Are you paying your kids to do your reloading for you?

[Questor]

I'd like nothing better than to give my kids reloading as a chore, but I just can't do it. It'd be like giving them the chore of packing my parachute before I used it to go sky diving.

[Gregory]

I'd like nothing better than to give my kids reloading as a chore, but I just can't do it. It'd be like giving them the chore of packing my parachute before I used it to go sky diving.

And they would grow up hating it....not a good idea.

[longwinters]

I have them mow the lawn, snowblow and occaisionally do dishes . . . but I think I would flinch everytime I pulled the trigger if I had them reload for me.  I dont even like shooting other adults reloads.

Long

[KN]

When My girls were little they would help me. I usally let them pull the arm to seat the bullet and load them in the boxes. Now that they both go prairie doggin with me I can't hardly keep up.  KN

[RUM runner]

Having been a child growing up around reloading, I can say that I would not MAKE a child do that, I would let them help me if they desired.  I used to beg my dad to let me do it for him and he wouldn't let me, and I understand why.  I always helped in any way he would let me, but never really did it on my own until I was much older and could understand the responsibility of what I was doing.  We all take for granted what reloading really is, but the first time you blow something up from a screw-up you will take a loooong humble look at things.  Trust me!
       I am now 34, and will enjoy reloading and shooting till I can't do it anymore.  Hopefully that'll be a long time, but I can honsetly say that growing up around it and being able to do it with my father was a great child-hood bonding experience with him.  When we talk or see each other about 80% of our conversations are guns and reloading.  Something we still enjoy together, even though the days of Sat. morning fishing trips have passed by!

[Steve P]

A neighbor of mine used to give his kids chores to do.  One of the chores was to load 200 shotshells each night after school, unless homework or school activity took up that amount of time.  He had progressive presses so it wouldn't take much over an hour.  The three kids were good at it, but could not load at the same time.  Only fussy part was fighting over who got the press when.  Of course us neighbor kids would come by, see them playing with the press and have to try.  Loaded up a lot of shot shells without even knowing what they were for.  

My neighbor is a past world champion skeet shooter.  He is d@mn good with a shotgun.  His son does deer hunt, but does not shoot shotgun.  His girls don't shoot at all.   He now makes money shooting.  None of the kids took up the sport, but maybe because he was the only one who blew up the shells!

Steve  

[Gun Runner]

When I was 11 or so we had a shed out back that my step-dad and several guys used for reloading shotgun shells. Anytime they were their I was their., They gave me the job of cutting the wax wads from old milk cartons, using the old steel cutter and a wood hammer. None of them reloaded for rifle or pistol. After my first 4 yrs in the service I started reloading for rifle and pistol using a Lee hand loader and then progressed to a Rock Chucker. I wish I still had the old metal adjustable scoops for the shot and powder.

Gun Runner

[jgalar]

My younger kids will help sort cleaned brass I will offer them a dollar if there is a bunch. They also help seperate rifle from pistol bullets when I have a bunch of cast bullets that I get around to sorting. Sometimes they want to help with the actual reloading, but they slow me down quite a bit. I let them do it, but only while I carefully observe. My younger kids enjoy helping, but when they are in jr high and high school they couldn't care less.

[stimpylu32]

My 3 oldest all shoot , the 2 boys don't do it enough to load much . my 16 year old daughter on the other hand will burn up ammo like it is coming out of a machine gun , so she loads most of her own rounds .

On a good day i can even get her to load me some . i trust her complety and would not even think twice about shooting her ammo . she sticks to strait walled cases for the most part 38spl , 9mm and 45 auto , but has done some 30/30s and 223s for me . i think sometimes she pays more attenshion to details more than i do .

We started loading together as something for her and i to do , just us , and it kinda got out of hand .  :eek: at this rate i am gona have to start casting bullets to feed her lead habit .

[beemanbeme]

My reloading, shooting, hunting, fishing, trapping was all part of spending some quality time with my kids.  All of it was something WE did together.  I never made it a chore.  It was sort of, keep your quarters clean, bus the table and wash the dishes after supper, get good grades and I will LET you help me reload, hunt, fish, whatever.

[skb2706]

Handloading is the means to an end for me and my son. In a couple weeks we will go out for three or four days and shoot prairie dogs. This requires several hundred rounds for three or four different rifles....it goes without saying that
A. we don't shoot factory ammo
B. I'm not loadin all those without him helpin
C. If I do... I'm shootin 'em all too

He knows more about handloading than most of the people we buy our loading supplies from.

[Selmer]

As a kid (26 now) that grew up shooting his father's handloads and learning the art from him, I can say that I do all of dad's reloading now because they moved into a new house and his bench isn't set up.  I think (know) I'm more anal about it than him, but he still does a good job.  He never MADE me reload, it was a fun hobby for me and I was proud of my loads taking game and shooting little groups.  I've been reloading for over 16 years now and I have an almost 3 year old daughter that loves to "help" me.  I can't sit down at my bench without her at my feet saying "I want up daddy".  She hands me shells and helps me pull the press handle down.  She just enjoys even messing with empty brass sometimes.  I figure if I introduce it early as a normal thing we do, she'll come to enjoy the time with just dad.  I intend to start her shooting in a couple years and letting her little sister help reloading too.  With as much hunting and fishing as I do, many of my friends have asked me if I want a boy, I tell them why do I need a boy when my little girls are having fun shooting, hunting, and fishing with me.  Take the anecdote/advice for what it's worth...
Selmer

[Hiker]

Kids or Grownups that sometimes 'act' like kids should do this for the enjoyment. Getting paid allowance or otherwise, hmm... It is a hobby and should not be viewed too much as work, eh?

[Steve P]

It is a hobby and should not be viewed too much as work, eh?

Fishing is a hobby.  I can relax doing that.
Loading up 50 rounds for deer hunting is a hobby (the hunting part).  
Loading up 2000 rounds in a week for a competition is work!

OK OK, I enjoy the hobby part also, but it can become addictive and that leads to better equipment to avoid the work part.

Steve  

[kombi1976]

Well, no, but not because the boys are 2yrs old and 4 & a half months old.
As other guys have said there's a lot of risk in it.
Even if I owned a progressive press and it was fast and orderly I'd have to set it first to be sure.
Plus I enjoy doing it.
It's carthartic. :wink:
My boys will help when they're old enough but they won't be loading their own for a long while.
How could you forgive yourself if they were hurt, or worse, because you didn't supervise them?
Besides, there's a car and plenty of dishes to do and I'm reluctant to get them used to getting paid for that! :lol: