Have been helping people learn to reload for a long time also. The first thing I do is give them about an hour discussion on bad things that can happen if you are not very careful. I have a small collection of mishaps that I have gathered up over the years and a folder full of pictures and testimonials of blown up guns. One of the best "tools" in my schooling.
Newbies out of control!
- Thread starter joshb
- Start date
Why are you giving Darwin such a hard time about doing his job. He's been doing great work in the sporting arms community for 162 years and now you decide to get in his way?
I’ve been concerned about this since seeing local an online retail outlets void of reloading equipment. Won’t be long til we start hearing about tragic accidents.
I gave up on golf about 40 years ago - couldn't focus - saw too many ground hogs in the tree lines.
Make up a few sticks to hold them and old golf balls are great 300 yard targets.
danny
Silver $$ Contributor
I hear about this thing called "Egg Shoots". They should substitute Golf Balls for the Eggs and call it "Golf Ball Shoots", making Golf Balls actually useful.
Danny
I look at some of the questions some of the new ones ask,and I wonder how they survived long enough to get to the range and try to shoot a little bit.I used to think the new guys were lucky because of all the info that's available to them,but I don't think like that any more.In these times of scarcity,the urge to substitute components and do other not so smart things can easily overcome safe thoughts and practices,and the internet is full of experts that know ways to make such foolishness come together and work.Too many newbies want to be able to make precision ammunition before they're capable of making safe ammunition.All the information that we can have access to can make things way too complex for someone just starting out.The number of guys who are hung up on bumping the shoulder and seating depth is unreal.And the guys who see a jug of powder sitting on a shelf buy it first and ask if it will work later aren't helping anything.Most of the reloading manuals I've read go through the basic procedure of loading ammunition,and they do very well at sticking to the basics and keeping things simple,but with some reloaders who are just starting out the trend seems to be to move beyond needing to read and learn how to properly do it,starting with the basics,to rapidly advancing to the point of thinking they are ready to tackle the more intricate reloading procedures.Loading ammunition is not a complex task for most of us,provided we keep an open mind and are patient and humble enough to learn to do it properly.Some of what I see is like a 16 year old who flips the air cleaner top over on the family station wagon and thinks he has a hot rod.When he lets it get away from him and wraps it around a tree,he tends to realize maybe he's not so great after all.A good friend of mine made a profound statement right after he got a much publicized DUI,which nearly cost him his high paying high profile government job-"Good lessons come hard".
Coyotefurharvester
Silver $$ Contributor
I going to counter"the everyone is starting to reload" because the store shelves are empty. Much of what was purchased, was resold on the internet. Very few actually purchased components and equipment to start reloading. Between profit taking and COVID related manufacturing (staffing and work station spacing) and shipping issues dealers just were not able to restock. Many will find out late next summer/early fall "their deer ammo is not available".
Shooting golf balls is fun, on windy days you may find that a bit of fast curing silicone helps stay mounted to the sticks.
The internet in my opinion has made shooting sports more dangerous.
I've seen more blown up firearms in the last 2 years than in the previous 50 years.
Even on this site you read about people shooting AR rifles at pressures so high the brass adheres to the bolt!
I feel the frustration you have Josh. Seems like people only what to listen until they think they know. Then, they start questioning your on your advice. I have friends that I have help get into reloading as well. For the most part, they are good about taking my advice and listening, the problem starts when you add the third person! Now the one you have been helping has a voice in his or her ear that causes them to question what they know is good advice. FRUSTRATION!!!!
Hmph. I bought several reloading manuals in the 1980's. Then I read every magazine article I could that had anything to do with reloading. I actually began reloading in the mid 1990's. I felt confident that I had enough information to begin. I new exactly zero people who were reloaders, and just slightly more than that who were even shooters. This of course was before the internet, and none of the local shops carried any reloading tools or supplies. It was advertisements in Shotgun News and gun shows for both tools and components/supplies.
I went to a gun show and bought from a guy who was a regular seller there, reasoning I would be establishing some sort of a relationship with a knowledgeable person. I bought a press, dies, powder measure, scale, tumbler and media separator, all of which he was quite happy to sell me. I went back to the next show with some questions and he simply would not give me the time of day. Told me, basically, either buy something or get lost.
I've gotten by, by only using published data and never exceeding maximum published charges. Never experimented with unlisted powders, and if I couldn't find load data for my exact bullet ( for example, say it's a 75 grain Hornady and I can't find published data, I'll look at similar bullets...77 grain Sierra, Nosler, etc.) and take an average, start conservatively and work up.
Worked for me for more than 25 years. If all newbies would do the same, then the internet can be a wonderful thing! But I guess I somehow realized the potential danger. I mean, 50-60 or 65k psi explosions (essentially) going off inches from your face? Holding a potential pipe bomb in your hands? Maybe not everyone can understand that.
Years back I had a young guy working for me. He was reloading shotgun shells with his uncle. He was shooting sporting clays and his gun blew to bits. It blew his hand apart as well. He was like, hey it's not my fault. They sell the stuff, who would imagine it could blow your gun up? His credit rating was terrible, here again it was it's not my fault. They sent me the credit cards in the mail! They didn't tell me I there was minimum payments and interest and stuff.
Despite his lack of maturity or responsibility he was a good guy. Sadly he died in a motorcycle crash. I heard that alcohol and way too much speed were the major factors along with poor road conditions.
In all the years I've been shooting I have never had anyone ask me to help them learn to reload.
I went to a gun show and bought from a guy who was a regular seller there, reasoning I would be establishing some sort of a relationship with a knowledgeable person. I bought a press, dies, powder measure, scale, tumbler and media separator, all of which he was quite happy to sell me. I went back to the next show with some questions and he simply would not give me the time of day. Told me, basically, either buy something or get lost.
I've gotten by, by only using published data and never exceeding maximum published charges. Never experimented with unlisted powders, and if I couldn't find load data for my exact bullet ( for example, say it's a 75 grain Hornady and I can't find published data, I'll look at similar bullets...77 grain Sierra, Nosler, etc.) and take an average, start conservatively and work up.
Worked for me for more than 25 years. If all newbies would do the same, then the internet can be a wonderful thing! But I guess I somehow realized the potential danger. I mean, 50-60 or 65k psi explosions (essentially) going off inches from your face? Holding a potential pipe bomb in your hands? Maybe not everyone can understand that.
Years back I had a young guy working for me. He was reloading shotgun shells with his uncle. He was shooting sporting clays and his gun blew to bits. It blew his hand apart as well. He was like, hey it's not my fault. They sell the stuff, who would imagine it could blow your gun up? His credit rating was terrible, here again it was it's not my fault. They sent me the credit cards in the mail! They didn't tell me I there was minimum payments and interest and stuff.
Despite his lack of maturity or responsibility he was a good guy. Sadly he died in a motorcycle crash. I heard that alcohol and way too much speed were the major factors along with poor road conditions.
In all the years I've been shooting I have never had anyone ask me to help them learn to reload.
I tend to let the laws of natural selection work themselves out. Its not my place to go mucking around with natural selection.
I had a guy ask me to teach him to reload, friend of a friend. Our mutual friend told me i had made a mistake but i pressed on. I got up early and put a load of brass in the tumbler. Took it out and had a new batch ready to go to show him how it worked from start to finish. I had every thing ready when he was supposed to meet me at noon. Got a call at 3;30 wanting to know if we were going to do this. Decided if he could not show up on time he could not be trusted to load safely.
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