What % of shooters are re-loaders?

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crestoncowboy said:
Too many. When looking for components.

Seriously though, just in my circle there are 3 or 4 that reload. Out of 100 or so shooters. Id guess the number is in the single digits as far as percentage.
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I folks I know who load, I've met on this forum. My buddies don't care about accuracy or quality of ammo, most just like to pull a trigger as fast as possible. The one friend of mine who does try to shoot long range, doesn't reload.
 
My father used to reload twenty or maybe even thirty years ago, but quit after a couple of years. Of all the other shooters I'm friends with none reload, although my nieces husband wants to start.

So me and one possible out of about twenty or so people. I would have to agree that the number is probably low single digits percentage wise.

chris
 
Gotta agree; the number has to be low. It might bump up a bit given the current situation, but it will stay pretty low.
 
Like I said in my case its 4%. Im sure there are a few more that reload that I just don't know about. So I'm going to guess its between 2 and 6 percent locally.

Location will likely influence it a lot too. I can go to Walmart and buy a compete reloading setup, bullets, powder and primers locally(well...usually primers) and white tail deer hunting is huge here.

Side note.. .I know of only one guy who reloads shotgun and I've never met him. He is a grandparent of a friend. Just heard that he loaded when I was

I dont know anyone who casts
 
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whughett said:
Not one in 100 would be a guess which begs the question where are all the components.? Are Ammo manufacturers the first priority in the pipe line of components. A buddy of mine held that opinion.
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You may very well be correct, the percentage may be less than 1% for those that reload. And I would assume that the ammo manufactures would get priority for most components over you and I.

I would also guess that the current situation (virus, riots, election year, etc...) is playing a part in the component shortage. Add to that the record amount of new gun owners/shooters that can't find ammo and have decided to start making their own.

Hence my guess at a low single digit percentage. I suspect that when ammo is available and on the shelves again at a reasonable price that the percentage of reloaders will decline greatly, mostly due to the new shooters not wanting to reload.

chris
 
Bat Rastard said:
What % of shooters are re-loaders?

Does anyone know?
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I believe that percentage number will keep going down as after last "Great Shortage" of Obama years when record breaking number of guns were sold, this year sales of millions of guns sold will make the previous record look small by comparison.

So whatever number of reloaders we had, add to that new reloaders from Obama years would shrink significantly compared to new number of gun owners.

I think better number of estimating new reloaders is finding out how many reloading presses where shipped out by each manufacturer as everyone is sold out of reloading presses, just as fast as they are made and shipped with backorders.
 
I had not considered that, LiveLife, even items like bullet molds seem to be scarce, I bought Lees APP last January, gave up on trying to add shell holders to the ones that came with the machine.
 
100% is this house. But there's just the two of us, my wife and I, that live here.:D
If you count our daughter, her husband, and their 3 sons, the percentage drops to about 57% - our son-in-law and one of our grandsons handload, but our daughter and the other two grandsons don't. However, I hope to rectify that situation tomorrow when our middle grandson comes out to the house to learn to load for his 1911. If he takes up handloading, the percentage will be back up to a little better than 71% - 5 out of 7 shooters.;)
 
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One buddy of mine who shoots fairly regularly wanted to get into handloading but he thought it was $100 all in. I tried to explain that technically I guess you could get everything for about that amount but it would be a struggle to make a meaningful amount of ammo in any kind of reasonable time, he decided if it was over $100 he wasn't interested.
 
To ask that question a year ago most would say 2% however, when tallying all my friends, I came up with 46%. Now my kids used to when they pre-teennagers, but don't because I do it for them. and I am now repeating with grand children ages 4 and 7. Wonder who will take over when I die. Same is true with son-in-law, his uncle loads for 6 relatives in deer hunt group. Comsider that I'm looking for bullets, primers and powder and no one has any makes me think there are a lot more reloaders than we think. I've also read that in the United States 14% of the people own 90% of the firearms. If my figures are wrong, then I waiting for the "BIG BOOM" from the guy who was panic buying all the 1 lb containers of powder and decided to lite a smoke on his powder bench. I'll start a new thread.
 
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Thomasss said:
Comsider that I'm looking for bullets, primers and powder and no one has any makes me think there are a lot more reloaders than we think
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And don't forget that most of us over 30 or so that have reloaded long have seen so many panics that we aren't buying anything this time.... We done stocked up. Lol

Edit...anyone old enough to remember the AWB probably isn't hurting for bullets at this point. Not like they get cheaper or expire.
 
Thomasss said:
To ask that question a year ago most would say most would say 2% average, however, when tallying all my friends, I came up with 40%. Comsider that I'm looking for bullets, primers and powder and no one has any makes me think there are a lot more reloaders than we think. I've also read that in the United States 14% of the people own 90% of the firearms. If my figures are wrong, then I waiting for the "BIG BOOM" from the guy who was panic buying all the 1 lb containers of powder and decided to lite a smoke on his powder bench.
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I think your numbers are skewed based on where you live. Some areas will be higher and some will be lower. Country dwellers will probably be a higher percentage, while city dwellers will most likely be a lower percentage.

Since March of last year, I've lived in three different states and met many shooters. One of those shooters was a reloader. Lets say close to two hundred shooters that I've met and one that reloads.

I still think that the percentage is in the low single digits.

chris
 
crestoncowboy said:
I dont know anyone who casts
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I was going to bring this up.
Shooters are a subset of gun owners. How many folks out there have a pistol in the underwear drawer, or a rifle in the closet, that never gets fired ?

I think reloaders are a single-digit subset of shooters.

And, I think casters are a single-digit subset of reloaders.
 
It's easily less than 5%, but it'll vary depending on who you ask or talk to. Older, retired guys will because they have the time, younger guys won't because they don't have the time and don't care to pay the upfront costs for a press, dies, components, etc. It does cost money to get in to, but it beats not having ammo.

When most shooters only own 9mm and .223 AR's, there's really no need for them to reload when ammo is so cheap during non-panic times. All they gotta do is stock up enough and they'll be good for a year or more.
 
I just counted 46% with all family and friends. Now some of my kids have loaded with me in the past but not now and I am starting to teach grand kids how to load which I didn't count in.
 
I have often wondered how press manufactures have survived.
They make a product that will outlast the customer and their customers are but a tiny fraction of shooters.

I know some of us have more than one press, but that's a mighty small market to make a living off of.

I have 3.5 presses now but I will likely not be expanding that further. I have all I really need covered.
I have a 550, RockChucker, MEC, and recently added a Lee APP. I count it as a 1/2 press.
I entertain someday getting a 1050 but I certainly don't need it. It just looks like a neat mousetrap.
 
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