What do you dislike about reloading?

[.308 Norma]

If your handloads are not better than factory ammo and it is the same or more expensive than factory ammo, then reloading is not for you.

Once again - nobody can say "reloading" (or any other legal activity) "is not for you" with certainty. I ENJOY reloading, and even if my handloads were not "better" (many of them are) or less expensive (some of them are not) than factory ammo, I'd probably still enjoy it.

 

[.308 Norma]

I think if I only wanted a gun for just in case, I might just buy ammo.

Yep, I probably would too.

but there’s no comparing wild turkey to farmed or wild pheasant to frozen. You don’t have to pick shot out of frozen pheasant but then again it tastes like chicken, not wild pheasant.

Kinda off topic, but you know, I've never had wild turkey. Is it good?
I've never tried farmed pheasant either and wild pheasant just happens to be my favorite fowl - in spite of having to watch out for bird shot when I eat it. That's too bad about farmed pheasant tasting like chicken. If that's what it tastes like, I guess I'll just keep on buying chicken.

 

[ballman6711]

Kinda off topic, but you know, I've never had wild turkey. Is it good?

Yes! Best turkey I ever had was at hunting camp. Two guys shot turkeys the day before Thanksgiving, and a guy named Bobby said he would stay in camp the next day to cook it for Thanksgiving dinner. I offered to stay and help (and drink beer and not have to walk up a mountainside). We slow cooked it all day over a fire pit, and it was amazing.

Back on topic, I really don't like removing crimps from primer pockets either, and chamfering and deburring are not really enjoyable.

Lot of great responses, and it seems that most of the responders enjoy reloading.

chris

 

[Palladan44]

Response to OP-
There's nothing I don't like about it.
Even the troubles that come along are like small puzzles to solve, which I enjoy- usually.

I've went on a craze, or a "bender" so to speak on loading a specific caliber one winter ago.....and now have so much of it, I likely will never shoot it all, or at least not for a long long time.

OK- I really don't like that random .223 case that decides to get stuck in the die, regardless of my best lubrication and cleanliness efforts.

 

[Mark_Mark]

I dislike Lee Powder Measure! lol

 

[Walkalong]

Very true, it got way better for me when I bought Giraud Tri-way trimmers in 223 and 308 and a mini drill press. They were the only ones I dreaded because of the volume.

Very true.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Yep, I probably would too.

Kinda off topic, but you know, I've never had wild turkey. Is it good?
I've never tried farmed pheasant either and wild pheasant just happens to be my favorite fowl - in spite of having to watch out for bird shot when I eat it. That's too bad about farmed pheasant tasting like chicken. If that's what it tastes like, I guess I'll just keep on buying chicken.

It’s like any other dark meat bird - it all depends on how you cook it. Slow roast, braise, fricassee, spatchcock and brick press, sous vide and sear, etc. but that’s also why we reload, isn’t it? So we have exactly what we want/need: the right load for what, where and how we hunt (even if it’s just paper)

 

[.308 Norma]

that’s also why we reload, isn’t it? So we have exactly what we want/need: the right load for what, where and how we hunt (even if it’s just paper)

Yes sir, that IS one very good reason why I reload.

 

[hdwhit]

What do I dislike about reloading? Nothing. I love every part of the process.

 

[JEBruns]

Primer pocket military crimp removal, that is what I have been doing this morning and I just realized that is my only lousy time reloading. I don't even mind trimming much anymore since I got the Lyman but using my RCBS prep station is as automated as I have gotten with the crimp removal but it still is no fun.

Good point. That's the #1 reason I moved up from a Dillon 650 to a Dillon RL1100. Automatic swaging.

 

[CQB45ACP]

It occurred to me I’m a tinkerer. I’m going to be doing something inside or out. While working and shortly thereafter I had little time for extraneous stuff so never tried this thing of ours until a few years back even though I bought ABCs book in 2000ish.

I worked on old cars until I quit cold turkey in late 2014. Built/grew a backyard putting green for a while. Whew! Built electronic kits and made my own simple radios (throwback to childhood). Tinkering.

Then started reloading and it checks all the boxes—OCD satisfying, supports shooting, and what’s not fun about it, I don’t do.

Hello, I’m CQB and I’m a tinkerer.

 

[Walkalong]

Me too, see you at the meeting

 

[LiveLife]

Hello, I’m CQB and I’m a tinkerer.

Me too, see you at the meeting

Me too. I will bring cookies and drinks.

 

[ballman6711]

Count me in as well.

chris

 

[LiveLife]

Count me in as well.

You can bring chips and dip.

 

[jmorris]

I dislike the fact that it takes so much longer to load a round than it takes to shoot it ;-)…
Can't begin to justify the cost or space for a progressive press

The one thing you dislike and you can’t justify the cure….

It does seem to all come down to time. I have spent many hours in attempt to save hours down the road. From picking up the brass, using tools to expedite the process.

Like the nut wizard.



Or the bag a nut

Work great but leave lots in the cracks in the ground. So I build my brass vac to get all that’s missed, without having to bend over and take the time to pick them out by hand.





All the way to the end, after they are fired again, where I have targets that either reset or change themselves, or don’t even need to be changed because the impact locations have already been saved on a device as soon at it went through the paper to save me that time too.








I just look to improve processes, most all can be improved on, I just go after the most time consuming first. After that, they are no longer at the top of the list, so you improve upon that process next and get to them one after another.

Before you know it, it won’t seem like you have to go to work, to have fun. I will admit to being a guy that does enjoy the intricacies of our hobby sometimes but not all the time. The ammunition I want that always seems a chore, I even have machines that can do the same thing I would be doing.

 

[lightman]

I really can't think of any part of reloading that I don't like. I have bought a few tools to speed up certain parts of it. An RCBS Chargemaster to save squinting at a scale, a Giraud case trimmer to speed up the trimming process, a dedicated cordless drill to power primer pocket and flash hole tools, ect.

Back before I retired and was working 600 to 1000 hours of OT a year it got to be kind of like work. That and driving 160 miles to matches on my weekends not on call.

 

[Chief TC]

I would say keeping track of brass on how many times it has been fired and keeping it separated for each gun. I don't like to FL resize to extend bras life. Second would be trimming. Third would be lubed bullets - I hate the mess. Other than that, reloading is a good therapy for me.

 

[gifbohane]

For me, the hard part is removing the military crimp from (LC or IMI) 223 brass. I am still looking for the easiest and best way. Never tried swaging but it looks harder that the "cutting" method. I am too cheap to buy the $ 150 Dillon swager.

So far, I'm using the LE Wilson "lathe" and the mil crimp removing tool. The hand twist is murder on the fingers. And I am not even using the case..... it is for S I L.

 

[bluejay75]

If I had to name 1 thing…it would be pulling bullets. Not as many to pull lately. But early in my reloading life I didn’t proof my loads enough before making a batch. Yielding ammo that was good enough…but not great.

 

[CQB45ACP]

The one thing you dislike and you can’t justify the cure….

It does seem to all come down to time. I have spent many hours in attempt to save hours down the road. From picking up the brass, using tools to expedite the process.

Like the nut wizard.

View attachment 1158699

Or the bag a nut View attachment 1158695

Work great but leave lots in the cracks in the ground. So I build my brass vac to get all that’s missed, without having to bend over and take the time to pick them out by hand.

View attachment 1158698
View attachment 1158697
View attachment 1158696

All the way to the end, after they are fired again, where I have targets that either reset or change themselves, or don’t even need to be changed because the impact locations have already been saved on a device as soon at it went through the paper to save me that time too.






View attachment 1158706 View attachment 1158705

I just look to improve processes, most all can be improved on, I just go after the most time consuming first. After that, they are no longer at the top of the list, so you improve upon that process next and get to them one after another.

Before you know it, it won’t seem like you have to go to work, to have fun. I will admit to being a guy that does enjoy the intricacies of our hobby sometimes but not all the time. The ammunition I want that always seems a chore, I even have machines that can do the same thing I would be doing.

Going to have to process this a while. It may take the cake

 

[Blue68f100]

What I dislike most is picking up brass, the reason I use a brass catcher when ever I can. The actual reloading is very relaxing. Doing things is smaller batches helps relieve the pain on the process you don't like.

 

[Palladan44]

If you enjoy doing it, it's not a waste of time. If you're doing it ONLY for a performance advantage, or cost savings, you probably aren't gaining anything by doing it. In fact, I know I'd be definitely "OUT" thousands of dollars...

As people, we need rest time. We can't be in a constant state of perpetual motion, on our feet. If I never reloaded/handloaded in my life, I'd likely be sitting around watching more movies late at night. Another bad thing about that- All the snacking on Chips and ice cream that happens along with that.....
On the reloading bench, it's a nice ice cold lemon LaCroix and that's it... (It's not recommended to eat or drink anything while reloading, but I don't see the harm in a nice can of bubbly sparkling water, just my .02)
Reloading helps my mental health (it's restful, you can think and perform repetitive activity) And I'm not spending the money and gaining weight from more junk food (at least during that particular hour that day)

Reloading isn't a waste of time to me, even if I'm just replicating some plinking loads which could be bought for the same amount of money investment (yeah, this is usually worst case scenario, but plausible, it does happen)

I do believe exposure to lead is higher to handloaders, when compared to "shooters" who shoot that same amount of ammo.
I especially don't like the dust from cleaning brass, and the spent primer dust from depriming. For those who think that lead dust ISNT aerosoled into the room when depriming, we'll you're wrong.
Air movement/ventilation is critical here I think.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

The one thing you dislike and you can’t justify the cure….

It does seem to all come down to time. I have spent many hours in attempt to save hours down the road. From picking up the brass, using tools to expedite the process.

Like the nut wizard.

View attachment 1158699

Or the bag a nut View attachment 1158695

Work great but leave lots in the cracks in the ground. So I build my brass vac to get all that’s missed, without having to bend over and take the time to pick them out by hand.

View attachment 1158698
View attachment 1158697
View attachment 1158696

All the way to the end, after they are fired again, where I have targets that either reset or change themselves, or don’t even need to be changed because the impact locations have already been saved on a device as soon at it went through the paper to save me that time too.






View attachment 1158706 View attachment 1158705

I just look to improve processes, most all can be improved on, I just go after the most time consuming first. After that, they are no longer at the top of the list, so you improve upon that process next and get to them one after another.

Before you know it, it won’t seem like you have to go to work, to have fun. I will admit to being a guy that does enjoy the intricacies of our hobby sometimes but not all the time. The ammunition I want that always seems a chore, I even have machines that can do the same thing I would be doing.

Back in the late 80’s I bought a shop vac and voltage inverter for the range. I got some funny looks, and got yelled at a few times, but I collected a ton of brass, mostly .38Spl, .45Auto and .30-06. And I processed it all on a Lyman Spartan press!

 

[jpitt16]

+1 for trimming brass... that or... hearing my wife complain I spend too much time reloading