Why do your do your own reloading?

[gregintenn]

Speaking of reloading manuals, is there any one or two in particular someone could recommend?

I have a Sierra, and Lee reloading manuals, and a Lyman cast bullet handbook. There are several free manuals to be had a reloading supply stores, and I have several of those as well. Most any of them will be fine, and the more you have, the more info you'll have available.

[dlm37015]

simple every reloading book i can get they will all have usefull info.some of the things you reload you dont save much on but you doin mast cases have better ammo .in my case i like to shoot big stuff 505,577 stuff like that 505 or 577 nitro a box of ammo 5 rounds cost over 250.00 i can load that same round if i have brass and i use cast bullets for less than 1.00 but thats the extreme usually on pistol ammo figure on saveing 50% on plinking ammo more on hunting ammo.rifle ammo is a savings of about 60 to 75 % on factory loads

[Guest highvoltage]

i first started for the savings and then i found like others that i could build a more accurate round for each of my guns. and i also found that it is relaxing for some reason. now its down right addicting.

[LeadWaster]

I reloaded for 12 ga shotgun back in the 80's. The main reason was cost savings. At the time, shot was $12 for 25 pounds. The cost of components allowed me to load for $2 a box. Those days are gone! I was shooting trap and going thru 5000+ rounds per season. Now, my 15 year old has gotten interested in shooting and we are loading .38sp, 9mm, .380 acp on a Dillon SD. It's really enjoyable, and I can load lighter rounds (for smaller and lighter weight guns) that are more pleasant to shoot. My dad always reloaded both metallic and shotgun. I guess it runs in the family.

[USMCJG]

The first reloading book I would get would be the Lyman book. After that, I'd get the book(s) that is(are) made by the company(nies) that make(s) most of the bullets I like to use(Hornady, Sierra, Speer, etc.).

Edited December 18, 2010 by USMCJG

[frankmako]

save money and i like reloading.

[Guest BungieCord]

Because one MOA is three-quarters too many.

[Guest odfanatic]

Well, I certainly enjoy it. I am new to it, I focus on pistol cartridges only, and I find it satisfying as a hobby. I suppose I will eventually save some money too. The appeal now is in learning much about cartridges (popular and obsolete) and the history behind them. In order to be safe about it, I find myself reading and gathering info from numerous sources; quite educational. It has become a hobby unto itself. It has occurred to me that I shoot to reload as much as I reload to shoot now... I'm becoming better informed (perhaps even a safer hand-gunner?) about the shooting sports as a whole because of my growing interest in reloading.

[Guest FroggyOne2]

I have been reloading for about 20 some odd years, the last 14 years for competition. Let me say that reloading allows you to have ammo, that you can not buy from a store, a wholesaler or other outlet. The last couple of years I have shot somewhere around 4000 rounds of rifle ammo, if I were able to get it the way I would need it, it would prob cost somewhere in the neighborhood of 3,600 to 4,600 bucks a year just in ammo to shoot. Maybe more than that, due to the fact that the ammo I need isn't even loaded by any factory. Last year, I spent approx 1,500 dollars on componets for my ammo, this year so far only 700.00, due to the fact that I already have my suppy of primers and powder, I only bought some new brass and 2200 bullets for my new .223 that I am getting tomorrow.. I am set up to load .45 ACP, but rarely load any, I have lots of loaded ammo for that right now.. so I have not felt the need to load any, though my pistol likes the Montana Gold bullets and Bullseye powder. As for my rifles, I shoot Sierra 155 SMK's (2156) for my .308, Hornady 75 grain Amax and the Berger 90 grain VLD in my .223's. I use Lapua brass and Wolf primers.

[Jonnin]

I have to say, I'm a bit surprised at the number of folks (actually, I think everyone who has responded!) who say that they get more accurate ammo/better groups, etc. from loading their own than using even high-end factory ammo...it would seem unlikely given the amount of development, etc that companies like Hornnady and Winchester put into their ammo and (I would assume at least) quality control during the manufacturing process.

Don't misunderstand, it's not that I don't believe the statements...it just surprises me!

Ah, they are not shooting hornady match ammo! Usually this comment is comparing walmart junk ammo to handloads. But the key is, a handloader can make match grade ammo for far, far less than the stuff costs from a factory, and its slightly better because every gun is different. A load tested and tailored to a specific gun will outperform the factory match grade ammo at 1/4 or so of the cost!

However, you hit the nail on the head about quality control. To produce match grade rounds without expensive equipment, I can spend over an hour on a box of 50 and 75% of that time is spent using the scale to check the weight of each powder charge and bullet (and I also weigh the cases, which has no effect on the round but helps quality control as I can weigh all the rounds again at the end and find any that are off). It is also important to have the cases the same length and the bullets seated to the same length, a consistent crimp, and so on. Basically, just slow it down and be very precise and careful with every step to ensure that each round is exactly the same, it is not hard, but it is fairly tedious.

[Caster]

Ah, they are not shooting hornady match ammo! Usually this comment is comparing walmart junk ammo to handloads. But the key is, a handloader can make match grade ammo for far, far less than the stuff costs from a factory, and its slightly better because every gun is different. A load tested and tailored to a specific gun will outperform the factory match grade ammo at 1/4 or so of the cost!

However, you hit the nail on the head about quality control. To produce match grade rounds without expensive equipment, I can spend over an hour on a box of 50 and 75% of that time is spent using the scale to check the weight of each powder charge and bullet (and I also weigh the cases, which has no effect on the round but helps quality control as I can weigh all the rounds again at the end and find any that are off). It is also important to have the cases the same length and the bullets seated to the same length, a consistent crimp, and so on. Basically, just slow it down and be very precise and careful with every step to ensure that each round is exactly the same, it is not hard, but it is fairly tedious.

Yeah, but what's an hour for a box? Depending on the gun, or how much you get out of it, it's not much. I spend about hour/50 loading 45 Colt. I could do it faster, but I REALLY enjoy it. Buffalo Bore charges $75 for a box of 50 for something equivalent to what I load. I do it in an hour for less than $3 or $4. Hmmm, yup! Time well spent:)

[Jonnin]

Well, an hour a box is about 4x longer than it takes me to make "3-gun" ammo. It is all relative, but for many shooters, if it goes bang and hits a pie plate at 10 feet, it is good enough, and there is NO reason on earth to spend an hour a box making ammo that is being used for short range defense practice or similar "sloppy" shooting (well, if you really enjoy it, that is fine, but it is not efficient). This past weekend we easily shot out 100 rounds of 223 and 120 rounds of 9mm in 3 gun, all mass produced (10-15 min per 50). The rapid made 223 was sufficient to make a headshot on those cardboard dummies at 100 yards. The longest pistol shots were about 25 yards and hit center of mass on the same targets. But if I wanted to put all 30 rounds of 223 in a dime from a bench rest at 100 yards, the 10 min ammo can not do that, not at all, and the cheapest walmart ammo is more accurate than my rapid 9mm effort, which makes a 4 inch group at 20 yards instead of one jagged hole (which the walmart stuff can do).

Edited January 17, 2012 by Jonnin

[Caster]

Well yeah, I don't take as much pains with loading 'blastin' ammo.

I wonder if the "hour" you speak of is the same as my "hour"? Do you catch yourself wasting seconds by staring at a finished cartridge after wiping it off but before you put it in the box? I'm bad about that:)

[mikegideon]

I started reloading when I got into the .458 SOCOM. Factory ammo is around 3 bucks per round. Then, I moved into .223. I only load the high quality stuff in .223 so far. I enjoy it, but probably won't ever do high volume stuff. I don't think I have saved any money yet, but will in the long run. Like Froggy said, I can't buy some of the stuff I load.

Reloading gives you lots of freedom.

BTW... Buy the ABC's of Reloading.

[Jonnin]

Well yeah, I don't take as much pains with loading 'blastin' ammo.

I wonder if the "hour" you speak of is the same as my "hour"? Do you catch yourself wasting seconds by staring at a finished cartridge after wiping it off but before you put it in the box? I'm bad about that:)

Hmm. I buy cheap bullets, so I weigh them first and pick out say 60 for a box of 50 that are all the same weight and not dinged up. Then I weigh the cases, here again about 60 of em, deprimed and trimmed already (I will explain soon). Then I move to the press and prime, powder, and weigh again. Because all the cases are the same, tare off one case so weighing of each powder charge is fast. Because my equipment is not high dollar, I weigh things 3 times until I get the same answer 3 times. I often have to re-powder the case 3-4 times each. Then I seat the bullets and crimp carefully. When I am done I weigh and measure the OAL on all the rounds. I discard any that are off, they should all weigh about the same and have the same OAL. The "discards" go in the 3-gun or other plinking ammo boxes. Lastly I label the box so I know it is the good stuff. All that extra weighing is where my time goes. I do not spend much time looking at the finished products.

[Caster]

I do pretty close the same routine. I only weigh once as my Pacific scale is pretty darn accurate. I cast my own and for my "premium" loads I weigh each boolit +/- .5 grains. All the others go into the "blaster pile" [the equivalent of your 3 gun pile]. Because of stray traces of boolit lube, I wipe down each case before setting them in the plastic box. That's where I often hypnotize myself by the shinny new creation I have just forged:)

Once again, blastin' ammo doesn't get the spa treatment, but I ENJOY slowly crafting each one of "Caster's Premium Munitions"

I think there's another aspect to reloading as we have described here that may be overlooked. Custom tailored ammo to be sure, more accurate as a result, BUT: They may also be more accurate because of the time we spent. Think about it. An hour spent on a box 50 will not be shot like wolf through an AK, NO, NO! Each shot will be deliberate, and careful. That's too much work to just blast with, so they are not only finely tuned, they force our hand to be finely tuned as well so that we not cheat ourselves of maximum satisfaction from the fruit of our labors.

I wonder what maybe I have a wee bit too much of the good thing known as free time:)

[Guest Lester Weevils]

Have seen some reviewers who shoot better than me claim that factory practice pistol ammo is about as accurate as what they reload. Guys who shot and reloaded a long time and were initially convinced that their reloaded pistol ammo was better than factory stuff, and later changed their minds. Maybe that might imply that some cheap practice ammo is better nowadays than in the past?

Am still of the opinion that my pistol loads are at least a little more accurate than factory practice ammo. But if true, it is puzzling why that would be. One would think that experts at a big factory could do a better job than a thumb-fingered amateur. I don't go past trying to make sure the OAL, primers and powder load are consistent. A factory ought to be able to at least do as good a job. Then again, a factory also ought to be able to do it cheaper, which is also untrue as long as I ignore the cost of my labor.

[Guest nicemac]

Have seen some reviewers who shoot better than me claim that factory practice pistol ammo is about as accurate as what they reload. Guys who shot and reloaded a long time and were initially convinced that their reloaded pistol ammo was better than factory stuff, and later changed their minds. Maybe that might imply that some cheap practice ammo is better nowadays than in the past?

Am still of the opinion that my pistol loads are at least a little more accurate than factory practice ammo. But if true, it is puzzling why that would be. One would think that experts at a big factory could do a better job than a thumb-fingered amateur. I don't go past trying to make sure the OAL, primers and powder load are consistent. A factory ought to be able to at least do as good a job. Then again, a factory also ought to be able to do it cheaper, which is also untrue as long as I ignore the cost of my labor.

If you made "generic" ammo like the factory has to, it would not be any more accurate than theirs. However, I can measure my spent cartridges and size them so they fit my chamber perfectly. When all other factors (COAL, charge, etc…) are accounted for, that makes the rounds more accurate. Hornady does not have the freedom to make rounds that fit my gun perfectly. They would not fit yours and would be labelled as "bad ammo". They have to make it so it works everywhere, which means sacrifice.

[R_Bert]

Heh,

for my rifle ammo, among other things, I -

-sort bullets by weight, then sort those by base-to-ogive measurements

-trim cases all to same length & square case mouth (Wilson trimmer), high polish (to look for flaws), sort by headstamp, and then weight (to assume consistent volume that way)

-measure and match case dimensions after sizing and forming, then adjust cartridge base to ogive during loading

-spend a lot of time researching, working up, testing, and documenting loads (sometimes several years on the same gun)

A lot of extra attention for someone who has a bad eye and can't see well enough to shoot worth anything; Precision ammo for a shooting monkey with cheap guns.

But, all in my little corner, under the basement staircase. Quietest place in the house.

Some folks reload to shoot. I shoot (maybe, but not necessarily...) to reload. It's about solitude & meditation, focus, concentration, and craft.

[Caster]

Some folks reload to shoot. I shoot (maybe, but not necessarily...) to reload. It's about solitude & meditation, focus, concentration, and craft.

AMEN. Not many understand, but believe me, I do.

[Rightwinger]

Cost, time enjoyed doing something I love (me time), better loads, passing a tradition to my son.

[estwing]

I do it so I can shoot and buy guns of odd calibers, or expensive calibers. I started when i got a 45 long colt and have went crazy from there. It is relaxing and very rewarding. I dont think twice about going out back and shooting 100rnds of 50 beowulf or 308. Even got a really good deal on a 7-30 waters cause the previous owner couldnt afford the ammo. Once you start you wont be able to stop. I think I keep Midway and other suppliers very busy. The UPS guy probably thinks I am a quack.

[Guest A10thunderbolt]

I started reloading because I was spending to much money shooting it up in the back yard, reloading slows me down a little and I like watching TV and reloading. My wife actually let me build a work table in the living room. ( it is supposed to be temporary) LOL

[McAllyn]

I reload because in 2008, I shot 23,000 rounds. In 2009, I shot 19,000 rounds. Those numbers severely declined in 2010 and 2011, but hopefully, this season, I'll get back on the horse. Initially, I started reloading purely for the cost factor. Then, I realized I could customize the loads to individual weapons instead of tweaking the weapon to optimize factory loads.

As far as the "in case things get scarce" arguement, look back over the threads in late '08-most of '09. Things got VERY scarce. Unless you were sitting on a metric ****-ton of components (primers, mainly) your equipment got all dusty and lonely like mine did. That's when I realized the guys that buy 20k-50k worth of primers and 20lbs of powder at a time might be on to something.

Mac

[FIRERESCUEO2]

I reload because I enjoy it .......... it's simply a hobby that I really enjoy being a part of