Poll:do you handload or reload ammo?

[rpenmanparker]

In another thread recently some friendly dispute arose regarding how common handloading was among shooting enthusiasts. I was maintaining that it is actually very rare. But so many folks in the particular environment of THR do reload that my opinion wasn't very convincing.

Then today at Athena, one of the most popular indoor ranges in Houston, I asked the staff how common it was for folks to pick up their brass and reload it. I was told, as I expected, not very common at all. The guys I was talking to thought that 5-10% would be a very high guess.

So I thought maybe a poll would be in order. What do you do?

In case moderators think this is in the wrong place for this thread, by all means move it. But I didn't put it in the Handloading forum on purpose. I didn't want only folks who do handload to be exposed to it, thereby skewing the results of the poll. Hence my choice of a very general forum.

Please note you may select as many of the choices as you wish.

I should probably say that I would not be surprised to find a larger fraction of THR members handloading than of the shooting population in general. After all, one of the attractions of THR is the interaction with other like-minded folks, and handloading is one of the forums that attracts a lot of interest here.

 

[Stevie-Ray]

I reload 2 different handgun cartridges, .45 ACP and 10mm. But, I am getting ready to purchase a new press, and add 5.56 NATO and 7.62 NATO, at least. Thinking also about 9mm.

 

[badkarmamib]

The only factory ammo I still buy is .22LR, 12gauge sporting clay loads, and 5.56 mil-surp for casual plinking. .22LR for obvious reasons, 12gauge because I could not make ammo for cheaper than I can buy it, and 5.56 because I load on a single-stage. My press is used for .223 varmint rounds, .30-30, .30/06, .45-70, .270WSM, .45ACP, .40S&W, and, getting ready to start 6.8SPC.

 

[Legionnaire]

My guess is that (1) there is a higher proportion of hand loaders on THR than in the general shooting population, and (2) a higher proportion of those will respond to a thread like this than the average member. That is, someone who doesn't hand load is more likely to ignore this thread than someone who does.

 

[Axis II]

I started reloading to save a little $ to shoot more.

I belong to a medium size gun/hunt club with about 125-150 members with only maybe 60 being dedicated shooters/members and the brass buckets are always empty and I constantly see guys with reload boxes. TBH I was kind of shocked just how many guys there did reload.

I now shoot 2x more than when I didn't reload.

223rem
44rem mag
45-70 govt
38spl
9mm luger.

 

[rpenmanparker]

My guess is that (1) there is a higher proportion of hand loaders on THR than in the general shooting population, and (2) a higher proportion of those will respond to a thread like this than the average member. That is, someone who doesn't hand load is more likely to ignore this thread than someone who does.

Yep. I’m prepared for that anomaly.

 

[ATLDave]

I'm quite sure that the fraction here is higher than the fraction of shooters overall. In fact, one would have to define what even constitutes the population of "shooters" to have a meaningful discussion. If you define "shooters" to mean everyone who has a pump-action 12 sitting in the top of the closet that comes out once every never, then that's a pretty big number... and the number of reloaders is tiny in comparison. On the other hand, if you define "shooters" to mean people who shoot at least 3 times a month, that's a much smaller total number, and a much higher fraction of those people reload.

I will say this: The number of reloaders is probably a lot bigger now than it was 15 years ago.

 

[cheygriz]

IIRC, the last industry figures that I saw estimated that just over 5 million reload. That was a few years back, so the number may have changed.

 

[Labguy47]

That is new, I'm the only one who reloads shotshells?!?

 

[chicharrones]

I'm not a reloader/handloader. I don't have the spare time. What little spare time I have after work, chores, house repairs, car repairs, is barely enough to actually go shooting.

I figure once all my kids are fully supporting themselves, I may have time for reloading. If so, I do intend to try it out.

 

[ATLDave]

I'm not a reloader/handloader. I don't have the spare time.

The funny thing is, I initially got into handloading because I got too pressed for time to do the other hobbies I enjoyed. When I became a dad, there went my ability to go to the driving range after dinner and hammer golf balls until 10pm. Or my ability to play the drums in the basement during that time window, much less go over to a friend's house to play music. Or do a lot of other things that I had previously been free to do during evening hours on weeknights.

Instead, I needed something that I could run downstairs and enjoy in 20 minute chunks. Reloading fit into that time-space quite nicely. So it was lack of spare time that got me into reloading.

Well, that, and owning a 10mm.

 

[theotherwaldo]

At last count, I reload 31 different rifle rounds, 9 pistol/carbine rounds and five different shotgun shells - including three different lengths of 12 ga.
I also load seven different calibers of black powder rifles and pistols, one musket and one shotgun.
I'm in the process of figuring the loads for two small cannons.

 

[Scooter22]

Might as well add bullet casting in there to round out the survey. I thought brass that hits the floor is the range's in these big indoor operations. I've never been to one. I've been using the outdoor one I belong to since 74 or 75 when I joined.

 

[jr_watkins]

I reload pistol & rifle, but not all that I shoot. Even though I reload 9mm, I've been shooting factory for about 2 years because it has been so cheap. Same with 223/556 and 308. I never reload 7.62x39. I still reload all the 40, 357, 38 special and 44 special/mag I shoot.
On the gun range brass pickup, sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. I shoot at home more often (have a pistol range set up on my property) so it isn't worth the bother to pick up cases at public ranges. If it's easy I will, but I'm not gonna scurry around trying to snag brass from under shooting benches or in a thoroughfare. Besides, guess where all my high-count reloaded cases or rounds I built that fail my QA get shot?!

 

[FindANewSlant]

you may be getting a skewed sample size here. people on gun forums are more likely to be into the craft.

 

[George P]

I'll get back into it with you......
I reload, or have reloaded for 28, 20, and 12 gauge
32ACP, 32SWL, 38, 38+P, 357, 45ACP
.223, .243, 6.5 x 55, 7mmBR, 7-08, 7mm mag

A few of those have gone away as I sold some guns, but the vast majority are here and get handloads, especially the rifles. I reload shotgun target practice ammo and shoot factory for registered tournaments, I reload handgun ammo for practice and carry factory for SD/HD. I'm a brass rat and a hull whore.......

 

[George P]

That is new, I'm the only one who reloads shotshells?!?

Not at all; I have reloaded about half my total over 35 years or so; that would amount to about 200K rounds.

 

[Bartojc]

I reload. Started to do so thinking I'd save a little, and I'd always have ammo on hand. Now, years later I shoot many, many, many, times more than I used too. and I have not saved a dime.

In reality I would guess the number here on THR will be higher percentage wise. In my friend circle of a half dozen or so guys who shoot outside of hunting I am the only one that reloads. A couple used too, but fo whatever reason have stopped. In one case I may have one starting again in the near future.

-Jeff

 

[Fine Figure of a Man]

My guess is that (1) there is a higher proportion of hand loaders on THR than in the general shooting population, and (2) a higher proportion of those will respond to a thread like this than the average member. That is, someone who doesn't hand load is more likely to ignore this thread than someone who does.

Kind of like a political telephone poll, margin of error +/-50%.
I reload nearly everything I shoot in rifle and handgun other than rim fire. I reload shot shells as well although not as much as I used to. With some rounds reloading saves little or nothing but with others the savings is significant. Of course it all depends on how much equipment you choose to buy and how much you shoot. I enjoy reloading, saving money isn't necessarily a factor in what I load.

 

[IdaD]

Among all firearm owners I would bet the percentage is tiny. Among those who shoot relatively actively, maybe 5%? The highest selling rounds are probably 9mm, 223/5.56, 22 and maybe 45. Nobody reloads 22, and I doubt reloading on the others is going to save much if any versus buying online in bulk. I would bet the volume of shooting of a lot of other calibers is much lower - not many people go out and put a hundred or couple hundred rounds through their 30-06 like they would an AR or 9mm pistol. If you're shooting a relatively small amount of ammo in a given year most people won't bother reloading. My hunting rifles would be a good example in that I don't really shoot them other than to check accuracy periodically or try to harvest something.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

That is new, I'm the only one who reloads shotshells?!?

I've dabbled. We have a couple of machines, but we shoot shottys so little, we don't mess with it much.
Metallic cartridges on the other hand, we load everything we shoot. I have very little factory ammo in centerfire rifle or pistol.
In fact, I now own firearms that have never fired a factory round.

 

[alfsauve]

I think it depends on the universe you want to project this for.

Whole world: Extremely Tiny
US: Very Tiny
US Gun Owners: Very Small
US Gun Owners who shoot more than once a month: Small
US Gun Owners who shoot often: Moderate
US Gun Owners who compete regularly: Large

You could factor in other universe definitions using: handgun, rifle, shotgun, and hunting to name a few.

 

[Whiterook808]

I used to think you weren't truly into shooting unless you reloaded. All the magazines tested with handloads for accuracy and maybe one or two factory loads were thrown in. We've had a lot of changes in the marketplace and the makeup of the shooting community since those days. There are lots more defensive and concealed carriers than enthusiast these days and ammo, at least for 9mm and 223 is pretty cheap. It's all to the good.

 

[jmorris]

I think in general it’s small for owners of firearms. If your enough of an enthusiast to belong to forums dedicated to firearms, it’s a lot more likely that you do.

 

[Bfh_auto]

At my work, out of the many hunters, only 3 people reload.
That's less than 6%.