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PASS IT ON TO THE NEXT GENERATION !!

1988z011988z01 Member Posts: 602 ✭✭✭✭
I've been realing a lot of posts lately. I just wanted everyone to stop and think about our hobby. No, passion may be a better term.

I sat with my dad in our old basement back in the early 70's learning about reloading in the 1st grade. At first, I got to clean primer pockets as dad and I talked and listened to an old crappy am radio. I eventually got to move up to trimming shells with "the bomb". That's what I called it, because the old RCBS tool looked like a bomb. As I got older, I got to do damn near all of it while we sat, talked, and he sucked down a beer or two. I really got to learn what it was to finely tune a cartridge to a particular gun.[^]

I really miss those days, and I am lucky enough to be able to pass it on down to my sons. My oldest never showed any interest until last year. When he finally sat with me, and went through it all, he was amazed. Now he is always anxious to help the old man out.[:D]

Now we sit, load, talk, and listen to the old radio with a littlepic of the old man hanging in front of us. If I listen close enough, I can still hear him * a little about me using too much lube on the cases, or to check the load again.[;)]

[:)]If any of you have any similar experiences, I would love to read about them if you would share, and for goodness sake - PASS IT DOWN.[:)]

Comments

  • gknaka2gknaka2 Member Posts: 461 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Amen brother...great post
  • goldeneagle76goldeneagle76 Member Posts: 4,359
    edited November -1
    I am self taught, no one in my family did it. I have two daughters and am hoping I can get at least one of them into it. I am thinking it will be the younger one. I have some time though they are 5 and 1 1/2. I always tell friends that I am more than happy to get them going into the hobby/passion.
  • AmbroseAmbrose Member Posts: 3,209 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    The 10 yr. old son of the lady that keeps her horse here worked with me loading a box of .30-40 Krag cartridges last summer. He seemed quite interested in all the tools and such. I had him trim the cases (even though they didn't really need it) as well as size, seat primers, use the powder measure, and seat the bullets. He thought it was cool and I did, too. A 10 yr. old kid loading cartridges designed 118 years ago! I would have loved to hear the stories he told his friends. I'll get him shooting a .204 or a .222 one of these days.
  • sandwarriorsandwarrior Member Posts: 5,453 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    1988z01,

    Great post I think as well. I was like you in that my dad got me started and by 12 I was reloading on my own.

    I got all three of my kids to learn it, but they always seem to have more important things to do nowadays. My son actually took the initiative when he found out if he reloads he can go shoot my .40. He's put more than 1000 of his own rounds through it. And, more than 100 of his own 8x57 rounds through his Classic Rem 700. He and I have both come to the conclusion though, that, that rifle kicks a lot and reloading something a little lighter might be more the way to go.

    One daughter has loaded her own .380 and the other has loaded her own .257 Roberts (that I gave them each)
  • 1988z011988z01 Member Posts: 602 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by sandwarrior
    1988z01,

    Great post I think as well. I was like you in that my dad got me started and by 12 I was reloading on my own.

    I got all three of my kids to learn it, but they always seem to have more important things to do nowadays. My son actually took the initiative when he found out if he reloads he can go shoot my .40. He's put more than 1000 of his own rounds through it. And, more than 100 of his own 8x57 rounds through his Classic Rem 700. He and I have both come to the conclusion though, that, that rifle kicks a lot and reloading something a little lighter might be more the way to go.

    One daughter has loaded her own .380 and the other has loaded her own .257 Roberts (that I gave them each)


    My 14 year old just reloaded 100 30-06s for the Garand. I was so proud, and I loved BS'ing with him.
  • templin9templin9 Member Posts: 28 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    This is why I make a point of bringing the 12 year old downstairs to teach him all of these old tricks like reloading, shooting, hunting and trapping. In this age of political correctness we need to instill in the minds of our kids that guns are not toys and that we use them correctly. Of course if the libs ever heard this they would freak.
  • skyfishskyfish Member Posts: 1,068 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I have 2 boys, 18 and 12. Both have helped me reload, both are so busy. Sports, school, job(older) and on and on. I find I do most of the reloading. Its okay, I'm half to 2/3 slower when they help.

    Neat thing happened yesterday. Neighbor boy came over and wants to buy a rifle, a 243. His dad is an avid hunter, but mostly waterfowl. Doesn't even own a rifle, yea really. Wanted some help, was looking at websites getting all confused. How can you blame him. 16FCSS, SPS, T3 lite, Super shadow. Every manufacturer has a different labeling system.

    I told him next time I go to, Scheels or Sportsman Warehouse, he can go. He is friends with my older boy, one year younger. I have pheasant hunted with him and my oldest has duck and goose hunted with him. I'm leaning towards the Savage line, but he likes the Browning rifle I have. We'll go handle a bunch. Savage, Tikka, Remington, Winchester, Howa/Weatherby and Browning's. Should be fun.

    Then, I was showing him the case difference of a 243 and a 308. He says "I have all my grampa's brass from his 243, maybe you could teach me to reload." That was neat, I'm more than happy to let him use my press and equipment. Good kid, I don't have a 243 but I have about 20-30 pieces of Hornady brass from one. Should be fun, rifle season is open in southern Iowa, we got two on Saturday(15th). I'm going next Sunday(23rd), maybe he should come with.

    Its great getting more people into the hobby. I don't mind if its hunting, shooting, reloading or some other form of firearms sports. As long as they are safe and have great respect for what a firearm is and isn't.

    Your post was dead on, I learned to reload with my dad when I was 12, a 257 Roberts. Was using it for Prairie Dogs. I still have a soft spot in my heart for the Bob.
  • sandwarriorsandwarrior Member Posts: 5,453 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by skyfish
    I have 2 boys, 18 and 12. Both have helped me reload, both are so busy. Sports, school, job(older) and on and on. I find I do most of the reloading. Its okay, I'm half to 2/3 slower when they help.

    Neat thing happened yesterday. Neighbor boy came over and wants to buy a rifle, a 243. His dad is an avid hunter, but mostly waterfowl. Doesn't even own a rifle, yea really. Wanted some help, was looking at websites getting all confused. How can you blame him. 16FCSS, SPS, T3 lite, Super shadow. Every manufacturer has a different labeling system.

    I told him next time I go to, Scheels or Sportsman Warehouse, he can go. He is friends with my older boy, one year younger. I have pheasant hunted with him and my oldest has duck and goose hunted with him. I'm leaning towards the Savage line, but he likes the Browning rifle I have. We'll go handle a bunch. Savage, Tikka, Remington, Winchester, Howa/Weatherby and Browning's. Should be fun.

    Then, I was showing him the case difference of a 243 and a 308. He says "I have all my grampa's brass from his 243, maybe you could teach me to reload." That was neat, I'm more than happy to let him use my press and equipment. Good kid, I don't have a 243 but I have about 20-30 pieces of Hornady brass from one. Should be fun, rifle season is open in southern Iowa, we got two on Saturday(15th). I'm going next Sunday(23rd), maybe he should come with.

    Its great getting more people into the hobby. I don't mind if its hunting, shooting, reloading or some other form of firearms sports. As long as they are safe and have great respect for what a firearm is and isn't.

    Your post was dead on, I learned to reload with my dad when I was 12, a 257 Roberts. Was using it for Prairie Dogs. I still have a soft spot in my heart for the Bob.


    You DA Man! I still very much love that round. I got my longest Montana gopher kill with one of those (the one I gave my daughter)

    That's pretty awesome that the kid wants to learn to reload, too. getting as many people involved in, and enjoying shooting is what really is going to keep guns in our hands. The next generation of kids who respect guns and shoot them for what they are there for is the reason we will or won't keep them in the future.
  • MobuckMobuck Member Posts: 14,088 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I've not convinced my kids that they need to give reloading some thought. They're spoiled by always having access to ammo here. I chuckled when my older son related a conversation with some of his age group friends about shooting. They were talking about shooting and how much ammo they shot. One of them commented that my son didn't ever say how much he shot. His answer was that we didn't measure in boxes at home-we measure by the coffee can or peanut butter jar for centerfire and by the carton for rimfire. He's thinking about starting loading for handgun and has done some shotshell loading when we were trap shooting regularly. He has a stigma about rifle reloading as he was with me when my 257 WBy blew up-not actually an ammo problem but by his perception it was.
  • wpagewpage Member Posts: 10,201 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Amen to passing it on. Father showed me on this old POS Bair single stage 12ga loader. What a clunker that Bair machine was. But we bonded as we worked those loads...

    No one here is interested. There is too much other things happening. But the Lee 16 and the Newer 12 ga machines are ready when they are!
  • Mk 19Mk 19 Member Posts: 8,170
    edited November -1
    My 10 year old daughter loves to help my with my loads, she de-primes cases and pulls bullets, she can name all the components and give a description of what they do. In fact she wants to do a science fair project on the different burning speeds of gun powders
  • OakieOakie Member Posts: 40,510 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    This is the best post i have seen in years. It brought back alot of memories of reloading with my father. He taught me alot and Iam just starting to reload with my son. Thank you so much for posting this. I think I'll go and call my father right now just to say Hi.[;)]
  • gknaka2gknaka2 Member Posts: 461 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by Oakie
    This is the best post i have seen in years. It brought back alot of memories of reloading with my father. He taught me alot and Iam just starting to reload with my son. Thank you so much for posting this. I think I'll go and call my father right now just to say Hi.[;)]
    [:)]
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