Anybody share reloading with their children?

[Thorbird]

Anybody reload with their small children? My three year old, soon to be four-year-old daughter has been helping me reload. She likes to hand me the cases and likes to pull the handle down when I resize, but this is a little frustrating of course for her, so I help her out. I will sit with her in the living room and do case prep. I have a feeling that this is pretty common for a lot of you guys? It is just normal for her, and I hope that she wants to continue. She will probably be one of the few in her class someday who can say that she reloads her own ammo. That is if it is allowed when she gets to the age to hunt and shoot. We can only hope and continue to fight for the right.

 

[P1ZombieKiller]

It is for me. I have found as they get older, they either have more interest or none at all. I have 4 boys, and the two older ones could care less. They are teenagers, so of course it's all about the girls or X-box,not always in that order).

My 8 year old LOVES to help me, but I only allow him to work the press and hand me components,for obvious reasons). The 5 yr old thinks he should be able to do it all, and if I do not let him help me with every step, he doesn’t want to do any of it. That's more of a personality thing as he is more strong willed and independent than the 8 yr old.

My rule with shooting,as well with hunting camp) is you either help with the work, or you don’t get to enjoy the play. So far… it seems to be working out ok for us.

 

[Thorbird]

Hey Wes, What is it about kids at that age.Like 4 or 5. My daughter gets frustrated if she can't do something either physically or like you say, for obvious reasons. I try to appease her with handing me the cases.

 

[222Rem]

Amo it's not the same without kids help. They love it when you take them shooting and they look at the holes in the target.

 

[WANTASHOOT]

I remember helping my dad reload when I was young. When I got a little older he let me try some shotgun shells with his Pacific 360 Auto what a MESS I made with that.

I also let my 4 yr old daughter help me with reloading. She comes out and sets on the reloading bench and draws me pictures to hang on the wall. She doesn't really like to get hands on with the reloading though which might be a good thing for my consistancy.

I greatly appreciate her being there with me as I work out of town during the week and any time spent with her is wonderfull.

 

[boogershooter]

Yea, my six year old daughter gets a kick out of the powder throw,she helps any way she can....GOOD STUFF!You know these days wont last forever,so I savor every single second with her.

 

[fivering]

I realize this will probably bring a storm of response from feel good types, and brand me forever as an "Old Grouch", but I feel the need to make a comment or two.
For safety reasons, reloading should be done by ones self, without ANY distractions, even talking to another grownup.
If loading for handgun, just one double load of a fast powder like Bullseye, which can be hard to detect by a quick visual of the powdered cases, can be catastrophic when fired.
While double loads are not a big risk with rifle cartridges, it's easy to skip over one case, and the primer has just about the right energy to lodge the bullet tightly in the bbl, pretty well ending a hunting trip or shooting match. And if the stuck bullet is somehow followed by another shot......
Do the family togetherness on the range or in the field, not in the loading room.

 

[Thorbird]

I sure make sure I throw and measure powder when she is not around, because she is soo darn busy, and quick. I get a kick out of how she accepts that this as what is normal and what Dad's do. I remember even at 15, when I started reloading with a Lee handloader that I was the odd person out at school. My Dad didn't even reload.

I can tell you that I savor every minute with her. I have a feeling that she will like to shoot.

 

[Baron]

Attached is a picture of my four year old son Brady Graham @ 2 1/2 sorting Norma .300 WBY case by weight. Below is a link to a youtube video of him fire forming the cases w/ cream of wheat into .300 Ackley. He is a future National Champion! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2V2JOLIKFR8

 

[Mudcat]

I realize this will probably bring a storm of response from feel good types, and brand me forever as an "Old Grouch", but I feel the need to make a comment or two.
For safety reasons, reloading should be done by ones self, without ANY distractions, even talking to another grownup.
Do the family togetherness on the range or in the field, not in the loading room.

If ya notice, most folks arent talking about droppin powder when they are "reloading" with the kids in the room. Most are sizing, weighing, sorting, etc. That where my 7 yr old helps out the most. He never gets to mess with powder, for obvious reasons.

ANd I totally disagree with the last statement, as long as its not during the powder parts of the loading, there is no reason the youngins cant pull their weight at the reloading table. Shoot, when out shooting, my son loads his own mags or he doesnt get to shoot!

John

 

[P1ZombieKiller]

I agree with you fivering, but I'm sure most of us have that common sense to not do that. I don't feel like your an old fart, but a concerned reloader. My kids DO NOT help in the powder throwing process, but are allowed to "pull the handle",as they call it). I also do things a bit different than most. I charge the case, then press the bullet all in one step. I do not charge 50 cases before I seat 50 bullets. And,fortunate for me) I use the RCBS charge master, so my charges are dead on for each case.

 

[Thorbird]

Great photo Baron.

Hey fivering, I agree with you on that, and also think, or hope that others follow that advise when loading. Hopefully, by showing that the loading and powder throw is something you do alone to your kids, and of course after they fire the guns and see the power of the event, they will respect the potential danger.

 

[lmorrison17]

My 3yr old granddaughter wants to go it all too but I let her "pull the handle" when I'm decapping or sizing cases and she will hand me cases and replace them in the block. She very often approaches me "Poppy lets do bullets". I have to be careful not to go near the loading bench when the operations I need to do aren't ones I want her helping with because if I'm she has to be right there.

 

[Thorbird]

I can picture that image now. "let's load bullets". That's great.

 

[BigJim]

My best friends son is 13 and he has been helping his dad reload since he was 10. He is up to cleaning, decaping and resizing and under supervision some priming. I pay him $0.02 a case for decaping and resizing 45acp, 9mm, 357mag and 40 s&w cases,some times a nickel a case.) It's a good way for him to make candy/ice cream money. He has his oun 22lr, 410 shotgun and H&R 223 and can shoot rings around us older folkes at the range.

Baron that's a great video and your right about a future National Champion in the making.

Giving kids incentives I think is the best way to go and if you pay them for helping, you will have a hard time keeping them out of the reloading area/room.

Good Luck and Good Shooting

Jim