Were you tense shooting your first reload?

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I must not have been that nervous, because I can't remember what caliber I loaded first. I think it was 30-06. I think I loaded at or below minimum, so maybe I should have been more scared (now I know that going below min is a bad idea).
 
We had an early Christmas at my house today, and I now have all of the reloading components and tools. I plan to do my first reloading next month. Every time I fire a new revolver or pistol for the first time (I collect items that are usually 60 - 100 years old), I cover my eyes with my left forearm and just generally point the gun downrange for the first shot.

I fully expect to do the same thing with my reloads!
 
WoW...Some things I wish I could forget..!!!

BUT....
My first round made was 38 spl's.
I made up a bunch of "Dummies" at the time .
All chambered good in my revolvers.

Finally made up 6 to shoot. But before that I had read MANY manuals and everything I could get my hands on and anyone who knew anything about reloading.

Took my loaded revolver out back, wrapped my arms around a nice sized Oak tree and had my head behind the tree so I could at least save my eye's..!!:D

Pulled the trigger and it went B A N G....So cool, then did one more that way and all went well.
Unwrapped my tense arms from around the tree and shot the rest normally.
WHAT A RUSH.....:neener:

Now I use a slightly modified approach to shooting new test rounds than I did back then. ( No Tree ) just safety glasses and electronic ears...

It WAS and IS so much fun to me.....I hope everyone has as much fun as I did and still do.

TxDon
 
Don't recall on the shotgun shells I was about 12.
Pistol/rifle
yes the 1st, 2nd, 3rd.... Yea no Kaboom, ran thru the rest of the box in short order.!
weighed every charge a couple of times for the first 9mm rounds.
 
I was a bit nervous, but I figured I'd already had a pretty good life! Actually, I was just hoping the gun would cycle: 4.0gr of WSF behind 124gr 9mm coated lead; it just barely cycled making the brass easy to find:) Didn't cycle for my wife.
 
16 years old back in the 70's with a whack a mole and a 300 Savage. Never even had a thought that something could go wrong, it was the only way to be able to shoot. Still have the gun and the loader.
 
Call me naive

The first day I shot my brand new Dan Wesson in 1975, I shot 50 store-bought 38 Specials, 3 .357 Magnums that my mentor loaded as he showed me how and 3 .357 Magnums that I loaded under his watchful eye. During the time of my tutelage, I asked and he answered all the questions I had.

I have never had a moment's trepidation from that day till this.

Naive? or confident in my preparations and attention to detail? You make the call. I am satisfied in my own mind.

Lost Sheep
 
jcwit said:
I have no idea, it was so long ago, "50 years" in my old age I can't remember than far back.

Heck I can't remember what happened this morning.
Click to expand...
Was blessed with a very good instructor. Worked as a aircraft mechanic for over 24 yrs. (with that background, you tend to over think EVERYTHING) Best I can recall the first round went off with my eyes closed!
PS I'll be 70 in August and I don't forget much of anything! I make notes!!!! Just not sure WHERE the notes are.
 
It was only about two years ago for me. 270 Winchester. 130 grain hornady soft point starting load of hybrid 100v. I went from super nervous to proud in one trigger pull. Reloading had me hook line and sinker. Thanks for reminding me of that thrill.
 
she said a blessing in Latin over the rifle since she is an ordained minister.
Click to expand...

LOL, we should all be so lucky as to have a minister at our side as often as you! Well, thinking about it again I guess that could be a bad thing:D
 
.38 special 158 grain LRN over some Bullseye.

I was a lot more tense beating the cartridges together with a hammer and a Classic Lee Loader than I was when I pulled the trigger on my S&W 10-8.
 
I learned mostly on my own. Just a book and weeks worth of reading here and other forums out there.
9mm was where I started. I chose PowerPistol to work with because many users stated that is more forgiving than some powders, thus newbie friendly.

My first time firing my handloads were at an indoor range. I was a little nervous just before the first trigger pull, but not too bad. The second and third shots were more nerve racking for me. I was not accustomed to the flash and pushier recoil that PowerPistol produces. Fired off only my first test batch, then went home to double check everything. It was just fine.
 
This thread is timed perfectly for me.....I just fired my first handloads on Saturday. :) The night before, my daughter was explaining to me that I should not be the only person at the range when I test fire (just in case), nor should I properly sight the gun, but hold it out away from my face. Haa!!!

I know that I still have a lot to learn, but with the wealth of knowledge here, and some amazing videos on Youtube, I was able to watch people load the same rounds on the same equipment prior to loading anything myself. Then it was a matter of moving slowly, and triple checking all my steps.

I'm very happy to report that I fired 25 223 rounds and 15 45ACP rounds without a problem. Pretty damn cool shooting my own handloads!!

Now, to the OP.....yes, I was a little nervous. :)

wooldl
 
A little less than two years ago, I shot my first reloads. Yes, was just a little nervous, but I was fairly confident as I had started with the most conservative load I could find. I was actually more concerned that it might not be enough to cycle my gun. Worked perfectly, though.

I am now up to 4900 rounds loaded, and have over 400 lines in my reloading log. The vast majority of the entries are ladder loads, 5 rounds each. I'm up to 21 different pistol powders in 6 calibers.

Just yesterday I shot my first true magnum loads in my GP100. I was just a little nervous again. :)
 
My first reload was a 9mm with a lee whack a mole. I fired it out of a Glock 19. I loaded it at the bottom end of the scale, and really wasn't worried about firing it. What made me nervous was priming with the lee whack a mole kit. I snapped primers regularly until I got the hang of it. My dog has thought hammers make that loud bang ever since. She now runs for cover when anyone has a hammer
 
I really can't remember being nervous, or even remember what I was reloading. I would have been 15 or 16. Probably something for my .223 bolt gun.

I can distinctly remember being nervous shooting .22s and the Model 37 20 ga. pump at about 7, quite a few years earlier, so I must not have been so scared by my own reloads as to make a lasting impression.
 
Not really.
It must have been because I had all the confidence in the world with my "teachers".
Plus what does a dumb 16 year old kid have to fear?
 
I don't remember being tense or concerned about safety issues. I had all the tools and manuals to make sure my components were appropriate and the charges and cartridge lengths were accurate, so I wasn't thinking about catastrophic failures. I remember hoping that my loads would be reliable and accurate. When I saw that all went bang and were fairly accurate, I felt a sense of respect for those hand loaders who came before me that created the industry that provided a novice with the tools and knowledge to load specific ammunition.

Sometimes I think that if the home cooking industry were as helpful, organized and precise as hand loaders, the restaurant business in this county would go out of business.
 
Like RC, my first time was in 62. But I was more nervous about hitting the target than anything going wrong with the round.
 
I started with shot shell for a couple years prior to stepping up to metallic, so the thought of loading a cartridge that had the potential to run triple the pressures certainly raised my concerns.

I don't remember whether it was 44 mag. or .357 mag., but I was definitely nervous. I remember holding the revolver around the side of my truck door as a shield, to avoid getting struck be any chunks of metal. Round after round went off without a hitch, and has continued to since that day.

GS
 
Yup! As I was squeezing the trigger I was thinking of every reloading step and hardly a thought on aiming. Worst I've done so far was had 1 cartridge I forgot to put powder in.:uhoh:
 
Not me, but then again I was invincible back then! Haha.
The Good Lord blessed me in the fact I did not have to find out I wasn't!
I grow more careful each day! I also forget more at the same time!
Catpop
 
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