Vintage Reloading Instructions

Started by Shotgun Franklin, June 06, 2011, 03:09:42 PM

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Shotgun Franklin

June 06, 2011, 03:09:42 PM
I don't recall ever having seen or read a vintage set of directions/instructions for reloading ammo. Of course until about 30 secs ago I'd never thought about it. I'm now rather interested in the actual way shooters, especial in the field, loaded there ammo? Anyone have a set or maybe directions from a book? Wouldn't the ammo/gun makers have wanted shooters to use their reloading products? That should mean they put out some kinda instructions.
Yes, I do have more facial hair now.

St. George

#1
June 06, 2011, 07:10:26 PM
About the only reloading done  'in the field' was done by the buffalo hunters at night.

Folks just didn't load their saddlebags with components - if anything, the box of ammunition they'd bought at the Dry Goods store in town lasted 'years'...

Reloading - both as a concept and hobby - came about later, when market hunting became lucrative.

The Army issued tools  - but that activity took place at the Post - not on campaign.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!



"It Wasn't Cowboys and Ponies - It Was Horses and Men.
It Wasn't Schoolboys and Ladies - It Was Cowtowns and Sin..."

Ranch 13

#2
June 06, 2011, 07:18:39 PM
There's reloading instructions (along with a list of available tools) in the Sharps, Remington and Winchester catalogs as early as 1875.
Ideal published their first catalog and reloading instructions along with proper casting and paper patching technique's in the 1880's.

Going here and spending 20-30$ on reprints of old books and catalogs is a real good way to spend some time. ;)
http://www.cornellpubs.com/index.php
Eat more beef the west wasn't won on a salad.

JimBob

#3
June 06, 2011, 08:50:36 PM
Early loading tools came with a set of instructions.Some such as Ideal and Winchester with a printed sheet or like Remington on a label glued or printed on the box.Shotshell handloading started as soon as breechloading shotguns hit the market as it wasn't till the late 1870s early 1880s that methods of commercialy viable shotshell production were introduced.Most hunters reloaded due to being far from supply sources and old store bills of lading to hunting outfits bare this out.They bought powder by the keg,primers by thousands,and lead by the 100s of pounds.Serious target shooters then as now loaded their own.All the major firearms manufacturers offered components from the get go and many also offered loading tools also.Winchester,Remington,and Sharps all offered reloading outfits by the mid-1870s as did many other manufacturers.By the time Ideal published their first handbook in 1891 reloading was  pretty well established among the shooting fraternity.

The link Ranch13 posted for Cornell Publications is worth checking out.Many reprints of vintage reloading manuals including about all the Ideal manuals plus a wide variety of tool catalogs.An excellent book on the subject is "Cartridge Reloading Tools of the Past" by R.H.Chamberlain and Tom Quigley.
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