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Old 09-14-2017, 05:47 PM
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Default January 24, 1988

I looked and it was a Sunday. I don't remember much more about the day, but I did load at least one box of 357 magnum. It was a 158gr cast swc over 13 grains of 2400 in nickel cases. I shot the last half of the box today and they all worked just fine and were accurate. I shot them out of my South American made 1892 carbine copy. I wrote the load on the back of a business card from a job I left in 1977.

I started loading on a Lee Loader in about 1974 and soon moved to an RCBS Jr, which these were loaded on.

Last edited by max; 09-14-2017 at 07:15 PM.
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Old 09-14-2017, 05:56 PM
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You kept better records back then than I did.

I've disassembled a few boxes from back then, because I had no idea what was in there.... and I loaded them.
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Old 09-14-2017, 06:21 PM
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My first ever handloads would have been about 1.5yrs after your box of .357 Magnum. I recall many details:

.38 Special in Federal non-nickel brass, CCI-500 primers

Hercules Green Dot, I don't recall charge weight

Speer swaged 158gr lead slugs from the yellow & black box
Want to say it was the LSWC but could have been a LRN, as I used both

Crafted on a Lee Challenger "2001" o-frame press. I used the yellow plastic Lee dippers and I actually didn't own a powder scale until 3 years later.

Launched from my 6-inch S&W Model 686-3 revolver.

My target for the first cylinderful was the dirt backstop at the club range, 100 yards away.

Before these handloads, I had a couple months "experience" loading 20 gauge skeet loads on a Mec-650. In handloading, I had no mentor, no internet, no Father or Uncle or neighbor, I was 16 and I had no support from my local gun shop that took zero interest in a young person handloading.

What I did have was a Speer#11 and Guns & Ammo magazine. I very quickly fell completely in love with handloading.

I was dormant for many years while starting a family but have always had my love for this hobby. My best guess, using old empty primer boxes to help form an estimate is somewhere between 100,000-125,000 rounds loaded to date. For the last 7 or so years I have kept irrationally detail records. To wit, I am way under my typical pace for 2017 with 5,700 rounds loaded this year.

I'm like 97% handguns and handgun ammo. I consider myself an amateur in rifle loading.
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Old 09-14-2017, 06:25 PM
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...a while back I found a few 12 gauge shells I reloaded over 40 years ago...still work fine...
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Old 09-14-2017, 07:19 PM
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What I have always done is to write the date and load on the back of an old business card and put that in with the rounds. I am lucky in that the company I worked at was always tweaking the name and I got lots of business cards. I have been retired 10 years and still have a box full.

My FIRST reloads were with a Lee Loader. New WW cases, WW primers and WW lead rn and 3.0 of Bullseye. I shot a jug full of water and it barely quivered and the water just dripped out.
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Old 09-14-2017, 08:49 PM
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I still have some .357 Magnum 158 gr LCSWC that I cast and loaded in 1982 and some are loaded with 2400 and some with WW296 that I shoot at times and they shoot just as good as when I loaded them. I also have .38 special 150 gr LCSWC that I shoot. I always kept a label on the insides of the box on how many times the brass had been reloaded and bullet type, charge weight and brand, and date of reloading. I still do that but I don't reload as often anymore.
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Old 09-14-2017, 11:53 PM
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I love to keep very good and very specific records but I just never could keep track of "number of times loaded" on my brass. I tried actually, but it was mostly the brass tumbling that made it impossible. I couldn't bear to tumble small lots in order to keep a proper count on brass so I gave it up shortly after trying.
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Old 09-15-2017, 02:19 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by max View Post
I looked and it was a Sunday. I don't remember much more about the day, but I did load at least one box of 357 magnum. It was a 158gr cast swc over 13 grains of 2400 in nickel cases. I shot the last half of the box today and they all worked just fine and were accurate. I shot them out of my South American made 1892 carbine copy. I wrote the load on the back of a business card from a job I left in 1977.

I started loading on a Lee Loader in about 1974 and soon moved to an RCBS Jr, which these were loaded on.
Very cool. A classic load with a classic powder on a classic press! How about a photo or two of that rifle? 29 year old ammo is nothing compared to a 125 year old rifle!!! Very cool.
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Old 09-15-2017, 08:54 AM
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I was not clear. The rifle is a new stainless copy of the Model 92.
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Old 09-15-2017, 10:02 AM
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I think the oldest of my handloads that I have are a couple of 100rd boxes of 115gr 9mm from 1992 and one 50rd box of 250gr LFNGC .44 Magnum loaded in Norma brass, also from about that year. I have more, especially rifle, that that has been loaded since 2000-2010 still unfired but one of these days...
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Old 09-15-2017, 10:54 AM
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I don't reload, Yet. But I don't understand why you have such old ammo around. Are you more into reloading than shooting. Now I did just shoot a box of reloads a friend gave me in 1992 but I had always been leary of shooting them. Now they are gone. No problem.
I'm just curious.
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Old 09-15-2017, 11:41 AM
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Default I stated when..

I started keeping records when I picked up reloading again.

Before that:

Jacketed was a stiff load, suitable for defense

Wadcutters are good for target, light load.

Swaged semi wadcutters were medium loads for general shooting.

Hard case, similar to jacketed.

Then the world went more nutty than it already was and the scarcity of loading supplies and components from everywere promted me to start taking records.

It worked for me for a long time.
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Old 09-15-2017, 11:53 AM
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I still have some made earlier than that. I know there is a bag of my 160 Gr. Silhouette loads from about 1984 in one of my GI cans. I used them in a Model 19 and shot standing Silhouette out to 200 meters with them. That load wouldn't topple the Ram unless hit within the top 3 inches.
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Old 09-15-2017, 02:55 PM
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I still have some 22-250 reloads I made out of LC 30-06 brass in 1973. I used them until I came upon some used 22-250 brass. My Husky 30-06 and my S&W M-19 I bought in 1962 at Wheelus AFB in Libya have never seen a factory round. The base Rod and Gun club supplied all the reloading gear (Herters), we cast our own bullets and bought powder and primers at the club. Saturday was pistols at 25 yards and Sunday was rifles at 100. We had to shoot over the 25 yard range when shootings at 100 yards I paid $92 dollers for my Husky and $96 for the S&W on an A2C (E-3) pay of $125.00 a month. Good thing the AirForce was providing room and board.
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Old 09-15-2017, 04:44 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jhnttrpp View Post
I don't reload, Yet. But I don't understand why you have such old ammo around. Are you more into reloading than shooting. Now I did just shoot a box of reloads a friend gave me in 1992 but I had always been leary of shooting them. Now they are gone. No problem.
I'm just curious.
See I am opposite end of the spectrum, 10,000 bullets sitting in cardboard boxes, 20 pounds of propellant waiting in black plastic cans. A GI can full of primed brass and a pouch of Alumina Salt. Make a batch shoot, repeat. IMHO if you have a stockpile of loaded rounds you aren't shooting enough.

Storebought ammo? They sell ready made?
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Old 09-15-2017, 05:07 PM
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You are somewhat right. I find reloading to be good therapy. I had a high stress job and reloading relaxed me. Before yesterday, I can't tell you the last time I fired a magnum round. Too hard on the gun and the shooter. I stick to light stuff. Also, I am keeping the hot stuff around in case the fan ever gets hit. For the past several years, I have shot auto loaders almost exclusively.

Quote:
Originally Posted by jhnttrpp View Post
I don't reload, Yet. But I don't understand why you have such old ammo around. Are you more into reloading than shooting. Now I did just shoot a box of reloads a friend gave me in 1992 but I had always been leary of shooting them. Now they are gone. No problem.
I'm just curious.
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Old 09-15-2017, 05:19 PM
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I think over the last two years I've loaded 25,000 rounds of ammo. 223, 9mm. 38 spl. 357 mag, 40 S&W, 44 mag, and 45 ACP. The most loaded was 38 spl, 45 ACP, and 223 because of all the brass I picked up. Twice I cast 45 SWC bullets with Lyman 4 cavity and Lee 6 cavity moulds that totaled 15K of bullets -- used up two 5 gallon buckets of mined lead bullets.

38 Spl is laying all over at the range and I pick up all the brass I see (nickeled is 357 mag -- I don't read head stamps after tumbling so I'm "picky" ). I loaded 4,800 rounds and ran out of bullets, but thought I cast enough.

Once fired 223 brass is everywhere at the 3 ranges I shoot at laying on the ground. I've loaded at least 5K rounds of either 55 gr FMJ or soft point and hollow point for prairie dogs. I sort the brass for crimped / normal primers and go from there. I have at least a 5 gallon bucket full prepped brass ready for reloading, but ran out of storage space. My wife ordered me to only bring my brass home -- nothing extra.

The weather has cooled to the mid-80°s now so there will be more shooting. I want to get ready for Bullseye in February and prairie dogs in early June or early September. My Bullseye goal (2700 points possible) is to break 800 with my 45 ACP at least once, and break 2400 total points just once. I've shot 790+ twice with a 45 and made 2385 once when I had my best 22 LR score. Old & Shakey don't make it.

Yes, I'm an excessive reloader but somebody has to shoot my primer and powder inventory. It ain't going to the estate sale -- that's where I bought some of it at 1985 prices! I write my load data on the empty primer wrapper and put it in the ammo can. Plastic 44 mag boxes hold ammo that should be shot in 8-3/8" or 7-1/2' barreled revolvers -- don't use in the 3" guns!
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Old 09-15-2017, 09:27 PM
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Quote:
max wrote:
I wrote the load on the back of a business card from a job I left in 1977.
Congratulations.
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Old 09-15-2017, 09:31 PM
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Quote:
max wrote:
I wrote the load on the back of a business card from a job I left in 1977.
Congratulations.
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Old 09-15-2017, 09:32 PM
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Ahhh!Good memories!I still remember as if it was last month.
We are in 1977;Ruger Super Balckhawk.I was to get me a model 29 but backed off at the $700 asking price(if I remember correctly,I was then making $85/week and that was before govt ripoff!).Bought the big SA revolver and a Lee kit(the one you supply the hammer),a pound of IMR 4227,some gc lead Winchester 240SWC,100 mag primers and after I received my OK from the govt,went to pick it up.In the meantime,I hadn't sat idle but loaded a few empty brass I had procured.
I remember the trip back,along with my brotherlike uncle;we went to the local dump.It was winter.I touched off the first round,then a few more,let my friend try it....don't remember if I hit anything I was aiming at but it sure was fun.
With it,I learned 2 things;
A)soft swaged lead SWC at mag vel grants you with a nice job of cleaning a leaded barrel
B)shooting a boxfull of those without ear protection contributes greatly to develop a mega flinch that'll take a few K rounds of .22 to get rid off(nice excuse for me to go out and buy a .22 revolver,my actual much beloved model 17).
Like I said ''sweet memories''!
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