Name: Bob Blaine – Senior Reloading Technician

Years Shooting: 50 Years

Years Reloading: 50.5 Years

First Rifle: It was my grandfather’s first rifle that was handed down to me as my first rifle. It is a Winchester Model 2 single shot in .22 Long Rifle. It has since been handed to my nephew as his first rifle. The first rifle that my father gave to me is a Winchester Model 270 pump action in a .22 Long Rifle, and I still shoot this rifle to this day.

First Reloading Press and Dies: My first press was a MEC 310 Super, set up for 12 Gauge that I started with at age 6 1/2. My father would have me sitting on his lap so that I could iron out the case mouths of the paper shot shells that were still being used at that time. The other “important” job that I did to help was to position the “H” wads and the over powder nitro cards so that they could be loaded into position over the powder. Looking back, I would bet that it made a lot of sense to have me do this with my hands being a lot smaller than dads. Just thinking back to those days brings back the great memories that were shared with my father, and the smell of the wax wafting from the ironed hulls. My first reloading press for metallic reloading was a Lyman 310 “nutcracker” and it was set up with .38 Special dies, which is the first metallic cartridge that I learned to reload.

Favorite Cartridge: This is a tough one to answer since all of the cartridges that I shoot are “favorites”. If I have to pick just one, I would have to go with my .243 Ackley Improved. I am getting ready to shoot it with my fifth barrel this coming spring. It is also the cartridge that I used to join the Varmint Hunters 500 yard club while shooting prairie dogs out in North Dakota with my friend, Dick Deutscher.

Favorite Rifle: This would have to be my Ruger M-77V. This was the first rifle that I had bought for myself. It was chambered in .243 Winchester.

Favorite Discipline: This one is a toss up. I love shooting Trap & Skeet and shooting IHMSA with handguns. I used to shoot a lot of Trap & Skeet with my dad while I was going to college and where I had been working part time at the local Winchester Gun Club. I love shooting IHMSA for the challenge of shooting handguns at extended ranges.

Favorite Shooting Memory: This one is easy. It would be the time that my father came along with me to see his first bench rest match and to see me shooting in it. This was just shortly after I had first started working at Sinclair. This was important to me since I could never compete in physical sports in school due to having had Polio as an infant. My dad did not say much to me at the match other than I needed to pay attention to what I was doing. I never worked my tail off so hard simply because dad was there to critique. Luck was sure with me that day because I managed to win my first bench rest match, as well as setting a 100 yard range record by shooting my first “screamer” group during the match. After I let the last round go and saw that I had kept it in the group, I looked back, and saw dad looking through a spotting scope and he looked at me with the all knowing smile that I had finished the match very well and that he was pleased. Even though he has since left the range, seeing that smile in my mind still makes that day one of the best shooting memories that I will always carry with me.

Accomplishments in Shooting: I like to look at my personal accomplishments in shooting as being able to help others within the sport who have not had the opportunities to learn to enjoy shooting and reloading, the way that I have been able to. It gives me the ability to repay those shooters in my past that would take me under their wing and would not take anything for their efforts to impart knowledge, other than to help you to do well. It gives meaning to the time that my trap coach, Ralph Braden, would say that someone has to “pass the torch” to keep our sport alive.

What do you like about working at Sinclair: I have been at Sinclair for just over 17 years now. I like working at Sinclair since it has given me the opportunity to expand my knowledge of what I know about reloading and shooting, and then use it to help so many of the people that I have had the pleasure of helping over the years while talking on the phones. Working at Sinclair has been like being part of an extended family and for that I am always grateful for working with a great bunch of folks here at Sinclair and that has expanded to being part of the Brownell family. I always look forward to coming into the office every day since I do enjoy talking to all of the folks that call in to give an order or simply need some advice to get through a problem that they are having with their reloading. The Sinclairs, and the Brownells, have been such good people to work for, and with. I have never been able to say this about anywhere else that I have worked in the past. It is great to be treated as “family” by these folks and that is part of the reason that I have been with them so long, and hope to continue as long as they will keep me!

Advice to people new to reloading: This one is pretty simple. Always make sure that you put SAFETY FIRST! Use good old-fashioned common sense. Do not be afraid to ask questions if you are not sure, no matter if it might sound stupid to you. I would rather answer the stupid question because it is being asked. Make sure you have fun and enjoy what you are doing.

Bob Blaine
Senior Reloading Technician
Sinclair International, Inc.
Certified NRA Metallic Reloading Instructor

This entry was posted on Friday, June 25th, 2010 at 8:57 am and is filed under Sinclair News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.