Class review of NRA Basic Metallic Cartridge Reloading course with Jim Finnerty from http://massreloading.com/index.html held 7/20/2014
Thank you to Peter Early and the Maynard Rod and Gun Club for hosting this class. Very easy to get to the club with very nice facilities. Food and coffee provided was a nice touch.
Jim's course was slated for 9 hours including a lunch break. We went a little long as Jim answered any and all questions asked.
My reloading background....absolutely no knowledge of the reloading process,components order, or safety(besides common sense). Basically, I can recognize a pistol cartridge and know what way to put it into a magazine...
Working in the IT field for over 30 years I have taken dozens and dozens of professional (and not so professional) training courses. I know how training and courses should flow so the student gets the most out of their time attending a course.
While I can read manuals, how to guides, and watch endless YouTube video's about reloading there is nothing like a professional trainer guiding you with a proper lesson plan. This was a first rate learning environment that you could tell right away was based on years of experience and a true passion for reloading and teaching reloading. Jim mixed in exact facts to learn with examples from his real world experience.
The course is an introduction course covering firing process, reloading process, safety procedures, components, data manuals, how to identify problems, press stages and what they do, and much much more.
There is a lot of information to absorb in one day and you truly get a respect for what you will be doing when you reload. Jim kept everything flowing smoothly and on time and knew exactly what to spend more detailed time on. He never let an answer go unanswered.
This is a hands on course. Learning the proper techniques and getting a "feel" for the way a press operates is invaluable.
I believe that if you are going to start reloading, that you will benefit greatly from spending the day learning from someone who has "been there, done that" and knows what you need to start off with so you don't develop bad (read potentially dangerous) habits and know how to safely start your reloading path.
In summary, take this course, it will be the best Benjamin you can spend on yourself.
Jay
Thank you to Peter Early and the Maynard Rod and Gun Club for hosting this class. Very easy to get to the club with very nice facilities. Food and coffee provided was a nice touch.
Jim's course was slated for 9 hours including a lunch break. We went a little long as Jim answered any and all questions asked.
My reloading background....absolutely no knowledge of the reloading process,components order, or safety(besides common sense). Basically, I can recognize a pistol cartridge and know what way to put it into a magazine...
Working in the IT field for over 30 years I have taken dozens and dozens of professional (and not so professional) training courses. I know how training and courses should flow so the student gets the most out of their time attending a course.
While I can read manuals, how to guides, and watch endless YouTube video's about reloading there is nothing like a professional trainer guiding you with a proper lesson plan. This was a first rate learning environment that you could tell right away was based on years of experience and a true passion for reloading and teaching reloading. Jim mixed in exact facts to learn with examples from his real world experience.
The course is an introduction course covering firing process, reloading process, safety procedures, components, data manuals, how to identify problems, press stages and what they do, and much much more.
There is a lot of information to absorb in one day and you truly get a respect for what you will be doing when you reload. Jim kept everything flowing smoothly and on time and knew exactly what to spend more detailed time on. He never let an answer go unanswered.
This is a hands on course. Learning the proper techniques and getting a "feel" for the way a press operates is invaluable.
I believe that if you are going to start reloading, that you will benefit greatly from spending the day learning from someone who has "been there, done that" and knows what you need to start off with so you don't develop bad (read potentially dangerous) habits and know how to safely start your reloading path.
In summary, take this course, it will be the best Benjamin you can spend on yourself.
Jay