Is it okay if I don’t hand load myself?

[Buck1970]

I'm not trying to open a can of worms here but I put this in another thread and didn't get any response. What about those like me who don't actually reload, but do shoot hand loads?
Let me explain.
I good friend and shooting partner who also is wanting to shoot long range, loads for me.
He's 11 years older than me and has been loading for close to 40 years. I trust him and he knows what he's doing with safety being his main priority. He loads for himself and only a couple more. He is very reluctant to load for others due to liability. He's taught me a lot. He and I developed the loads for my rifles, starting low and working up to find loads my guns seem to shoot well.
He doesn't charge me a thing. Won't even let me pay him. I buy my powder, primers, bullets, and the dies he doesn't have.
I help out by
doing the simple things like removing primers and dropping powder charges. He seats the bullets and weighs and measures each round to book tolerances and determined lengths for my chambers.
I'm really under qualified to write on this topic, but I have gained a true understanding of getting maximum output from my guns from load development.
Reasons I don't do it:
I don't have the equipment for one but mainly, I'm self diagnosed with ADULT ADD(LOL).Wasn't a thing in elementary school in the 70's, but I did get my butt torn up a lot for not paying attention. I still to this day at 49, have trouble focusing for long periods of time and I'm scared to death I'd miss a step on a round if I did it alone.

Sorry for writing a book.

I have a load for a,
Rem 700 220 swift
Ruger 77 220 swift
Ruger 77 6.5 CM

I bought dies for my
7mm RUM
And a 2506 for my son, but have not had the time to develop loads yet.

The guns I don't load for, we seem to Shoot fairly well with factory Ammo.

It just seems to me the majority of members here hand load.

 

[JerryWY]

Not a thing in the world wrong with your position.

Imo, the whole point in handloading/long range shooting and hunting is about doing what you enjoy and if hand loading isn't something you want to do by yourself, I for one won't kick you out of any clubs.

Speaking for myself, I used to load and shoot and hunt pretty regularly until life's bus came along and I had to board and ride along for the last few years. The part I miss prob the most is just unplugging and doing something for no reason, except i enjoy doing it. Gave me time to think.

Now I skulk around on this site, not because it takes the place of doing it myself, but because it doesnt take the time and its the closest to it for me.

I suspect there's more on here that haven't been able to load/shoot/hunt for the last years. Its still gratifying to see others doing what we all love.

In short, plug into what floats your boat, and there's plenty others to do the rest.

 

[del2les]

Nothing wrong at all. When I was shooting HP comp, I met many great shooters who never hand loaded for themselves.

 

[ShtrRdy]

Sounds like you have a good friend willing to help a guy out. My old shooting buddy who turned 80 this is dealing with early dementia. (I'm 65) He stopped reloading for safety reasons. This guy has hunted and reloaded all his life and is having to stop doing the things he loved to do. We still go to the range and do some shooting.

 

[Hoss50]

Nothing wrong with it as long as you understand you are trusting your friend with your health. He screws up and you might pay the price.

I handload for myself and my best buddy since he doesn't reload.

 

[Buck1970]

Nothing wrong with it as long as you understand you are trusting your friend with your health. He screws up and you might pay the price.

I handload for myself and my best buddy since he doesn't reload.

I understand.
I've thought about purchasing my own equipment. But I feel I'm a long way from starting it myself. I'm still trying to learn, or, (relearn as it seems I've developed years of bad habits I'm trying to overcome,) how to property shoot for distance.

 

[Buck1970]

Sounds like you have a good friend willing to help a guy out. My old shooting buddy who turned 80 this is dealing with early dementia. (I'm 65) He stopped reloading for safety reasons. This guy has hunted and reloaded all his life and is having to stop doing the things he loved to do. We still go to the range and do some shooting.

I really hate to hear that.
I admire you for helping him continue to be able to shoot.

 

[bearcat2]

If you'll notice quite a few people on here mention loading for a friend or family member. In fact I do myself. So they aren't going to look down on you for not reloading yourself.

Now there are reloaders whom I would never shoot their reloads, but as long as you trust the guy loading for you there isn't a problem. Besides it actually sounds like you could hold a reasonable conversation about what loads you are shooting. As a guide I almost never guide someone who loads their own. Actually boggles my mind since at least a large minority of the local hunters I know shoot reloads, but I can only actually recall one or two hunters I've guided who shoot reloads, and half of my hunters couldn't even tell me what brand they are shooting without looking at the box.

 

[Doom2]

In today's world you actually may be opening your friend up to both civil liability and criminal prosecution if something were to go wrong and you ended up with a serious injury or worse. Your concerns are certainly valid.

 

[Code4]

I have rifles that shoot factory loads better than I can shoot my reloads. Go with what is accurate and gives you confidence.

 

[Khavic]

Every person I've met that shoots long range for competition or hunting has fired ammunition that they either had loaded by a friend/relative or that they made themselves with the assistance of a friend/relative.

Everyone starts somewhere.

 

[sika64]

There are places that will load custom rounds for you. Copper creek is one that a lot of guy's use, I'm in Md. and we have a shop called Hendershots that loads custom ammo

 

[KyCarl]

There are several custom loaders out there CC comes to mind?
But those are loaded by people so the chance for a mistake is always there?
If you trust your friends work...Why not shoot it?

 

[Buck1970]

There are several custom loaders out there CC comes to mind?
But those are loaded by people so the chance for a mistake is always there?
If you trust your friends work...Why not shoot it?

The ruger 220 I have seems to shoot most anything 1/2 moa.
The rem700 220 seems to NOT like any factory Ammo. It's really why I let him start loading for me as I was ready to get rid of it. He told me we could make it shoot and he was correct. It takes a 40 grain bullet to do so which makes it really fun to shoot but not so effective on coyotes. But at least I know the gun is capable of accuracy.
I've thought about the custom reloaders but as long as what we are doing is working, I'm sticking with it.
If I ever do buy my own equipment, I'll Probly just produce the loads he worked up for me.
To be honest, I had a bad experience with a re load 25 years ago, a friend talked me into shooting some of his loads in one of my guns. No development or anything to match my rifle. 3 shots were ok but on my forth round the primer fell out of the cartridge on my 7mag as I was loading the rifle. Powder everywhere.
Scared me and turned men off hand loads.
Took 20 years to get past that.