What % of shooters are re-loaders?

Bat Rastard said:

I have often wondered how press manufactures have survived.
They make a product that will outlast the customer and their customers are but a tiny fraction of shooters.

Click to expand...

I've wondered the same. Not to mention some of them will warranty a 50 year old press. I know RCBS will. They send parts free even though I try to pay. Even pay shipping in my experience.

Here is a poll from 2013 that says 26% of shooters reload.

https://www.southwickassociates.com...-on-the-rise-some-shooters-turn-to-reloading/

Believe it or not, after all this is the internet.

I dont buy 26%. Not even a little bit. One in four?

One in four internet shooters dont even really shoot. Lol

Fine Figure of a Man said:

Between a fraction of a percent to nearly 100% depending one what defines someone as being a "shooter" and or a "re-loader".

Click to expand...

Yes, it all depends on the game you're playing. Hunters that reload? Probably relatively few. High power rifle competitors? Nearly all.

Tim

I’ve only met one other person who casts, we were both collecting brass at a rock pit in the National Forest and got to talking. Nice guy, exchanged numbers And mentioned I was in the market for lead and he called me later that day to come over and gave me 25# free. you never know who you will meet out in the Wild, usually it’s tweekers so this was a nice change of pace.

I only know two other reloaders, my father and luckily my neighbor, which gives us A lot to talk about which is nice. He’s also my only shooting buddy and has had a big influence on me shooting wise as he has quite a collection and is generous enough to let me shoot them.

It’s a matter of cost for me. If I want to be able to shoot much at all, I have to cast and reload. I scrounge brass and mine berms for lead. I’ve also got a bit more free time than free cash so your mileage may vary.
After putting together my setup I quickly recouped my invested costs, but only because the cartridge I load most is the .41 magnum. Cheapest I’ve seen in the stores is about $36 before tax for a box of 50 cowboy action loads. I can load a box with my cast bullets for around $2.50per box of 50. I’ve loaded over 1200 rounds in the last year since I’ve started and that’s only cost me about $60 compared $850-900 for that much factory ammo.

Recently I’ve acquired a new revolver in .44 special and the same applies there with similar costs for factory ammunition.

Interesting topic I’ve never thought about it too much. To me reloading is just part of shooting.

3.9873412 % as of this posting

My subjective impression is between 5-10% of people who shoot regularly.

Of all gun owners in total around 1% or less.

The component market is small relative to the loaded ammunition market. It doesn't take much movement to deplete it as we've all found out these last six months.

Fine Figure of a Man said:

Between a fraction of a percent to nearly 100% depending one what defines someone as being a "shooter" and or a "re-loader".

Click to expand...

Heh! Heh! I don't know that I've ever met a muzzle loader "shooter" who wasn't a "re-loader" or "hand-loader" - whichever way you want to put it.

There are a lot of guys in my church who shoot, some pretty regularly. I only know of one other that reloads.

People who shoot guns that are not terribly common or guns that have ammunition that is way expensive, either reload or has a friend that does. I shoot 7.7 jap. Not interested in shooting surplus ammunition that old. 45 70 shooters reload unless they shoot only to hunt very rarely. People who shot for fun are far more likely to be in the reloading/casting crowd. I cant see the home defense crowd owning a press...

Bat Rastard said:

I have often wondered how press manufactures have survived.
They make a product that will outlast the customer and their customers are but a tiny fraction of shooters.

I know some of us have more than one press, but that's a mighty small market to make a living off of.

I have 3.5 presses now but I will likely not be expanding that further. I have all I really need covered.
I have a 550, RockChucker, MEC, and recently added a Lee APP. I count it as a 1/2 press.
I entertain someday getting a 1050 but I certainly don't need it. It just looks like a neat mousetrap.

Click to expand...

Single stage presses are the easiest to manufacture, it's a cast frame with some holes drilled/bored/reamed in it, a tapped hole for the dies, the other cast parts have holes drilled in them, the ram is turned on a lathe and has a slot cut in it. It's not a lot of machining.

Even turret presses are simple, most of the machining is in the rotating head. It's not until you get into the progressives that the machining cost adds up and that's why it amazes me that Lee is able to make a progressive for $150 and it's not garbage.

I do not have many friends, but many acquaintances, (Through work, business, whatever...). (Now retired.)
None of my close friends reload. Some shoot, but not nearly as much as I do.
Some acquaintances reload, but as time goes on I can only think of a couple who are still here to do so.

I have friends of friends that reload, but we rarely are in contact.

I have 1 daughter and 5 sons. Eight grand-children.
Am happy to say my son-in-law is now getting set up to reload. (good thing too, as my Grandson is nuts about guns!)

Another son may be thinking about getting the game on for reloading as his son is the same as his cousin. (This grandson would come into the reloading room and "help" starting around 3 years old!)

Another son is in the business of selling guns. (In Wassilla, AK). Guess what? Yeah, he reloads.

So I feel pretty lucky being what I consider above average in passing a tradition and history down to the next generation(s).

As far as to how many shooters reload, your guess is as good as mine. In my opinion. not enough! I hope that this hobby is passed on for many years! Just like hunting and fishing and anything outdoors!!!

This is all very interesting. As mentioned by many about the percentages being in the single digits, I can't disagree. The people you "know" who reload directly or indirectly are a good way to gauge it I suppose.

Then there is those that do not frequent the interwebs that do reload. Anonymity for certain and to each their own. The statement regarding how many presses were sold could indeed be a good place to start for accuracy sake.

2 cents.

My guess is 5%. This is based on the percentage of centerfire shooters at the outdoor public range where I RO who want to keep their brass.

This percentage is probably lower for the police who train there. And higher for IDPA/USPSA shooters.

Dunross said:

My subjective impression is between 5-10% of people who shoot regularly.

Of all gun owners in total around 1% or less.

The component market is small relative to the loaded ammunition market. It doesn't take much movement to deplete it as we've all found out these last six months.

Click to expand...

Those number seem about right to me.

Normal supply and demand is pretty low for reloading stuff so when panic hits it doesn’t take much to wipe out a few shelves of your average store. Once shops start to run low, everyone realizes they need to stock up and POOF! everything disappears.

Everyone of the new LGS has stocked reloading stuff when they opened. They soon realized the money and shelf space could be used for products in higher demand and clearanced out the reloading items.

For bullet molds there are only a few manufacturers and during normal times the supply is very light. There are a handful of vendors that supply all the bullet molds in the US. Other than Lyman or Lee I bet none of the mold makers has more than 2 or 3 employees.

TimRB said:

Yes, it all depends on the game you're playing. Hunters that reload? Probably relatively few. High power rifle competitors? Nearly all.

Click to expand...

Thats been my experience. All high power and centerfire bullseye shooters that I know reload. 100%. Thinking about the guys at hunting camp, maybe 40%. But that number might be skewed by my kids, who all reload when they need ammo to hunt with. Not avid loaders but loaders nonetheless.