Give me that old time reloadin'

[twomoons]

I,m working on an article on relaoding as it was done in the 1880's and have accumulated a complete reloading outfit. I have Ideal #1 and #3 tong tools, an Ideal #1 Bullet sizer and an Ideal #5 powder measure all in good working condition and all made before 1900. In addition I am casting the bullets in an Ideal Mold of the same vintage. Bullet casting hasn't changed much , but loading on a tong tool is a real job compared to a turret press. I can get about 50 rounds an hour working at a steady speed. The surprising thing is that a powder measure made in 1895 will throw charges just as accuratly as one made in 2005. So far all the ammunition I have reloaded has been just as reliable and just as accurate as the best I can make on modern equipment. So in the last 100 years we have NOT improved quality and have only sped up.

[klsm54]

Yep, a sign of our times, not neccessarily a good sign.....

The whole world is to durned busy and will spend all kinds of money to do something quicker.

There is still a personal satisfaction, at least to me, in doing things slowly and deliberately, like loading one cartridge at a time....

[calsibley]

Hello twomoons,

Your project sounds like a lot of fun. I envy you that one. It must be a lot of fun. You say the state of the art hasn't improved much in the last 100 years? I'm shocked! According to the firearms magazines it continually gets better, almost daily in fact. Personally I tend to think you're correct. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal

[Bill]

They tell me that the new electronic measures are as accurate as it gets as it takes any human error out of the equation. In 30 years of reloading I don't ever remember making a mistake that I didn't catch or didn't intend to make. (like loading Donnie's Ammo)
I still like to measure them out 1 at a time and watch carefully exactly where the scale sits at when it stops moving. Most powder dumps measure within plus or minus 1/2 gain but I always get mine within 1/10 or less if I can. Some powders like 4831 make it hard to do though. The progressive machines are fine for shotguns but for me they have no need in rifles. Poor ammo shoots bad enough without poor reloads. My AR15 shoots groups of 1 3/4" at 100 yds with the crappiest ammo I can find to shoot in it and does fine for coyotes out to 200 yds. At less than $2 per box of 20 I can't afford to reload it. Plus those steel cases were never made to be reloaded anyway. Just sweep out the truck when I'm done and throw them in the garbage.
LOL some of the reloading equipment I'm using are things I bought almost 30 years ago. Like a Bear powder measure and I think the RCBS reloader is almost as old as the powder measure. Heck I'm still using some Herters Dies. Still some of the best I have ever used. No they can say its getting better but there are things I wish I could still get that worked better than New ever will.

[bounce]

I learned something new this morning as I was chanel surfing TV I hit a program on colecting old shotgun reloading stuff & the old hammer demascus guns, and useing them for hunting today!! Well anyway I too have ben doing this for years and have a ring that will hold or extract a 12ga. shell but never knew how it was to be used. Now I found out!! If your paper shell gets damp and swells in the chamber of your gun while hunting you open your gun and put this ring on yourr finger and extract the stuck shell with it!!...Now I know!! the ring has had me stumped for many years as what it was really for? Guess I never asked anyone ether.

[Jack]

Bill, my Rockchucker goes back to 1966, I think.... still got a Belding and Mull powder measure, tho I confess I don't use it much.
I think there are handloaders and reloaders.
Benchrest shooters, and people who use some of their techniques, are handloaders.
People who use progressive presses and crank out tons of ammo are reloaders. So is the guy who loads one box of 30-06's a year...
I don't mean either term to be negative- it's just different styles. Some like Fords, some like Chevys.

[Bill]

Bounce, Now we both know what that thing was for. Taken a few years to figure it out hasn't it. I remember us setting there looking at it and guessing what it was for and neither of use ever come close did we. Live and learn is the word of the day today.

I agree with you Jack.

[flint]

Hi , I have 2 presses one a RCBS junior I bought in 1976 and the other a one I made myself with a shorter stroke for loading short cases , I also have a lyman tong tool I got in 1959 which I still use for some calibres ..I used to use the lyman for loading all my match ammo , about the only thing better about todays weighing scales is they don't use those god awful oil damping reseviors , it eventually crept over the whole scale , but the hardened steel pivots running on aggate notches can not be equalled by todays alternates..Flint