Why DON'T you reload......

[Remington1911]

I was cruising the forum and a current thread is a what did the last box of X cost you. And really the prices shocked me. The most inexpensive came in at over $1 per bang, with the average being well over that and touching $2 per bang. This was for a very popular cartridge.

I walked away from that thread thinking why don't these folk reload? It ain't that hard, if you can read directions and know how to measure you can do it. It is not far off from baking a cake.

In my years of poking around the forums I have seen many excuses....or reasons ranging from well I live in a 1 bedroom apt and there is no room, only to be followed by someone that has a press bolted to a basic 4 leg stand in the corner of a living room. To well life is just too busy, to be followed by a single parent with 4 kids and is always running one to this activity to that and finds time to reload a few rounds in the evening.

I have a friend that is just flat afraid of it, and thinks he will blow his hand off. And who knows he might, not all people can do all things, some stuff we do just comes easy to some of us while others have to work very hard to get to that same place.

I have been reloading for over 20 years, when I went in I was a bit leery thinking I would "blow my hand off", but that feeling did not last long. Personally I am dyslexic as all get out, so bad it is not uncommon for me to take 3 tries to dial a phone number.....letters and numbers just move around in front of my eyes. If I can do it I would think anyone can. I am likely VERY slow at the process over most people, I weigh everything.....and when I say everything I mean everything, this case with primer weighs X, the powder weighs Y, so after they get together it should be Z, then add bullet and that weight should be A, and into the box it goes.

I have said that 50 rounds is a large run for me, I would bet it takes me several hours to load 50, but that is me with my not quite normal brain.....you guys knew I was half a bubble off plumb.

So aside from shortages from everything primers to press what is the reason you don't reload.

I posted this here and not in the Reloading section as I figure the people that visit that area likely already reload.

 

[Mark_Mark]

Reloading is a lifestyle, if you’re serious. You literally think of dies, and bullets, and Dillion, and Green, all day. Do you save money??? NOPE! Why reload? because it’s keeps me sane!

I’m a trophy husband that takes 2 little boys full time. I make time to go into my place of paradise, The Reloading room. After they are asleep, I cack a cold one and sit in my reloading room and destress life away!

I see why people don’t reload: Here an example:

 

[tubeshooter]

Why don't you cook all your own food? It's not rocket science. It's so much cheaper, and you know exactly what you are getting. Plus other reasons.

Why don't you change your own oil? It's not rocket science. It's so much cheaper and you know exactly what's going into your car. Nobody to fail to put your drain plug back - besides yourself.

Why don't you cut your own hair? It's certainly possible. Think of all the money you could save...


Outside of some atrociously bad cooking, none of these things will hospitalize or kill you if you make a mistake. Reloading most certainly can and has done these things. Maybe a bit extreme, but there is definitely a safety element that I can respect others not wanting to take chances with when it comes to reloading.

 

[jar]

Lazy.

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

I was afaid of the idea. Then it dawned on me. When im shooting my muzzle loaders. Im reloading.

 

[tubeshooter]

I guess at the end of the day it is mostly a matter of convenience.
At least speaking for myself.

The thing is that people go from non-reloaders to reloaders, so they have seen both sides of the fence. You might as well just ask yourself why you weren't doing it before you were.


It just comes across as "I discovered something, so why isn't the rest of the world now doing what I learned about just now?". Glad you have the time, resources and willingness. Glad you can shoot so cheap now. Enjoy your hobby.

 

[Buzznrose]

I just got back into reloading during the pandemic after a 40 year break. I reload mainly handgun rounds but plan to add a few rifle rounds in time. I don’t hunt or shoot rifle much outside of .22 LR.

I didn’t reload for many years simply because I didn’t shoot all that much. My current level of shooting really didn't get going until I retired from the military in 2010. And my required accuracy needs for most training calibers was an easy bar for decent range ammo to meet.

Most of my shooting is .22LR and to be honest I can spend many range sessions only shooting rimfire and be happy.

My wife was very much opposed to me loading my own ammo. She still isn’t real keen on it, but she’s at least open to it. A good friend helped with that.

I hadn’t been really worried about reloading because, once I got back into shooting, I was buying bulk ammo by the case, and still have a fair cache laid up. Every time I stacked another thousand, my reserve amount that I swore not to go below grew by 500 rounds.

I was buying 9MM for $150/1000 and .223 for $220/1000, it wasn’t really worth the fight.

Reloading today isn’t cheap or easy IMO. I suppose you can use an extremely basic set up that takes little room or expense, but more of your time will be required for loading and set up. Still have to have a place to do it. Still have to store powder, bullets, and primers. Still have to have certain tools.

If you go with a mounted press, like a Rockchucker or turret, you have more expense and need more room. That can be a detractor.

I personally went the Dillon 550 route. Still not 100% sure it was the right choice but it is a dang good press, and once set up, can load 100 rounds in well under half an hour at an easy pace. But convenience ain’t cheap…

So, I see a LOT of reasons NOT to reload, if one plans ahead and buys ammo in bulk during good times. Reloading is a great thing…but it’s not for everyone.

YMMV

 

[CoalTrain49]

Reloading isn't that much cheaper than buying ammo these days. I haven't seen any LR primers in a long time. When you can find primers they've doubled in price in the last few years. Same with powder and brass. Most of the folks that reload these days are still using components they purchased years ago.

When ammo prices go up so do component prices. I've never saved any money loading my own ammo anyway. I just shoot a lot more.

 

[Remington1911]

Reloading is a lifestyle, if you’re serious. You literally think of dies, and bullets, and Dillion, and Green, all day. Do you save money??? NOPE! Why reload? because it’s keeps me sane!

I’m a trophy husband that takes 2 little boys full time. I make time to go into my place of paradise, The Reloading room. After they are asleep, I cack a cold one and sit in my reloading room and destress life away!

I see why people don’t reload: Here an example:
View attachment 1091149

Hand gun cartridges and cartridges like the 9 are poster children for not reloading. But when talking about rifle cartridges it changes big time. I have a feeling that 223 is about as cheap as you can shoot factory ammo, with everything else going up from there. This same friend comes out to my place about once a month to shoot. About once a year he will bring his AR as it is just too expensive to feed. I can only imagine if he ran some other center fire rifle cartridge....it goes up from there.

I don't know if it is a lifestyle, I am not sure it is even much of a commitment. It can be as serious as you want to make it.

IMHO everyone always runs to dillion for the reason to not do it, does not matter you can do it for 1/3 of that cost and have for all intent and purpose the same end result.

In your example that is still roughly .30 per bang. Once and a while I figure up what it costs to reload X. I always leave out brass as you likely already have that, or should if you are thinking about doing this. So powder bullet and primer. You are in most cases in for under $1 per rifle cartridge. (I do have dies to reload handgun but don't generally unless it is for something special...old, hot for a lever rifle in a pistol cartridge)

 

[Remington1911]

Why don't you cook all your own food? It's not rocket science. It's so much cheaper, and you know exactly what you are getting. Plus other reasons.

Why don't you change your own oil? It's not rocket science. It's so much cheaper and you know exactly what's going into your car. Nobody to fail to put your drain plug back - besides yourself.

Why don't you cut your own hair? It's certainly possible. Think of all the money you could save...


Outside of some atrociously bad cooking, none of these things will hospitalize or kill you if you make a mistake. Reloading most certainly can and has done these things. Maybe a bit extreme, but there is definitely a safety element that I can respect others not wanting to take chances with when it comes to reloading.

I do cook my own food, I do not however slaughter and prep it, being even a farm boy there are some things that are just more cost effective to have someone else do (I will circle back to that in a sec)

Up to 55 I did change my own oil, my wife cuts my hair, and my son cuts his own hair.

So all not good examples.

To your "bad cooking" do you ever watch TV around Thanksgiving and see on every station the hose draggers (fire fighters) dump a frozen turkey in hot oil....sure you have. And we all know that is just flat stupid.....you can't rule out an activity because it MIGHT hurt you. That sounds like the idiots on The View crying that the CCW kid should not have removed the mass shooter because HE MIGHT have hurt someone else.

Now to circle back to what I said at the open:

I don't change my own oil anymore, I live on former farm land that does nothing, I don't hunt anymore, the wife paid $1400 for her cars 70,000 mile service, all things that I know how to do but I am at the stage in life where I have hit a couple milestones. I can afford to have someone else do these tasks, and I just don't want to be bothered with it.

Now if you can afford to pay $40+ for a box of 3006, and that is all the shooting you are going to do....well ok, but if the costs of current ammo is holding you back there is another way.

 

[Mark_Mark]

Hand gun cartridges and cartridges like the 9 are poster children for not reloading. But when talking about rifle cartridges it changes big time. I have a feeling that 223 is about as cheap as you can shoot factory ammo, with everything else going up from there. This same friend comes out to my place about once a month to shoot. About once a year he will bring his AR as it is just too expensive to feed. I can only imagine if he ran some other center fire rifle cartridge....it goes up from there.

I don't know if it is a lifestyle, I am not sure it is even much of a commitment. It can be as serious as you want to make it.

IMHO everyone always runs to dillion for the reason to not do it, does not matter you can do it for 1/3 of that cost and have for all intent and purpose the same end result.

In your example that is still roughly .30 per bang. Once and a while I figure up what it costs to reload X. I always leave out brass as you likely already have that, or should if you are thinking about doing this. So powder bullet and primer. You are in most cases in for under $1 per rifle cartridge. (I do have dies to reload handgun but don't generally unless it is for something special...old, hot for a lever rifle in a pistol cartridge)

I buy reloading presses because it cool. I have a 750 XL on my wish list. I never have calculated the cost per round, and I really don’t care to. What I do love is I can make custom ammo for a particular application and need. and have full control of my ammo specs.

 

[N555]

My 6.5 creed more rounds shoot like half moa or better, they probably shoot a lot better than that and I'm limiting them.
Nearly 2 $ per shot with new brass and about 60 cents a shot with reloads and it's all hunting ammo.

 

[Remington1911]

Reloading isn't that much cheaper than buying ammo these days. I haven't seen any LR primers in a long time. When you can find primers they've doubled in price in the last few years. Same with powder and brass. Most of the folks that reload these days are still using components they purchased years ago.

When ammo prices go up so do component prices. I've never saved any money loading my own ammo anyway. I just shoot a lot more.

Granted, but I still think it is much cheaper for many cartridges. Just like in the 9mm example after you factor in your time and equipment, if you are just doing 9 it will likely take quite a while for you to hit break even. Now if you are loading belted magnum cartridges that time frame is very close, and even if you do something like 308 or 3006 that time will still come pretty quickly.

Large rifle are starting to come back, you still have to grab it when you see it, this is the primer I need and is generally between .10 to .13 per, I think the days of $50 per 1000 are over, but that is still not THAT bad.

I always save money reloading cartridges, I load for things that just don't exist like 30 Remington, and various military cartridges from the past. I own guns I would not shoot and could not shoot if I did not reload, not many places stock 6.5 Jap.

 

[CoalTrain49]

Granted, but I still think it is much cheaper for many cartridges. Just like in the 9mm example after you factor in your time and equipment, if you are just doing 9 it will likely take quite a while for you to hit break even. Now if you are loading belted magnum cartridges that time frame is very close, and even if you do something like 308 or 3006 that time will still come pretty quickly.

Large rifle are starting to come back, you still have to grab it when you see it, this is the primer I need and is generally between .10 to .13 per, I think the days of $50 per 1000 are over, but that is still not THAT bad.

I always save money reloading cartridges, I load for things that just don't exist like 30 Remington, and various military cartridges from the past. I own guns I would not shoot and could not shoot if I did not reload, not many places stock 6.5 Jap.

I just shoot common cartridges like .223, 9mm, 45 ACP and 357/38 to limit component sprawl. The weirdest cartridge I have is 30 Carbine. It uses the same primers and powder that I have on hand for .223 and .357. I accumulated all the brass I will ever need a long time ago.

There are some odd ball cartridges that need to be reloaded. I've toyed with the idea but always talk myself out of it.

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

A buddy was jokeing about why i have so much powder and primers on hand. And bullets before this last shortage. He's a younger guy. I said you have not been through a shortage yet. You will find out in time. Now im the one laughing. He was crying about no ammo to be found.

 

[Scrapiron45]

It seems reloading is the "black magic" of shooting sports. I know of several that bought reloading kits during the recent ammo crisis that never opened the box. When they ask for advice on getting started I say read a book, watch a CD then ask questions but they never get that far.
Reloading opens up a new world of shooting, allows me to customize my firearms accuracy and operations to my standards, let's me shoot more for less and allowes me to do something firearms related during cold winter nights.
I consider reloading a family thing too. Admittedly I'm a scrounger and used to pay my kids a penny for each piece of brass they picked up at the range but they eventually got older and wiser. Now I've got grandkids and this inflation rate will prob kill me however Wife came home the other day and handed me two lead wheelweights she picked up in the parking lot at work. Brings a family together.
People don't know what their missing.

 

[Thomas Mayberry]

I've been reloading for 40 years but IMO there are many reasons why people don't reload. Some have an income level or low shooting volume where the cost of buying loaded ammo isn't a factor. Others feel they have time contraints. I suppose many look at the cost of a reloading set up as excessive to start up, especially when a good progressive set runs $500-$1000 and won't consider a simple single stage as being too slow.. Some don't have space for a dedicated area. Some have safety concerns of making a mistake and damaging a gun or themselves.

 

[Mark_Mark]

A buddy was jokeing about why i have so much powder and primers on hand. And bullets before this last shortage. He's a younger guy. I said you have not been through a shortage yet. You will find out in time. Now im the one laughing. He was crying about no ammo to be found.

Also, powders and big stacks of primers and dies, make great display items on the shelves.

 

[Remington1911]

My 6.5 creed more rounds shoot like half moa or better, they probably shoot a lot better than that and I'm limiting them.
Nearly 2 $ per shot with new brass and about 60 cents a shot with reloads and it's all hunting ammo.

I did not get into this but you can customize the ammo to your specific rifle, I have three Carcano rifles, each one has it's own box with the SN#.

This is a great reason FOR reloading, if you think of those top Fclass guys they don't shoot factory ammo.

 

[Mark_Mark]

It seems reloading is the "black magic" of shooting sports. I know of several that bought reloading kits during the recent ammo crisis that never opened the box. When they ask for advice on getting started I say read a book, watch a CD then ask questions but they never get that far.
Reloading opens up a new world of shooting, allows me to customize my firearms accuracy and operations to my standards, let's me shoot more for less and allowes me to do something firearms related during cold winter nights.
I consider reloading a family thing too. Admittedly I'm a scrounger and used to pay my kids a penny for each piece of brass they picked up at the range but they eventually got older and wiser. Now I've got grandkids and this inflation rate will prob kill me however Wife came home the other day and handed me two lead wheelweights she picked up in the parking lot at work. Brings a family together.
People don't know what their missing.

I have shooting friends that always ask me… “Can’t you just send me ammo, you’re a reloader” lol

 

[Charlie Martinez]

Most of the folks that reload these days are still using components they purchased years ago.

That is true. It isn't a lifestyle for me but I have accumulated a lot of components over the years so shortages of primers, etc. do not affect me (yet) and I see no reason to spend $30-40 on abox of pistol ammo when I can reload them at home with stuff I already have in less than 20 minutes.

Looking towards the future I have noticed prices on primers have risen significantly. I do not know if this has anything to do with China but I recently heard news that China is gaining control of the world's raw materials needed for primer manufacturing. The newscast added that if China's control over these minerals grows even our military may be in danger of having an ammo shortage problem in the near future. If that is true it's a good indicator of how bad things are going to get.

 

[Remington1911]

I've been reloading for 40 years but IMO there are many reasons why people don't reload. Some have an income level or low shooting volume where the cost of buying loaded ammo isn't a factor. Others feel they have time contraints. I suppose many look at the cost of a reloading set up as excessive to start up, especially when a good progressive set runs $500-$1000 and won't consider a simple single stage as being too slow.. Some don't have space for a dedicated area. Some have safety concerns of making a mistake and damaging a gun or themselves.

Some of your comments I see as valid, but you don't have to start out of the gate with a progressive. I started with a lee turret years ago, and am just now thinking about a forester. There is nothing at all wrong with a single stage press and I bet you could find people swear by them making more "perfect" rounds.

But your points are very valid, there are people that don't do the volume (not everyone is a gun nut) or have the income to afford to do that, (I once lived in an 8x40 trailer) so trust me I get the money side of things.

 

[lightman]

Reloading is not for everyone! A buddy used to load his own shotgun shells. He talks about putting an extra "pinch" of powder in them and hitting Ducks farther than anyone else in the blind. Another buddy can't walk and chew gum at the same time! You get the picture!

Grandpa bought a reloading set-up when I was a kid. A guy at the gunshop where Grandpa traded came over one night and helped us get started. I started loading on my own, with Grandpa's blessing, when I was 12 or 13 years old. And have reloaded every since. Like what has been said, its a way of life for me.

Loading things like 9mm and 223 doesn't save much money until you have a shortage like we're going through right now. I'm loading for those calibers with $27/1000 primers and $21/pound powder. I saw a box of 7STW ammo this week for $80 something dollars. A box of Weatherby ammo ain't far behind. Before Deer season I bought my BIL 2 boxes of 270's and got very little change back from a 100 dollar bill. Still, by the time I include my equipment all I'm doing is shooting more for the same cost.

After typing all of this I'm not sure sure I've addressed the original post!

 

[drband]

It didn’t take me long to realize I “could” save money by reloading my own ammo. Even with increased component pricing, I can beat commercial ammo costs if I look at cost-per-round economics.
The thing is— and all reloaders probably do this— I shoot way more than I would if I bought commercial ammunition. So yeah, it doesn’t save me money— but I have an affordable way to go shooting whenever I choose to do so. For me, it’s a quality of life point. I enjoy shooting a lot. And now, I enjoy reloading a lot. I just doubled my enjoyment of the shooting hobby. That’s not a downside!

 

[Thomas Mayberry]

Some of your comments I see as valid, but you don't have to start out of the gate with a progressive. I started with a lee turret years ago, and am just now thinking about a forester. There is nothing at all wrong with a single stage press and I bet you could find people swear by them making more "perfect" rounds.

But your points are very valid, there are people that don't do the volume (not everyone is a gun nut) or have the income to afford to do that, (I once lived in an 8x40 trailer) so trust me I get the money side of things.

You're absolutely right on your remark I bolded. I started with a Lee Loader whack-a mole set. A couple of years later I bought a used Bonanza single stage with scale, and Lee dippers. I used that single stage for 38 years before I bought a Dillon 550C two years ago. I have no idea how many rounds that Bonanza press loaded.