Started about when quicksilver did. IIRC 1966, with a 310 tong tool to feed my 7x57 Chilean Mauser 95.
My father had swaged his bullets and loaded ammo when I was an infant to feed his K-38 for 2700
shooting. He taught me to shoot handguns, with my original Ruger .22 auto. I could afford .22 ammo,
but the 7x57 was horribly expensive, like $7 per 100 rounds of surplus.
I was earning
75 cents per hour at a farm job at the time.
The neighbor, a recent graduate of the US Army had a lathe and loaded ammo for his Rem RB with a
Lee Loader. So, I had a role model and my father approved of the idea. No casting until after college
when I had some money.
Still remember my first booboo. Loaded the Mauser with pistol primers. First shot, my thumb hurt like
heck, couldn't figure why and the bolt snapped open as I lifted the bolt.......the striker was cocked (M95
is a cock on closing action) after just firing..... Slow to grasp what was happening, I fired a second shot,
and DANG IT!! My thumb really hurts and the stupid rifle is still cocked....and the fired case had a pierced
primer - gas blowing into the bolt recocked the striker, and smacked my poor thumb each time.
Figured out the issue and got the right primers. These were the old Rem primers, only a number, IIRC.
It went a lot better after that. The NRA Reloading Manual was a HUGE help, too. I had a Hornady manual
for loading data. Powder was measured with Lee scoops, no scale - way too expensive for a 17 year old.
Casting was for my Browning HP, started with 9mm, had no issues. My first press was (and
is still in service) a RCBS Rock Chucker, purchased by my lovely bride for a Christmas present,
one of the best ever. She managed to top it since with the "you can drive it....." series which
started with a D5G Cat bulldozer, several amazing other drives and the M4 Sherman tank is yet to scheduled.
Bill
