Reading another thread, in which the original poster apparently wanted to avoid working up a load for a new weapon, led me to ask:
why would someone want to avoid working up a load?
Printable View
Reading another thread, in which the original poster apparently wanted to avoid working up a load for a new weapon, led me to ask:
why would someone want to avoid working up a load?
i suppose any guess i make would be pure speculation .... leaving my best guess is that some are in a hurry and/or want instant gratification ( the part about them just wanting to "blast ammo up " also comes to mind ....) or it could be just sheer laziness/cost or about a billion unknown reasons , one of my favorite pictures shows a sign taped to a light pole it reads " question everything " and below that writing in a different pen and hand is the question " but why ? " :P
I don't wish to offend anyone, but I believe the big three are #1 ignorance, #2 stinginess, and #3 laziness.
#1 Many new and inexperienced loaders read an article in a gun rag or get their hands on a list of "pet loads". They either have never bothered to read their manuals and do not understand the danger or they mistakenly believe that someone else's guns are an inside track to making their own shoot better. A look at the differences betweenloading manuals ought to be enough to make anyone realize that data from one gun does not necessarily apply to another.
#2 Components are expensive, especially premium bullets. I have heard the following rationalization more than once: "It's a hunting load, so I'm not interested in the lower charge levels anyway. Why waste all those expensive bullets working up through loads I will not use?" Pressure levels can vary by quite a bit between two different rifles shooting the exact same load & components. I have rifles that show pressure signs halfway up the charge table, and others that show none at all until the primer pockets loosen up over MAX level. One might infer that the second rifle had no pressure issues, but mic'ing the case heads tells a different story.
#3 I want it NOW. Never having loaded a round nor seen the process, some will go out and but a fancy progressive machine and expect to become an instant expert and crank out thousands of perfect rounds after reading the operating instructions. These are the same folks that want their mail orders shipped next day air, have their pizzas delivered from the shop just around the corner, and get in the car to drive thirty feet to check their mailboxes. A smart man does a lot of reading, starts out with simple tools, asks many questions when something is unclear, learns everything he can about the process, and then takes his time to do each step carefully and safely. "Fools rush in where angels fear to tread."
I have been teaching people how to load for almost thirty years, but I will not agree to teach everyone because not everyone has the intelligence, maturity, and more importantly the temperament to learn to do it safely. I refuse anyone whom I do not believe has what it takes. This has really pissed some folks off over the years, especially when I am honest with them and tell them why, but I will not impart potentially dangerous knowledge to someone who can/will not use it safely. Anyone still can however go out and buy a manual or two, some tools, and some components and have at it without any advice or instruction. Some do well by this route because they are mature, meticulous, detail oriented people. On the other hand others try it and earn themselves Darwin Awards. We only get ONE BIG MISTAKE. Sometimes, most regettably, it's fatal. I endeavor not to be the Hand of Darwin. Fortunately most have sense enough to find a mentor or a forum like this where they can ask the questions they need to when what they have read is not clear.