Old Guy Tip: Reload!

[Legionnaire]

... I save money, I have ammo that suits my needs better, and I have something enjoyable to do when I can't get to the range.

I totally agree. I find handloading relaxing ... almost therapeutic.

 

[JO JO]

I agree I found I enjoy shooting more now that I reload , I do shoot much more since I started reloading but I have never saved a dime by reloading

 

[jmorris]

It depends a lot on what you would otherwise be doing with your time. If it’s makng money, you might loose reloading. If it’s spending money or even hurting your health doing something bad for you, it could be a win, win.

I figure I have saved many thousands of dollars on beer and whiskey reloading and developing equipment to save me time and energy to reload.

I can spend a couple hours casting and coating 1000 bullets, another hour loading them up and come out with 1000 rounds for under $40. Or I could pay to watch a movie and have a few drinks and do nothing productive...

 

[red rick]

If you are a 100 rds. a month person , it will not pay for itself if you are not a young person . I started late in life and I will probably never pay for the equipment that I keep buying , but I enjoy it . I should probably shoot more 45 Colt .

 

[Doublehelix]

As others have stated, it is not about the money savings for me.

I assemble tailor-made ammo for my guns that is much better than the budget-brand ammo that everyone uses as the basis for their cost-calculations.

It is a hobby, and at times I love it, but other times is becomes a chore when I know I need to replenish my stock as my backlog dwindles.

Of course, we are all different, so we are all going to have a different take on this topic.

 

[JTHunter]

In the early 80s, I started using a little Lee kit for reloading my .380. Several years later, I bought a used Rem. 700 in .243 and was disappointed by the Remington, Federal, and Winchester factory loads. That's when I got serious and got a Lee Progressive loader and dies for both.
Now I have added the dies for the .38 Special/.357 and, by putting each set on their own plates, all I have to move is the powder measure.

 

[Scooter22]

In the early 80s, I started using a little Lee kit for reloading my .380. Several years later, I bought a used Rem. 700 in .243 and was disappointed by the Remington, Federal, and Winchester factory loads. That's when I got serious and got a Lee Progressive loader and dies for both.
Now I have added the dies for the .38 Special/.357 and, by putting each set on their own plates, all I have to move is the powder measure.

What about the handle??



Sorry I couldn't resist.

 

[JTHunter]

Mounts to a "pass-thru" die.

 

[SamT1]

I reload to save money and I handload for precision.

I’ve yet to find a caliber I can’t save money loading. You can pull pennies out of even cheapo 223 ammo and end up with a product on par with American Eagle for less than Tula. Or I can load some match rounds better than anything in the store for the price of the American Eagle.

Every serious gun guy needs at least a Lee single stage kit. They aught to be teaching boys to load ammo, fix the lawnmower, and troubleshoot appliances in Highschool.

I have 2 under 3 a demanding job and wife that goes to work as soon as I get home. I mange to crank out 100ish a week average. That keeps me rolling on rifle side. I have an old pile of pistol rounds from a bender some years ago. Kids will be old enough to pull a handle when I run low.

 

[FROGO207]

Sam T1 don't forget about teaching them how to cook an edible meal or how to handle money/balance a checkbook as well.
I really find that to beat the cheapo ammo price wise when making your own cheapo ammo you need to buy your components in bulk on line though.

 

[Ks5shooter]

I reload therefore I am!

 

[SamT1]

Sam T1 don't forget about teaching them how to cook an edible meal or how to handle money/balance a checkbook as well.
I really find that to beat the cheapo ammo price wise when making your own cheapo ammo you need to buy your components in bulk on line though.

Yea I think they just teach em to fill out a credit card app. That way they can be miserable in debt paying others to do everything they should know how to do.

 

[Swifty Morgan]

I started reloading back during the tragic Obama years. I was making .45 ACP for something like $7 per box, and my accuracy was better than what I got from factory ammunition. That last part is pretty disappointing. Makes me wonder how hard the manufacturers are trying.

 

[Sniper66]

Hey...good post and fun reading all the responses. I've hunted and shot guns all my life. Now 71, I hunt and shoot more than ever; mostly because I can afford to. In the early days of owning only a single shot .22, reloading was what other people did; not me. These days I have lots of guns and took up reloading about 20 years ago. It all started when my brother and I had an opportunity to shoot prairie dogs; lots and lots of prairie dogs. It got expensive with .204 rounds costing about a buck apiece. My bro had been reloading for many years, so I started the process of learning. In addition to saving money, we had lots of quality time together, both while reloading and shooting. Along the way I learned that my reloads could be significantly more accurate than factory ammo. I now reload for 5 different caliber rifles and 7 different rifles. Each rifle has it's own recipe(s), depending on the target. My brother has several other calibers. He reloads shotgun shells too, but saves little money since components have gotten more expensive. Neither of us load pistols and brother recently sold all of his pistol reloading stuff...too much other stuff to do.
I do have to confess that I have several hundred empties and don't look forward to hours at the bench. But then, I don't get to shoot prairie dogs as much as I used to and am not much of a paper-puncher. What is most rewarding for me is building a rifle with a good scope, great trigger, etc., and complete the task by building good ammo for each rifle that can consistently hit a dime at 100yds and prairie dogs much further. I've done this many times and looking to do it again and again as I upgrade my collection. Reloading is a key component of that process.

 

[Kaeto]

I just got a Lee Load All II for 12 gauge. I already load for .38 S&W, .38 Special, .455 Webley, .303 British, and 8 mm Mauser. Soon I'll get 9 mm Parabellum dies to load that.

 

[double bogey]

I started reloading when I got a .44 mag revolver. It kind of snowballed from there. Ended uploading .44mag, .38, .357, .45 acp, 9mm, 7mm mag, .243, 25-06, and 5.56. Got everyone giving me their brass. Went from a lee single stage, to a lee classic turret, to a Dillon 650xl, and a square deal B. Still use the single stage and turret for rifles, but load quantity handgun on the progressives. I have not saved a single penny, but I can shoot nearly as much as I like. with the progressives, you don't have to spend lots of time at the press. I can leisurely put out 350+ rounds an hour with the 650 doing pistol bullets. I am set up to do 5.56 with it, but don't shoot rifle volume much anymore, it isn't real fast as bottleneck cartridges require more steps. I'm sure that will change when my grandkids get older and want to shoot their AR's.

 

[Archie]

I reload. I have since the early 1970s. One of my early rifles was a 71/81 Mauser (wish I still had it). In the entire major city in which I lived, there were a grand total of forty rounds of new (old) stock. It was made by Dominion of Canada. I had to use muzzle loading bullets. The other option for me was to leave it on the wall.

I load for handgun. Most of my loading is essentially duplication of standard loads. I could probably buy .45 ACP and 9x19 practice ammo. Very few outlets still have 158 grain RNL ammo for .38 Special and no one makes serious ammo for old - fairly strong - .44 Special revolvers. Everything in .44 Special is either the rather mediocre load for old guns or something for modern guns or .44 Magnum 'medium' loads. So I load my own .38 and .44 Special ammunition. I can buy .32 ACP ammunition, but such tends to be rather 'safe', so I have a load that duplicates the old standard European military loads. Still within safe limits, but a bit more 'adventurous'.

I collect old rifles. Ever look for 6.5x53mmR ammunition? How about issue level loads for 6.5x52mm Carcano? Ever heard of 8x60mmS hunting loads? 9.3x57mm is fairly well recognized, but only Norma makes ammunition for it these days. All that is fairly easily reloaded at home.

I agree with Red Rick. If one shoots a very limited amount of 'common' caliber ammunition, reloading is either losing or iffy in terms of economy. However, for getting ammunition specific to one's needs or to exactly match one's rifle, reloading is the only way to achieve one's goals.

 

[Godsgunman]

Like some others have said I truly understand the merits and benefits of reloading as I used to reload quite a bit. However we moved and job has gotten busier, focus has changed to being totally debt free (end of August, woot woot), and having 2 kids under 8, my time is very minimal. Plus the fact that I currently don't have a work station set up yet puts a major damper on things. Once I get set up I am planning on getting down and dirty with some 300 BO but that most likely won't happen before hunting season, maybe though. Time will tell. Factory ammo will probably have to do for this season.

 

[Skoghund]

I bought my reloading gear in the middle 70's. I still use my Lyman Spartan single stage press and the Lyman all American dies in .308
I only load two .308 loads, a FMJ load for the range and a hunting load. I load for my double 8x57JRS because the factory ammo it was regulated for must be the most expensive hunting ammo in the world. I've worked up a load that shoots really well now after a lot of faffing about. Have i saved money over the years? Doubtful, but to me its all part of the gun owning, shooting experience.

 

[Kp321]

I stared reloading at age 14, in the early 60's, out of necessity. My dad and I both shot 16 ga shotguns and decent ammo was not available in our neck of the woods so we bought a MEC and I kept us in good dove loads for years.
Metallic cartridge reloading was next and was also out of necessity. The jack rabbits were too wary to hunt with rim fires so my friends and I started using our sporterized 30-06's. Bought a Lee Loader and some 110 gr Speers. Surplus 4895 was still available then so I cooked up some very good rabbit loads.
The rest is history, with every new gun I bought I got a set of dies at the same time. I had a Texan rifle press which replaced the Lee Loaders, a Rock Chucker replaced the Texan, and Dillons came thereafter.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

I didn't get into shooting in any serious way until I was in my early 30s.

Mid to late twenties for me.

I grew up in the city and my dad wasn't an outdoorsman.

Same here.

Over time, I bought and sold a number of firearms that--for one reason or another--I didn't enjoy shooting. Too much recoil, not accurate enough for my liking, too expensive to feed, etc.

Uh huh.

Call me anal, but I always saved brass

Yep!

If you shoot regularly, it doesn't take long to recoup the cost of a single-stage or turret press kit and a few basic dies.

I agree.

I will confess that I no longer "reload" to save money. Now I handload for accuracy, to expand the capabilities of any single firearm by varying bullet weights and powder charges (again, from mild to wild), and for the simple joy of building my own ammo. Even though I don't compete, I've bought chronographs, electronic scales, software, lots of books ... you get the idea. I'm way past the "inexpensive" stage. And it's all fun!

Exactly mirrors my experience.

So here's the bottom line: YOU should think about reloading/handloading.

Hang out in the Handloading and Reloading forum. Ask questions.

I wish I had started earlier.

Reload. Start soon.

Exactly right on all counts.

Sounds like we've had similar shooting hobby experiences. You're spot on.

 

[Steveo_1704]

I totally agree. I find handloading relaxing ... almost therapeutic.

I agree with this, you need to concentrate and it helps you relax doing that.

I agree I found I enjoy shooting more now that I reload , I do shoot much more since I started reloading but I have never saved a dime by reloading

i find i am less stressed when I go thru a box of 50 rounds than when I buy a box.. next stop reloading: 380!

 

[Archie]

Like some others have said I truly understand the merits and benefits of reloading as I used to reload quite a bit. However we moved and job has gotten busier, focus has changed to being totally debt free (end of August, woot woot), and having 2 kids under 8, my time is very minimal. Plus the fact that I currently don't have a work station set up yet puts a major damper on things. Once I get set up I am planning on getting down and dirty with some 300 BO but that most likely won't happen before hunting season, maybe though. Time will tell. Factory ammo will probably have to do for this season.

Pard, I hate it when reality gets in the way of my goofing off!

More power to you, taking care of family first. Getting out of debt? Praise the Lord! My sincere congratulations! The rest will come in proper time.

 

[PWC]

Before I retired, I would sometimes come home from work and could bite nails in half. I could go into my reloading closet, put on some non vocal music, elevator music if you wish, and reload 100 rounds of whatever, on my single stage press and I would come out a mellow fellow. I actually enjoy reloading more than shooting, but then I have to shoot to get more to reload. Not like a dog chasing its tail; more like perpetual motion.

 

[Kaeto]

Just found out that my dad has a Lee Loader kit for .410. Those are hard to find.