Maksym Kovaliov – Hunter, Handloader & Author
“I could not even imagine owning a centerfire rifle in the Soviet Union.
In United States it is my right – not a privilege, a right.
I came from a place where that distinction did not exist.
That is why I take it seriously, and why it needs defending.”
Maksym Kovaliov
Hunter, Handloader & Author
Published: April 2026
Hunter – Handloader – 2A Defender
Focus: classic cartridges, traditional reloading methods, deer and black bear hunting, small game, varminting (coyote, prairie dog), firearm restoration and cartridge conversion
The Short Version
More than 30 years in the field – starting on the steppes of Soviet Ukraine alongside his father and grandfather, then across Europe, and finally in the United States, where everything came together: the freedom to hunt the way you want and load ammunition the way you see fit.
At myreloading.com, Maksym covers classic cartridges, conservative handloading methods, and field-tested hunting practice. He also writes for Pro Hunter Tips, because he believes that hard-won experience in the field belongs in the hands of the people who can use it – not locked inside a single website.
Where It Starts
Maksym grew up in Soviet Ukraine in a family with deep hunting roots. His father and grandfather were trappers. Reading terrain, tracking animals, understanding why a deer or a fox is in a given place at a given time – none of that was recreation. It was how the family operated.
There is something worth understanding about that background: in the Soviet Union, centerfire rifles for civilians were effectively banned. Handloading rifle cartridges was illegal. Shotguns were permitted, under tight restrictions, and that was the extent of it. Everything Maksym now knows about handloading centerfire ammunition he learned in the United States – starting from scratch, but with a serious foundation in field craft behind him.
That contrast – between a system where the government decides what firearms you may own and what you may do with them, and the freedom protected by the Second Amendment – is not abstract to him. He lived on the wrong side of it. He knows what the absence of those rights looks like from the inside. That is why he takes them seriously and why he defends them.
The Approach: Proven Methods, Earned Skepticism
Maksym approaches handloading the same way he approaches hunting: understand it first, then do it.
He prefers cartridges with decades of published data behind them. Not because he is unaware of newer options, but because new things need to earn their place. Marketing claims do not count as evidence. Seasons in the field do.
His bench setup is straightforward: a single-stage press, a good scale, a trimmer, hand priming. Nothing added for its own sake. If something works reliably and accurately, there is no reason to complicate it. If something new offers a genuine advantage, he will evaluate it honestly – but he expects real proof, not a product launch announcement.
His particular interest is in older and non-standard cartridges: case forming, firearm restoration, working with pre-SAAMI-era chamberings. This is not nostalgia for its own sake. It is a way of understanding how cartridges and firearms developed, and why certain design decisions were made.
His four working cartridges reflect this thinking. The 45-70 Government handles deer and black bear in the Sierra Nevada – a cartridge with 150 years of history that still does exactly what it is supposed to do. The 6.5×55 Swedish Mauser is proof that a well-designed 19th-century military cartridge can hold its own on a modern hunting ridge. The 22 Hornet covers varminting at moderate distances where precision matters and pelt damage does not. The 204 Ruger is for long-range prairie dog and coyote work where flat trajectory and retained velocity at distance are the whole point. Each one is the result of the same process he applies to everything: use it, verify it, decide.
Old Beaver Gunsmith
Beyond hunting and handloading, Maksym founded Old Beaver Gunsmith – a small project built for the shooting community. The current focus is bolt-action rifle springs, sold through eBay, with a dedicated storefront planned for the Old Beaver Gunsmith site. The same standard applies here as at the bench: figure out what a shooter actually needs, and build it right.
What Maksym Covers at myreloading.com
- Cartridge guides – complete references with load tables, powder and bullet recommendations, and field commentary drawn from actual use
- Powder profiles – not a restatement of manual data, but an explanation of why a given powder behaves the way it does and where it earns its place
- Cartridge comparisons – straightforward analysis without marketing language; what a caliber change actually delivers in practical terms
- Safety and technique – pressure signs, case life, working with non-standard brass, forming cases for older chamberings
His hunting and field craft writing also appears at Pro Hunter Tips.
Quick Facts
| Hunting experience | 30+ years (Ukraine, Europe, United States) |
| Handloading experience | 20+ years (centerfire cartridges – from arrival in the US) |
| Favorite cartridges | 45-70 Government, 6.5×55 Swedish Mauser, 22 Hornet, 204 Ruger |
| Primary hunting | Deer, black bear – Sierra Nevada, California; small game; varmints – coyote, prairie dog |
| Approach | Conservative, proven methods, healthy skepticism toward new products |
| Special interests | Firearm restoration, case forming, pre-modern cartridges |
| Projects | myreloading.com, prohuntertips.com, oldbeavergunsmith.com |
| Languages | English, Ukrainian, Russian |