Reloading - what are your thoughts?

[Prairiewolf]

Thinking about reloading, was curious about those that have gone down this path...

[J0HN_R1]

I thought about it... Then I did it.

I still do it. But I hate prepping brass !

:sSig_welcome2:

[Ascoasco]

I was hesitant to start, but it's fun and satisfying. As long as you're not a moron or a daredevil.

I look forward to the loading for new guns as much as the guns themselves. Slows down the buying guns habit a bit. I don't even consider buying factory ammo anymore.

[elkhunter11]

What do you hope to gain by loading? How much investment in time and money are you willing to make? When you answer those questions for us, we can give you our thoughts.

[Prairiewolf]

You guys are too fast - see poll.

[lone wolf]

Will you save money ...... probably not (you will just shoot more).

Will your marksmanship skills improve ........ more than likely.

Can it become addictive ......... definitely.

In all seriousness, it is a very rewarding hobby. It can save $$ if you shoot big magnums, particularly Weatherbys ... their factory ammo is very expensive. It will allow you work up accurate loads and to develop a lot of confidence in yourself and your rifle(s). After over a decade I cannot imagine NOT reloading. The initial outlay in daunting but if you buy good equipment it will literally last a lifetime.

[oldgutpile]

I keep seeing people rant about how you dont save anything. Anyone with a sixth grade education should be able to figure out the math. If you shoot more than three boxes of ammo a year, over time it will definitely pay for itself. (or depending on the caliber; one box a year. Try pricing out ammo for a .470!!)
It is an enjoyable and ADDICTIVE hobby that leads to you understanding more about ballistics of the guns you shoot, and hopefully their limitations.

If your goal is to shoot three rounds a year to check zero (more than some I have known) and three shots for your game animals, then stay away from reloading. The closest you should ever get to it is saving the brass for the rest of us.

[purgatory.sv]

I reload, and shoot enough to see a savings in doing so.

[bobtodrick]

Bought a reloading outfit a month or so ago with the idea setting it up and learning the ropes would be a great winter project.
Gotta do it soon. Stepped up this spring from rimfire to centerfire. The .308 isn't too bad, but man, the price of the 45-70 for the Sharps we bought is killing me!

[catnthehat]

Hand loading opens up a whole new soectrum to shooting especially your older cartridges like the 45/70 family or the weird stuff like 8.12x46R, etc!:)
The original reason for me hand loading was for accuracy and fir non available Ammo
Cat

[260 Rem]

Oldgutpile summed it up nicely. I believe that a large majority want to be the best shooters they can be, regardless of whether their goal is 1MOA hunting accuracy or seeing a .25MOA group on paper. Depending on where one starts, each can be equally challenging. Achieving the goal depends on having a capable gun, developing a capable hold, and shooting cartridges that are capable of delivering the goods.
After 40 years of shooting game animals, varmints, and cans I got into reloading and added paper to my downrange prey which became a real eye opener for a guy that had great confidence in his ability to put down a game animal or chase a tin can at ethical distances. Before getting to the stage I am now at, some days swerving close to my personal goal, I had a lot to learn about guns, hold, and cartridges. Reloading was/is the key to understanding the latter.

[elkhunter11]

There is no right answer in the options given. I reload centerfire ammunition to obtain the best performance from my firearms, but after I shoot enough to pay off my investment of thousands of dollars in dies and tooling, I do save money. On the other hand, my motivation for loading 28 gauge and 410 target loads is strictly to save money.

[Deer Hunter]

It helps if you have a place inside your house to set it up and leave it that way. A man cave, gunroom, a spot under the stairs. Doesn't have to be big, but organized and set up properly. It's more fun if it's organized, convenient and not a hassle to get set up.

[oldgutpile]

Hand loading opens up a whole new soectrum to shooting especially your older cartridges like the 45/70 family or the weird stuff like 8.12x46R, etc!:)
The original reason for me hand loading was for accuracy and fir non available Ammo
Cat

Reloading for the 577/500 no.2 is a chore without a reloading set-up, but even my 9.3x74r stuff, my 470 N.E, and my 450 3 1/4"BPE are paid for with the first box of reloads. Then there's the 358 norma mag, the 375 HH, and even the lowly .338 WM!! I am shocked everytime I go to the box stores and check out the price on hard-to-get/rare stuff.
Like anyone with the addiction, I have upgraded some of my gear over the years, but IIRC, my initial setup (purchased from Guncraft in Calgary; how long have they been closed?)including bullets and powder was about 120.00. Thanks to inflation, that wouldn't hardly cover a half box of shells for the 470!

[EagleEyes]

Performance and I just like doing it.

[wwbirds]

Started out to save money but bought the equipment for the most part in the middle 1970's. Paid for itself many times over since then and I load for about 8 calibres and 3 gauges. dont save much on shotgun shells anymore but that is because lead is so expensive.
Cant imagine paying over $10 a shell for my 375 HH and the boys and I blew off a $100 a minute with the 375 a couple weeks ago just because neither of them had fired a big bore before.
For rifles I have known since about 1978 I could build a more accurate bullet than any factory ammo I could buy at a quarter of the cost.

[wolf308]

Performance and I just like doing it.

Yup.

I don't shoot much anymore though and hence haven't loaded a shell in like 9 months estimate.

Got my 50 cal shooting good with handloads finally ( need to start taking it the distance and start getting dope) and still have the last batch of rounds to test out on fathers 300 H&H for a high velocity coyote round (125gr ) , been collecting dust in my truck for those 9 months ish. Lol.

But yeah .... Love to tweak my loads/ reloads for max acc and it's fun / therapeutic

[densa44]

I could never afford it if I had to buy factory ammo. I also like to shoot #4 lead at Pheasants and it would be hard to but.

I shoot a number of different rifle gauges. .243 and .204 and am chasing the "one hole" hobby.

[gitrdun]

I roll my own for precision.

[Flieguy]

certain cartridges (like 6.5x55) you can save money on reloading if you can find cheaper projectiles.

also since reloading I've picked up a 375 winchester and a 25-20, which would be nearly impossible to feed without reloading.

my favorite thing though, is to load reduced trail boss loads for my rifles so that they're much nicer to plink with, the girlfriend loves my 30-30 at 22lr velocities, and smacks golf balls with it consistently

[Unregistered user]

By re-using the brass l am saving the planet.

[Ursus_Major]

It's a fun hobby that saves money. What else?

[gatorr]

I reload to get the accuracy and to save money. I reload around 1500 loads for my various varmint cartridges per year so i save money. Plus i enjoy going down to my reloading room and cranking them out.

[32-40win]

I originally started in order to be able to use good bullets that were not readily available in factory rounds. It opened some doors for me later, into various shooting disciplines. You'll never go to a gun shop or a gun show and see things the same way again. After a few years and a few different guns and cartridges you will probably amass the bulk of whatever supplies you may need, for the next gun or cartridge. Never a shortage of new stuff to learn about, and old items to revisit.

[MartyT]

i do it for precision and the satisfaction of having rolled your own.

[The Spank]

I used to load shotshells for trap, skeet and hunting until it no longer became worthwhile economically. Rifle? Tried it out at the invite of a friend and was the third most boring thing I have ever done next to golf and watching paint dry.

[Unregistered user]

It's like fly-tying, only louder.

[goferx]

I mostly shoot Ackley`s. No factory cartridges available.6 mm and 2506.

[heronfish]

If you're only hunting it's not really worth it. I don't shoot near enough to make not worth it myself, but do enjoy the winter time peace and quiet.

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[beerhonky]

I can reload 45 auto for about $0.06 - $0.10 per round. I cast my own boolits out of range scrap and powder coat them. All brass is cleaned and resized range pick up.

Large initial cost and I'll have to shoot a lot to see my investment back. I enjoy doing it more than anything. I also had a little cry when I paid $50 a box at the local store.

If you got the time go for it.

[covey ridge]

I used to load rifle but now I don't shoot enough to make it worth while. I do load 12 and 20 gauge target loads because I have a fair supply of components that I obtained at a reasonable price. For the 12s I used 7/8 oz.loads and for the 20 I often use 3/4 oz. I shoot pretty cheap.

[Dean2]

Depending on what your reload for you can save anywhere from $2 to $20 per Round of rifle ammo. Clearly you don't need to shoot much 470 Rigby to make reloading worth while. (Factory 470 is $450 a box, reloads $30 per box.) Clearly the more you want to shoot the more money you save making your own.

Another example, there was a time I was shooting about 10,000 rounds of 17 HMR a year on gophers and ammo was $10/50. So $2000 a year. Now that ammo is almost $25/50, I can reload 17 HH for 15/50. It is 1000 FPS faster than the rimfire 17 HMR, performs better, is more accurate and saves me $2000 a year over what it would cost me if I stuck to the rimfire 17 HMR.

Home made is also generally far more accurate,though not always.

Better ammo at a much lower price for a relatively small up front investment. If you high volume load like I do get a Dillon 550 progressive and you can crank out 400 rounds an hour pretty easy.

[CritterCommander]

I reload for 7 different rifles right now, some get shot a lot, others not so much, but would reckon likely 500 rounds / year for all combined. Plus load for 40 cal pistol when I am really bored... Building loads and testing for individual rifles is always interesting and even when you think things are as good as they can get, the old rabbit hole has a way of getting deeper and deeper as time goes on.....the tinkering a guy can do is almost endless.