Why do you Reload?

Lately I seem to enjoy loading more than unloading. I can't step out in the backyard and shoot anymore which means I have to gather up all my stuff and carry it with me. Also Arkansas has gotten more rain this year than any of my previous 46.

On the other hand...

When I reload I just step into my (extra bedroom) cave where all of my stuff is (in process of building new 8' bench) and I can, for the most part, control the climate. It's never too hot and it's never too cold and I've yet to be rained out.

It's such a nice way to relax. All the while trying to decide such important matters as, should I try Accurate #2 next or HP 38, and would a bit more crimp or maybe a different primer close that group up a little.

Yeah, I voted for reloading.

ST

I started out reloading for the savings back in the early 80's when I was just out of high school and didn't have much money. I have since developed it into a good operation with a progressive press and all the extras. I think I enjoy reloading as much if not more than shooting. It is the one thing that I do that I don't let the day's worries bother me.

I reload to find the most accurate combination for each firearm I own, plus I can shoot a whole lot more for the money spent

A couple years ago, "the Warden" stuck a gun magazine in my Christmas stocking; there was an article in it: "Is It Time To Think About Reloading?" As I had just bought a 45ACP, the article struck a nerve. After countless hours lurking and researching I bought a setup. Spent about $430 for everything but the brass, primers, powder and bullets. I have since added 2 more calibers but haven't had to buy anything else but the dies and turrets. I have come to really enjoy reloading. I never saw that coming. So now I have 2 hobbies that are intertwined. Many say that reloading doesn't make it cheaper because you will shoot more. I say sort of. I no longer worry about how much I shoot. And letting someone else run a box through one of my pistols isn't the big deal it was before I began reloading. I owe all this to the Warden of 38 years and to everyone on the forums that have shared their knowledge about reloading! Thanks All!

Crazy I guess but if I had to buy the rounds then I would never go shootin. Now that I reload, I have all this ammo and when I shoot a box then I feel like oh Sh*t, gotta relaod now...... That makes me happy too! I may have 1000 45 ACP rounds but if I shoot 100, I get nervous and wanna go reload those boxes back up to get my supply right! Just krazy I guess.

The Dove

I guess I do it because I've got all this equipment and all these components and all these guns, can't think of any other reason!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am just at the begining of the reloading adventure. I have always wanted to reload and kept telling myself " I'll get the equipment soon". Well, soon never did seem to materialize and finally after 15 years of telling myself that I would get the equipment and this current lack of ammo; I went online, researched, talked to a few people and bought my reloading gear!

I have been reloading shotgun since the mid 70's. Took up metallic reloading about a year ago. My son shoots on a Jr. High Power team and there coach did the reloading. He had asked it I could reload fo my son if he supplied the power,primers and bullets. I said I would, bought an RCBS press and now load pistol. My son shoots .223 with 77 gr. and 80 gr, so that makes us have to reload.

Relaxation put simply.

Chicks think it's sexy!

Chicks think it's sexy!

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Thanks for starting my day off with a laugh. lol

I guess i do it for pleasure. I started loading 410 shells when i was 15 or so with a Lee hand loader. (i'm 51 now) Then started loading rifle in 1982 but didnt really know what i was doing. Drank too much and quit loading. Started again with help from THR members last Dec. I think i'm doing quit well now by the looks of my tatgets and p-dogs!

1) Because it's cheaper than factory loads, and

2) I can't find factory loads for 357 Herrett, 375JDJ, 30-338, 7-30 Waters, etc. :banghead: and

3) I enjoy finding accurate loads

4) It's fun and relaxing

In no particular order

I am more a casual 'plinker' at the range. In the 40+ years I've been shooting, I just started reloading last year, right about the same time the administration changed hands.

I enjoy the freedom from factory ammo, it allows me to shoot a little bit more often (indoor range fees are still kinda pricey in this town) and it is a fun way to spend some of my free time. While components, especially primer, have been in VERY tight supply for the last year, with proper inventory control and shopping luck, I have confidence in always having ammo for all my firearms.

Why? I took my two daughters shooting yesterday. Two 50-round boxes of .38 Special (158gr LSWC over Trail Boss), two 50-rounders of .44 Special (200gr LRNFP over Trail Boss), 100 rounds of .22 WMR, and a 550-round box of Federal .22LR. Total cost... less than $45. Seeing the looks on my daughters' faces as they knock down steel plate after steel plate... priceless. (Oh, and they liked the .38 Special best.)

I reload mainly to shoot because I couldn't afford to shoot with todays prices.

I reload because I'm a green tree huger environmentalist.

I keep trying to put all that lead that is mined back into the mother earth where it came from originally! I figure the more I shoot the more lead that is returned to mother earth where it came from in the beginning. Then I discovered Missouri Bullets and found out they have more lead than I can shoot:banghead:.

I reload so I can shoot more. More shooting means more trips to the range. I pick up more brass at the range than I shoot so I reload more rounds. That leads to more trips to the range. Which means more brass so I'll reload more.Which means I have more ammo to shoot.It's a vicious cycle.

Because it's flat out fun.

I started reloading as a way of cutting cost and developing a more accurate load for my AR than what I could buy. Now, after a couple of years, I find that I do it as a way of relaxing after a tough day or just chilling. I still have just a single stage Rockchucker and I like it that way. It makes me focus on each round as it goes through the various stages of the proccess. Using a single stage makes me not hurry and I never time myself on how long it takes me to load X number of rounds. I have come to enjoy the hobby for it's own sake and not as a means to an end.

Historian

I love shooting and I love reloading. So I answered both.

Best regards.

I began reloading at age 16 under the tutelage of my Dad and an Uncle or two.
Of course the main attraction is the more accurate rifle rounds but as we speak, those of us who possess a progressive loader can STILL shoot our handguns frequently.
Sadly, as I see it, the younger generation has OTHER interests and reloading seems to be a dying thing.

All The above works for me !!
How ever having owned a couple wildcats it was a must.
Besides its fun and relaxing for me.
Nothing like Nitro an Alox to wake you up.

My name is Bliksem and I cast, lube & reload....

Its my functional equivalent of Yoga.

Relaxing, Therapeutic. a start and a finish

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Me too!

Whenever I have a carpy day at the office I come home and either cast, lube or reload to relieve the stresses of the day.

I feel better already!

Bliksem