Remember your first reloads?

[Legionnaire]

I started in the late 1990's with .44 magnum, and added .357 almost immediately. My initial goal was to save money. Then I added rifle cartridges and the rest, as they say, is history. I have NOT saved money! Rather, I’ve since bought rifles in wildcat cartridges I’d have never considered otherwise.

I started with a Lee Classic Turret, which I still use for revolver cartridges. Have since added a Classic Cast Single stage and a Forster Co-Ax, as well as a K&M arbor press for bullet seating.

 

[kmw1954]

1980. Bonanza single stage "O" press, RCBS carbide pistol dies, RCBS 505 scale, Lee Powder dippers and a RCBS trickler. Speer #10 manual. Loaded 357mag with Speer or Hornady cast lead bullets, both HBWC and BBWC or 158gr SWC over Hercules Bullseye powder with CCI primers. That was quite fun back then.

 

[Dudedog]

12 guage, Federal Paper, Federal 209, Pushin Cushin wad, 1 1.8 7.5s 18.0gr Red Dot, loaded and shot lots of those back when. (forget what the bushing number was for the powder)

Lee 3 Hole "Deluxe" turret, 9mm, Lee Dies, .40 disk = 3.8gr Univeral Clays, MBC cast 124gr cone (shot a couple 1000 of these as well but bumped the up to the .43 disk 4.0gr Universal after the first 100 or so)

 

[Olon]

Thanks for all your responses, they've been fun to read. Hopefully folks can keep 'em coming!

 

[Storm1969]

.40 on a LCT (Still the press I use) 180gr rn over 7.2gr Longshot. Favorite recipe for 40.

I now also load 380, 9mm, 357, 223/556, 300blk, 30-30, 45-70

 

[alfsauve]

1970, a buddy loaned me his Lee "hammer assisted" set for .38 special. 148gr wad cutters over 3gr of Bullseye. Well I think it was 3gr, because that's what the dipper was suppose to dispense.

Hooked ever since. Herter's C press, then a Lee turret and currently a Hornady LnL AP.

 

[FROGO207]

Back in the early 60's I assisted my grandfather make ammo. 12 GA with paper hulls and an Ideal setup. Worked prepping brass for him on a Lyman Spar-T turret. When I was a bit older and started on centerfire rifles in earnest. I got the if you are going to shoot em up you need to make more yourself talk. That was either 1967 or 1968. Before that all I mostly shot was .22 rimfire to fill the dinner pot/pest control. I still am a reloading fool at about 39 calibers total plus shotgun.

 

[Scooter22]

You know the simple Lee Loader was great. It gave you a basic load you could repeat and not get in trouble with unless you were stupid. I still have a set of the Lee dippers I use for simple plinking loads I've used for years. It's a simple scoop and seat bullet. I have a batch of cases resized, trimmed and primed ready to go. Those simple Lee dippers won't get you into trouble unless you really insist. Then you were stupid.

 

[Dudedog]

at about 39 calibers

only 39!
You need a new one to make it a nice even 40.
Time for a new gun

 

[Nature Boy]

It wasn’t that long ago for me, only a few years ago. I made my first hand loads March 2015.

I was loading for my M1A, which carried just enough additional complexity to make me extra nervous.

These are the 1st 50 rounds, 155g AMAX with a really safe 38.5g of H4895. I think it took me the better part of an day to make them as I triple checked everything



Took them to the range the next day and this was the first 5 rounds down rage. It was also the best group I ever shot with that rifle. I was instantly hooked



I joined THR the next month and have learned so much from the members here since then. My bench has also gotten a bit more busy

 

[Olon]

It wasn’t that long ago for me, only a few years ago. I made my first hand loads March 2015.

I was loading for my M1A, which carried just enough additional complexity to make me extra nervous.

These are the 1st 50 rounds, 155g AMAX with a really safe 38.5g of H4895. I think it took me the better part of an day to make them as I triple checked everything

View attachment 814393

Took them to the range the next day and this was the first 5 rounds down rage. It was also the best group I ever shot with that rifle. I was instantly hooked

View attachment 814394

I joined THR the next month and have learned so much from the members here since then. My bench has also gotten a bit more busy

View attachment 814395

All those dillon toolheads... that's the stuff of dreams right there

 

[1976B.L.Johns.]

Remember my first reloads, you betcha! 44 Remington magnum. A friend of a friend came to my home too assure me of the correct procedure(s). Have loved reloading ever since.

Have to agree with 1Kperday, as straight walled rounds are easier! YMMV.

 

[dave333]

My reloading journey started a little less than a decade ago. Read a lot about it on forums like this one, and despite all my reading I still tried to make things as hard on myself as possible by choosing the Lee Pro 1000 as my first press. Chose Solo 1000 as my first ever powder based completely upon there being more load data for it than any other powder on the load data sheet that came with the Lee 9mm dies I bought. Good times with that press, learned a lot about reloading though.

Still remember firing my first ever reload. A 115gr plated 9mm round over whatever the starting charge weight for solo 1000 is. Put one round in the gun, gun in weak hand, covered my junk with strong hand, pointed the gun in the direction of the berm, (probably closed my eyes) and lit it off. It was successful and thankfully every round I've loaded since then has been too, save for the very occasional bad primer. Glad I started, really enjoy the hobby.

 

[Walkalong]

.44 Mag with Speer 240 Gr JHPs and .45 ACP with 200 Gr lead SWCs. 9MM with 124 gr lead RN soon after that. Been adding calibers ever since.

 

[bbqreloader]

started with Berrys plated 9mm 115gr and WSF. Had 4 sources of published reloading info to break down...still nervous when I pulled that trigger on that first reload round

 

[Walkalong]

still nervous when I pulled that trigger on that first reload round

I think we all remember that feeling.

 

[drband]

Berry’s 230gr plated .45acp on a LCT 6 years ago. That was quickly followed by 9mm, .380acp, and a little later .44 magnum. The latest addition is .22TCM (what a blast to shoot!) and I’m still using the LCT. I’m largely self taught, but have read many manuals and lurked on several forums, finally joining 2-3. The best info came from THR, especially rcmodel!

 

[JimKirk]

Yes ... Helped my older mentor load .45 ACP in 1965 ... I was ten years old ... haven't stopped since.. 53 years of reloading...
Loaded on my own equipment first in early 1969 ... Lee whack 'm die set ...later that same year I bought a RCBS Rock Chucker outfit ...

 

[Bfh_auto]

When I was little I started loading on a Lee Load all 12ga with 7 1/2 shot with 700x. My dad let me move the shell and put the was in.
After a few years of helping him load for 8mm and 30-06, I went it alone on a 357 mag. Genius me thought h110 and Sierra 110 hollowpoints were the best option.
I tried the 700x and universal from my dad's shotgun stash with 110s 125s and 158s before I realized it's a lot more fun shooting heavier bullets slower.
I would recommend starting on rifle before handguns. Especially if it's a bolt gun. Get a powder that gives at least 90% case fill with the bullet you want.
Please read the entire front section of your loading manual before trying to reload. This will help you with safety and make you more confident.

 

[Bfh_auto]

Still remember that day, Lee Hammer Slammer for my 270, this was in the 1970's, very nervous about squeezing that trigger.....but first round @ 100 yds was a dead center bullseye, that did it for me, been reloading ever since.....270, 30-06, 9mm and 44 mag, great hobby!

I reload 32spl with one of those just to show me what people used to deal with. Thankfully I don't shoot it much.

 

[entropy]

12 ga. at 9 years old. My Dad started shooting Skeet, and reloaded to afford to shoot more. I wanted to learn how, and he showed me. I started working at a Trap range at 14, he had switched to Trap, as the range was 2 miles from our house, the Skeet range was 25. I started loading .30-06 at 14, when I bought my aunt's 742 Carbine, and it didn't like factory ammo. It took me a year to come up with a good accurate round that wouldn't beat on the gun. (742's are infamous for not standing up to a lot of hotter rounds) I started loading .38 and .357 the next year when my Dad gave me his Trooper MkIII.

 

[Slamfire]

Mine was a 44 Magnum. I was loading for a Ruger Super Blackhawk.



All I had was a Lee Loader. Used a leather mallet to beat the case in the die, and used the mallet to knock the case out, bell the case, seat the bullet. Used Lee Scoops because I did not have a measure or a scale. I lived in an apartment at the time. I made ammunition well past midnight in the kitchen. Sometimes I would hear the guy upstairs creeping around, but hey, everyone gets the munchies, right? Later I found out, the tapping was driving the couple upstairs nuts. The guy would roll out of the bed, then walk around, trying to figure out what was causing that tapping noise. And it always stopped before he could locate the noise.



It took over an hour to load 50 rounds. I had lots of time compared to now.

 

[GaryL]

Good question. About 20 years ago - 850 rnds of 45acp. A friend invited me over to load on his 550b. Said to bring cases, bullets, primers and powders, so I did. He made me do everything - took a little less than 2 hours. That press had over 100K through it by then. Several years later I bought my own press - to start loading 45acp.

 

[rabid wombat]

It looks like a lot of us learned on a Lee “whack a mole”

 

[Krogen]

Good thread! I started in about 1985. Bought an RCBS Ammo Crafter kit at SportsWest. I'd been buying factory ammo for my .357 and quickly realized I'd go broke in no time. A friend showed me the ropes with his setup and then I just jumped into the deep end. I'm up to 39 calibers now. Some calibers have fell by the wayside since I've sold the guns or lost interest. Who knows? I may load them again one day. Being a "sort of obsessive" record keeper, I kept good notes on all of my loads back to the first batch. It's amusing to read what I recorded as important back in the day. The first log has some comments about counting fingers. I clearly remember the odd feeling as I pulled the trigger in my 586 with my first reloads. Yes, I did squint my eyes and look away! There was a distinct feeling of relief when my blood stayed inside where it's supposed to be!