Why do you reload?

[fortyofforty]

What is your primary reason for reloading?  If you have equal or near equal reasons, you can choose multiple answers.

Edited April 15, 2018 by fortyofforty

[DWARREN123]

None of the above. I like it because it is fun!

[fortyofforty]

Choice added!

[minervadoe]

It saves me a lot of money and once I find an accurate powder and charge weight, it's all upside. 

[crockett]

I love tools and reloading requires a bunch. I also like to develop above +P+ loads in certain firearms, as well as factory ammo bullet pulls and powder research.

Watching a movie while working on a load is really relaxing.

[1wise1]

Found a large bucket of roofer's lead (flashing material - about 80 - 85 pounds of the stuff) and the guy practically paid me to carry it away..... so I did.  But before I even heated the melting pot I discovered Bayou Bullets ... the ones Donnie bakes in Alligator snot and the whole reloading thing came alive.  I load about a thousand 9mm a month and manage to shoot around half.  I'm not saving all that much money.... about 10 or 11 cents a shell - little over half of the current retail prices.  I also load 124 grain and 147 grain JHP for a whole lot less than Lawman at Cabellas so what's not to like about that.  But most important is I got braggin' rights ... my grandkids are astounded and tell everybody .... and that is priceless.  

[Henny]

All the above!

 

I also find satisfaction in making my own ammunition. Plus it’s kind of a family tradition. My grandfather started me in reloading when I was 12. That’s been a couple of years ago!

[G19 DB]

Originally to save money.  Started reloading back in my college days.  Now, it's just a hobby.  Probably buy more factory stuff, but enjoy pulling the lever and developing new loads.  Since I'm getting a few suppressors, I imagine I'll be loading a bunch of subsonic in my various guns.

[Boogieman]

I started for one reason...the 10mm Destroyer of Worlds.

When I bought my first brand new Bren Ten 30 years ago the only ammo available was Norma thermonuclear and ran $1 a round.  My entire Dillon reloading setup cost less than a case of ammo.  

[Dric902]

Shooting is a hobby, reloading is a requirement for it. (Ammo costs too damn much)

[cliffb]

When I first started in the early 70s it was so I could afford to shoot.  Now I'd have to say it's for the independence of being able to shoot in times of ammo or component shortage.

I usually keep a fair supply of loading components on hand for the calibers I shoot the most.   I can shoot any time I want.  I like being able to do that.

[Boogieman]

23 minutes ago, Dric902 said:

Shooting is a hobby, reloading is a requirement for it. (Ammo costs too damn much)

I'm old enough to remember when reloading 9mm cost more than quality factory ammo.  And waaaaaaay more than commercial reloads.  Those days are long gone.

[spyre]

I reload so I can custom make a cartridge for a particular gun or reason.  For instance, I have two rifles in 308 win.  One is a bolt action and the other is a gas operated semi-auto.  Both take a different load of powder/primer/bullet to get the maximum performance and accuracy.  Another reason is I shoot USPSA and load to get the correct power factor without going to hot and to control the costs from the volume of rounds I shoot.

And I'll admit, in another life I was an engineer and enjoy experimenting with the loads.

[Lagamor]

I like to blow through bunch of money so I can tell my wife I'm saving ten cents a round. 

Plus it's very relaxing and she usually doesn't venture into my reloading room. Purposely keep the room a mess just so she stays out of it.

[nitesite]

I wanted to reload for years before I dived in, and even wished to during those days when Remington UMC and WWB .223 factory ammo sold for $3.99/20 at Walmart and there were unlimited amounts of it.  Winchester White Box 9mm 115s were $4.99/50 and the hundred pack was $8.99.  And 7.62x39 was being given away at ridiculous prices; 720-rds for $89.95 was normal.

But I was getting into 10mmAUTO, and thought I would buy a .41 Remington Magnum, and .45Colt in cowboy loads was really really 'spensive as was .357 Magnum and others.  Shelf prices for revolver ammo was going insane.

So I started reloading, but not to get bughole groups at unrealistic ranges.  I just wanted to save money while at the same time having a year-round hobby without regards to weather or other factors.  Glad I got into it when I did and never worried post-SandyHook and all the primer scares and empty shelves of pistol powder!

[crockett]

On 6/30/2018 at 9:43 AM, G19 DB said:

Originally to save money.  Started reloading back in my college days.  Now, it's just a hobby.  Probably buy more factory stuff, but enjoy pulling the lever and developing new loads.  Since I'm getting a few suppressors, I imagine I'll be loading a bunch of subsonic in my various guns.

 

I hope you will share some of those loads in your own thread. At some point I'll have to look into suppressors as well. I'd like one for my G40, which is my home defense firearm, one for an AR and one for a .22 plinking pistol. What are you getting? Did you go the trust route?

[Mr. Black]

I might be a little bit of an exception but I realistically started reloading kind of out of necessity.   My son started shooting with me about 6 years ago (16 now) and my wife started shooting a full on hobby about 5.5 years ago.    Between the three of us we can burn though some ammo.   My son and I shoot a lot of steel matches.   My wife shoots same and also shoots USPSA in the summer.  Sometime she signs up for these crazy classes that have large ammo counts for a weekend.   

I still consider reloading to be a hobby but like I said earlier it is a necessity at times.   I now have 3 Dillon Machines and a single stage.   Load for about 10 different calibers rifle and pistol.   I really do enjoy it unless it's 90+ degrees in the garage.  

[G19 DB]

9 hours ago, crockett said:

 

I hope you will share some of those loads in your own thread. At some point I'll have to look into suppressors as well. I'd like one for my G40, which is my home defense firearm, one for an AR and one for a .22 plinking pistol. What are you getting? Did you go the trust route?

I didn't go the trust route.  For me, benefit just didn't seem to be there.

I got a Saker ASR for the high powered rifles, a Ghost-M for the handguns, and a Warlock for the 22's.   I went with the Warlock because of the weight.  Only 3oz!  You don't even notice it on a handgun.   Guy at LGS spun it on a 22/45 lite - you don't know you added a suppressor. 

I'm using Trailboss for my HPR subsonic stuff.  That makes it pretty easy.  45acp/gap, and 9mm (147gr) will work as is (already subsonic).  I mainly shoot lead bullets, so from what I've been told, I'm going to need to change that.  (Lead will get the suppressor pretty cruddy in short order).  I've used Berry's in the past, so may go back to those.

The tricky rifle will likely be the 556 AR.  Not sure I'll get subsonic rounds to cycle it.  Though, may not be an issue as I was shooting full power 308 winchester out a buddy's suppressed rifle this weekend and they were very quiet.   Noise was Just the subsonic crack which oddly enough seem to come from behind us (woods behind us - maybe sound is bouncing off - :dunno:).   I rocksett a quick detach ASR flash hider on the AR, so it's ready to go.

Patiently waiting on our US Gov't... 

[BigRed]

It seems to add something more than just going out and pulling the trigger. I enjoy theorizing how a specific load is supposed to perform, building it, then seeing how it actually performs. 

Besides that, it’s kind of fun when you get to talk to someone whose “really into guns,” and you see there eyes glaze over when you start talking about the technical side of reloading. It separates the wheat from the chaff.

[Highspeedlane]

Primarily because of cost. Even in the 1970's when I reloaded my first .38 Special cartridge using a little Lee kit the cost of factory ammunition was too high for any real sustained practice. The only problem then was the limited availability of components, mainly bullets. There was no bulk unprimed brass then (in the stores I frequented anyway) so you had to shoot out your factory ammo then reload the brass as long as possible. 

The exception to this was in the 90's when 7.62x39mm surplus was dirt cheap and everyone had it. Luckily I grabbed enough to hold me for quite a while, same for .30-06 ball surplus from the CMP.

[NoStress]

I can load good bear/moose protection ammo for my 45.70 FAR more economically than I can buy. Specialty ammo is crazy expensive. Fear sells.

[Bucky]

All of the above for me. 

[Rinspeed]

I started out just to save money never thinking it would be such a fun hobby.  Now I just like having several thousand rounds on hand just in case.  I do struggle getting motivated to load though with so much going on in my life. 

[tew3006]

I really enjoy reloading. Sometimes I'm not sure if I reload so I can shoot more or if I shoot more so I can reload.

[Valmet]

It makes economic sense for me to reload certain cartridges (.38 Spl and .45ACP) because I shoot them in bulk and others because they’re so damn expensive (.308 Norma Mag).