Thread: Who can remember their first deer shot with their own home loads

I was walking across the car park on my way home from work and I thought with it being wet today would be a good day to prep some of my brass when I get home.

Then I had a flash back to when I shot the first deer with my own home loads and the satisfaction I felt, so I wondered if others ever thought about the first deer they shot with their home loads and what was the emotion they felt.

It's a pretty cool feeling but is something we all just take for granted now we have done it heaps of times, I bet there are some who are just getting into reloading and are looking forward to their first kill.
Good luck if you are one of them, it's a great thrill and a very rewarding feeling.

Sure do, great feeling, not quite as up there for me as a fish on your own lure but that's probably down to effort invested.

My first and only red, all my goats, have all been my own hand loads. Pretty cool feeling, however, now when ive missed a few, i wonder if the load was a bit off....

Recently, my 11-year-old daughter said she wants to load her own 223 rounds and shoot her first goat with my 223, so i need to invest in getting that cycling better. That will be a good day.

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I still remember firing my first roll your own fullstop. Bought remington model 7 260 when 260s were very uncommon and paying $80 for a box of ammo was eye watering (cheap now!) It's what prompted me to get the gear to reload in the first place. Very satisfying hearing that "ting" as my first loads connected with a steel plate 400m away.

My first deer coincided with the first one shot with my reload. Still have the 7x57 responsible for both. Have never bought factory ammo for it. I was absolutely stoked.

Just tinkering with some loads for it today. A farmer mate owes me a favor and we are going to set my daughter up for her first deer on his place.

It's only fitting it is with the 7x57 and loads made by her Dad

Originally Posted by Gibo

Sure do, great feeling, not quite as up there for me as a fish on your own lure but that's probably down to effort invested.

I always liked the shooting the birds and game to harvest the materials to make the flys to catch the fish as well

First wallaby with cast lead and home rolled black powder comes close. I've been rolling my own centerfire for so long I can't remember first deer shot with reload.

Originally Posted by Gibo

Sure do, great feeling, not quite as up there for me as a fish on your own lure but that's probably down to effort invested.

I'll never forget spending a day flicking every fly in my tacklebox at a big brown with no response. Got into the stream and found some net-building caddis. Went home and made up a fly to replicate them. Next day I hooked the bastard on the third cast

Last season my 15YO daughter caught her first on a fly she tied herself, and I was as stoked as she was.

Can't remember my first deer on a reload. Not to say its not satisfying, but its not quite the same.

Size 12 hare and copper with fur from our pursian cat... Brown of about three pounds from the upper retaruki river. Must have been fourty years ago. Yeah that is great satisfaction and different to reloads as it's so much more...personal?

I can't quite recall the first deer with a reload, but definitely remember the feeling of firing a reload for the first time.... a slight bracing for something catastrophic to happen, quickly turning to amazement it actually worked!

I can still remember every deer I shot lol. Average 2 deer per year for the passed five years lol
Yes, I was shaking when shot my first deer in the ruahines.

Can't exactly say it was the first but a very memorable deer was one I shot with a 196gn H-Mantle projectile (reloaded using a Lee Loader) from a VZ33 in 8x57. Late 1985 in Lee's Valley, for our wedding breakfast! I do recall reloading for a 6.5x55 Heym SR20 before that but can't recall the deer I shot with it (not very many at all in the early 80s, sometimes you'd be lucky to get one per year of hard hunting)

Well this thread really got me thinking hard and made me realize that the only caliber rifle that I ever owned and Didn't use handloads for was 223 in my AR15 when I had that.

Every other center fire deer appropriate rifle has been exclusively run on home loaded aka hand loaded ammo.

Even when I owned fairly readily available calibers I was always striving for the best accuracy and kills achievable.
So handloading was the obvious choice.

Now it is my only choice because I don't really have any rifles where factory ammunition is an option.

But sadly too answer the question I really can't remember the very first deer shot with my own home loads.