first timer

[Ferretboy]

Ok, I bought a Lee Breech Lock Hand Press and Carbide Dies for .38.

I made a few mistakes with my first few atempts.

I have loaded 158g LSWC (Lasercast) over 3.1g of Hodgdon HP38.

What should I expect with the loads?
What should I look out for?

[Fire_Moose]

Get a manual or two and read em.

Expect for the primer to ignite a powder charge to build pressure to dislodge a bullet down a barrel.

Watch out for unusually large kick, split cases, cratered primers, and other pressure signs.

Watch out for a small pop. If there is no powder it can seize your cylinder or worse put a bullet half way down the barrel. No not shoot again after a small pop.

[mxsailor803]

If it makes you feel any better, i've been loading for a few years now and I still make mistakes. The key to this hobby is patients. Example, I weigh each and every charge no matter if it is for plinking or hunting. And if something didn't feel right with a charge, dump it, get another charge, re-weigh, and continue on. Another thing is, if you start making mistakes, step back for a hour or 2 and clear your head. Get away from any distractions. My wife knows to leave me alone whenever I'm reloading because I ended up showing her some extremely overcharged rounds and she got the point. Get several manuals and read up on them. Right now I have 5 manuals with 3 I use all the time. Enjoy!

[Swampman1]

I get the point of more than one manual, but why? Why is it necessary to make multiple purchases on the same subject matter? All these manuals should be standardized, and up to date with identical material and information. IMO, in the real world, a person should only need one manual. But thats just me.

[Brian Pfleuger]

I don't see the point in multiple manuals. Frankly, the contradictions are more likely to be confusing than helpful.

One manual for The End of The World, everything else you need is online.

Those loads are the Hodgdon listed starting load. You should expect them to be light. You might get soot on the outside of the case because they don't seal well since the pressure will be low.

You should expect immense satisfaction and the beginning of an addiction to a new hobby.

[Ferretboy]

I did online reading and yeah I used a printed load to start with for the first time. I already see the addictive quality to reloading, I already plan on making .357 MAG Rifle loads and playing withe Revolver Loads. The mistakes I made were bullets obviously seated to far into the case, and one I somehow shaved the brass off the side of the case making a very weak spot. I started by loading 24, patly out of absolute curiousity, mostly out of desire to learn how to reload.