Posted on 12/29/2014 10:27:33 AM PST by marktwain
The source who sent me this picture called it "Gun Culture Day Care". There is at least one other child that is not caught in the frame.
The younger children are depriming brass, a fairly safe activity if the hands are washed after the reloading session. The children are taught responsibility and gain a sense of actually doing something productive.
This sort of activity was found everywhere in the world until fairly modern times. It was only in the last hundred years that the most productive societies on earth were able ignore the productive capacity of children. Nearly all societies teach responsibility and help children gain a sense of accomplishment by having them help in gainful household employment of some kind.
The children in the picture were given a choice: help reload, or watch a movie. It says much about modern American society that a productive activity is considered so novel as to be preferred to purely passive movie watching.
Considerable benefit is gained when children engage in productive activities. They learn that a price must be paid for the production of useful items, in time or money; they appreciate "things" more, and are less likely to destroy items merely to destroy them.
I suspect that vandals tend to have little conception of the amount of work necessary to create items of value. Requiring children to do simple chores such as cleaning their room, helping with dishes, taking care of a pet, all work to teach the child that existence is not a free activity. Lack of these sort of activities handicaps children by not developing their sense of responsibility and accomplishment.
It is part of a complete education that parents and societies ignore at the peril of the young minds that are entrusted to their care.
©2014 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
Link to Gun Watch
Sadly my reloading room currently in a similar state. We have the same organizational system however with the shelves with plastic bins and select components and tools out where you can get to them. The problem is that it takes a great deal of self-discipline to get everything put away properly when you have finished a job... if not done messes tend to form almost by themselves.
Kids are certainly capable of handling many of the mundane tasks. Carefully trained they should be capable of most tasks. Of course certain types of powders require very precise measurements for both safety and consistency.
Wish I had a clue how to reload. Seems awfully complicated and expensive to purchase the original equipment. I know it pays off in the long run, but an initial giant obstacle is hard to overcome.
What would be THE MOST BASIC THING needed for reloading? I mean, forget the multiple purpose one-step press. How about if everything was as simple as possible. What could one start out with?
I have one of these http://www.midwayusa.com/product/646599/rcbs-rock-chucker-supreme-single-stage-press-master-kit
Its not the fastest or nicest but it does a bang up job. About $500 will get you the basics to get started. Save your empty brass to reduce the cost.
For rifle/pistol? All you need is a scale, funnel, single stage press, die set, and a reloading block. A couple of little tools (powder dribbler, champfer tool, primer pocket reamer, etc.) are also good. About $250-300 will set you up.
RCBS makes a very nice starter kit. I still use it. The only thing not included is a manual.
Thanks FRiends. I bookmarked the link. Seems like a good starter set.
They threw out a tiny bench press at work. It’s a simple thing with rack and pinion used probably for riveting an ejector handle onto a circuit board/card/module. Would it be useful for this? I mean it has no guides or anything. Just wondering if I should grab it.
The RCBS RockChucker is where to start. It's a simple one-stage press and it's dead set reliable. We still have ours and it functions beautifully after 20+ years of who knows how many thousand rounds through it. We have a multi-stage Dillon for the Cowboy Action calibers.
RCBS offers a "starter kit" that will include the basics (including an instruction manual) for about $400.
You'll need to purchase the dies and shell holder (basic model $50 for pistol calibers, more for rifle or for carbide pistol (which you REALLY want - saves lubing)) for your caliber (or calibers) and you'll find that you want some conveniences (like a powder trickler, for example).
The very best thing to do is find a mentor to walk you through the process the first 2-3 times. Join a gun club and offer to buy somebody dinner if he'll coach you. Should be glad to (we demo Rock Chuckers for food!)
Good luck, it's a ton of fun and oh my goodness you save a ton of money. Two of us, sometimes 3 or 4, shoot Cowboy Action around once a month - six stages, 20 pistol rounds per stage . . . it adds up in a hurry.
The starter kit now includes a manual! (smart move).
The most basic is a Lee Loader specific to your caliber. About $30.00 and you will need a rubber/nylon mallet. Bullets of course and powder and primers. Powder is about 20 to 30 bucks a pound and you can get thousands of pistol reloads from that. A thousand primers about 35 bucks. Bullets about $35 to $40 for 250 rounds.
For the $300 mentioned above you can get a Lee turret press and die set for one caliber.
You do NOT need a trimmer until you have reloaded the same brass several times or if you are reloading for great accuracy and consistency.
Rifle runs a bit more.
That’s good. I never understood why one wasn’t included. I still love my Rock Chucker. It’ll outlast me by a century at least.
Once you have some experience under your belt with a purpose-made press, you can do some field expedients. But not now.
(we are using part of a salvaged Lyman shotgun press to resize and decap fired primer loads for training retrieving dogs, then using a hand primer to re-prime them for re-use. But that's real inside baseball stuff, you don't need to worry about that yet.)
Reloading for shotgun is another whole kettle of fish. If you shoot 12 ga. it is actually cheaper to buy the shells at WalMart. If you shoot one of the smaller gauges and especially .410, it's cost-effective.
You folks are very helpful.
Ok, sure, that’s a nice starter kit for the gear. I also have no clue about primers and powder. I know you have to measure the powder. But know nothing about the primers.
I think the universe is divided into Lee people and RCBS people! And then there are the Dillon acolytes, who are in a universe of their own . . . :-D
I have a small hand held press so my son can deprime brass WHILE watching a movie.
They need to be carefully handled as they are delicate and can be explosive in quantity (kept in the original box, kept away from oil and concussion, etc.)
They make "primer feeds" for multi-stage presses and even for the Rock Chucker, but I would use the individual priming tool to start out with - again because you don't want any mistakes esp. with primers. It will take a little practice to "feel" when a primer is properly seated without crushing it, but a visual inspection should catch any errors.
Again, I highly recommend finding a coach. We learned the hard way, on our own, but we were VERY cautious.
+1 on the Lee Classic Loader. It will really teach you to reload and will also show you how simple reloading is.
I have been reloading for many years and that tool is my main reloading tool as it is more satisfying than the big presses, which I also have but which I no longer use.
For 30 bucks it is a real deal.
A bare-bones reloading set-up will require:
A hand operated press (available for little or no money from someone who is upgrading to a more elaborate set-up)
A set of dies for the round you wish to load ($35-$50)
Some empty brass (you can start with spent brass from factory loads as long as it is “reloadable”)
Reloading table(s) for the round you wish to reload, to choose proper powder and correct amount of said powder (free on-line).
Primers (about $5-$6 per tray of 50)
Powder ($15-$20 for a 1 lb container)
A means of measuring powder. A small digital scale that measures in “grains” is ideal, but a $12 set of Lee measuring scoops will get you started).
A funnel for dispensing powder in to the brass.
That’s about it, other than a clean, low-humidity, area to set up your press and perform each operation.
Just follow the directions included with the dies, inspect your spent brass for any signs of cracking or excessive bulging caused by overpressure, and measure powder carefully in accordance with the reloading table(s) and you’ll be on your way.
Oh, and you’ll need slugs, too. Prices vary depending on caliber, weight and manufacturer.
It’s not that expensive! You can start with Lee stuff, which is not as cheap as it is inexpensive. Take on your favorite caliber and give it a try. I’d say you could probably load your first 1000 rounds of .38 SPL or 9mm for under $300 if you’ve been saving your brass.
Read and follow instructions precisely! They are not complex, but they are important.
Get a lb. of Alliant Bullseye powder, 1000 Berry’s plated bullets (I like plated bullets because I don’t like to clean lead from guns), a box of small pistol primers, a 3 piece titanium die set, Lee press and powder measure kit and go for it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.