As i have only been reloading a little over a year, when I come to this site I am blown away by how much technical knowledge there is here. Someday, i would like to be able to have a gun that shoots 1,000 yards with loads that I make myself. I am VERY patient and if it takes me 30 years+, so be it. What I would like to know is.... when is it time to get more detailed in my reloading and gun selection? General question, I know.... but I would appreciate any suggestions that anyone has. "It took me 5 years...." types of comments are fine with me Thanks in advance for any ideas.

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for me there never was a "next step" it's just been a never ending quest to find a load that shoots better. or another excuse to buy a new toy

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born on a mountain, raised in a cave, hunting and fishing is all i crave!

The sooner you start, the sooner you get there.

Steve

Hunter 333,
Hi, I am only two years into reloading myself and it seems to be more of a constant evolution rather than a graduate process. Read all you can find on the subject even if it's only the stuff in reloading manuals that you already know cause sometimes you still need a refresher and may stumble across an answer to a problem that you had totally forgot to look for. Sometimes the guys on the forums that have years of experience will talk about doing things that are natural to them but you or I may not quite understand why it's done. Don't be afraid to ask any question cause the knowledge gained will outway any embarrassment about asking.

Hunter333,

I would agree with the others that it is a "nature takes its own course" type of thing.

It is however worth noting, that if you simply put a match grade barrel on your rifle and assuming scope, mounts and bedding are OK and you have a load that suits the rifle, that alone will give you most of the potential accuracy that is available.

Also, a perfectly assembled cartridge with the highest quality components will not shoot well in a very accurate rifle if the load does not suit that rifle.

On the other hand, a load that suits the rifle but is made up in a crappy fashion will usually shoot very well in an accurate rifle.

Mike

Hunter,

To me, it is not so much of a "how long" as it is a "how much".......

Can you shoot 3 times a week? If so you will get there 100 times faster than someone who shoots 1-2 times a month. The time in years isn't so much of a factor as is the effort you put into it while you are doing it.

You shoot 15 minutes a day, 4 days a week and you will learn more in a couple of months and be able to get that 1000 yard setup before you know it, and probably before the snow melts.