lil over board with reloading

Yeah, I am the opposite. I justify the thousands and thousands I spend on reloading because I have never owned a boat (other than a paddle boat), sold my motorcycles off a long time ago and don't get excited when I see a new purse or pair of shoes...if someone has money though, there is something out there to spend it on.

The solution to your problem however is to sell the stuff you have and you have come to the right place.

I have spent well over $150K on various shooting/reloading/quads/toy haulers/4x4 related expenses over the decades and now restoring a vintage 21' fishing boat with a jet drive.

Wife was not amused when we initially totaled up the shooting/reloading costs over 20 years but took a deep breath and told me, "As long as you come back from the range and out of the reloading room happy, that's all that matters." Ultimately, she conceded that we can't take money with us when we die and we have lasting memorable family memories of camping/traveling/off-roading/shooting/fishing that everyone has/will cherish.

When I told her about my aspirations of restoring/customizing 50-60's classics in my retirement (my BIL's hobby/passion my sister fully supports) to create more memorable moments, she told me, "You better come out of the workshop ecstatic!"

"As long as you come back from the range and out of the reloading room happy, that's all that matters."

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Sounds like you might want to keep her B..

Wife was not amused when we initially totaled up the shooting/reloading costs over 20 years

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When I die, I hope my wife doesn't sell my stuff for what she thinks it cost.

My wife knew what she was getting into before she married me. She herself purchased me not only a safe to put my firearms in, but also a RCBS 4x4 press to load up my ammo with.

When we got together I was shooting 2-300 rounds a week through two or three different revolvers, then loading them all back up on a vintage 1960'ish single stage Wells press using standard dies.

All I can say is we have been together for almost 30yrs, and been married 27 of those. I'm not sure who came out with the better deal though..





Oh I know I did and I tell her all the time.

As for the $$ spent on what I have sitting on the shelf and what has been put downrange, well I could have spent it in several other local establishments, but it wouldn't have brought me near as much joy or happiness in the long run.

Think of what golfers spend. I just spent $400 dollars for a two year membership at the range for both the wife and I. Heck, a golf club membership will be over a grand for just a year. A good set of golf clubs will cost you what an LC9 and LCR357 would cost with change left over. Golf balls will cost you as much as shooting 22lr's, unless you're actually a good golf and don't lose golf balls.

I have to say, cleaning a gun is a lot more fun than cleaning golf clubs. And then you get the reloading aspect, I don't think you can reload a golf ball.

I have tens of thousands of rounds loaded and I still only have my original lee single stage. The only reloading equipment I buy is for redundancy in case something breaks and I can't get it replaced.

thelaststand said:

I have tens of thousands of rounds loaded and I still only have my original lee single stage. The only reloading equipment I buy is for redundancy in case something breaks and I can't get it replaced.

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I swore that I would never need more than my single stage when I started. Then I bought a turret press. Now "tens of thousands" is like a year of reloading(well kind of, I load close to 20k/year, sometimes more), so it's a progressive now.

Spending on a hobby is for pure enjoyment so I do not fret over it. If the cash is not there just say NO for a while till it comes back. Heck I could have spent it on cheap women, alcohol, or bad drugs but those would have not been anywhere near as enjoyable throughout my lifetime as making things go boom with a precision projectile ejected to a location of my choice IMHO.

He or she who dies with the most reloading/shooting toys wins.

You know, I wonder if Im starting to see a pattern here? I feel like the majority of handloaders' wives are very patient (for the most part of course) and pretty much know what they're in for with our personality type.

" Spent half my money on women and booze.......the rest, I wasted "

I can't remember the person I just quoted but you get the idea.

I love that quote.

My wife and I met on a horseback trailride in the Kimichi Mountains in southeastern Oklahoma.
Compared to horses, saddles, tack, trailers, pickups, campers, etc., etc. shooting is almost FREE!!!

I own motorcycles, a boat, camper, Jeep, and a few other vehicles. None are junkers, either.....I shoot 2-3 times a week. Shooting doesn't cost me near what it costs to accessorize and maintain a fleet of wheeled/motorized toys.

Reminds me of my race car days reading some of these. The only way to make a small fortune in racing is to start out with a large one.

jmorris said:

When I die, I hope my wife doesn't sell my stuff for what she thinks it cost.

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yes. Mine suggested I make a spreadsheet with all my equipment and what it cost for "insurance purposes".. I told her I was afraid to find out. Truth is I'm afraid for HER to find out!! I keep a running spread sheet minus the prices but she doesn't know.