It’s the little things that make you want to kick stuff…

Grrr. I suppose it was inevitable, though…

In the interest of easing myself back into this ‘reloading’ thing I decided to pick up more or less precisely where I left off by addressing a years-old sin of omission. Wideners, which is probably not talking to me anymore, sent me 2 pounds of pistol powder supposed to be perfect for big-bore in exchange for an ad on my sidebar – which they got – and a review – which they didn’t because before it even arrived I took a bad fall, tore a rotator cuff and enjoyed a very painful winter going up and down the loft ladder. For months I couldn’t raise a coffee cup with my right arm, let alone work a manual ammo press. I always felt kind of bad about that – but I’d already unsealed the powder cans and anyway they didn’t ask for them back.

So let’s start with that. I downloaded the Western Powders loading data guide – which whatever the virtues of their powder, leaves a great deal to be desired in providing data for .44 Special and Magnum – came up with a sensibly minimum powder charge for 200 gr. cast semiwadcutters, and toddled off to my shiny new loading shack.

And everything went swimmingly – with new batteries the powder scale works perfectly and no spiders built nests in the dumper – until the moment when I had ten shiny primed cases each containing precisely 7.2 grains of Ramshot True Blue and ten waxy bullets waiting to be seated in the cases.

And that’s when the inadequacies of my packing strategy jumped out, stuck their thumbs in the corners of their mouths and screamed, “booga booga booga.”

I guess I just assumed the case holder was still on the press. Where else would it be? The only caliber I loaded for years was .44, and the primer tool uses a proprietary holder (I still have a full set of THOSE holders. Because I didn’t need them today.)

I looked everywhere I could think to look, everywhere I might have squirreled a small important part away. Nope.

Went back up to the old RV that was my former loading shack before the rats kicked me out. I still have a ton of components and redundant gear in there, or rather Ian does.

Nope. Found a bunch of cool stuff I’d kind of forgotten about including a real digital caliper clean in its case which might work with a new battery. But shell holders? Nothing that will fit a big rimmed cartridge case, no.

AARG!

Maybe I’ll load some 45 ACP while I’m waiting for the mail order to arrive. I’ve got that holder, though no need for ammo.

Good news, while traipsing up and down the hill to and from the RV, I passed my favorite little barrel cactus…

…and look who’s going to bloom this year! She’s got the prettiest flowers in the desert. So that’s nice.

Now if you’ll excuse me I have to give Brownell some money.