tt

When I started reloading, I had a mother that understood about boys and their guns. My dad was out of town a lot, and, tho' he enjoyed shooting, didn't reload.
I got my first reloading outfit, a Pacific kit, for christmas, right after I turned 12.
It was for my M94 .30/30, and the first powders I bought were IMR 3031 and HiVel#2. The primers were Frankford Arsenal 210's...surplus.
The scale was built with a threaded dowel, and had to be set with weights...Great until one day...I added wrong and put WAY too much H380 into an '06 with a 180gr bullet, and locked the bolt...REAL TIGHT.
Am I "old school?" I'm now 62!
Have fun,
Gene

My mom wanted me to learn the right way, so she bought me books by the experts. I've still got "Complete Book of Rifles and Shotguns" O'Conner(Xmas-1961) the spiral-bound "Handbook for Shooters and Reloaders" Ackley (just 'cause-1962) and "Practical Dope on the Big Bores" Ness (Bday-1964) among many others.
The '06 with which i "erred" was modified in my high school shop class(yes, the rifle went to school with me!) and I still have, and use it. It's an Enfield M17, and has a .300 WinMag barrel. I used it in Alaska, when I lived there.
Am I "old school?"
Have fun,
Gene

quote:

Originally posted by Nevmavrick:

Am I "old school?"Gene

Why not? roger

"old School" is not defined by a date or by the vintage or modernity of your tools. It is defined by an attitude.

An attitude that says,

I am responsible for my own results. I own the mistakes I make and the successes I create. What I borrow or use from others and my predecessors (loading manuals, bullet design, etc) I give credit for. I provide and share all I can of value to and with my peers and successors.

If I were an "old school" writer I would wait to post this until I had a chance to edit, re-write and improve the language. You get the idea. This being the internet, perhaps I could enlist some better wordsmiths to make this a cooperative thing to define the good qualities of "old school". By sharing the effort, we improve the result for all. That's old school, too.


Then there's the downside definition of "old school". Think "curmudgeon". Think "hidebound".

Everything has a flip side, doesn't it?


Lost Sheep.

"curmudgen?" "hidebound?" "responsible?"
I never thought I would use the same words to describe myself as Elmer Keith...but I could be in worse company.
I'm "old school."
Have fun,
Gene

quote:

Originally posted by bartsche:
the old school was loading with limited or no cohort communication. Mostly on our own, working from a cook book and information from gun rags. Our Experts were thought to be the guys behind the sporting goods store's counter. Sometimes that was a marvelous source of misinformation. Reloading was pretty much a solo thing.

I have to agree. I reloaded in anonymity for 5 years until I became an NRA member and started reading "From the Reloading Bench" in every issue of American Rifleman. There was no one around to mentor me. In fact, almost all of my hunting buddies frowned upon reloads as unreliable or even dangerous. I did know of someone who reloaded shotshells. But he got one factory duplication load out of a loadbook and never wavered from it. There was no picking his brain; he just went through the motions, not knowing (or caring) about what each procedure or component did. But we all know that you don't 'work up' shotshells; just follow the recipe as gospel.


So, I'd have to say 'old school' reloading is\was making your own way through this technical hobby with only one resource: Lyman's Handbook of Cartridge Reloading. For me it was pretty much the Bible.

quote:

started reading "From the Reloading Bench" in every issue of American Rifleman.

Yes sir... and then there was the "Pennsylvania Game News", and numberous articles from Bob Bell. Spent a lot of years reading those articles.

Still, in the early '70s, when my Dad handed me the PO Ackley reloading manual (from around 1963?), I was hooked.