Reloaders: How did you get into said?

[CountryGent]

Did you learn how to reload from a relative or friend? A workshop or class? Self-taught? Inquiring minds want to know. (Well, at least one does.)

Thanks.

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[Nosferatu]

Self taught by a complete idiot.

 

[RVTECH]

Self taught - and with a Lee Loader which I firmly believe were made surreptitiously to influence the move to a more practical system for reloading.

 

[papersoldier]

In this (amazing) day and age a person can learn just about anything they want via the internet, which is how I learned everything I know about reloading. You just have to be very diligent about verifying the information you get online, especially when it comes to somewhat dangerous activities like reloading.

 

[RVTECH]

You just have to be very diligent about verifying the information you get online, especially when it comes to somewhat dangerous activities like reloading.

Yes you do and I have watched some vids from people showing very questionable reloading processes.

I still recommend manuals as a primary starting point and to watch online vids very 'judiciously' .

 

[2Wheels4Ever]

YouTube, for all it's faults, is a true wealth of information. It's all there and entertaining to watch.
After viewing a few, I went with a Lee Pro 1000. It's chugged out thousands of rounds over the years and still going strong, all on original parts.

 

[Josh89]

Self taught with some help from @Dyjital and @ageingstudent when I got stumped or had general questions. I watched some YouTube videos to kinda see the basic process then went from there. If you have some common sense and reading comprehension it's not to hard to start.

 

[DizzyJ]

Had a friend start me out. Very minimal input as I recall. From there it was trial and error. We didn't have internet back then.

 

[RVTECH]

We didn't have internet back then.

Same here.

A friend and I started together so we we able to 'compare notes' as we proceeded.

 

[Wombat of Doom]

Did you learn how to reload from a relative or friend? A workshop or class? Self-taught? Inquiring minds want to know. (Well, at least one does.)

Thanks.

My grandpa taught me on a single stage press as a kid. and then I had a lee handloader for .308 I got from a family friend who showed me how to use that. I have made a few mistakes along the way, (forgetting to use enough lube while sizing brass is a big one.) It is actually far easier than some make it sound, but precision is key.

After my grandpas death I got an RCBS press just like the one he taught me on. I still use it. Now I know you can go much faster with other methods, but I enjoy reloading.

 

[P7M13]

Self taught - and with a Lee Loader which I firmly believe were made surreptitiously to influence the move to a more practical system for reloading.

Same. First press was a Load Master. Long gone.
Just bought a Lee Loader for the nostalgia of it.

To say I was self taught would be a lie. Learned from a village of other reloaders on forums like this. Lots of great advice and knowledge gleaned over decades. The mechanics are simple, the subtle nuances that make a difference between 1moa and .2moa groups, much harder to comprehend and implement.

 

[Trick]

Sort of brushed against it over the years as I had a good friend that reloaded. It was something I thought about, but finances and time seemed to work against me.
Then one day I bought the kit, bought several books/manuals and poured over the internet. Still probably took months before I felt comfortable punching my first round.
Had another round of anxiety firing my first reload, but everything went well.
Happy I made the plunge when I did. Was able to secure the components while prices were good and have the peace knowing my family's hunting seasons won't be screwed over the mess were in now.
To answer the original question....90% self taught.

 

[Member 34319]

My dad gave me most of his equipment when I started shooting more.

He helped me get started, then I took it from there and learned by experimenting and trial and error.

Reloading is something I have learned to love. It is not only a great way to stay "IN STOCK" so to say, but it is an enjoyable way to get away from things! I also get to make up some crazy stuff and or custom ammo. That no manufacturer would likely ever make.

 

[arrowshooter]

Joined forums, watched videos and read all I could before I even bought a thing. Ended up going single stage and still garner all info that I can when I switch calibers, like the 10mm I am studying for now.

 

[Deerhurst]

Mostly self taught and I still have sight in both eyes and can count to 10 still!

I wanted ammo that cannot be bought such as subsonic 7.62x25 tokarev so I now load it for my AR. It sits about 1030FPS!

 

[Twodogs]

Self taught started out with an RCBS JR kit and a speer manual loading .38 SPL, That was 48 years ago.

 

[Member 34319]

Like you @CountryGent I find myself looking into something new.

Not exactly the same, but similar.

I find myself researching bullet casting. Being that I've gone through 3-5 panics now, I'm looking to start making my own bullets now.

 

[CountryGent]

I hear you @Reno. My firearms tastes, like many other things, have always been in flux. Variety is the spice of life type of thing.

For reasons unknown, handloading/reloading never caught my eye. On the other hand, the benefits are significant.

 

[Bon Sauvage]

By watching and "helping" my dad to reload when I was a kid.

 

[gmerkt]

My first reloading experience was with shot shells. A friend and I had started going out informal trap shooting. From somewhere or another, I found a second hand shot shell press that was real cheap. Honestly I don't remember now whether it was a Mec or a Lee; only that it was red. And didn't have but a couple of powder and shot bushings but that didn't hold me back. I seem to remember having a very dog-eared Lyman shot shell reloading manual, which I didn't read all of due to being impatient. My 12 ga. shells came out well. It took me a while to get the hang of obtaining a good crimp. I loaded several hundred shot shells in 1974. To this day, I still have one box remaining. The shot was reclaimed from the pond at a Winchester company shotgun complex. One can of Red Dot was on the shelf. I think I was using Remington RXP wads in whatever hulls I had to use.

I didn't start reloading centerfire until the early 1980's. It was a venture of necessity due to having bought a Thompson/Center Contender with a .30-30 barrel. I quickly found that .30-30 factory rifle ammo wasn't appropriate for a 10 inch pistol barrel. Once I got started on that, the activity blossomed. My older cousin was a reloader and he mentored me in the initial stages.