Hey,
What was your first round you ever reloaded in your life?
My first was the .44 Magnum with a 240grs. Hornady Lead SWC. I loaded it with my dad, when I was 13 or 14 years old, for his 1966 Winchester Mod ´94.

Martin

7MM Remington Magnum a 120 Gr Hornady using IMR4350, WW brass and CCI primers. In 1973.

6mm Remington. 95 grain Nosler Partitions over a book max load of IMR 4350. CCI 200 primers. I remember almost like it was yesterday, but it'll be 30 years ago this Christmas. I'm still using several of the items from my Rockchucker Supreme kit and only switched presses a few years ago.

I seriously doubt that any of the Christmas presents I've given my kids will be seeing hard use 30 years from now.

30-06 150 Gr Hornady SST using IMR-4064. In 2002

Back in '64 or '65 I think it was, 32 Special with a Lee Loader. I still have the loader, and the 1894 Winchester rifle (circa 1907) that I loaded for. I still have and use that loader and still shoot the rifle. Damn, now that I think about it, that rifle's gonna be a hundred years old next year!

1947 - 6.5x53-R for a brand new M95 Dutch Hembrug carbine my uncle brought back from his European tour with the "Band of Brothers". Liked the cartridge so much have had several other rifles chambered for it, including a Ruger No. 1. Still load for it too. (A local gunsmith in LaHonda, CA, made that first brass for me from .30-40 Krag.)

30'06 way back in 1958!

I was 14 that year. Dad didn't like doing it, and had no patience. I read some and had two others show me the basic's on their equipment. I went home, ordered a C press and dies from Herter's and started at it when things were delivered.

Had lot's of Educational episodes before I got it figured out. None tragic as amazing as it may be.
Only problems were: stuck cases in dies, invented the drill out the primer with the drilled out round, and 1/4" tap. sent a set of it to Herter's and never heard back. Within two yrs they were selling them!! Up until that time they hadn't been. They are still on the market by many others yet.

Then, once I figured out cases had to lubed, motor oil did the trick. Killed primers by the box full. IF you have never heard a dead primer SNAP so loud it defin's you. You've never lived! The one I can still hear was that Oct pointed at a 6pt bull elk in the moonlite on a grassy hillside on the way back to camp at about 50 feet. Was so close I couldn't get his body height in the K4 Weaver. Had to let the gun down to take another look. When it snapped, the whole hillside erupted with running hoof beats. It's a wonder I didn't get run over to be honest about it, was plumb scary for a 14y/o kid by himself 3 miles from camp. Imagine that shell is still on that hillside.

The next problem was not having enough neck tension and bullets pulled out in the chamber and dumped powder in the magazine. These things happened to others and Dad besides me. So, it was quite educational before it was all corrected.

Only real problem was caused by shooting some WWI 240gr steel bullets my uncle gave me. Powder had deteriorated setting in a tobacco can for many years. Shot a few and were fine, then had one hiss long and loud out the vent hole. Stuck the bullet was up in the bore. Took the gunsmith a couple hours to pound it back down with an electric hammer. I pulled the rest down and reloaded them. All fired just great. I know they were 240gr and I weighed them to make sure before loading them again. Cut a few grains down from the 220gr suggested in the old book I had.

Gotta learn somehow, right? Does work a lot better and quicker with a good teacher than doing it the way I learned.

George

quote:

Originally posted by Alberta Canuck:
1947...

Dang AC, you were loadin' ammo a year before I was born. We must be gettin' old these days!

It was a .243. RP case, CCI primer, not sure if it IMR4831 or ??? powder and Speer 100grn. It was way way back in '93. ( )


Smedley

Well, I was lucky. My dad got me my first deer rifle when I was 7 (didn't get my first BB gun 'til a year later!!). Had a 16 gauge shotgun when I was 9.

Used to ride into Encanto Park (now in dead center Phoenix, AZ) on my bike with my shotgun and fishin' rod. Would fish in the park 'til the afternoon dove flight then cross the street (Thomas Road) into the County to shoot doves. Never had any shells, but if I stood around and looked pitiful long enough some older guys would always give me a few.

Would gladly trade a few years of gun and loading experience for some youth. This gittin' old ain't all it's cracked up to be! (Does beat the alternative pretty soundly, though.)

MY FIRST RELOADS WERE FOR MY 220 SWIFT THAT I BOUGHT OFF ONE MY RIFLE TEAM MEMBERS WHEN I WAS I WAS IN COLLEGE IN 1956. RELOADING WAS REALLY EASY IN THOSE DAYS. NOT MUCH CHOICE FOR COMPONENTS. FINALLY SHOT THE BARREL OUT OF THE RIFLE AND CONVERTED IT TO A 270WIN. STILL HUNT WITH IT.

My wife bought me a Lee Anniversary Kit for Christmas 1997. The first rounds were 45 ACP.

ZM

1961 the 270 winchester....the load was 42.5 grains of IMR 4320 and a Sierra 130 grain bullet.

I used a neighbors pacific "C" press and hand weighed every load on a Lyman scale.

I/ve said on more than one occasion that when I was born my folks were so poor that the couldn't afford a name, all I got were initials. Growing up I couldn't afford to pay attention. Would go down to the corner drugstore and read the gun rags on the racks till they chased me away. Promised myself if I ever made any money I'd have a 220 swift. Later on got married, had kids, went broke. When I finally started doing a little better I found an old heavy barrelled ruger in 220 swift. Never put a factory round through it. Bought an RCBS master reloading kit and got started. Some 13 years and 50 or so long guns later I'm reloading for 35 different chamberings. What is the mossy oak slogan, Its not a passion, its an obsession, I can relate
GWB

Well I got my start 31 years ago this month when my parents gave me and my brothers an RCBS kit. It came with a set of 30/06 dies but I immediately bought more dies. First loads were for our 30/30 shooting Hornaday 150 gr bullets. Jumped right into 22/250 with a passion and loaded some for '06, 300 Weatherby, and .284 Win.
The equipment is still in use!

Guess I am the young one here.

First round was .308 Win in 2000. Had an old guy at work walk me through it.

Easy for me, loaded my first rounds with help about 1979 when I was twelve. 270 win 130gr Horn SP 55gr IMR4350.

Loaded my first loads solo in 1991 after graduating from college and being able to afford an RCBS Rockchucker kit. 270 win 130gr Horn SP 55gr IMR 4350.

I have since loaded for about three different pistol cartridges and ten rifle cartridges.

I started early for monetary savings. Then into the hobby stage and I'm pretty sure with two boys I'll appreciate the $$ savings again when they start burning up lots of ammo.

.308 Win. Loaded 165 grain Sierra Gamekings in front of 49 grains of IMR 4895, in Lake City brass, lit off by CCI LR primers. (quickly realize that reloading military brass is a huge PITA). Haven't been loading too long, just a couple years. Have since expanded a bit.

mike

It was 1975 and it all started with the 12 gauge. Reloaded with #4 shot and Blue Dot powder, my buddy Matt and I stuffed it all into Winchester's AA hull recycled from the trap club.
Next was the '06 with Nosler's 165 grain solid base and 57 grains of IMR 4350.

12 ga. shotgun.........1972 .......trap loads. A small dose of Red Dot and some number 8 shot all lit up with a 209 Remington primer. Loaded up on a Pacific 5 stage press. I remember it like yesterday.

First metalic cartridge was .38 special...1973....Keith style 158 gr. lead bullet over a small amount of Bullseye and a small pistol primer from CCI. All put together with an RCBS Rock Chucker JR press........

12 ga heavy loads for ducks. Used Alcan AL7 powder, with Alcan fiber and nitro wads loaded on a Texan DPII loader. The year was 1965

.357mag for a s&w M19. I still have that rev. some 30 yrs now, although it has changed quite a bit.

30 carbine, well, pulling the press lever for my dad, ~6 or 7 years old

jeffe

In 1967 I loaded for my 308 with a Lee loader, I remember the bullet was a 180gr Core-Lokt and the powder was IMR 4895. I also ended up buying my set up from Herters, Imagine if they had been properly managed what that company could be today.

I started out in the '60s using a Sears version of a Texan shotshell loader.

I had more time than money then.

In the '70s, for Christmas, I received a RCBS press, powder measurer and trickler.

First loads were 38 special and 30-06. I was not impresed with my 30-06 loads as I didn't know what I was doing (as far as components) and didn't see any advantage.

Then in the early '90s, one of my SILs loaded some 7mm mag rounds which were pretty impressive.

So I dusted off the old equipment and haven't looked back.

I can load 38 special (357 dies), 9mm Luger, 30-06, 308, 22-250, 44 special, 44 mag, 8x57, 7 mm Remington Mag and 7.62x39.

I can`t remember if the first were 12ga or 357 mag with my dad. Most likely the 357 as he shot them by the handfulls when I was 12-13.
I recieved a M1200 for my 12th B-day and soon after dad bought me a Lee Loader for it (the one you used a mallet with, along with the other tools) That quickly went and a Pacific 155 soon joined the RCBS Jr on the bench.

March, 1974
6mm Remington, with 100 grain Hornady Spire Point, with 41.0 grains IMR 4350!

348 winchester. 67grs H-4831 with Hornady 200gr bullet for dear.

.357 Mag. around 1962 on a Pacific press: 158 grain bullets & 2400 powder. They were for the Blackhawk I recently had converted to .44 Spl.

12ga 1-1/8oz target loads

I went from firing my very first 12ga round to breaking my first 25-straight (at trap) in only three weeks...
my first 50-straight in five weeks
and my first 100-straight in six weeks

Of course in those first three weeks I fired ~1600 12ga target loads.... and an additional 200rounds
every day that the Trap range was open

I was told; "If you want to get good at this you need to do three things, Practice, Practice & practic.
And that $10,000 worth of ammunition probably wouldn't hurt

I actually owned a MEC 600Jr before I owned a 12ga Shotgun.

AllanD

I may have the record here....

January 2006. I loaded my .45 colt with 250 grain XTP's and 18.5 grains of 2400.

Learned a hell of a lot in 4 months.

-Matt

My first reloads was a .284 Winchester. I spent money I earned in Yellowstone National Park over the summer of 1964, with Hamilton Stores Inc. to buy a Model 88 Winchester in .284. I bought it from the base PX in Minot, N.Dak., where my dad was an officer. I was supposed to use the money to buy school clothes and boy, were the folks pissed at me. The PX also has some 120 grain Sierra bullets and powder. I bought some IMR 4350, some primers and used the cases I had emptied for cases. I had no book, only the little paper which came with the Lee Loader kit I bought for $9.95. Somehow, I didn't kill myself, or blow up the rifle. I do remember many of those loads being hotter than hell so that the lever was hard to pull down. Jeeze, God must have been watching out for me then. I think I remember just pouring a casefull of powder, taking a few grains of powder out and cramming a 120 grain bullet down to the canlures. No wonder the snow melted for three feet beyond my barrel when I shot it. Now that, brings back some memories! Thanks for the post. Tom Purdom

1965

I got a Lee Hand Loader, you now the one that you use a mallet with.

I loaded 16 ga. shotshells with 1 1/8 oz of #6 shot, Alcan "Felton" wads and Alcan AL 7 powder. I used Remington Plastic hulls with those damned odd sized primers, #97s I think.

I bought everything at a hardware store in Hammond Indiana. I can't remember the name. They had the "sporting goods" department in the basement. The wall along the stairs was covered with new Bear recurve bows.

I was just getting started hunting small game just south of Chicago. It was a small game/waterfowl paradise then.

Cottontails were everywhere and the Pheasants would pick corn from the double track mainline that ran through some undeveloped indutrial land.

Us kids used to walk down the streets with shotguns, meeting up for 2 or 3 man hunts. Can you imagine 3 teenagers walking down suburban streets with shotguns today? They would call out the SWAT team for cripes sakes.

Reloading was the only way I could afford to keep myself in ammo.

Very boring - a lathe turned 180 grain partition
from John Nosler in a 30-06 case for a pre-64 Model 70 Featherweight in 1959 for my father.
Still have a couple of the bullets.

22 Hornet, 10.0 gr IMR 4227 and a Sierra 45 gr bullet.
That was in 1948 when I was 14.
Don

Not counting black powder, 45ACP back in the early 60s for a Webley revolver with moon clips.

30/06 and stuck the second round in the die, not enough lube. Worked that out and have never looked back. The first lesson was enough, never assume anything. Have never had another stuck case. Ben one of the most satisfying things I do, Always striving fot that perfect load.

What great stories!

How do you guys remember all that detail? I can hardly remember what I loaded last week.

Anyway, my first loads were probably '87 or '88, for my first Mauser. I remember the rifle much better than the loads.

It was a Chilean "Carabiniero" model.

Don't know how I let the salesman talk me into this, but I just liked the rifle.

Subsequently, enthusiastic and generous club members talked me into giving Service Rifle matches a try.

Talk about Quixiotic.

I was an inexperienced and not-all-that-talented shot. Everyone else was very serious, including the Army Gold Team member.

My one consolation is that they created a class all for me, "Service Rifle Obsolete." LOL.

In which I was joined on occasion by a guy shooting a 1938 Swede, much more successfully than I.

So yep, I was often to be found loading the more than 50 rounds necessary for Service Rifle competition.

What a blast.

Ancient history now, and the Chilean is long gone.

I, of course, didn't realize how special it was. Not certain any of the other guys did either.

Oh well.

flaco

Did I say 7x57?

1953 For my mod 43 Win in 218 BEE.
On a little Lyman turret press.
Still have the mod 43 Win
Lyle

.308, 1999, 168 gr Match King, IMR4895

Or was it?

44 mag 1999 240 gr JHP, H110