Ten years ago today I stumbled on a website called Accurate Reloading and I just wanted to thank our host Saeed, our webmaster Don and everyone who contributes on these boards for the enjoyment and education that I’ve received here during that time.

I started dreaming of Africa in the Lompoc, CA city public library in the late 1960’s reading every hunting book that they had and for 40 years it was just that, a dream.

After participating here for years I booked my first African hunt in 2008 and then three years later I fulfilled one of my life long dreams to hunt cape buffalo. And in 9 months I’ll take my little brother on his first hunt in Africa and my third trip.

During my time on here I’ve met some wonderful people, I’ve been invited to shoot some beautiful guns, bought and sold items and have gifted and received items from people that I’ve never met anywhere but through a keyboard.

So thanks everyone! I hope to enjoy many more years on these boards, many more hunts to Africa and the opportunity to meet many more friends.

I wish I would have found the site sooner. Only been around a couple of years but learned a lot. Thanks.

+1 This site took a lot of mystery out of going on safari and has made the trips much more enjoyable. It also has led to many friendships and good times. Thank you all and especially our host Saeed.

hear hear - thanks Saeed for an incredible platform and resource ....few of us can grasp what ,managing something like this consumes in hours !!!!

Fjold
Happy 10 years. Can you tell us where you got your Avatar?

Its got to be one of the best on here

I only found this site a couple of years ago. My first post was a hunt report from a Leopard hunt with my son and CMS, made at the request of my PH Rich Tabor. I'm extremely grateful for the nudge from Rich to come here and participate and grateful to Saeed for putting it together. Prior to posting here, I completely bored all my friends and family with constant talk of hunting and guns. As soon as I started talking about it, eyes would roll.

With this forum, I've finally found people more obsessed with hunting and guns than myself. It's been great sharing ideas and stories with folks who have the same level of enthusiasm. I've met some of the people in person and to a man so far, they have all been great. Now days, the family has one more subject to roll their eyes over; talk of guns, hunting, and now AR!

My wife walks into the den, looks at me and says "I guess you're ARing again". My answer, "" yep".

Saaed...I HOPE YOU ARE LISTENING AND READING.

Here is probably the truth with most guys who hunt Africa: I have lots of local friends. However, my passion through the last 18+ years has become Africa. I DO NOT have very many friends (ONLY 2 OR 3) who hunt Africa much, or have the passion for the Dark Continent as I do.

THEREFORE.....Where has my 'sharing the experience' come from. Very simple - My family, whom I work religiously to take with me, and the Many and Numerous new friends I have found via ACCURATE RELOADING forums. Not to mention the many, many African PH's who I feel as though I have become close with.
To the point.....I would just about be 'out of luck' if it weren't for AR. By the way....when Christmas morning arrived.....what do you think the first thing I was doing before everyone arrived, or got up. YES - YOU GUESSED IT, reading AR!

So.....do I owe a debt a gratitude to Saaed. You bet I do! I just wish he would choose to coming visit the great southwest of the United States so that I might offer some measure of hospitality to him. Saaed......That is an Invitation. Come let a plain old working American offer you a measure of gratitude. My words are not eliquent enough, but I hope my actions would be.

bcolyer
Ya done good explaining the AR experience for me as well.

quote:

Originally posted by Hunting the Box H:
Fjold
Happy 10 years. Can you tell us where you got your Avatar?

Its got to be one of the best on here

I actually found that avatar over 20 years ago and have used it on a fishing website since 1992.

Funny thing is Don PM'ed me just after I signed up in 2002, about the appropriateness of my avatar after he received a complaint about it from another member. I told Don that if he felt is was not acceptable for the website that he was free to delete it and there would be no hard feelings. It and I are still here.

quote:

Originally posted by bcolyer:
Saaed...I HOPE YOU ARE LISTENING AND READING.

Here is probably the truth with most guys who hunt Africa: I have lots of local friends. However, my passion through the last 18+ years has become Africa. I DO NOT have very many friends (ONLY 2 OR 3) who hunt Africa much, or have the passion for the Dark Continent as I do.

THEREFORE.....Where has my 'sharing the experience' come from. Very simple - My family, whom I work religiously to take with me, and the Many and Numerous new friends I have found via ACCURATE RELOADING forums. Not to mention the many, many African PH's who I feel as though I have become close with.
To the point.....I would just about be 'out of luck' if it weren't for AR. By the way....when Christmas morning arrived.....what do you think the first thing I was doing before everyone arrived, or got up. YES - YOU GUESSED IT, reading AR!

So.....do I owe a debt a gratitude to Saaed. You bet I do! I just wish he would choose to coming visit the great southwest of the United States so that I might offer some measure of hospitality to him. Saaed......That is an Invitation. Come let a plain old working American offer you a measure of gratitude. My words are not eliquent enough, but I hope my actions would be.

Well said, I cannot improve on that.

Great post Frank and excellent follow-up from everyone. You guys captured my thoughts and opinions about AR quite well. Thank you Saeed for for giving us a place like this to come and share so many good things.

I've managed two Africa trips ('02 and '08) since joining - both were great experiences thanks to much of what I have learned from the great men and women on this board. More trips will follow in the future - Africa has a way of doing that to us!!


Phil

I can't even begin to tell you what AR has meant to me over the past 5 months..........

As we climb into another year, 2013, its appropriate to thank all contributors and especially our host, Saeed.

No contest, the AR Forum is the best anywhere and offers a lot of sage advice to first time and also veteran African hunters. Of course it helps that Saeed is a veteran and accomplished hunter who has been bitten by the African bug.

Happy New Year to all!

Dak

+1
This site has cost me a fortune in hunts to Africa. But I have really enjoyed the memories more than the money.... Thanks Saeed, I have learned a lot here.

Saeed,
from zero hunting experience to 5 hunts in Africa now,from zero DR's to about 6 now ,I owe it all to what you created here,I have also along the way met some wonderful people,whom I am proud to call my friends,I wish you & your family all the best for the holidays & the coming year,thank you very much.

I have met some top people from the AR website...guys who will send you stuff for no cost to see if it will work on your rifle, who will give you their secret recipe and advice for loads, who are gentlemen to deal with for a paid transaction and in general people who I like hanging around. Sure there are a few bullshitters but the preponderance of the evidence says most of the guys here are worth their salt and the ones who are not quickly show their spots.

Then there are the folks who pitch in to help the family of a PH who was killed, or offer to help reimburse a lost down payment on a hunt. Another makes it a point to meet you for a trap shoot and refuse to let you pay for your round. Then there is the guy who invites you to his house, lets you shoot at his indoor range, testing out rifles you never knew existed, then he buys you lunch and offers you drinks at the bar...and all of that simply because I happened to be visiting close by.

There are the gun builders who are more than generous with their time, offering advice and diagnosing problems via email for no cost, other guys you meet you find you have something in common, maybe it's just where you are from and long PM's or emails ensue and you feel like you have known them for much longer than you have and you know when you meet them, you'll shake hands like two friends who haven;t seen each other for a long time.

AR is a unique place... unique because there is no advertising, yet there is a wealth of information and entertainment available, but most of all, it's unique because of the fraternity of people who actually make up the site. It's not like other hunting sites on the web for sure, and that, in my humble opinion, is a very good thing.

Thanks, Saeed, for having us around.

Did anyone here ever think you would come in contact with a person who is as generous as Saeed? His hosting of AR has been a help to a lot of people who would have otherwise not been privy to the vast amount of combined expertise that is available on this website!
There is no way we can thank Saeed adequately for this venue we use to teach and learn! Additionally This place affords us old farts that have past our hunting prime with a forum to at least talk to other hunters and shooters. I for one am eternally grateful!

...................................................................

To our Generous leader- +++!!

Generous, Witty and Humble...and a GREAT Hunter!!....I wonder if there is such an honor of being Knighted in the Hunting Circles??!! Sir Saeed?!

Thank you....and wishing to all a very Happy HEALTHY and Prosperous New Year!!
Cheers

What more could I say? The previous posts say it all, I think. Thanks Saeed.
Max

I cannot improve on any of the above and must also express my gratitude to Saeed for what he has made available to the hunting and shooting fraternity. Friendships made and cemented, a very big family, with so many ready to pile in and help wherever possible.
A fond wish for all of us to continue into the future with our interests at heart without the influence of oxygen thieves like Feinstein.

I, too, am grateful for this wonderful place on the Internet. It has given me no end of information and inspiration. I would not have gone to Namibia in 2007 if not for this "House of Saeed." I have made friends around the world whom I truly care about. I have dreams that help sustain me against age and ennui. Because of AR, I have more in my life to be thankful for -- and that includes Fjold's amazing avatar ...



Thanks again, Saeed. You are truly welcome in homes across this world.

Saeed, many thanks from me as well. I absolutely could not believe my good fortune at finding this site when I started actually planning for my African hunt (as opposed to just dreaming about it!). Not only is this place an invaluable source of a great deal of varied experience and knowledge, but I continue to be amazed at the tolerance and patience that you manage to exhibit in the face of...oh, let's just call it "the range of human behaviour and misbehaviour". By contrast, the major hunting/shooting forum here in Canada has so many levels of warnings, infractions, outright bans and other forms of peepee-slapping that it's a running joke! Best of the season to you, sir!

And, Frank? DON'T change that avatar!

I didn't know quite what I had found when I was 12 years old, but here I am 12 years later and still I read just about every post on every forum here daily. This place has been a wonderful escape from the real world for me during tough times, and also, a great way to relax anytime! I might have taken a while to register, rarely post, but I sure do love to read about all of your adventures. I'll make it over to the Dark Continent yet, might take some time (starting law school in the fall) but I WILL get there. And when I do, you can bet your sweet aspertame that I'll be posting it up on here!

Simply put, it's my #1 website to log onto every day. Thanks, Saeed, for creating what has become such an integral part of so many of our days.

I have been almost 12 years 7500 plus posts.

Spent more hrs reading stuff here then I want to remember.

Brought and sold some stuff all great dealings

Thanks Saeed

I enjoy AR simply because it is not just "Restricted" to one region or type of hunting. The regional forums here in Texas at least leave a lot to be desired. Yes, I know the main emphasis is geared toward African hunting, but there is so much more to it than that. For many folks I have told about AR they at first believe it just concerns Reloading, as the name implies, but it covers so much. There is a topic area on this site for practically anyone, whether they hunt/fish/reload or even every try to go to Africa.

The only downside to this place, as with ALL internet forums/chatrooms is the fact that some folks simply believe that an opinion, is just that, and applies only to that particular subject at that particular point in time and has nothing to do with the actual character of the person.

I have visited forums where all of the members got along famously all of the time, all two dozen of them, all of them wondering why they cannot attract new members.

Many Thanks to Saeed and All of the Moderators for providing this very large, very dysfunctional group of individuals an excellent place to play.

Happy New Year To One And All!!!

This site sure made my safari possible,

and has cost me thousands of dollars in gun safe additions.

All I can add to all the above is a heartfelt "thank you" to Saeed and to all those whose stories have both entertained and educated me.
Peace and God Bless all of you. Happy New Year!

quote:

I actually found that avatar over 20 years ago and have used it on a fishing website since 1992.

Funny thing is Don PM'ed me just after I signed up in 2002, about the appropriateness of my avatar after he received a complaint about it from another member. I told Don that if he felt is was not acceptable for the website that he was free to delete it and there would be no hard feelings. It and I are still here. Big Grin



Frank

Well cheers to the next 20 years Frank

Happy New Year to you all

quote:

Originally posted by Todd Williams:
I only found this site a couple of years ago. Prior to posting here, I completely bored all my friends and family with constant talk of hunting and guns. As soon as I started talking about it, eyes would roll.

Just as well you can't see all our eyes then

I couldn't help that to start the new year off My warmest good wishes and you have certainly been a prolific and knowledgeable contributor since joining Todd.

I too am most thankful to have access to such a great site provided by the generosity of our host.

quote:

Originally posted by eagle27:

quote:

Originally posted by Todd Williams:
I only found this site a couple of years ago. Prior to posting here, I completely bored all my friends and family with constant talk of hunting and guns. As soon as I started talking about it, eyes would roll.

Just as well you can't see all our eyes then

last week i bought a pair of Swaro binos on Ebay. during some back and forth emails with the seller, i suggested this website. low and behold, he is a member here! VERY SMALL WORLD and my eternal gratitude for Saeed for providing it... my only wish is that i had discovered it sooner and saved a bit of grief associated with the first 3-4 safaris i made. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER AND THIS SITE PROVIDES IT IN SPADES

I want to add my thanks to Saaed as well. I haven't been on AR for ten years, though it's probably close. I most certainly would not have done the last two African hunts I did, or at least would not have gone with the same outfits I did, if it weren't for the information I got here. This is not only a great service to the hunting community, it is a fantastic way to waste time at work!!

A big thank you to Saeed, and also to the moderators who are so generous with their time.
I would not be overstating my case to say that AR has changed my life. In three months I will be making my sixth trip to Africa. I've transformed from rifle geek to big bore geek. I've hunted elephant. Twice. I have safaris booked not only in 2013, but 2014.
I am staying professionally active for more years, at least in part to feed my addiction. I am doing my best to stay fit enough for future trips.
Most of this would never have happened if not for my daily interaction with you guys. I think I'll go down to my loading bench now. My 470 is hungry.

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:
last week i bought a pair of Swaro binos on Ebay. during some back and forth emails with the seller, i suggested this website. low and behold, he is a member here! VERY SMALL WORLD and my eternal gratitude for Saeed for providing it... my only wish is that i had discovered it sooner and saved a bit of grief associated with the first 3-4 safaris i made. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER AND THIS SITE PROVIDES IT IN SPADES

Hope you have received and are pleased with the binoculars...thanks

I was made aware of the site two years ago from an exhibitor at a Big Buck expo in Lakeland, Fl.

while my post count is not very high , I am a frequent visitor.

This site was most helpful in helping me with my recent trip to the Eastern Cape for plains game.

Great tips and good sources of information.

I like to chime in and thank Saeed for this great place.
The forum has come a long way since it was a single green thread

Thanks to the forum I have made three safaris to Africa, and once there, one will never be the same again.

Also two hunting trips to England meeting new AR-friends will never be forgotten.
Neighter will the exitement I felt when I was number two runner up for the free safari that Retreever won

I stumbled onto Accurate Reloading by accident while checking sites for accurate reloads. That was in 2003, but from my reading of the forums I realized that I wanted to experience some of the things others wrote so well about. In 2007 I headed for Zambia for what was to be a once in a life time hunt. That was five safaris ago.

I am absolutely certain that had it not been for my reading of the AR Forums I would never have realized the dream of Africa. Hence, I would like to add my thanks to Saeed for starting Accurate Reloading and maintaining it for our enjoyment and for the shared experience and knowledge found here.