I reload ammunition. It has been a life-long hobby. My Dad began teaching me how to reload when I was around 10 years old and it is something that I have continued to do for over 50 years. That I still have all my fingers, eyes, eyebrows and a good portion of my hearing is testimony to the fact that he started me reloading correctly. That is, he taught me the safety factors, procedures, methods, and most importantly, he taught me how to READ THE RELOADING MANUAL!
When reloading ammunition you are working with potentially dangerous items. The primer, which ignites the powder charge in the cartridge, is basically a small explosive. When it is set off it projects fire and flaming bits of matter into the powder charge. A full box of primers going off accidentally in the wrong place can be a recipe for serious injury. They have to be handled properly.
The powder charge in each cartridge has to be correct. There is a certain set of guidelines that is established for each cartridge and each powder type. Not all gunpowders work in every cartridge. Each cartridge has a certain range of powders that will work in them. All gunpowder’s have a certain required amount that will work in the particular cartridge they are designed for. There is a minimum amount that will work as well as a maximum amount. These have been established in ballistics laboratories under controlled conditions. If you exceed the maximum or minimum charges that have been established you run the risk of damaging your firearm. You also run the risk of injury or worse.
If you approach reloading with the “I will just do the best I can.” attitude you are going to run into serious problems sooner or later. The Manual contains the data that we need and quite honestly, we cannot do “the best we can” without learning what the Manual says!
You can say, “I just don’t feel that I have to use the Manual. I feel in my heart that I am a good person and I am doing the best I can, so why would I need to follow what some man has written?” And you may get by for a time. I can guarantee you however, that sooner or later you are going to either blow up your firearm or create some other serious problem.
It really does not matter how you feel or what you think. What matters is whether or not the Manual is followed. The Manual establishes proven guidelines, proven limits. We can either operate within them or not, but if we choose not to then it is no one else’s fault but our own when disaster strikes. And it will, sooner or later, if we don’t follow the Manual.
The Manual is written clearly enough that anyone can understand the basics. You don’t need someone to interpret it for you. Oh sure, when you get deep into it there may arise some more complex problems or situations that will cause one to seek out those who have more experience.
But quite honestly, you don’t need a trained Ballistician to interpret the Manual for you. If you can read and think, you can find the proper and correct way to reload each cartridge. The Manual is there for you to use.
Now, don’t go giving me all the standard arguments; the Manual is just someone’s idea of how to do it, I believe differently -- It really does not matter what you believe about the Manual.
You may ask, "There are many different Manuals. Who knows which one is right?" – Actually, all the true Manuals contain basically the same information. They may word it a bit differently but they all agree on the Basics. IF YOU DO NOT KNOW THE BASICS, GET WITH SOMEONE WHO DOES AND FIND OUT WHAT THEY ARE! That will be your starting point.
Or you may want to know how could find someone who would be a good instructor to help you get started? – Look for someone with a good track record. Someone who has been doing it for some time and who has not blown himself up.
You may think, "Manuals are for the weak minded; I am smart enough to figure it all out on my own. Guys that use manuals are wimps...Inherently weak and probably delusional. If those manuals are so good how come bad things still happen to good people that use them? "– This only reveals that a person thinks they know everything… a bad place to be and not a good way to start learning.
Get a Manual that is easy for you to read. Begin with the parts that teach the “how-to”. Read and study those. I would be glad to point out those parts for you if you will but ask.
A Teacher once said it better than I can. I paraphrase here .... "If anyone chooses to do what is in the Manual, he will find out whether I am telling the truth or not." We prove the validity of the data by actually doing it. Then we find out whether or not it works.
There is some risk. I loaded some 250 gr. Barnes bullets for my .348. I had not used the powder charge before. It came all the way up to the top of the case neck. I double and triple-checked the Manual. I triple-checked the powder scale. I hesitantly loaded one round, walked out the door and loaded into my Model 71 and fired it.
It worked just fine. (But I think I closed my eyes when I pulled the trigger)
But the data was correct.
I found out by doing. It's that way with most everything. If you ain't gonna DO it, stop arguing about it and move on to something else. Until you have tried it you can only talk theory.
Once you know the Manual and apply it daily, you will see the Truth of the Manual in actual practice. Then you can help others get to know what the Manual says. It isn't wrong for you to want them to enjoy life with the Manual as you do. You want them to keep all their fingers, toes, and eyes because you care about them, even if you have never met them!
And if you think that this little message is only about reloading you are a bit denser than I gave you credit for. PLEASE GO BACK AND READ IT SLOWLY AND CAREFULLY AGAIN – if you think it is only about reloading that is. As you re-read it and think about it, remember, there is Someone Who wrote THE MANUAL on life. You might want to check it out.
