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Old March 4, 2009, 09:40 PM   #1
Gaxicus
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Dads and reloading

***** I’m not advocating, implying, or even guessing about any legalities or safety concerns concerning kids and reloading in this thread. Just a place to kick around purely hypothetical experiences as kids or with kids and reloading.*****
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I helped my dad reload.

Scary isn’t it?

I was young, I loved it, and it really established the concept of trust in our relationship.

Guns and bullets were the most serious thing in the world and he was teaching me about it. It was a big deal.

I had to earn my opportunities with no mistakes and fewer excuses for a long time before I was able to perform another step in the process. In a way it kind of became a barometer of where I stood with him. Not a bad thing to know when you’re a kid.

It wasn’t all just work. I got to impress the old man; He got to impress me, what a time. Not just time with Dad but MAN STUFF with the guy I thought was superman. He still is, kinda.

I think that it is completely fair to say that I was raised old school. For some, this will probably be an understatement. Pioneer culture evolved a lot different than other more coastal groups of people in the US but different doesn’t mean worse. For all of our quirks, I look at the way people treat each other in the more "Civilized" parts of the country and I can’t see that they have anything quite "dialed in" just yet either.

In a purely hypothetical discussion, anyone hear of somebody’s brother who knew a guy that lived next to somebody that enjoys handloading with their kids? I loved it as a kid and I cant be the only one.

If you have to change names, dates, and circumstances to keep the people that know what's best for us or maybe an ex wife off your back, I am sure everybody will understand. I would actually encourage you to just lie your @$$ off as a matter of keeping it hypothetical.
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Old March 4, 2009, 09:58 PM   #2
Dustin0
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Hand loaded with my grandfather and father for years. I will teach my kids someday. Its a good thing.
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Old March 4, 2009, 10:07 PM   #3
flyboy14
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My daughter loves to help me reload, my dad never did, I picked it up on my own, wish he had. At this point she is to young to actually "help" me but she loves to come in my room and "help" me by asking what's this and what's that. Right now I am just glad that she is around reloading, and guns. I hope that it leads to an interest in shooting (especially because I have already bought her 4). It was kinda cute when she brought me half of the toilet paper holder (brass looks like a huge rifle case) and said, Daddy I found you a bullet to load.
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Old March 4, 2009, 11:21 PM   #4
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I grew up "helping" my dad reload. I can remember many great times loading up the .44mags for his Contender. I started out (at 9 or 10 years old) by sorting his brass for him and checking for cracks or splits. Before long, I was allowed to grease the cases and resize/deprime them. That was before we had carbide dies. By the time I was 14 or 15 yrs old, I was allowed to roll my own from start to finish for the .357 and .38's. By that time, we had already started reloading for several rifle loads, including necking down .308 brass to make the .22-250's.

All the time I spent at the reloading bench was under the watchful eye of my father. After we loaded a small batch or two, we would take a break and talk about it. Many great lessons were learned about guns and reloading in those early years.

Once I turned 16 and could start hunting big game, I also had to acquire my own ammunition. I could either buy it or reload it. After the first couple boxes of '06 shells, I realized the tremendous savings that could be attained by rolling your own. If I wanted to shoot very often, I had to make it affordable. Have been reloading ever since. Now I reload for several rifle calibers as well as a few pistol calibers. At one point just before getting married, I was probably loading and shooting over 30,000 rounds per year (mostly .38's and .223). Now, my reloading volume has been greatly reduced but the feeling is still there. Dad is physically a couple hundred miles away, but he is still there when I sit down at the reloading bench.

Good times.
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Old March 4, 2009, 11:52 PM   #5
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My brothers and I grew up helping Dad and Grandpa reload as far back as I can remember. Now we are the ones passing it on to my brothers kids. It may take a little longer to do when they help, and ask questions about it all, but its worth the little extra time to see how much they enjoy placin bullets in case mouths and workin the ram with a big grin on thier faces.
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Old March 5, 2009, 12:02 AM   #6
Dr. Strangelove
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The first center-fire round I ever fired was 9mm Luger that my grandfather watched me load in his Lee Loader. We shot the rounds in his basement out of his artillery model Luger, I'm guessing I was about 7 years old. It was a great experience, he made me show I could disassemble, clean and reassemble the pistol before I was allowed to fire it. I can't think of a better way to learn about firearms. He's long gone now, but I have still have the Lee Loader, and some of the old bullets we cast. Every few years I load a couple that way for old times sake. I'll be inheriting the Luger as well, but I'm not looking forward to that day.
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Old March 5, 2009, 12:25 AM   #7
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Kids . . . sure! Mine help and love to.

I prefer depriming and resizing pistol cases off my main press and have one of those cheap Lee reloader presses where I'll put that die. Give the kids a bag of clean brass and a bin to put the finished product in and in no time I am ready to prime, drop powder and roll on. They love it and it spares me some of the tedious part of doing lots of pistol rounds.
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Old March 5, 2009, 12:26 AM   #8
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My dad reloaded but we didn't have a relationship where we did much together. Lets just say he wasn't patient and could be uncomfortable to be around. He was involved in the upper management of a nuclear power plant and was always under stress.

Now that I'm middle aged, he's mellowed some and I'm too big for him to scare.

These days we both have been working (2-3 years now) on establishing a friendship. We reload, shoot, and work on guns as well as fish and prospect for gold. The big problem now is that I moved away 25 years ago so a visit is a 2.5 hour drive.
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Old March 5, 2009, 12:49 AM   #9
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I've tried to involve my sons, they help a little but it doesn't seem like they're terribly interested. My 9 YO daughter though, absolutely loves to help out. She'll put the cases in the shellholder, and when it's time she likes to place the bullets on top of the cases before seating. And I think she could probably run the shotshell loader by herself

Good times.
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Old March 5, 2009, 01:32 AM   #10
bullspotter
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I was one of those that was not real close with my dad, unless it was hunting season, We also got into archery, that brought us closer also. I was pry 11 or 12 and we would load our hunting ammo as $ was pretty tight. I can remember loading 270 and 3006. I got to seat bullets and do the light stuff clean cases, make sure primmers were flush, after he checked them first of course, but i knew what i was doing. I remember seating a bullet and looking the round over, just dreaming about what i was going to shoot with it!! This went on till i was 17. 2 weeks before my Sr of high school my Father died from a heart attack at the age of 42. And to this very day, when loading my hunting ammo, I look it over and dream about what I will get to shoot with this one!!! Im now 36 with a 14 year old son, and we are for the most part inseprable. As i will not allow the same relationship with him that my father and I had.. No way!!! should be good times ALL the time!!


Quick favor needed from Inspector3711, Not sure what the weather is like where you are... But this weekend if its nice, take that 2.5 hour drive and go take your dad shooting. Because I PROMISE you the day will come, when you wish you would have just done it!!!!
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Old March 5, 2009, 09:18 AM   #11
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My son is 5 and is very interested in anything I am doing involving construction, guns, hunting, or anything mechanical. He knows how to jack a car up and change a tire. I didn't even teach him that. He knows where to put the jack.

He is also interested in my reloading stuff. I let him hang around or help me as long as primers and powder aren't involved. He likes to sort brass, put brass into the tumbler, and take it out when it's done. He likes to put the cases in the shell holder when I size. I've let him seat a few bullets for dummy rounds. He know what the components of a bullet are. He gets ****** when he can't "Help" me more.
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Old March 5, 2009, 09:27 AM   #12
stacks04
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my boy is 2.5 and has no concept of what is going on, well, nothing other than dads doing it so.... but i amm new to the reloading part, and have a ton of brass that needs sizing, and depriming so he hops up on my lap and operates the lever. i tell him up or down and he does it. i almost lose a finger everytime, but he gets real ripped if i do one. once i get better doing it alone and get comfortable with it, and he gets a little older i am sure i will be like most of you all and have a little helper. the quality time is so worth losing a finger over now though
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Old March 5, 2009, 09:53 AM   #13
DiscoRacing
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i have two boys... one wont get out there to reload for nuthin...even tho he likes shooting with us... and the other wants to reload all day everyday.... he would want to reload if we already had ten k rounds loaded
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Old March 5, 2009, 10:52 AM   #14
cgaengineer
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My 14 year old son helps me. I am trying to teach him certain things first before we go to pouring powder. I think its great when he is interested.
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Old March 5, 2009, 12:35 PM   #15
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My son is 8 years old and in the second grade. I have 2 presses. One is my breech lock and the other I got with the Lee Modern reload book. He is very interested in what I am doing. He has sat with me when I am learning to reload. I had caught him one night in his room when I could not find any of my reload books reading them. When I walked into his room he sat the book aside and started asking me questions about headspace and the components and things. I sat down beside him and took the book and started reading with him and explained the best I could being that I am learning. Now, he does all of my depriming and resizing and sorting the headstamps. He is dying for me to let him seat primers and do the powders. I told him not now. I am going to wait till he is a bit older before anything like that happens. On occasion, after I seat and crimp, I will measure using my calipers and then pass it over to him and let him do that same. He is having a ball and my wife and I have noticed that alot of his bad habbits and getting into trouble have diminished quite a bit. I did tell him that if he did not get finished with his homework, chores, and supper, and that I got bad reports from school anymore that he would not be able to earn the rewards of starting out reloading. My father never did reload or spoke of it. I started back in September of 08....
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Old March 5, 2009, 01:52 PM   #16
Gaxicus
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Kids

Awesome stories.

Its seems that it might be the girls that seem to take more of an interest in this stuff. I had 2 girls first then my two boys so it was the girls that got exposed to it first.

To be honest, I think the girls just really need a lot more daddy time when they are early teens and later and will jump at the chance. My oldest loves my .460 S&W and when she got to help load ammo for it she was super excited. She is a pretty good shot with it too.

My youngest daughter thought it was cool and would meticulously handle what she was doing as long as she got a hug or two every now and then. Nothing like daughters in a mans life. Now they are either moved out or getting ready to. siiiiiiigggggghhhhhh. Too bad we never understand women until we raise a couple. Wisdom always comes AFTER you need it most.

I don’t want to get Pax banging my head for something sexist here but boys and girls are different. Its pretty easy for a man to be very uncomfortable with some of those differences but I can promise that if daddy doesn’t wuss out he will be rewarded with a new understanding of himself and the lots of stuff he never noticed before. On the other side of it, it doesnt hurt to give the girls a read inside line on how men work either. Pays off huge when they are dating.

My boys think all my man stuff is cool. They are amazingly competent when I can keep their attention for more than an hour. There is something fantastic about the way a son looks at you when you invite him into “your world”. When you get that kind of moment with them, just go ahead and be superman. He can be superkid too. Magic.

I took my oldest boy out to shop for his birthday pocket knife. How cool is that? If you think women take a long time shopping for shoes, you should have seen us gawking and fondling every blade in the shop. The trust and the respect for what he was receiving was forged in the loading room. What a stud he is.

The youngest still bridles at his restrictions and can’t wait for his birthday knife but he knows he is going to have to earn it. He is the comedian of the family and always finds a way to work a zinger in. Reloading was always a much more serious affair for me but that kid has me giggling all the time. Not sure he likes reloading but I do know he likes hanging out doing man stuff with dear old dad.

I think the politics, prices, and availability of ammunition and components might have lots of us needing a little help at the loading bench. It’s a good enough excuse for me at least. Hug your kids today and give the old man a call.

Last edited by Gaxicus; March 5, 2009 at 02:02 PM.
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Old March 6, 2009, 02:11 PM   #17
DEDON45
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I don't have any kids, but it sounds like you guys are doing it right to me. My Dad had a rifle and a shotgun, and when I got a bit older, we did wander throught the woods with them a bit... the real influence in my life when it came to firearms was my Stepfather... he introduced me to shooting early on... when I was about 13 or 14 (not sure) for some reason or another, I received a new toy (I think the previous Christmas I got a Marlin 336 .30-30, so maybe that explains it); a shiny new Lee Loader for .30-30! Boy, that was learning to reload the hard way!!! He did nothing more then tell me to read the directions and be careful... I was a careful sort even at that age, and was pretty mechanically / technologically inclined as well. It wasn't long before I was given a sufficient store of 150 and 170 grain bullets, WLR primers, and IMR3031 powder, and I was hammering away on that loading tool after school in the garage.

I guess the occasional primer detonation (due to the rudimentary method that is used to seat primers with that tool) either spooked my Mom, or irritated my Stepfather, 'cause soon we mounted a new Lee Challenger press to the bench, and had a few sets of dies (which soon grew in number)... I begged and begged for a powder measure (we had the yellow scoops at the time), so I could customize the loads better... he relented and got a Lee perfect powder measure. My 15th (or 14th) summer, amongst my other chores of plowing fire lines with the big tractor, bushhoggin' next to the pond, cutting grass on our 20 some odd acres, helping Grandpa, etc.... (they kept me busy), I was asked to develop loads for all my Stepfather's guns while he was at work, for him to approve once he got home... It'd be a 9mm Hi-Power one week, his 7mm-08 another, so on and so on... depending on what they were for, we were looking for accuracy and / or power. I did my own testing, just walking back behind the garage with the gun and popping them at a target back there; yes, I was home alone, but I was responsible. I never (and to this day, knocking on wood) had a case separation or blowout; I was extrememly careful and worked everything up as prescribed.

Once a load made him grin, my next job was to make as many as possible.. That was a fun summer. I really enjoyed the trust and faith he had in me, and it certainly made me more mature. This probably isn't a good idea for all kids (I know they're all different), but some can handle this sort of responsibility. I'm sure if we had DSS visit they woulda had a cow.. what with me handling firearms (and my friends that my Stepdad approved of), running 50HP Diesel "MAN" tractors, etc. all without constant Adult supervision.. .I knew when to stop and ask for help. I learned a lot of "MAN" skills; I'm amazed at grown men that can't do basic plumbing (even repairing a water closet), basic electrical work, or basic automotive maintenance, or that haven't fired a firearm. I've helped a few such guys out now with achieving those skills; if I ever do have kids, you can be darned sure I'll do my best to impart that knowledge to them the best I can.

Last edited by DEDON45; March 6, 2009 at 02:16 PM.
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Old March 7, 2009, 12:04 AM   #18
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I have 2 step-children, 4yr old boy and a 3yr old girl. They both love to help, the boy really has a interest in it and will hepl me sort cases and decap. The girl is too young to really help much, but she just enjoys being with me. They boy loves all thing mechanical and will flip out when he gets to "help" me fix something. But neither are allowed in the room when there is powder out. I couldnt stand it if I had a mishap and they got hurt.

I remember helping my dad fix the car and work on the water heater, I think that those bonding times molded me for my lifetime
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Old March 7, 2009, 12:58 PM   #19
jimkim
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Like most of you my daughter is the one who has shown great interest. She is eighteen now and likes to brag to the boys about handloading. She also casts her own bullets. She even asked me if we could start our own company and manufacture ammo. My son loads some. He seems to prefer that I load while he shoots. When he was young he broke into my shop, dug a hole, filled it with my powder, made a fuse, buried it and found out the expensive way that smokeless powder doesn't explode like in the movies. Maybe my reaction is what turned him off to handloading. After that I used drywall screws to lock my windows. He is 19 now and I still remind him how much powder he owes me. He thinks I'm kidding......I'm not. Fifteen pounds of powder, even then was a pretty good chunk of change.
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