Reloading for Dummies classes

[Divehobo]

I have been reloading for about 10 years and would be interested in being certified ...

Same here, I am game for teaching or even helping any way possible. SF Bay Area

[kcstott]

I would call that a very loose interpretation of manufacturing.


So what happens to the ammo?

Do you end up shooting someones reloads or do you disassemble them?

So if I let a friend use my press and reimburse me for components is that manufacturing also?

Holly crap I'm not going to sit here and argue with you over what you do in your garage.

Federal law requires ammunition manufactures to be licensed even people that sell reloads.

You can interpret it any way you like. it's your neck on the line not mine.
I do things my way and the BATFE will not have a leg to stand on if they walk in my shop. I do everything by the book to the point nothing is left to interpretation. Now if you think letting someone borrow your equipment to load their own ammo is legal. Think about the letter on 80%'s The BATFE makes crap up as they go so it may be legal to do so but you will still loose your freedom for a short time fighting the issue.

That's a risk I'm not willing to take.


In my class you will spend more time on safety, and prep then anything else.

Also there is a significant portion devoted to gear selection. my equipment is not for rent, you can't and won't show up to 'borrow" my tools to build your own ammo. I'm here to teach you the fundamentals of reloading, you can reload on your time not mine.


Copied from my site

We will cover SAFETY!!!
Powder handling and storage
Component handling and storage.
Press set up
Die set up
Case prep
Component selection
Then on to the reloading process
Sizing and decapping
Priming
Powder dispensing
Bullet seating and crimping
Quality control, to include proper use of measuring tools

Introduction to progressive reloaders


Over all there will only be about 1 dozen rounds loaded total.
The reloading process is simple, therefore i spend more time explaining what each tool does, why you need, what happens when you don't and what to look for. that can't be taught in an hour.

[waho]

BigBronco
I thought Forster was out of business .
I think I have some Forster dies - not really into names unless something breaks .
The few people I know consider Lee junk . My nephews [ 2 of them ] have gone to friends and decided to reload here . They kind of party , have music and are talking on phone while reloading - one was a single stage and the other a turret Dillon .
I am in S F / day area . Is there a place close to Oxnard that sells presses / reloading supplies ? My wife has a sister there and I get bored listening to same thing every time someone comes to visit .
If Forster makes a turret with a place for 6 dies [ I use all 5 now on load master ] and extra turrets can be had - I would be interested .
It [ the Forster ] would need a better powder thrower / easier to change set up too . I only have 2 powder throwers on my turrets [ I have 7 turrets but space is a problem , so only 2 are mounted at a time - like one on 44 mag and one on 50 AE or 45 and 9 mm ] Yes , I have a spare one - I leave the one with the 44 mag - 50 AE plates / powder measure things in one .

Camarillo Shooters Supply.

[milw50717]

As others have said - books, youtube videos, ask for advice on these forums. In the early days never trust one source for anything, look for multiple responsible sources.

Always wear safety googles. Always start on light loads. Do not allow any distractions whilst you are reloading and if you are distracted at a critical phase (e.g. measuring/pouring powder) stop and consider restarting that step from scratch. You will make mistakes, we all do, so consider how to pull bullets (kinetic hammer is cheap option). Measuring everything a number of times is highly important to me, so calipers and gauges are always to hand.

I'll steer clear of gear selection (I'm a blue guy) and I learnt on a progressive press which are arguably harder to set up but IMHO offer greater ease of use. Do some research on the calibres you intend to reload and look for common powders to initially lower the cost of entry.

There are some stickies for reloading groups in this thread, so see if any near you are still active. Certainly take up any offers to watch someone else reload if you can as it can make a lot of things clearer. Yo will likely have followup questions so an additional meet/skype session may help.

[tonyjr]

waho
Camarillo Shooters Supply. - I think I went there maybe 10-15 years ago .
The kid I talked to belonged at MacDonald's . Next time I go I will check again . All I ended up with was a box of 380 ACP's . Hopefully it has changed .

To be honest - not many people even know what a D E is and try to sell me 50 S & W .

I don't like single stage , while I do hand prime , having 20 to 30 cases setting there with powder - not my idea of safe reloading . I was given a single stage - but traded it for a set of dies . It was O K for pistol , but not good for rifle rounds . I went so far as to drill holes in a 4 X 4 to hold shell casings - still was better on Lee .
While it takes me longer to set up the powder throw - once set up I don't check again till the tray / box is full . most of time it is fine on larger Calibers but on the 25 , 32 , 380 it seems to drift , but then the tray holds about 100 cartridges . I do check the powder throw with both the Lee balance beam and electronic scales .
I only use Hodgdon ball powders [ H110 , now CFE pistol - was H38 ] Lee powder throwers don't like flake [ seems to gum up thrower ] and log is just to variable .
edit -
While posting other post came up / posted . While it is cheaper to buy case bullets , you need to wear gloves because of lead . Goggles are important to keep powder dust out of eyes and if something goes boom from static electricity , goofy primer / whatever .

[beerman]

I'm self taught (with the help of books) I started some 25 years ago with a mess of odds & ends components I picked up from a coworker (who acquired it all from his roommate who offed himself with one of his reloads) I've learned a lot by trial & error but still pretty much still load the same:
single stage iron ('60s era) C&H press, Redding powder throw, only RCBS or Forester dies) and all weighing is done on an RCBS10-10 scale (I do not trust digitals) RCBS case trimmer.. I think the 3 most important things are:
#1: be sober & avoid distractions...there's time for altering your mind when your done!
#2 have a good reloading manual(s) note many of the newer manuals are downloading their powder recepies to keep them out of lawsuits. Find some from the 60s or 70s for reference. Start at the lower end of the recommended range and work UP from there
#3: have a good, clean well lighted reloading area. Only have one set of cases ,primers & powder out at a time to minimize your opportunity for error
Its really not rocket science and most anybody can do it, just be dead serious when your doing it. If you guys have questions feel free to PM me. Good luck.

[tonyjr]

Another thing is to ground the press . I even ground the stool I set on . Any wire will do - even an old telephone or speaker wire - does not have to be big , it is just for static .

[snowdog650]

Another thing is to ground the press . I even ground the stool I set on . Any wire will do - even an old telephone or speaker wire - does not have to be big , it is just for static .

You see?

Even experienced loaders learn something new when they talk to other loaders ... never thought of that.

[foxtrotuniformlima]

I'm pretty sure Brian @ Reload OC has classes.