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Old 08-17-2021, 07:17 PM
Ivan the Butcher Ivan the Butcher is offline
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Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Harlem, Ohio
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Hello my name's Ivan, and I reload.

It all started in the fall of 1978, with a cheap Enfield SMLE and the gun store ran out of Winchester ammo, but on a shelf in the back of the store (In a dark and dusty corner) was a Lee Loader in 303 British. Back then a box of 100 Hornady Bullets was $5.69 a pound of IMR 3031 was $7.59 and a tray of 100 primers was 69 Cents, the Lee Loader was less than $9. I already had a hammer and the basement floor!

The cost of 5 boxes of factory ammo (my first hundred rounds) was close to $60, My second hundred rounds was $27.97, My third hundred rounds was $19!

Honest, I thought I could keep my using to just one or two weekends a month! But by 1981 I was using 2 weeknights and every weekend! In 1984 I bought a Dillon 450, about 2 months before they went customer direct. Once it was set up the first large batch was 5000 9mm's. The government was an enabler also! I bought 21,000 55 grain FMJBT/C for 5.56 NATO at 7.99/1000! So I scrounged every 223 brass in central Ohio and loaded 20,00 of them, followed by several batches of 5000 and 10,000 9mm's for my full auto MAC-10.

In 2016 when we sold the farm, my loading room had 17 running feet of loading bench. There was the Dillon, long ago upgraded to a 550b, a Hornady L-I-L AP, 2 RCBS Rock Chucker Supremes, a Redding T-7, 2 Lubrasizers, a Starr sizing machine and a few single stage presses!

Now I live in a condo! My loading room is a 5 feet long bench in the laundry room. It has 1 Lyman 450 bullet sizer, 1 Rock Chucker Supreme, the Dillon 550b, and the T-7. My 8 shotgun presses are on boards and mount to Workmate portable benches. I just bought 2 used sets of dies I didn't need yet, but they take me to 121 cartridges reloaded. My wife has been very supportive and understanding! I do buy her good jewelry! I don't collect girl friends!

Hi I'm Ivan and I reload. (all respond Hi Ivan.)
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