Why do you reload?

[Cyberlink]

I was wondering why people reload there own ammo. I know why I do it but I suspect that we each have our own reasons.

 

[Dirt]

I dont reload but, a few reasons why I want to do it come to mind. 1. its cheaper 2. something cool to do in spare time 3. time to yourself away from the wife and kids.

 

[Texas42]

You missed one. I enjoy it. It isn't an actual cost saving (especially with my magnum rifle). . .I mean, I end up getting much more ammo.

 

[randmplumbingllc]

I was wondering why people reload there own ammo. I know why I do it but I suspect that we each have our own reasons.

You can "fine tune" your loads for accuracy or recoil. And ALL the other reasons listed. There is also a pride factor too. "You bought your ammo, but I MADE mine !"

 

[GJW1911]

There are two main reasons I reload. One it is cheaper and allows me to shoot more, I used to go to the range and shoot at the most 100 rounds of 45acp; "that's all I could afford". Now when I go to the range I shoot between 300 and 500 rounds at a time.

The other, I found out afterward is that for me, reloading is therapeutic. The whole process calms and relaxes, gives my mind something else to focus my mental energy.

 

[Leadpot]

Cost is cheaper, Casting and rolling oyur own makes it worthwhile and just relaxes me out there on my own. Been doing it 26 yrs. now and the learning curve never stops.

 

[Charley]

Cost savings to a point. Don't save money, just able to shoot more for the same amount. I also load for several cartridges that are not commercialy available for the most part. When was the last time you saw .25 Remington,.351 Winchester, 8x56R Kropatschek, 10.4 Swiss, 577/450, 10.4 Glistenti revolver, or any of the other oddball/obsolete cartridges I load for? You either load your own, or pay really big bucks for someone to do it for you.
For commonly available cartridges, the ability to taylor/tune your load to your firearm can make a big difference in accuracy.

 

[BurkGlocker]

i replied all of the above. I started reloading when I was 19 and havent looked at factory ammo except for my SD ammo. All of my rifle ammo and pistol practice ammo are all reloaded. I found that it is cheaper to reload more, but I also end up shooting more... HMM... So in the end, it really isnt cheaper, I just get more range time out of the deal. Plus, the fact that I am shooting something that I made is really fulfilling as well, and my rifle ammo is a helluva lot more accurate than factory...

BG

 

[robin303]

You forgot: Really Cool Hobby

 

[TexasDawg]

I'm with the fellow who said costs, but actually shoot more for the same amount of money. i enjoy getting my rifles to shoot as well as possible and seeing what causes accuracy problems. And I am able to make alittle extra for the stockpile for when they try to make it illegal to have,,,

 

[RetArmySgt]

I reload for stress releif and to have more ammo available for when i want to shoot. Only problem right now is im getting ready to move so my presses are down. I need to get another powder measure that way i dont have to keep changing it for the different loads.

 

[flashguy]

You'll laugh, but my main reason is to produce ammo that does what I want for recreation--makes huge muzzle flashes. After all, my username is

flashguy

 

[cuate]

For me, reloading is just part of the enjoyment of firearm ownership and shooting. Like any other hobby or endeavor it can cost as little or as much as your finances can endure. For the simple way, I have and can reload the following calibers with an old Lyman 310 tool, a pliers like tool with necessary dies, as reloaders used 100 years ago, .45 Long Colt, 30-06, 30-40 Krag, and .223 ....But I have a simple Lee Hand tool to use modern dies, and a couple of modern reloading presses which I normally use for faster and easier reloading. My nearest neighbor and friend who has a Dillon reloading machine which can turn out finished ammo faster than I can think, has much more money invested. I do not recommend this for beginners or they who only shoot or reload occasionally. Two excellent thoughts, three really, are: Alcohol and reloading don't mix, No smoking around gunpowder, and pay attention to what you are doing !

 

[medalguy]

I don't know where everybody gets the idea reloading is cheaper.....I used to buy a carton of ammo and go shoot it. Now I buy 10,000 primers at a time and 10,000 bullets at a time and 8 - 8 pound jugs of powder at a time and my wife doesn't see me for days at a time.........

 

[RetArmySgt]

Two excellent thoughts, three really, are: Alcohol and reloading don't mix, No smoking around gunpowder, and pay attention to what you are doing !

Wait a secound are you telling me im doing it wrong? I like to reload in a strip club while drinking and an after lapdance smoke.

 

[rodnocker1]

I'm just like medalguy (although why he only orders 10,000 primers at a time is beyond me). Plus, when you throw in the cost of a 650 XL or an L-N-L AP (or both) and every thing else you "need" to reload, it's hard to explain to your wife how you are "saving money".

I only started reloading a few years ago and when I did, I really had "plenty" of ammo. This was when Academy carried Blazer 9mm for $3.86 a box, Natchez had Blazer .45ACP for $7.99, and you could buy a case of 7.62X54r from J&G Sales for $56.00 + shipping (things have changed slightly). But I saw the way things were headed and decided that I would rather have the means to load my own ammo and control the cost rather than depend on the Market.

Now I don't have to go from store to store looking for ammo and searching the Internet asking "Who has it?" and" How much?". Now I spend all of my spare time scrounging brass at the range, casting bullets, resizing brass,.......etc.

The plus side is that I can go out to my reloading room and spend some time ( days) out there and it helps me relieve the stress from the past work week. I figure that the money spent on my reloading stuff was cheaper than what alot of people spend to go and see a Psychiatrist to work out their problems/feelings/stress/whatever and I actually have something to show for the effort.

 

[Wolfwood]

alot of the same reasons i roll my own smokes actually now tha ti think about it.

i can use diffrent loads for diffrent applications, fat ones for high stress situations and small ones for everyday use.
costs less
is way cooler than buying them prepackaged.
the more you doit the better you get.
you never know when you might need an extra.

jsut make sure you arent smoking whilst reloading!
haha

 

[OLDVET]

I started reloading to save money. I quickly found that this was not the outcome. I now shoot twice as much. I soon learned that by being selective with the components I used, I was loading much more accurate bullets. I reload for the AR's that I own and my Springfield M1A rifle. I find it very satisfying making bullets that perform better than the Gun Store counter stuff. The major drawback to reloading these days is the lack of components available. Prior to the mad rush to buy components, I stocked up on the components I needed when I found good deals. I have about 18 months of reloading components on hand. Maybe by then the the insanity will have eased.

 

[AusTex]

I started reloading to learn more about the process and as I went along picked up a lot of interesting information and understanding of how pistols and rifles operate. Did you know a bullet starts and stops up to 3 times in a firearm once the trigger is pulled? It happens in nano seconds but it happens.... Just a interesting fact I picked up through my endeavors of reloading... I guess once you get out of school you need things to keep your brain sharp!

Jcm

 

[Don]

Mainly...I enjoy it.

Don