Did you have a "mentor" to help you learn?

[RicinYakima]

My Dad and Uncles were WWII vets and the older cousins were just back from Korea. Being hillbillies, we went to church on Sunday morning and shot targets while the women made diner (that is the noon time meal for modern folks). Never saw a reloaded round in my life till I went away to college. The only thing they reloaded was cap and ball rifles. When the War of Northern Aggression had its centennial, they were in hog heaven having new black powder guns to shoot. While I have been casting round balls since 1961, I didn't start reloading cartridge ammo until I left LE and moved west, 1972. If I wanted to shoot, I had to reload, so thought myself from books.

 

[Ian]

Breakfast, dinner, supper. That's what we call it around here.

 

[fiver]

breakfast, lunch and dinner.
supper is a late night meal [usually anything after 9-10pm]

 

[Brad]

Supper? I dont eat that.

Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Period.

 

[SierraHunter]

I only eat once a day.

 

[fiver]

my road to casting is probably a bit different than the others here.
my dad did some reloading and such but it was a come and go thing with him, and he never cast anything until I taught him how.
he did some shot shell reloading when I was younger but I learned how to cast bullets from a neighbor when I was about 8.
that changed when we moved away.
but the shooting stuff never did, I worked for a gun shop as a kid [this was to support my shot gun shooting habit] and the owner introduced me to Parker Ackley who's shop was just a couple of miles away from my house.
nope no casting mentoring there either.
but I did learn a lot of stuff from him about gun's and case volumes and all kind's of other stuff [he talked me into joining the Air-Force while I was still in high school]
after I got out and was broke and married I went right back into the shot gunning again [sadly making more money shooting than at my job for a number of years]
but eventually I kind of [and the wife really] got burned out on taking my vacation time to travel to some of the bigger shoots dragging her, the kids, and our little tent trailer along.
she said there has to be something else [I think she realized I had a $400.00 truck and 2 10+K shotguns]
I thought maybe varmint shooting sounded like fun and started working on some loads for the Ruger V/T in 223 I bought using the old rcbs press my dad had and some other tools I bought to get going.

I happened along the lyman cast bullet book in the local gun store when I was buying a navy arms lever gun in 45 colt and took it home.
after reading it about 10 times trying to let everything inside it sink in a little bit I decided to scrape some cash together and give things a go.
my little brother worked at a tire shop at the time so lead was just a phone call away.
but what to do with the clip on ww thingy's.
ahh a LEE 20 lb lead melting pot, and a propane torch and an rcbs ingot mold and a ladle and a mold.....
jeezus this takes forever lets speed this up a bit.

 

[RicinYakima]

When we lived in Ohio among the Dutch farmers, they would eat baked goods before milking. Then breakfast before chores; lunch about noon; field work until time to milk again. Then diner about 6 PM and family time and church. Supper before bed at 10:00. They ate well. If I was going to work in the tobacco, I would try to get there early for lunch, always better than cornbread and greens.

 

[Mitty38]

My Crazy Uncle Jim first peaked my interest in reload when I was a pre teen. But he was not the kinda fella you wanted to learn safety from. My first experience was him loading his 45-70.
I remember him bustin' open a battery melting part of the lead from it, with battery terminal clamps and I believe wheel weights. Cooking it outdoors, fluxing it with beeswax. Spitting in the pot to make it explode,to scare me. Laughing about it ,while he downed another Old Milwaukee.
Then pouring the lead into a 45 caliber mold he then smacked it splashing the spru back into the cast Iron pot.
Then cooling them off by dropping them straight into a can of lube.
I can also remember him loading them with a tablespoon to the brim then shaking back out just enough powder to let the bullet seat,and using a lee whack a mole type set up. He also smacked a few primers right there on the table with the powder out and all, just to see me jump.
After that I figured only crazy people like my uncle Jim reloaded their own ammo and let any notion of it pass for years.

Then I met a fellow by the handle of Gandog56 on another forum. He became a great friend thru a little horse trading, internet conversations, written communication, and a few phone calls.
I was Interested in shooting something besides a 9mm or a .22 regularly, that I could afford. He introduced me to the world of reduced load wad cutters, the budget lee turret press, and the .38 special. Walked me thru a lot of my firsts.
At the time I did not have much money at all. Had just gotten over about 5 years of sickness, that took about everything I owned. I was just then, physically recovering enough to get back to work part time.
A lot of others made suggestions that were way beyond my ability to obtain.
He helped me chose a decent revolver in .357 so I would have a little mistake room. Then helped me pick my first press, powder and die set. He passed away finally succumbing to his battle with cancer, about a year ago, I will miss him.

The 3rd and current influence and mentor is Fiver. He started mentoring me a bit while I was still under Gandog56's wing. Helped me expand my horizons. Safely guided me thru my learning curve.
So now I can confidently share my hobbie with my son.
He has helped in so many ways expecting nothing in return. I wish their was a way I could repay him.
Then lastly he brought me here. Introducing my to a whole roomful of Crazy Uncles.

 

[Rick H]

My mentor was being dirt poor and wanting to shoot more...I "thought" I would be saving money. LOL.
I bought a manual and went from there.

 

[fiver]

I miss old Ganny.
he always had meticulously prepared ammo, bright shiny neat clean and straight.

 

[popper]

Started shooting, reloading and casting in MY late 60's. So pretty much learned by reading and doing and correcting mistakes. Forums helped a lot.

 

[Mitty38]

I miss old Ganny.
he always had meticulously prepared ammo, bright shiny neat clean and straight.

He taught me there is no shame in lacking the latest and greatest, tools, tech. and firearms.
The real shame lies in not doing the best job you can, with what you have. .... Pretty close to a direct Quote.

 

[dale2242]

The closest person I had as a mentor was Paul Shelton, owner of Sheltons Sporting Goods where I bought my guns and reloading supplies.
He gave me a lot of sage advise.
I learned mostly by reading everything I could get my hands on about reloading and casting.
and experience.
I remember casting on a Coleman white gas stove with single cavity molds. Just when I got it up to casting temp and was getting good bullets, I had to pump it up again.
I am still casting and reloading at the ripe old age of 78 and am still learning.

 

[Charles Graff]

I started casting about 60 oe 61 also and I knew nobody else that was involved. My mentor was a Lyman #41 Reloading Handbook and that was all. However it was enough.

 

[Rick]

No mentor for casting other than a lot of reading and a strong motivation from some of the most respected long range handgun shooters telling me to forget cast bullets and go for the winning score instead. Oh really? Watch this. That sent me on a quest studying everything from bullet design to metallurgy and a long list of things. Several years of practicing and testing just about everything I could think of. One of the happiest days of my life was the day I won the California NRA/IHMSA/CRPA state long range revolver championship with a perfect score of 60x60. Yep, was a fine feeling winning the revolver championship but far more important to me was the fact that my cast bullets beat some of the country's best revolver shooters shooting the best store bought bullets money could buy.

 

[CZ93X62]

Mentors? Yeah, my Dad and his work partner at the Coroner's Office Leo Reyes. May both rest in peace.

It All Started with shotshell reloading. Dad and I muddled about with "Dove & Quail Loads" in our 12 and 20 gauge shotguns for several hunting seasons, accepting the lackluster results of soft shot and low velocities as Part Of The Game. One year Dad was kept busy on call-outs well into August, and all of the dove loads got sold out before we could score our usual case of same in the pre-season run-up. All that was left was AA Trap loads and Super-X field loads, which cost over 2x as much as the Cheep Stuff.

Granted--I was young and inexperienced at age 14, but few events had riveted my attention like the instant and dramatic uptick in hit rates those expensive shells created in our bird hunting. Twice as many hits or more, and lots fewer "cripples". ALRIGHTY, THEN. Dad and I talked with Leo about this, and Leo summed it up for us--"Harder shot, more shot, higher velocity, better wads".

Me--"They are EXPENSIVE."

Leo--"You get what you pay for. Reload your empties with good components to save money."

Leo came up with a MEC reloader, a pre-cursor to the 600 Jr. line, and I was in The 12 Gauge Business over the summer right after I turned 15. Metallics followed shortly thereafter, about age 17 with Lee Loaders--30-06, 223, and 38 Special. RCBS tooling came on stream for me at age 22, my own casting began at age 26. Yes--rolling my own saved me money-per-shot, but hasn't saved me a dime for the 50 years I have been doing it. Cost-savings was the attractant, but the accuracy and effectiveness has always driven the train.

 

[RBHarter]

I learned shooting from my Dad I guess it was just something we had always done . I got a 410 for my 3rd Christmas and just before or after that ate myself sick on geese .

Dad got me started Reloading with 12 ga on a MEC 600 Jr . We got a couple of hot loads .......the bushing at had although correct by all the research was dropping about 2.5 gr over max for our load . In hind sight there were other contributors as well . Among others were then new plastic base cases and federal having adjusted base hight to the load vs a flexible wad collum fueled by a new lot of the near magnum power Federal 209A of the era ....... Stacking tolerances or in this case errors ended up with a load something on the order of 29,0 Unique under 1-1/4 at something in the realm of 1550 fps in a 2-3/4 case . That was a little hard on even his 1940 Model 12 , it adjusted the head space a little . Good times . With no permanent damage it was a powerful learning experience about checking things , correct data for parts used etc .
Later he walked me through metallic cartridges for his 25-06 , his Dad's 1957 M70 06' that Mom hunted with and we stabbed at a Chilean 98' 7×57 a little bit too .

From about 84-93' I didn't load anything but there was an adventure with the second season of mandatory steel shot and a honker shot 5 times in a head wind so close I could see it's feathers move every wing pump . Crazy . That was when the components/data matching really drove home and that day some 15 >< yrs before became way more clear . I bought an 06' about then and after $100+ in ammo and still nothing that shot fer beans I bought a Partner kit and after a fashion learned about case volume and pressure curves . Soon had a rifle that shot better than I'd ever shot anything before except Dad's 25-06' , basically M40 in a Walnut Monte Carlo white line ebony tipped 700 BDL . Trigger shoe and all .

I guess about 2009 I cast my first bullet , the cost of 45 cal bullets drove that . That went well so I got a mould for 38/357 and a 356-124 and that went ok in the 38/357 the 9 mm was ok after I got the copper out and the horrible leading . Then I got the 325-175 and the wheels came off the bus enough so that I abandoned the 8×57 all together and started with the 06' ...... I turned to the CB board in January 2010 . I described my problem after reading several tomes about heat and cold moulds and lube and sizing and neck tension . Probably it was one of you gentlemen that saw the problem right away and got lined out . Actually I think it was one of the old souls one of the guys that maybe started the board in league with Bruce B , Felix and several others that I've lost along the way . As the old saw goes I solved one problem and suddenly there was clearity in the wisdoms of the ages.

So I guess if I had cast mentors it was from the net mostly and by association probably 1 or more of you guys . I still do dumb chancy stuff but with caution and reasoning and not just stupid dangerous stuff .

So thanks for the help and guidance !

 

[Walks]

I literally started at My Father's knee.
My Dad, Uncle, Brothers, Cousin's and their Friends, all Handloaded & Cast.
There were Marathon casting and loading sessions in our Garage at least every week.
My Dad shot Bullseye in the 1950's & 1960's. Trap & Skeet into the 1970's.
I started priming cases with a 310 tong tool at 4-5yrs old. Casting RB at 8yrs.

It wasn't until H.S. that I learned people shot Factory ammo and left the brass on the ground. AND WALKED AWAY FROM IT.