First ammo you loaded?

[Guy Miner]

What was the first ammo you handloaded? Are you still loading that cartridge?

I started as a kid, helping Dad & Grandpa load for their .30-06 rifles and Grandpa's super-cool .257 Weatherby Magnum.

Don't know which they let me help with first, but I do remember seating the bullets for both of those cartridges, probably about kindergartner age, early 1960's.

I still load for both of those cartridges!

My own first die set was a Lee Loader kit for the 6mm Remington, which was quickly followed by a set of RCBS dies for the new press Dad bought, mid 1970's. It's been all downhill ever since! :grin:

 

[joelkdouglas]

Lee Loader here also--for 30-06.

My little boy and girl do help me decap fired rounds. I will let them participate more when they're a bit older, but a 5-year old (our oldest) is still a bit young for critical steps!

 

[gerry]

The 30-06 with 130 gr Hornady Spirepoints, I think I used Win 760 but there is an outside chance it was IMR 4350. I still have about 14 of those bullets left that I will keep as a reminder of those early days of learning a new and exciting hobby. The first reloaded ammo that took down an animal for me was in 30-06, Speer's max load at the time of IMR 4350 with a 180 gr Speer G.S. it was my first bull moose and I was very happy, think I was 22 or 23 years old. My first moose was a cow taken with 220 gr Silver Tips, it worked alright but the Grand Slam was much better since it didn't come apart like the Silver Tips.

 

[JD338]

30-06 180 gr Speer and Hornady bullets, the year was 1974 and I was just a 15 year old kid.

JD338

 

[.300winmag]

I started helping my dad load for his '06 around third grade, I still reload for that old rifle on occasion. My first solo reloading flight was when I was 15 and took up NRA high power. I was going through about 200-300 .223 rounds a week and my dad finally said he was done doing all the work and not getting to shoot any, so that's when I started loading for myself on an old RCBS press. It wasn't until I had moved out and gone off to college when my dad got into it. . . I got a call one night saying he bought a Dillion progressive reloader. He said he got tired of it taking so long to load up for a match. . . Sure wish I would have had that Dillion when I was loading for matches :roll:

 

[JohnB]

25-06 My grandfather bought me for high school graduation. Took money other people gave me and bought an RCBS Rock Chucker, dies, scale, IMR 4831, 100gr hornady spire points.

 

[onesonek]

I started with the 12 ga., and automatically diseased adding the 22-250 and .30-06 shortly after.
Not loading the 22-250 today however.

 

[wisconsinteacher]

30-06. I got a Lee kit from my girlfriend (now wife). We were living in a small apartment and going to college. I would clamp my press to the kitchen table and reload.

 

[Hegland]

It was 50 grain BTs in the .223 with I believe 26.5 grains Varget. Prairie dog disassembly tools. I now have a second rifle so chambered, although the PD population of our historical shooting spot is dwindling, so I don't load the volumes now that I used to. In any case, I've moved up to the 55 grain BT and switched to IMR8208 not long after it came out. This load turned in the best group I've ever shot... 3 shots at 100 yards:

View attachment IMG_0721.JPG

 

[Oldtrader3]

I started reloading for the 7mm Rem Mag in 1963, when I was 20 years old. I am still loading for the 7mm Rem Mag. Nice group BTW.

 

[DrMike]

Started loading for a 7mm RM and a .356. I still load of these rifles.

 

[C.Smith]

I started loading when in 96 or 97 for a .270 I had bought. Borrowed RCBS JR press which I had until about 4 years ago I gave it to my nephew who needed it more for me. I started with 130 grain bullets and finally settled on 140 grain with IMR 7828. I do not load for that rifle anymore.

Corey

 

[Polaris]

16 Ga shotgun shells at 14 years old. Couldn't get decent pheasant loads in the store and trap shells were really expensive so I got dad to pry open the wallet for a Lee Load All, can of Herco, 100 Fed primers, bag of chilled 7 1/2s and a bag of Rem SP16 wads. Quickly learned that there was a lot of variation in 16 ga hulls and the SP16 wads didn't accomodate different lengths well. This was before there was an internet so I was stuck with whatever the LGS had on the shelves. Did finally find an improved pheasant load though, and loaded a lot of shoddy looking practice shells in the meantime. Sold the old 16 for practical reasons several years ago.

First rifle cartridge I loaded was .308 win. Still run the same load... 49 gr BL-C2 under 150 Hor spire point in my wife's rifle. I am currently .308less, but it still kills deer and pop cans as well as it did when I was 18. Damn that was a long time ago!!!

 

[Guest]

12 ga shotgun as a kid. Older guy got me trapshooting and reloading.
38 spl first centerfire
Then 6 mm w a lee.
Dewey

 

[hubcap]

I started with the .270 Win. In 1982 I bought a RCBS Rockchucker along with other essentials including a chrony by custom chrongraph Co. First bullets were sierra 150 gamekings and the 130 sierra flat base. That was then and this is now. I,m still loading those sierra bullets along with all the nosler bullets except the ET. Finally got the 160 PT going a little over 2800. Ha, that took awhile.

 

[Wondermutt]

12 gauge shotshells back in the mid 80's. I was the prep kid

 

[Desert Fox]

9MM for me.

 

[HTDUCK]

410 shotshells. Dad started my brother and I on shotguns at around age 5. We'd load 410 shells most every weeknight to be able to go shoot clay targets with dad and his buddies on Sunday morning after church.
Still have that 410, my grandpa bought it for dad in 1939 and it was the first gun my son shot as well.
Don't load 410 anymore.

By the time I was 10 it was on to 38 Spcl and 357 on a Rockchucker.

First rifle ammo was 30-06 in about 1982.I was 20 then. Still loading for that 06 and still hunt with it on occasion.

 

[Elkman]

I started in the late 50's loading for one of those 721's, in my black rifle post, when it was an 06. I was using a Herters C type press, the same one I use today. The powder was military surplus out of a round cardboard container. I still have several hundred Herters bullets.

 

[big rifle man]

Started loading in 1980 with a Rockchucker. Loaded 30.06 for a Ruger model 77 and a model 700. I still have the original press/RCBS dies. However, if I remember correctly components were more reasonably priced back then. Still saving money though.