Enjoy Reloading

[Randy1911]

I have been reloading for over 26 years and still enjoy it. I mean, it is what I like to do when I get bored (which is often). I load more than I shoot. I could shoot for a year and not have to reload. Sometimes I think I like to reload more than I like to shoot. I shoot so I can reload.

 

[dagger dog]

It is a hobby( AKA addiction), especially enjoyable on the days you can't get out to shoot. You can brew a stout pot of coffee turn on the favorite radio station and spend most of the day in front of the bench.

Usually I'll break out the load books and comb the internet reloading sites the night before, picking out some new loads that I would like to try, then match up the data with the with the components I have on hand.

It makes no difference if you already have a perfectly good and accurate load for a certain long gun or handgun, it is always the search for the load that may shoot a little better.

Then there is the satisfaction that comes with gaining a new "toy", that ultimate trimmer,priming tool or super inline bullet seater. I can pass an hour or so just reading the instructions on the new tool, or setting up new dies, things like that.

I don't need a progressive or turret press but rather have one or two single stage presses, and hand prep all brass, I do have a tumbler,but that is about it as far as power tools, they would cut down on the time that spent at the bench.

You can delve into your firearms library ,on line or printed, and research the most desirable twist rate, ogive, or sectional density for the bullet being used, then switch over to the ballistic charts and see where the bullet will impact at the range you intend to shoot. If used for hunting you will also want to know the terminal performance of the selected load, and this information is available there, all you have to do is open the pages or point and click.

by the way my name is dagger dog
and I'm a reloader

 

[rick300]

I started to save buck$. Now I shoot so I can reload. I live in Ca. and ammo is hard to come by here, but for me it's in the garage. Every time I pull the handle on my "Rockchucker single stage" I smile. Rick

 

[wankerjake]

Every time I pull the handle on my "Rockchucker single stage" I smile.

It's like a one-armed bandit that always pays out! What's not to like?

 

[Blackrock]

It took me two evenings of goofing along to load 50 rounds of 45acp. I am and old widower and have my stuff set up in the house and can sit at the bench and do as much or as little as I want at a sitting.
Came home to 2,000 pistol bullets at the front door so I do
have components.

 

[Seedtick]

I've loaded for my rifles for years so I could tune loads for my guns. I started loading for my auto pistols about 12 months ago when I discovered that there was no 9mm or 380 ammo to be found locally. So I picked up a turret press and eventually scrounged up enough components to keep my pistols fed. Then I realized how much fun the 'loading' part was.

A few weeks ago I bought a Blackhawk .357 and I have been having a blast loading for it. In fact, it's been so much fun I am going to tear down my turret setup and start loading my .357s on the old Rockchucker. By going single stage and batch loading I'll get to enjoy it longer.

ST

 

[Redneck with a 40]

I definitely enjoy reloading, started loadin' back in 2005. I enjoy tinkering with different loads, bullets and powders. I most recently started loading .223 and .308. .223 is really fun and simple to load, my .308 match rounds give great satisfaction with 1.5" groups at 200 yards. I started out loading 40 S&W, got about 2500 rounds on hand, settled on Unique as my powder, 165 gr Ranier as my range bullet, 6-6.2 grains as the charge, this load is nice.

I like the process of putting my ammo together and the satisfaction of seeing my own ammo once its loaded. I'v certainly still got the passion.

 

[Bush Pilot]

Reloading is a form of relaxation for me, crack a diet Pepsi, turn on the ball game and load for a couple of hours. I don't even mind the problems, it makes me think and research what could be causing the issue.

 

[henry-ctc]

Yeah, it´s a very relaxing hobby. Also an addiction. I love it.
I run out of primers and need more powder, otherwise I´d be reloading right now.

Actually I make 25 to 50 rounds almost everyday. And it´s quite easy to spend them every wekend. I reload 9mm but I´m going to start with .38 and .32 very soon.

 

[twice barrel]

I started with shotshells when I was 16. First job was at a skeet/trap/rifle range before I could even drive. My best friend could and we both worked a summer there. We were taught to operate some aging hydraulic presses in two-man operation to prepare "range rounds". My buddy wound up with 3 or for single stage presses and he soon shot all guages in shoots frequently getting HOA. I was miles behind in his shadow and yet still often shot 500 rounds a week myself in the summer between skeet & doves. I bought a progressive press (DL366) because it was economical and a means to an end. 7-8 years later a coworker showed me how I could improve accuracy in my deer rifle by handloading and soon I had a "green room" dedicated to the first of many projects. Developing loads for accuracy was a whole new angle and wasn't a production effort like the shotgun had been. Even glass bedded a few rifles as part of the process and enjoyed that aspect more often than not.

My recent foray into handgun shooting (different kind than previous) is more like the shotgun thing of my youth. I still enjoy it (the cigarette, coffee thing sure helps) but sometimes I wish it would move along a bit faster but not too much faster.

TB

 

[BullRunBear]

I love reloading! It's relaxing, I end up with the ammo I want for specific guns, and, frankly, It's one of the few mechanical things I do well. Considering ammo prices these days, reloading saves quite a bit of money. My gear paid for itself years ago.

For the mindless/rote stages of case prep I put an audio book, Bach, or jazz on the stereo. I can decap and prime (with a Lee hand priming tool) in my easy chair. During cold weather I attach a small press to a Workmate and use it in a corner of the den for resizing. I usually prep a few hundred cases at a time. Considering the lousy weather this winter and the fact that the range has been snowed under for so long, I have a LOT of prepped cases.

When charging the cases and seating bullets, I don't want distractions, so the stereo is off. With the cases prepped, I can crank out 200 or so finished rounds in an hour. There is real satisfaction in holding those completed rounds. If I tumbled the cases, they even look pretty.

The same can be said for casting bullets.

If I shot up a thousand rounds a week like some competitors, reloading might become work. For my less demanding needs, it is a great adjunct to the firearms hobby.

Jeff

 

[thorn-]

I'm not always in the mood for it. But I don't shoot 1200 a weekend, so I can wait until I am in the mood for it, and to enjoy it. It's more an economic activity for me, to save on factory ammo. But it's also a task that gives me some satisfaction and feeling like I've accomplished something. Even if ammo dropped back down to where it was about 3 years ago, I'd still reload. I enjoy knowing that my shooting schedule doesn't depend on what ammo Walmart has in stock.

Some parts of it are just bothersome. I gauge check every round, and after a couple hundred I'm sick of putting rounds in a tube. I don't like sorting brass. But other things - getting an OAL or powder measurement perfect - tis a bit of zen feeling, and relaxing to me.

Caliber seems to matter, too. Loading boxes of 9mm makes me feel a bit more like an assembly line. 44mag makes me feel a bit more like a craftsman.

thorn

 

[hillbillydelux]

I reload ammunition to shoot.

The only part of reloading that I consider passable is priming rifle cases in front of the TV.

The rest is work

.

Well at least im not alone.

 

[LiveLife]

Maybe we should make reloading a family affair. Why should you be the only one having fun? Have your husband/wife/son/daughter share in the fun of sorting, tumbling, sizing/depriming, hand priming (I enjoy this part the best because it can be done in front of the TV with my legs up), flaring, powder charge, bullet seating - And of course, shooting!

Family that reloads/shoots together ... stays together

 

[Jaybird78]

I purchased my single stage to get better accuracy. Then it turned into economics.

I had a lapse in '04-'05 and didn't even touch the bench because my wife was having some medical problems. I think I only made it to the range about 6 times that year.

I find case prep as a chore. I love dropping powder and seating bullets (final product).

I keep thinking of buying a progressive for my pistols. Just haven't made the jump yet.

It's my away time regardless.

 

[qajaq59]

I find it very relaxing, and luckily casting the bullets is fun for me as well. However, if it was something I didn't enjoy, as some of you have stated, my guess is that it could be pure misery.

 

[Quoheleth]

I enjoy reloading for the same reason I enjoy woodworking: its a different kind of mental challenge. You have a goal - to build something, either ammo or, e.g., a bookcase. You work toward that goal with your hands, your mind, your eyes, your sense of touch and sometimes your ears. By definition, there is work involved - but it's so different than my vocation (i.e., job) that it's not "work." One thing I am growing to appreciate is that reloading is "me time." As long as there isn't anything else I need to be doing, no one bothers me. I'm alone with time to think, pray, or put the brain in park (the part of the brain that isn't very actively observing what is happening, I mean). I'm not so much a handloader as a reloader - I shoot pistols and I make practice/range ammo, so I'm not looking for uber accurate stuff. Do I enjoy it? Yes, most days. And on days when I don't want to load, or haven't had time to do a session at the reloading bench, but still want to shoot, the Lord has blessed me with enough disposable income these days that a couple boxes of 9mm or .45ACP won't break the bank. And, if all else fails, I have a couple thousand rounds of .22LR that require neither reloading or saving brass.

Q