If you were going to do it all over again...

c-fbmi said:
Don't do it..........get counselling............stay completely away from it, it's worse than heroine or cocaine.......you will never be normal again, you'll start to obsess about things like how far apart 5 bullets are in a piece of paper at 100 yds, then 200 yds and before you know it, it'll be 1000 yds. Then you start buying guns because you got a great deal on a set of dies you have no rifle for..........and you'll actually convince yourself that there is nothing wrong with that. Your admittedly small apartment will look like an ammunition factory in very short order and you'll be eating off a loading bench that now takes up 2/3 off the space in your apartment. Your cupboards will slowly change from holding dishes and food to holding powder and primers and dies and hundreds of pretty green boxes with all kinds of various cartridges and test loads for every one. You'll convince yourself that you are saving so much money handloading that you can afford another 2 or 3 rifles a month, which by the way are now taking up the remaining 1/3 of your apartment. Pretty soon you'll be staying up all night because you just have to finish that new batch of test loads for 12 rifles with a "new" powder you've just discovered that is supposed to shrink your groups by 1/16" or give another 12 fps. It isn't long before you're calling in sick to work because you absolutely have to get to the range and prove out that 1/16" smaller group or see the magic chronograph confirm those 12 fps. If you have a significant other, she has already left you or soon will......doesn't matter you tell yourself, that just leaves more time for loading and buying guns..........oh ya and let's not forget the case trimmers and neck turners and Chargemasters and chronographs and case prep stations and case cleaning tumblers and progressive loaders and gauges and calipers and reamers and run-out indicators..........THEN you start thinking what if I took a 378 Wby and necked it down to 23 caliber..............now you have hit the lowest point, you are a full blown ADDICT, you prefer the scent of gunpowder, burnt and unburnt, to the stench of feminine perfume, you can speak of nothing that doesn't relate to internal, external and terminal ballistics. All of your old friends shun you because of your single minded obsession and you are finding new sick people to talk to on forums like (shudder) CGN. Everything you knew before in life has changed....................Run Dorian run, don't let the gunpowder permeate your soul and take over your life............BUT if you still decide to continue against my best advice, welcome to the wiccan, for you are about to be bewitched and your life changed forever more.
Click to expand...

Magic flavored truth.... bravo
 
c-fbmi said:
Don't do it..........get counselling............stay completely away from it, it's worse than heroine or cocaine.......you will never be normal again, you'll start to obsess about things like how far apart 5 bullets are in a piece of paper at 100 yds, then 200 yds and before you know it, it'll be 1000 yds. Then you start buying guns because you got a great deal on a set of dies you have no rifle for..........and you'll actually convince yourself that there is nothing wrong with that. Your admittedly small apartment will look like an ammunition factory in very short order and you'll be eating off a loading bench that now takes up 2/3 off the space in your apartment. Your cupboards will slowly change from holding dishes and food to holding powder and primers and dies and hundreds of pretty green boxes with all kinds of various cartridges and test loads for every one. You'll convince yourself that you are saving so much money handloading that you can afford another 2 or 3 rifles a month, which by the way are now taking up the remaining 1/3 of your apartment. Pretty soon you'll be staying up all night because you just have to finish that new batch of test loads for 12 rifles with a "new" powder you've just discovered that is supposed to shrink your groups by 1/16" or give another 12 fps. It isn't long before you're calling in sick to work because you absolutely have to get to the range and prove out that 1/16" smaller group or see the magic chronograph confirm those 12 fps. If you have a significant other, she has already left you or soon will......doesn't matter you tell yourself, that just leaves more time for loading and buying guns..........oh ya and let's not forget the case trimmers and neck turners and Chargemasters and chronographs and case prep stations and case cleaning tumblers and progressive loaders and gauges and calipers and reamers and run-out indicators..........THEN you start thinking what if I took a 378 Wby and necked it down to 23 caliber..............now you have hit the lowest point, you are a full blown ADDICT, you prefer the scent of gunpowder, burnt and unburnt, to the stench of feminine perfume, you can speak of nothing that doesn't relate to internal, external and terminal ballistics. All of your old friends shun you because of your single minded obsession and you are finding new sick people to talk to on forums like (shudder) CGN. Everything you knew before in life has changed....................Run Dorian run, don't let the gunpowder permeate your soul and take over your life............BUT if you still decide to continue against my best advice, welcome to the wiccan, for you are about to be bewitched and your life changed forever more.
Click to expand...

You forgot that then you get yourself something like a 45-70 because you can cast for it, and then you can shoot that for about 19-21 cents a round, and start cutting work to go to tire shops and get their wheel weights, and then you have to buy a melting pot and molds. Then you get into paper patching, because then you can push those lead bullets at copper jacket speeds with lower pressures than copper jacket. Then you start hearing about all these magic papers that are supposed to be better for paper patching, and soon, whatever you had left of your house looks like the paper dispensary at a staples supercenter, and you buy the paper by the case, because it's cheaper that way if it works, and if not, you can use it in your printer anyways (you know, that printer you use once a year)... Then you need a bigger place to keep all this stuff in, and when the movers come, they ask you if maybe you shouldn't apply to be on the hoarders show. Soon after, you'll be patching sites like higginsons or hummasons to see when they have powder and bullets in stock, and buy the powder you want to try in bulk, because if it doesn't work well in this gun, you'll just buy gun that it does work well in. Then you'll have so much stuff that you'll buy yourself a massive snap on tool center to store all your tools in, so you have more room to buy more tools, and a large paint cabinet to store the powder and primers in...
Welcome to the addiction....
 
Reloading is supposed to be cheaper...and it is per round, but it also allows you to buy more guns to reload for because you saved money on the reloads so you have more money to buy guns but now you have to reload more to be able to shoot the guns, now you have to reload for more than one gun of the same caliber but the die has to be set for the different chambers so now you buy more dies so each rifle has the proper head space and bullet length...... I'm still saving money right???
Long story even longer reloading is as important as the rifle purchased if you don't reload the rifle will never achieve it's full potential and neither will you.
My theory has always been no matter what I pay for the rifle or pistol the accessories and the bullets will always cost more in the long run.
I have two Dillon 550, A Wilson Arbor press, an RCBS single stage press, they do everything from .223 to 45/70 you can do a lot or a little with any press depending on your needs and you patience (or lack of patience!)

Rodney
 
amosfella said:
You forgot that then you get yourself something like a 45-70 because you can cast for it, and then you can shoot that for about 19-21 cents a round, and start cutting work to go to tire shops and get their wheel weights, and then you have to buy a melting pot and molds. Then you get into paper patching, because then you can push those lead bullets at copper jacket speeds with lower pressures than copper jacket. Then you start hearing about all these magic papers that are supposed to be better for paper patching, and soon, whatever you had left of your house looks like the paper dispensary at a staples supercenter, and you buy the paper by the case, because it's cheaper that way if it works, and if not, you can use it in your printer anyways (you know, that printer you use once a year)... Then you need a bigger place to keep all this stuff in, and when the movers come, they ask you if maybe you shouldn't apply to be on the hoarders show. Soon after, you'll be patching sites like higginsons or hummasons to see when they have powder and bullets in stock, and buy the powder you want to try in bulk, because if it doesn't work well in this gun, you'll just buy gun that it does work well in. Then you'll have so much stuff that you'll buy yourself a massive snap on tool center to store all your tools in, so you have more room to buy more tools, and a large paint cabinet to store the powder and primers in...
Welcome to the addiction....
Click to expand...

It's like you've been spying on me!! Scary but true!

Only thing you forgot to mention is buying brass that you don't need but hey you can always buy a gun to fire said brass. Oh and if you do paper patching and casting then you may start doing case conversions so that you can shoot weirdo calibers that fire cartridges made from unubtainium!!

I love reloading!!
 
Tinman204 said:
It's like you've been spying on me!! Scary but true!

Only thing you forgot to mention is buying brass that you don't need but hey you can always buy a gun to fire said brass. Oh and if you do paper patching and casting then you may start doing case conversions so that you can shoot weirdo calibers that fire cartridges made from unubtainium!!

I love reloading!!
Click to expand...

Don't get me started on testing paper cutters to see which one works best, or the tool cabinet going through the floor...
Weird cartriges made of unobtanium?? You're not thinking big enough... You get to get into some amount of gunsmithing and toolmaking and make your own up....
 
amosfella said:
Don't get me started on testing paper cutters to see which one works best, or the tool cabinet going through the floor...
Weird cartriges made of unobtanium?? You're not thinking big enough... You get to get into some amount of gunsmithing and toolmaking and make your own up....
Click to expand...

I never told him about that, I was just filling him in about jacketed bullet reloading............I never went into the lathes and milling machines and barrel vices and action wrenches and chamber reamers etc. etc. etc........all because someone said 40 some odd years ago, "you should reload for that 7 mag"..........that was the beginning.
 
amosfella said:
You forgot that then you get yourself something like a 45-70 because you can cast for it, and then you can shoot that for about 19-21 cents a round, and start cutting work to go to tire shops and get their wheel weights, and then you have to buy a melting pot and molds. T.
Click to expand...

Seems to be going the way of my life as well. Just asked a fella the the club to hold his Shiloh Sharps 45-70 for me. Now I never planned to get into casting lead but who knows!

Not sure it is my thing but a number of guys at the club have a blast with them and I have a buddy whose kid really wants a Sharps 45-70 some day and is saving money for it. Figure if I don't want it he gets it at a really good deal when he's ready rather than buying new. Good used deals need to be snapped up when they come up, regardless if you were looking for the caliber or not!

Yes reloading does this to you.

You go looking for weird and wonderful calibers instead of all the sensible ones! Bought me a 280AI, because well, I can. Was thinking of 35 Whelen some day but was reading I think a Boddington article on the various improved cartridges and he really likes his 35AI so I figure, well, a 35AI it must be rather than a plain ol 35 Whelen!

It is a disease.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom