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Old June 27, 2010, 09:42 AM   #51
MO. Shootin
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Headgear I misunderstood your post for about 2 seconds and thought you where bashing Unclenick. Thought we where going to have a beat down.

Since I am on here now I will just say there are no stupid questions when the person asking might be shooting next to you at the range. Ask away and between all these experienced reloaders on here you will get your problem solved.
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Old June 27, 2010, 10:15 AM   #52
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Well maybe there isnt humor, ...................but think about it. Just about everyone of those questions can be answered by reading any reloading manual.
Quote:
Why someone would take up re-loading without ever having read their reloading manual is beyond me.
I agree. Mostly I believe people who start out reloading want something that immediately shoots stellar out of their firearm. That is just not realistic.

When I was introduced to the world of reloading, we didn't have forums like TFL. My FIL taught me that you have to try different powders, bullets etc to find the best recipe for your firearm. Trial and Error was my best teacher. I read manual after manual after manual. I would work up 5 different loads, go to the range and see which grouped better? If I had a question, my FIL was there along with some of his buddies to answer any questions. Again, Questions is the optimal word. They never did tell me what to use in my firearms. I made that decision by reading different manuals, deciding on what type of bullet I wanted to use, velocity I wanted to attain, etc.

Ultimately, It is about putting in the work, to recieve the much desired reward. This day and time most people, not all people want immediate gratification. With reloading, it just isn't realistic. IMHO.
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Old June 27, 2010, 02:01 PM   #53
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I didnt read all these I just came in. Anyway I really feel the same way as Headgear stated in #50. All in all this is a Great Post that we all can agree on for different reasons. I know for myself I have learned alot of things, some that is probably in manuals and some I can guarantee that isnt. But for whatever reason, we shouldnt try to run folks off, If anything try to gather as many members as possible to keep this hobby of reloading going as strong as possible. I'll guarantee you the other half is sure rallying to do everything possible to take this/guns and everything away from us. Divided we fall/ United we stand.
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Old June 27, 2010, 02:32 PM   #54
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Headgear I misunderstood your post for about 2 seconds and thought you where bashing Unclenick. Thought we where going to have a beat down.
Nope, we're good! If Nick types it, I read it, even if I'm not real interested in the topic. He's just that good and he's not alone. This forum has a great line up of members and my hat is off to all of them.
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Old June 27, 2010, 05:04 PM   #55
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This thread was started as fun and entertainment, Not information. Yea! you gotta cut loose every once in a whole. Who hasn't wanted to give a funny response from time to time.

I believe there's no harm in asking a question if you dont know. How else can you find out things. BUT.... a "Whats' the best...." question is usually posted without any clear reference as to what they are trying to achieve. So the question itself is silly. Unless you can be specific, the likely hood of anyone being able to help him is "Zero".

"Whats the best powder to use for a .357 with a 158gr JHP in an 8" barreled S&W revolver, for hunting elk in -30° temperatures". No mistaking what this guy wants to do is there. One can start to contemplate the possibilities of these parameters to help come up with a "possible" answer.

"Which gun fits best?" Fits what, who's, etc....
Where do you want it to fit? in the trunk, in your pocket, in an apple pie. These kinds of questions are almost funnier than the start of this thread.

To those who took the time to be creative in this thread, I Thank You. Some very funny stuff. You brightened my day by making me laugh.

BTW: Cant believe how big this thread got in 2 days. WOW!
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Old June 27, 2010, 06:08 PM   #56
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over 11 years, over 11,000 posts: Family First

I feel those stats 'qualify' me to respond: I respect newbie questions, because I was a newbie once (around 1975; we didn't have an internet).
I grant you all that sometimes I feel a bit of laziness in some questions, but in the interests of Shooter Safety, and the "Brotherhood of Gunowners", solid answers and/or advice gets freely given.

Giving advice and answers means I MUST give safe advise or answers, so I ("me") learn more.


So, even if I personally find humor in everything, I continue to gladly post on threads I've seen eleven thousand times before........because we are bruddasfromuddamuddas. Ay?
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Old June 27, 2010, 07:24 PM   #57
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A newbie on a different forum asked just how fast he could push a 180gr .44 Magnum bullet. I must have been tired or cranky or something, because I responded with the following:

"Theoretically, to just below the speed of light (186,000 miles per second). This would yield about 385 trillion ft-lbs of energy, and I'm thinking the recoil would be severe (although I'm also sure there are some who would claim it was still marginal for elk)..."

And no, my attempt at humor was NOT appreciated...
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Old June 27, 2010, 07:38 PM   #58
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I'll get myself in more trouble, but I appreciate you.

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Old June 27, 2010, 08:18 PM   #59
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"And no, my attempt at humor was NOT appreciated... "

Well I appreciate you too, a valid point well made. I 'bout choked on my 'sammich when I read that one!

Jim243, this has been a cool, phunny thread even tho some don't quite seem to get it!
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Old June 27, 2010, 08:22 PM   #60
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I think this should be made a sticky....
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Old June 27, 2010, 08:46 PM   #61
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"...just below the speed of light (186,000 miles per second)"

Now That's Funny!

But Really, How many grains of Bullseye would that require?
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Old June 27, 2010, 09:14 PM   #62
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about 1 lb should do it I would think.........
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Old June 27, 2010, 10:21 PM   #63
RWJOHN
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I would stay away from the Bullseye. With a 1lb charge a .1 grain overcharge could blow the gun to smithereens. Only super experienced reloaders should use Bullseye.

Peace
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Old June 28, 2010, 11:13 AM   #64
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Some of these are hilarious, and I especially liked kodiakbeer's post, but I can see Peetzakiller's point also.
As a fraternity of shooters who have a vital interest in attracting and keeping new shooters in the fold (because they vote), we should be very circumspect about our funnin".
Perhaps this thread should go to a different forum?
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Old June 28, 2010, 12:21 PM   #65
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Just got reminded of two other mental giant questions:

"Can I use my bullet puller to pull bullets outta live ammo?" - Not that it should be necessary to pull bullets from fired ammo but it might be fun to try?

"I just went to a gun store and asked for a box of bullets for my .30-30 deer gun, I didn't care what kind. The man behind the counter looked puzzled and handed me a little box of a hundred flat point .308 tips/heads; that guy is too dumb to work in a gun store!" You may want to read the label on your boxes of "bullets" more closely; especially check the part where it says "cartridges."

Last edited by wncchester; June 28, 2010 at 09:14 PM.
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Old June 28, 2010, 12:29 PM   #66
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Some of these remind me of my buddies girlfriend in high school. She was showing off her new car and when asked “How much gas does it hold?” her answer was, “A full tank, duh!”
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Old June 28, 2010, 01:01 PM   #67
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Fun and Serious

I must admit both a chuckle and a bit of exasperation when someone posts a question like "I just bought a rifle and a loading press. What load do I use to make .3" groups at 1500 meters so I can become the world's greatest sniper?"

Uh....

Or "I just bought a bunch of stuff and how do I make winning loads?"

I'm sorry guys, those answers cannot be answered in a paragraph. I'm of the opinion one should read at least one reloading manual. Not the load part but the introduction part where the book explains cartridges and components and usually the loading process. If one cannot read and get a good overview of things, one needs a personal instructor.

I started loading with a load book and a Lee Loader (hammer operated) die. I had very little in the way of instruction and pretty much had to learn as I went. I read a lot of books and magazine articles on loading in those days. I'm happy to report I've never blown anything up. (Although I came close once or twice.)

I'm very happy to share my knowledge. However, I cannot give the basic knowledge in one of these postings. Specific questions are more answerable.

There is however, one pretty constant answer that usually works:

Q. What's a good load for NRA High Power Rifle?
A. A 168 grain hpbt spitzer bullet over 41.0 grains of 4895.

And yes, when I run out of small pistol primers I do swage down large pistol primers. But I'm keeping the secret to myself.

I also would like to answer...

Q. How do I load these bullets?
A. Pointy end forward.

And a serious answer to the "What kind of powder measure gives perfect measurements?" question:

If you haven't sorted cases by weight, sorted primers and bullets by weight, trued the primer pockets, trimmed cases to uniformed length, neck reamed and inspected the brass - then fully accurized the rifle with pillar bedding, proper bedding of the barrel and uniformed mounts and sights, the minor differences in powder charges are the least of one's worries.
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Old June 28, 2010, 02:44 PM   #68
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Questions to the Manufacturer

All good points but I do believe the questions thrown at the manufacturer are maybe one up, some of my Fav's:

The 9mm brass you sold me is defective, it won't hold 147gr of bullseye

Your bullets blew up my S&W Custom Shop pistol, you need to replace my gun. (when he sent in his reloads we found two .44 220gr bullets in the case, when we asked why he had loaded two, his answer was because they fit) True Story!

I want to buy some of your factory blems but can you better define water spots on the copper?

I have more but I fear someone reading this post might recognize it.
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Old June 30, 2010, 08:25 PM   #69
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What I find annoying are the newbie questions that show that zero effort was made to research the answers. I've only been reloading for about 3 years and I learned everything I know from various reloading forums and one manual. However I lurked in the forums for about 6 weeks and picked up a great deal of knowledge without asking a "what do I need" question.

Jeff
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Old June 30, 2010, 09:25 PM   #70
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On a serious note

I think that a lot of younger people who use the Internet are used to getting a sort-of "instant gratification" by asking questions before they think things through enough to communicate the necessary details effectively.

To those of us who learned most of what we know from self-study in books in libraries, who read through long, and sometimes boring accounts of things that did NOT mean much to us in hopes of finding the answer to the question that we DID have, who wrote actual, carefully worded letters to manufacturers (and got actual letters back), it seems lazy to ask questions that we haven't thought through.

BUT, to someone who has found SUCCESS by asking poorly thought-out questions on the Internet and gotten an education by the coaching on how to properly formulate the question as well as eventually getting the answer, I am sure that seems like the FASTEST way to learn what they need to know. True, it requires a lot of hand-holding by the experienced people on these forums, and that can get annoying if you try to do too much of it. But, you don't HAVE to do it when the mood doesn't suit. And, if you point to WHERE in a particular book they can read what they really want to know about, it seems to help them really get into the books and learn how valuable they really are. (So, I often try to tell them pages in a particular manual, rather than just say "read the books.")

I think this particular forum is the best at keeping the snarkiness and off-topic responses to a minimum and the actual helpful content to a suprizingly high level.

So, I don't think this thread is going to offend anybody. It is a good place to vent a little while doing no harm, and will help us avoid letting this type of snarkiness seep into our answers to real newbie questions.

And I am enjoying reading it.

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Old June 30, 2010, 09:45 PM   #71
RWNielsen
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Quote:
about 1 lb should do it I would think.........
Start at 1/2 pound and work up......check for pressure signs
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Old June 30, 2010, 10:09 PM   #72
SL1
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Probably should apply that "work-up" advice

to that mid-range load of "5 pound of dried beans" supplied in post #3, also.

I'm guessing that even a newbie will already recognize THOSE pressure signs.

SL1

Last edited by SL1; June 30, 2010 at 10:15 PM.
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Old July 1, 2010, 01:11 AM   #73
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I'm guessing that even a newbie will already recognize THOSE pressure signs.
Yes, but he should verify with a chronograph...
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Old July 1, 2010, 06:37 AM   #74
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G'day.

Q. Why can't I hit XYZ at ABC?
A. You don't have the skill.


Q. I've sorted cases by weight, sorted primers and bullets by weight, trued the primer pockets, trimmed cases to uniformed length, neck reamed and inspected the brass - then fully accurized the rifle with pillar bedding, proper bedding of the barrel and uniformed mounts and sights, the powder charges are within 0.1 of a grain but I cannot get the accuracy I should. What should I do next?
A. Give the gun to somebody that can shoot straight.


Q. how fast could I push a 180gr .44 Magnum bullet?
A. Faster than me 'cose I can't run very fast.


I've just built the biggest XYZ
I'de like to see that (from a safe vantage point).



Sorry for the late responses. Work is getting busy.
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Old July 1, 2010, 08:03 AM   #75
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Keep em coming.

I somehow found this post first thing this morning, getting fired up for my 12 hour shift, and started laughing at the funnies.

Although a beginner myself to reloading, been popping caps for over 45 years.

As we all know, everyone learns differently, some by diving in and learning the hard way, some common sense folks find these forums and ask us
old timers how to do something. (The right thing to do !)
I have almost goofed up with an inapropropriate response a few times to the same newb questions myself, And somehow stopped and thunk it through Before I fired off something stupid/funny.
I do think this should be a sticky, with a clear name that everyone will realize is poking fun at each other and the quite often funny questions that end up
in our forum.
Oh and I have had some of these same topics/questions while shopping the reloading area at our local BassPro shop, and I have met some really good people here, to the point even the sale guys and gals know me as a regular and have sent a few customers to visit me while I was shopping. It's been fun most of the time.
A few times I wanted to run away and prayed that nobody would sell this guy anything that could go boom.
I now consider these forums just another part of a wonderful hobby and enjoy the humor and banter between all you guys/gals ?.

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