a carefully tailored handload. Nowadays I can find factory ammo that shoots inside an inch with the same bullet that I would be loading. Since I am usually behind in my reloading I have used factories on several hunts with complete saticefaction.
I never used to shoot ANY factory ammo, too expensive and not accurate enough. Those days are over. If you don't believe me, take a box of Federal Gold Medal, Winchester Competition Supreme or Black Hills Ammo match and shoot four five-shot groups. Then try to imagine holding that degree of accuracy over production runs that make millions of rounds.
Reloading is still the only way to shoot a lot of good ammo. I just thought I might get some feedback from you guys.
I used to enjoy reloading for similar reasons. Somehow my reloading changed and I have become too impatient - no time to smell the sizing lube. This probably peaked when I punched a decapping pin through my left thumbnail during an all-night reloading session before a Montana prairie dog shoot. I still remember the pain. Found out that you really don't appreciate how much leverage a Rockchucker generates until your thumb is...
A significant booboo was getting my hands on a progressive press. All of a sudden my Rockchucker was too **** slow. Found out that when a die goes out of adjustment - you turn out a whole bunch of crappy rounds in a short time.
I also picked up the whole set of electronic reloading accessories - more time savers, higher degree of accuracy. Some save a lot of time, some just burn time. Probably the best of the lot is the motorized case trimmer.
Another thing that has changed my attitude toward reloading is the fact that factory ammo is just plain better than it used to be. I would never hunt with factory ammo, had to be a carefully tailored handload. Nowadays I can find factory ammo that shoots inside an inch with the same bullet that I would be loading. Since I am usually behind in my reloading I have used factories on several hunts with complete saticefaction.
I never used to shoot ANY factory ammo, too expensive and not accurate enough. Those days are over. If you don't believe me, take a box of Federal Gold Medal, Winchester Competition Supreme or Black Hills Ammo match and shoot four five-shot groups. Then try to imagine holding that degree of accuracy over production runs that make millions of rounds.
Reloading is still the only way to shoot a lot of good ammo. I just thought I might get some feedback from you guys.
