Reloading as a Hobby

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AV8TOR

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When I started reloading in the late 70's early 80's it was a "means to an end" for my shooting. We organised a local combat shooting club in Columbus Ohio with great support and involvement from the local law enforcement which was about one forth our group. Weekend competitions had us going through a lot of ammo and that is how I got into reloading. I worked my way up to a C&H progressive press and a 4 cavity mold for casting my bullets.

I took a break from shooting with other interests in the 90's and now back into it. Funny thing though, I think I actually enjoy reloading now more than the shooting and the "means to an end" have flipped.

Sounds crazy but I am wondering if anyone else has changed like this?
 
I too have been reloading for over 20 years now. The difference for me is it has always been a hobby. Time out at my bench has always been very relaxing for me no matter what the rest of the day was like. I know reloading takes 100% of your attention and focus and I guess it is this approach I have taken that for a short time makes me sort of forget about all the other things going on in life :)
 
Reloading is the "MY" time ... peace ... quite ... enjoyable ... love it !!

I don't go at it like a firefighter fighting a fire ... I can stop and come back at most any stage ... I'm not in it to see how many rounds I can produce ... I'll leave that to Federal, Winchester and the other guys ...

My aim is to produce ammo that will preform better than factory in my guns ....

I do like to shoot ... but my eyes don't do as well as they once did !! I have to empty some brass so I can go back and reload some more!

Been Reloading since 1965 ... 50 years now!!
 
I also started reloading as a means to an end 30 some years ago but found very quickly that I enjoyed it.

One aspect that I enjoy is there are numerous things that can be done. A bit tired of stuffing bullets into cases, fire up the casting pot. Tired of sizing the same ole cartridges, form some wild cat cartridges cases. Or try out some new reloading gizmo that has come on the market.

Never a dull moment.:)
 
My primary goal has always been to reload ammunition that is at least the equal of factory-rolled ammo but at a lower cost.

I have never been a "precision" shooter, driven to shrink group sizes ever tighter. I have always been happy with reasonable accuracy from ammo so that I can hit my target.

When my dad taught me Reloading Mathematics in the late '60s, I learned that, for example, if I could buy milsurp 7.92x57 for ~5¢ or less, our reloading cost at the time, to put away the Lee Loader and buy&shoot that ammo until the price went up.
 
Like most of you have stated, I mostly enjoy reloading as a hobby. There is just so much satisfaction out of "rolling your own". The one example I can think of where I use factory ammo over reloading is my 30-30. I think I would only save 2-3 cents per round. But it's such a low volume it would take me a lifetime to cover the cost of dies and shell plate etc.
 
I have only been reloading for 5 years now and I thoroughly enjoy it. Like others said it is my time and all I want to do is produce quality rounds that perform superbly in my rifles.
 
I'm new to the hobby, but I find it to be a very relaxing activity in an otherwise very busy life. Not to mention the satisfaction of putting together a surprisingly accurate bullet.
 
Last year at about this time, I was one of the people who got their annual Flu Shot but, because the Future Flu Strain Crystal Ballers were a bit off of the mark, I suffered a glancing blow from the Flu.

I was pretty miserable, but it could have been worse.

Stuck in the house, feeling like crap ... how to pass the time?

I processed several thousand cases (with my new Franklin Arsenal Rotary Tumbler) and reloaded a couple thousand of them (with my new Lee Classic Turret press).

Very relaxing and the time just flew by until I felt well again. :)
 
Yep. I enjoy working up a hand load that does exactly what I want it to do. Hand loading is my #1 pastime, all year round. Even If I'm caught up on processing brass, I still find something to do in the loading shop. I have a dedicated 2-story workshop with an area specifically built for loading - I can spend all day in there. The wife thinks all I need is a cot and I wouldn't ever have to leave. Pretty true.
 
Back in the 1960's we were pretty poor, so like most other families we pooled our resources and formed a reloading group. It was me , my dad, my wife's dad and one uncle. Mom didn't reload but she cooked for us all, and had here own pistol which she could shoot really well.

They're all passed on now, and now I think of those wonderful days every time I reload.
 
Been reloading since I was twelve (39 years ago) when dad got a reloading setup. I think he has only loaded a box or two with it. Reloading has always been an equal part of the shooting experience for me. I enjoy developing new loads and tailoring them for specific applications. The wife and I both use 250 Savage a lot and ammo is pretty rare and expensive to boot. I actually had a custom rifle built for 250 last year. As long as I roll my own ammo availability is not an issue.
 
I've been shooting on and mostly off for the past 25 years - my 1st centerfire rifle was purchased 4 years ago, and it's store bought fodder caused my wallet to react at bit.

The stages of reloading:

1: Economy - the least investment required to pull the trigger for under store bought cost
2: Accuracy - Wow, components in the right combo really do make a difference
3: Ability - The capacity to produce what I want, when I want
4: Hobby - Where reloading, and all it's subsets, truly become a separate entity.

From a Lee breech Lock 'kit' and a bottle of XBR to: Dedicated, conditioned space; A press for every task; Casting & coating equipment; Enough powder types to, well, the Universe won't be around long enough to test every load combination...

Reloading IS my hobby and I love it, but man, It sure ain't about saving saving money :D
 
I enjoy reloading. There is an art and science to it that appeals to my nature. At times I think I enjoy the reloading more than shooting. I probably do. I have been at it since 76 but really went full in about 78. There have been lean times where a lee hand tool set was state of the art to times when I would make 38's on the floor with a tie plate and a hand press. Now it is more advanced (Pro2000) but hey the fun is still there.

It is a great hobby where I can focus and think about what I am doing not the worries of life in general.
 
I enjoy taking something and making it useable again. There is also more involved then most people think in order to make a good bullet go pop again, especially if range pick up military brass. Lots of work yes, but just fun anyway.
 
I agree with Duvel, it all started to save money with a Lee handloader for 9 bucks. A poor kid couldn't afford factory ammo even at the prices then, plus you can make what you want and it is more accurate. Lead at reduced velocity or jacketed at whatever you like. Rifle ammo that works best for your needs, I wanted to shoot Nosler Partitions and I could make them accurate. Now I have several prairie dog rifles and I can make accurate ammo, cheaper than factory.
 
I also enjoy reloading and I have multiple reasons for that. I enjoy the solitude while working at my bench, as the world knows, when I am reloading I am not to be disturbed. Also, after I retired, I got into a serious and needed weight loss program. I found that if I was just sitting around in the evenings, all I would be thinking about is eating or snacking. I found that if I went to my bench and started hand loading, my focus and concentration pushed those thoughts right out. As a result, I lost about 50 lbs., and loaded enough ammunition to fend off most third world armies. This in turn demands that I spend more time at the range. A win win all the way around.
 
I started reloading to save money, but I continued reloading to tailor ammunition to the gun and to my needs.

I could probably afford to buy 9mm and .38 Special econoball for IDPA; I reload them more out of habit than the relatively small money savings. I have the equipment, the components, and the time, why not?

But the particular low velocity LRN .45 ACP I like is nowhere to be found. I have to load my own.

Likewise rifle match ammo; I can beat the velocity of factory match .308 by a bit and the price by a lot. And nobody I ever heard of sells good enough black powder .40-65 for 600 yards. I shudder to think at the cost if they did, that is some of the most tedious loading I have ever done.
 
I started reloading about 1988 when I started doing cowboy action shooting. I'd run thru about 800 rds of Colt 45 each month. I also shot about 400rds a month of 45ACP in my EDC gun. So loaded for it also. I really enjoyed seeing how accurate I could get a round to shoot in my guns. I had to quit cowboy shooting when my back gave out. My wife had Parkinson's Disease and when it got really bad I had to quit reloading and shooting to be her 24/7 caregiver.

So after a 15 year break I'm just getting setup to start reloading again. This time I had the extra income so that I could buy the equipment I couldn't afford before. So I bought a Hornady LNL Ammo Plant. I also got all the goodies that I wasn't able to afford before. I'm having a great time. I really like reloading as much as shooting. I can tailor rounds to shoot accurately thru each of my guns. It's a great hobby!!
 
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I'll bet most people start reloading to "save money."

I'm like you, AV8TOR--in that it's now become more than that. It's a sort of a cross between a hobby, an obsession, a way to save money, a way to be independent of commercial ammo sources, and even a relaxing way to spend some time.

I like the mental challenge of it, of working up new loads, figuring why something isn't working the way I expect it should, and the satisfaction of getting something to work just right.

I keep finding new frontiers to explore. I began casting last year, and this year began powder-coating my cast boolits. Lots more to learn, to figure out how to get it to be optimal. Lots of fun!
 
Not too long ago there were magazine adds that referred to firearms as "un-loading" machines. Wifey caught it and refers to my guns as "un-loading machines". She likes to rib me just a little bit. However, she is right. I am at the tipping point to where I seem to enjoy shoot/reload almost equal.

Mark
 
I was given a 6.5x57 Mauser rifle with a bull barrel. That was over 33 years ago. So if I wanted to shoot it, I had to reload.
I'm with you guys. I reload a lot more than I shoot. I belong to an outdoor range and I don't go there much during the winter...too cold on weekends usually. So I head for the reloading bench and relax, have some down time and just enjoy it.
 
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