Reloading and your favorite gun

[jonnnyboy]

"Which came first; the chicken or the egg!"

Or in other words, do you choose your favorite gun and then reload for it OR do you choose your favorite gun because you can reload for it?  (Does that even make sense?  LOL!)

I find that my favorite gun is always one that I can also enjoy the handloading development process for it.  When I feel like reloading 38s or 357 magnums, usually a revolver or the H&R becomes the number one gun I pick up to take to the range.  During hunting season, the favorite gun became either the deer rifle or the 300 blackout I was experimenting with.

Now, I have a new favorite.  I'm on a reloading trek for 9mm.  Lots of 9mm.  9mm in all flavors!  Recently, I was able to finish the Palmetto State Armory AR9 that I have been waiting on for almost 9 months.  They finally got the upper in that I was hoping for and it's now paired with the Glock lower and an inexpensive red dot sight bought on sale from Amazon.  I discovered that with that gun and some of my handloads, I can consistently ring the 6" gong at 100 yards.  It's a hoot getting that small gong swinging and trying to hit it as fast as you can. 

Is it a problem that I have to reload a lot of new 9mm ammo?

What's your favorite fun gun right now?

Edited February 11, 2017 by jonnnyboy

[Raoul]

All my guns are my favorites and I reload for all of them. Except of course that picky family of .22's I happen to have.

[mikegideon]

I started with the most expensive. When I got into 458 SOCOM, factory ammo was $3/round. Now I load 300 blackout, 6.5 Grendel, 223, and 45 ACP.

I don't reload any other pistol calibers because they are too cheap to just buy, especially 9mm. I don't reload any of my Fudd calibers either.

[runco]

I shoot what I shoot, I love what I love.  Reloading is just a byproduct of this affection.  In other words the tail of reloading does not wag the gun that I love.   Cost savings is not why I reload 80% of the time.

[gregintenn]

I don't have a favorite gun, but this struck me as funny. Last winter, my family stopped in at a Cabela's store for something. My two sons were looking around at the ammo shelf. They seemed quite surprised to find there was ammo for sale that fit their deer rifles.....257 Roberts. They also seemed shocked at the price....$2 plus a pop!

I'd never thought about it, but until that time, they weren't aware factory ammunition was available for their rifles. Every round they've ever shot, they'd loaded themselves.

It's funny what you take for granted kids know, that they actually don't know.

[DWARREN123]

I reload for 2 calibers and my firearms are in those 2 calibers.

[Jct1911]

Honestly, favorite is directly related to the accuracy improvement derived from my reloads. The 2 platforms and calibers being 5.56-AR's and 45-1911's. 

i reload every caliber I own(about20), these 2 just have offered the biggest change in available accuracy over factory ammo. Close 2nds would be .260remington AR10 and 45colt Blackhawk. 

[Hozzie]

My favorites are all 22's. Can't reload for what I am doing.

[Randall53]

36 minutes ago, Hozzie said:

My favorites are all 22's. Can't reload for what I am doing.

Mine also. I have a few rifles and a couple of pistols. Love 'em all though. A lot of fun to shoot. I have to admit I really ain't happy about the price of 22 ammo any longer, but it is what it is......Maybe things will come down some more eventually.

[Jamie Jackson]

I already had, and shot my S&W 686 and Colt Series 80 45 acp in '87 when I started handloading. I initially started simply because I wanted to learn the process and develop options.

I handload now because I can craft ammo to meet my perceived specific needs or wants and I can at this point actually save money doing so.

As a group of three we cast, powder coat, and handload primarily for 9mm. These loads are tailored to the velocity and accuracy that we are all quite pleased with. I realize some folks complain, or at least express concern over the time involved. I thoroughly enjoy the process of handloading...it's my "Zen" thing. 

But we can produce 9mm for at or less than most .22 LR sells for. Bulk purchased components allows us to not have to worry much about shortages during the last 2 panic periods...they'll show up again I venture to guess...

I can also load quality accurate 5.56 brass cased ammo (purchased projectiles on sale with free shipping) for around $0.17/round. I'm happy with that.

 

So I guess I already had the "chicken" and have added a few over the years...but really enjoy working with the "egg". 

[ARO Matt]

Started reloading when I got a Limited gun for USPSA.  Then got a 9mm die set and can now reload my 9mm with good ammo for about $0.12 a round; less than half the price of decent factory ammo.

[Jakeway]

Whenever I buy a new center Fire, I immediately buy a set of dies. The last two guns I bought were specifically to try a new cartridge (7mm-08 and 6.5 Creedmoor). So far these are both nice, and I'm having a lot of fun with the Creed, but so far they haven't unseated the 260 R.E.M. As my favorite.

(With four grandchildren aged 8 through 18, any one of these guns could get claimed by them at any time.  My 260 was almost exclusively used by my granddaughter the past few years, but with her going off to college I have it back for at least a little while  )

 

[i1afli]

I had been thinking about reloading for a couple of years.  Then I picked up a Winchester 1892 in 32-20 and discovered that ammo was about .75/rnd so I decided to take up reloading. Now I reload all of my handgun loads as well as 32-20 and .30 carbne. 

Edited April 16, 2017 by i1afli

[DWARREN123]

Reloading, for some, can be a interesting hobby in and of itself.

[The Legion]

 My favorite handgun gun is my CK Arms Open 9 major.   I experimented between bullet weights of 124 grain and 115 grain and different powders such as Autocomp and HS-6.  I  I decided to go with 115 grain Montana gold in Winchester Autocomp.   My new favorite rifle is a masterpiece arms 6.5 Creedmore that I'm looking forward to begin reloading for.  

Edited May 1, 2017 by The Legion

[ozo]

I sorta never had a choice but to reload, all the men in my family did, and all I heard was "if you are gonna shoot it, make some bullets" (except for my own Sears single-shot 22lr ),

but if I was gonna be a big boy, shoot Dad's and my uncle's big boy guns, I had to learn to load my own. I had my own bills, and my paper route barely covered them.

Bicycle tires/tubes, .22 ammo, fishing stuff, pigeon food......paper boy's money only stretched so far.

Of all the arms I have collected over the last 60+ years, and I love so many of them.......but if I had to pick just one most favorite and fun....

hands down it is my (over-priced) Ruger M77/357 all-weather carbine.

[Ronald_55]

Looking at getting into reloading several calibers. Does anyone reload 7.62x54r?