smallest cal . for reloading

[fogducker]

i think the title says all....the reason im asking..is that im in the middle of getting some young kids into shooting..
so to make a long story short....what is a small cal .of a gun to teach a new shooter to shoot and to learn the art of reloading??

 

[Donny Fenn1]

i'd go 222 or 223 myself, as hornets/bees etc can be a pain....

 

[Cocked&Locked]

9mm or .38 spl. both cheaper to load than any rifle cartridge, both can be found in carbines and hand guns.

 

[Billy The Kid]

22 hornet may be a good choice although there are smaller...........

 

[JasonYuke]

204 ruger or the 17 rem but it may be $$ to load these over the ever popular 223. (brass prices)
I would stick to the 223, fun,cheep and accurate.

 

[todbartell]

another vote for the 223 Rem, pretty damn straight forward, and economical to shoot. no shortage of load data either
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[Levi Garrett]

Agree .223 fun to reload, get more than a handful with a lb of powder, and its got some fine match bullets at a good price.
Frank

 

[fogducker]

dont get me wrong here friends im not looking for a cheap round to do...im looking for a caliber to teach some young ones to shoot and to learn to reload there rounds.. i will supply the gun and all they need

 

[Levi Garrett]

Well then its perfect, a good example of a bottle neck round, can also load up some pistol rounds, as the procedure is a bit differant.
Frank

 

[sunray]

"...will supply the gun and all they need..." Then it depends on what you have. But I'd be thinking .223 as well. Handgun rounds are less expensive powder wise, but likely of limited value to young shooters. Slightly different techniques and more steps. And a hearty well done.

 

[David K]

... The 22 Hornet and 218 Bee are both accurate and light recoiling rounds, but when it comes to reloading, the 223 is far easier for beginners to handle. Recoil, given a decent shaped stock, is also mild with the 223, so that's what I'd go with ! .... David K.

 

[Holleyman]

.223 - another vote...

24.7 Gr IMR 3031, 50 Grain V-Max in my M77 makes really small 5 shot group holes, brass is EVERYWHERE if you want to look around in the used brass boxes at the range. Cheap, accurate and low recoil... winning combo to learn on.