Why do you reload ammunition?

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My dad and I started reloading (shotgun) when I was 10-11 years old. Mostly because we dove hunted, shot trap and skeet, and man I could burn through some shells and never cut a feather or bust a clay. 1 bird in my first year, yes really. It got me hooked, I liked to load shells that I could shoot. It was even more gratifying to shoot a bird with a shell I personally loaded. Fast forward 37 years and I still reload. Mostly because I know how, I understand the value and the reward, as well as… well, it’s just a great hobby. I now load for every gun I shoot; rifle, pistol, and shotgun.

By the way, I’m a MUCH better wing shot these days. :rofl:
 
I couldn't afford to shoot as much as I do if I didn't reload and cast my own.

Often times my ammo budget would be $20-$50 a month. I can shoot a lot of cast bullets for that, compared to 1-2 boxes of ammo.

Last I checked, my reloads cost me about $4 a box for 45 auto or 38spl or 44 special. And that's a high estimate cause I factor a little in for the lead, but I got a lot of it free.

My buddy will shoot a part of a box of 38s when he comes over. I shoot as many as I want.
 
Why do I reload? Primarily to have ammo tuned for my firearm. The reason I initially took up reloading was to be able to shoot my M-1 Garand and my 1908 Swedish Mauser. Finding ammo for either can be difficult and I really don’t want a bent operating rod in the M-1 or a damaged Swedish Swedish Mauser because modern loads develop too much pressure.
 
Bazoo said:
I couldn't afford to shoot as much as I do if I didn't reload and cast my own.
Click to expand...
That's what started me out, reloading and casting with home made equipment. It was the only way I could shoot more than a box every once in a while.
 
Just 2 reasons:
1] cheaper ammo, especially if you cast bullets.
2] always have ammo to shoot with proper planning.

I do not reload to save money, that does not happen, but I do shoot a lot more.
 
Started loading shotgun 52 years ago. Went years without shooting a factory shell until steel became mandatory for waterfowl.

Still loaded for upland, still do.

In the late 80s I moved to this redneck county. Everyone loaded here so I got a Rockchucker and learned how. Pretty early I was able to get my new .338 to shoot sub 1” groups, when I did my job. Never looked back. I buy a new caliber (10 day waiting period in Kali) I usually have my dies before the gun. I may break in the barrel with a box of factory, but never, ever hunt with factory.

Just 18 months ago I started loading for handguns. I had bought dues for all the calibers I owned except.40. Bought a progressive after the slow process of using the Rockchucker.

For rifle, it’s to tailor the load to the gun and get as much accuracy as possible.

For shotgun I tailor the load for the game I’m hunting.

For handguns, it’s purely economic and availability.

I have enough components for handgun ammo I don’t think I’ll ever need anything else. That doesn’t mean I won’t buy more, just that I probably don’t need anymore.
 
I started reloading to save money on the ammo I needed for competition and casual shooting. Then one day I discovered I just loved hand loading and playing with different powders and bullet weights for accuracy and I really like learning about reloading and ballistics. Reloading is a great stress reliever as well as a constructive way to pass time when I can’t do other things.
 
I started in 1995 after I got into SASS.

Being a recent divorcee’ with a 3 year old daughter and three .45 Colts to feed, I found out real quick that the boxes of Ten-X Cowboy loads I was buying for practice and (infrequent) matches ate up all of my mad money stash very quickly.

With several coffee cans full of empty cases and a Lee Challenger set, I started putting together rounds that helped me stretch my $$ through some emotionally and financially lean times.

26-odd years later I still load to save money, especially with even more unpopular or expensive .38 wadcutter, .44 Spl., .454 Casull, 41 Mag. and .32 H&R Mag guns taking up so much of my range time. ;)

Stay safe.
 
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I started with shot shells in 1959 - rabbits, pheasant and quail in Kansas took as many as 3 boxes per weekend. Graduated to 45ACP, then to all calipers cause it's fun, cost effective, and self sustaining. Now it's the second hobby right behind hunting.
 
Dad got me started reloading when I was 13. Bought me a rockchucker press I still use today. Dad, my two brothers and I were deer and elk hunters. I loaded 4 calibers one for my .270 WIN, for all of us. Still loading today 47 years later, and I still love to shoot. Winter, on a cold and blustery day you’ll likely find me in the shop with the wood stove fired up listening to sports radio, loading rounds. Simply put I love to shoot and enjoy reloading when I can’t be shooting or hunting.
 
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Pretty much all the responses in these pages are reasonable and not alien to my thinking. I'll relate mine, but probably nothing new.
1. I have some 'odd' calibers; they either don't exist or are fairly rare when available. I have one caliber that isn't commercially made anymore.
2. The loadings I want are not available or not common. To my knowledge, one cannot commercially purchase .38 Special Super Police loads. No one loads heavy solid bullets for much anything except the large 'African' calibers.
3. The items above, if available, are relatively expensive, even before the COVID panic and the current administration.
4. I can exercise my creative nature in a way I find invigorating.
 
I reload because I I can fine tune my cartridges to the power I want. Too much "watered down" factory ammo being sold in some calibers. Some factory ammo for my older military rifles are being loaded with bullet diameter wrong for my rifles. Most factory 270 caliber too fast for my liking especially shooting deer at less than 100yds . Now I have to start reloading in secret! Too many people coming over asking me to reload a few rounds for them. They generally ask without bringing powder, bullets, primers or even their own brass and then leave without offering to reimburse me for the supplies I used. They think saying "Thank you" is sufficient . So now I tell these people that I will trade them bullets for beer on a one to one basis. One bullet, one beer. Primers, powder and bullets are expensive and hard to find, Beer is Not! After this, they quit asking. Wonder why? I think this is fair. I mean looking back when I was dating, all my old girlfriends charged me for their services.
 
A few years ago I had the C&R bug pretty badly. I bought all kinds of cool vintage firearms that mostly took somewhat to very obscure rounds, stuff that they didn't have at WalMart or my local gun store. So it became a matter of necessity if I even wanted to shoot certain guns. Then I began to see that reloading
is an entire art and science unto itself. I became an NRA Certified Metallic Cartridge Reloading Instructor, took up the mantle of running a local reloading club and over the years we were doing that, I taught about 300 others how to reload.

Sadly, I am in a state that punishes free citizens for wanting to exercise their civil and God given rights so between pressure from the ATF to become an FFL06 and the passage of the horrifically bad ammo laws that my state has passed in their goal of civilian disarmament, we had to shut down the reloading club. But I still really enjoy reloading because it's fun, it gives you a bit more control over your "ammo destiny" when living in a state that is doing it's best to completely disarm us and it's an interesting process to work up and refine loads for your firearms. I don't shoot competition, I don't hunt, mostly just plink but even at that level, reloading gives you a sense of confidence about what you are able to achieve with your firearms addiction.

I look forward to exiting soon to a free state where I will likely start up another reloading club. I can think of no better way to empower firearms owners to be in control of their own ammo needs and therefore their 2A rights than to reload. Sorry but when I meet shooters who "don't reload", it reminds
me of meeting a driver who "doesn't know how to change a flat tire." Just my opinion, and yes, reloading is time consuming and takes considerable patience to even become safe and functional at it, but in 2021 America, if you are at all serious about being a responsible, skilled gun owner, it feels as if you REALLY need to be a reloader.

Shot from the good old days of our club...

Reloading Club.jpeg
 
I wish I could just have a reloading buddy. I do know someone that loads. But he isn't as enthusiastic about it as me I think.
 
Well- like so many have said is therapeutic-
Also- I load for old Winchesters that you cant buy ammo for- if I want to play with the old stuff.....I have to make the ammo!
 
Because I dig it, daddy-o. Ain't that reason enough?

Reloaded shotgun ammo in high school with my buddy. Then we went to different colleges and then he moved to the west coast and my shooting dropped off precipitously.

Fast forward to last year when I had just gotten a new rifle and was testing various factory ammo to see what shot well out of it. Didn't like paying that much for ammo and like so many others, wondered if I could load my own less expensively. As predicted, the ammo costs less but I'm shooting more, but those are both positive outcomes in my book.

I also found out I really enjoy load development. The frustrating part of that is I don't have a rifle range nearby, so I usually have to wait a week or more to try out my latest variations and adjustments. Patience is indeed a virtue.
 
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