Mauser69
Member
I wonder if irrational OCD is the definition of a hobby? I do not know, but it struck me recently that it certainly seems to be the definition of my reloading. I started this game to save money when I was shooting Skeet competitively - really saved a LOT for that. But metallic reloading is different.
Way back in the 1970s, when I read that you could make more accurate ammunition by reloading than you could buy at the store, I thought it might be worth while to work up a standard load for the few calibers I shot and then just fill a box or two as needed. I have never shot any handgun or rifle competitively, so I really did not need high volume or ultra accuracy. Frankly, just about any ammo is plenty accurate for just punching holes in paper, ringing a gong, or the average hunt. Even with crappy ammo you can occasionally luck into good groups and feel proud about it! In fact, I do not shoot at ANYTHING less than 25 yards just because it seems so pointless (even with my CCW) - what skill is there in hitting something with a gun when you can do just as well with a rock?
So why do I have over 20 different powders and thousands upon thousands of bullets and primers stacked up in my reloading room? I must be crazy. I only shoot a few different calibers in both handgun and rifle: .38/357, .40 S&W, .44, .22-250, .270, .308 (YUCK), and .30-06. For all of those combined, I could get by with only about three powders. And back when I used to buy ammo off-the-shelf, I never obsessed over it - any box with the right bullet weight was just fine. So when I reload, I should just have a standard load for each purpose and be done with it, right?
But Noooooo, I just cannot do that. I have to load up at least 8 or 10 different combinations in just a simple caliber like .38 Spl to punch holes at 25 yards and compare them; I have to spend hours studying chrono numbers and standard deviations while trying to cross reference each shot with the particular hole it made. I have to spend more hours going back though my logs to try and understand why today's results do not exactly match those from months or years ago. Yeah, with some loads I can shoot 2" groups at 25 yards with my Blackhawk, and other loads I can only manage 6" groups, but so what? Why can't I just pick one of the good ones and stick with it? I must be crazy.
Sigh . . .
The weather is nice today, so I guess I'll go out and load up some new bullets in .22-250 and see how well they kill paper.
Way back in the 1970s, when I read that you could make more accurate ammunition by reloading than you could buy at the store, I thought it might be worth while to work up a standard load for the few calibers I shot and then just fill a box or two as needed. I have never shot any handgun or rifle competitively, so I really did not need high volume or ultra accuracy. Frankly, just about any ammo is plenty accurate for just punching holes in paper, ringing a gong, or the average hunt. Even with crappy ammo you can occasionally luck into good groups and feel proud about it! In fact, I do not shoot at ANYTHING less than 25 yards just because it seems so pointless (even with my CCW) - what skill is there in hitting something with a gun when you can do just as well with a rock?
So why do I have over 20 different powders and thousands upon thousands of bullets and primers stacked up in my reloading room? I must be crazy. I only shoot a few different calibers in both handgun and rifle: .38/357, .40 S&W, .44, .22-250, .270, .308 (YUCK), and .30-06. For all of those combined, I could get by with only about three powders. And back when I used to buy ammo off-the-shelf, I never obsessed over it - any box with the right bullet weight was just fine. So when I reload, I should just have a standard load for each purpose and be done with it, right?
But Noooooo, I just cannot do that. I have to load up at least 8 or 10 different combinations in just a simple caliber like .38 Spl to punch holes at 25 yards and compare them; I have to spend hours studying chrono numbers and standard deviations while trying to cross reference each shot with the particular hole it made. I have to spend more hours going back though my logs to try and understand why today's results do not exactly match those from months or years ago. Yeah, with some loads I can shoot 2" groups at 25 yards with my Blackhawk, and other loads I can only manage 6" groups, but so what? Why can't I just pick one of the good ones and stick with it? I must be crazy.
Sigh . . .
The weather is nice today, so I guess I'll go out and load up some new bullets in .22-250 and see how well they kill paper.