Perspective

[Skip Sackett]

Why did or are you getting into reloading your own ammunition?

Are you afraid of a goobermint take over? I suppose that may be more plausible than it was several years ago!

Maybe it is because you like to work with your hands or see something great that you have finely crafted, poured yourself into, so to speak.

It just might be that you want to shoot competitively and haven't landed that "Ammo sponsor" just yet.

What about being as tight as bark on a tree and hating to give up that cold hard cash for something you could make if you just had the right tools and knowledge.

Well, there were several of these reasons that played a part in my desire to reload and yes, as Dennis40X calls it, handload.

I'm guilty of wanting to shoot competitively an not having a sponsor. Also guilty as being tight as bark on a tree when it comes to shelling out money for ammo that I could just as well make. I am triply guilty of wanting, needing, to see something good come about by using my hands.

The last reason though is much more personal for me. You see, in the late '70s when I started to reload, I had a wife, several kids (with more on the way) and only one income. House payments and utility bills and a desire to share the shooting sports with my children.

Many of you know that with only one income, and certainly at that time, there wasn't going to be a lot of things going bang if I relied on store bought ammunition.

So with a donation from a friend that was getting out of reloading, I got my first setup. A Lyman Spar T and a bunch of accouterments. In that box was an RCBS 3 too, I still have both of those presses as a matter of fact.

What fun it was to make my first box of reloads and take them to the range to compete in PPC for the first time! I took 3rd that first year with my 3.5gr of Bullseye under a 158gr LSWC and a 6" M586, stock out of the box. I was shooting against folks that had shot semi-professionally and walked in off of the street and took third. They weren't the only ones that were surprised, I can tell you that. My kids and wife thought I walked on water, I say that figuratively not by any means being irreverent, when it came to shooting. I didn't try to dissuade them either!

Then, when my oldest son was just 16 we shot together in his first PPC match. I spanked him pretty good but he really enjoyed it and he has the shooting bug to this day. About 8 years later his younger brother, yes, he is my wife and I's youngest son, was old enough to keep both ends of the firearm out of the dirt and he started shooting PPC with me too. Only problem there was, he could whip me!

At any rate, my perspective with reloading/shooting comes from this one angle: "What if it's my kids?" Safety first, 'cause I don't want to have to try to explain why someone is wearing a patch, or a prosthesis. "We followed your instructions and.." What if it's my kids?

Oh, I'm not asking you to agree with my perspective, just try to understand it. In my line of work, I look at it the same way. "What if I teach this to a newbie wrong and he ends up hurting himself or others?" What if?

Like I said, this is my perspective on our hobby. I love this hobby. To be honest, I think it is exhilarating!

But in the back of my mind, behind every post, behind every bit of technical data I share is that underlying thought, What if?

I want to share what little I know in a way that is safe and palatable. The medicine doesn't always have to taste like Castor Oil!

Hope this makes sense.

I truly appreciate my friends on this forum. The are a great bunch of folks. May God bless them richly. He has me with each one of you!

 

[Slinkster]

Glad to see your back Skip!!

 

[NKJ nut]

When I started reloading back in 1972 it was simply for the sake of economy. Since then I have found many other good reasons. I particularly like being able to load ammo that is not commercially available and to any specs. I choose. But safety is always first in my mind. I do not give out data from memory, simply because I have loaded so many different loads in a myriad of calibers, it would be too easy to make a mistake.

Skip, the load you asked me about yesterday is one example. I had to consult the notes before giving it to you.

BTW, welcome back, my friend!!

 

[Gun 4 Fun]

That is an excellent post on perspective, and one I agree with, and can relate to.

Believe it or not Skip, I'm glad to see you have decided to post again. We may not agree on everything, and that's OK. The world would be boring if everyone were the same. It was never my intention, nor my desire for you to leave this forum, so I hope your leaving was not based on any previous exchange between us. You have a lot of fans here. They will all be glad to see you here again.

 

[Vulcan Bob]

Every one has a reason to handload, yours is personal and from the sounds of it fullfilling. Myself, I guess it was because I was just crazy about shooting. I started hand loading when I was about sixteen or so with the old Lee loader, the one ya pound em together with a hammer. My poor Mom had to put up with all that and take me to the gun shop to buy my supplys because I was too young to buy them myself at the time.

I still remember the thrill of bagging my first buck with my very own hand loaded 30-40 Krag ammo! Then there was the fact of limited funds and handloading kept me shooting. Bullet casting was a must when I got into IPSC compitition and the satisfaction of winning a match with my own bullets. These days with the high cost of factory ammo, handloading is a must, I do like to shoot, a lot! I do really enjoy retireing to the gun room to do some reloading.

My son in law doesent seem to have any interest in the hobby although he is a hunter. I hope my grandson who is seven years old develops an interest as I would like to pass on the knowlage and hobby to him. As for all the folk here, I dont think you could find a better bunch!

 

[ajpelz]

Honestly, a little of all of the above. Economics, politics, mechanics, all play a part. It is cheaper, relieving, and just plain fun to load up some rounds.

I do not shoot in competition, but I am always striving for the tightest groups possible. Also, I can duplicate SD rounds at 25% or less the cost of premium SD ammo. This allows accurate practice and testing for the shooter and weapon, while saving tons of $.

I too was gifted reloading equipment from someone, so the dies are the only overhead I had to overcome. That didn't take long

 

[Skip Sackett]

Thanks for the kudos friends. Keep the reasons coming!

 

[rewster]

Welcome back !! It's really good to have you in the fold again

 

[dennis40x]

I'm just a shooter. In order to be a shooter I reload. As I've often stated before there is a difference between Handloaders and Reloaders.

That is not to say Reloaders don't slip into the experimentation mood on occasion. When I started campaigning with the .223 gas gun & bolt gun 500/600 yard lines was a daunting task the 1000Yd line impossible in your dreams in your dreams. As for handgun reloading it's punching holes in paper and for the most part that's the way it is. The 45ACP, 38Spl, and 9mm-Luger are what they are.

With three progressive units and a single stage I'd rather be shooting than reloading but thus they go hand in hand.

Skip the first sleeve told me the skipper is considering office hours on your absence from duty. That's the word. You better shape up "Boot" and get with the program. No more of this I'm out of here on your part. Now I have to see what that Preston fellow is doing.

 

[pownal55]

your reason to reload says it all. i can respond with two words, accuracy and cost.

 

[Skip Sackett]

OKEY DOKEY!

I'm just a shooter.


Skip the first sleeve told me the skipper is considering office hours on your albescence from duty. That's the word. You better shape up "Boot" and get with the program. No more of this I'm out of here on your part. Now I have to see what that Preston fellow is doing.

JUST A SHOOTER? Yeah, right. Anyone else ever seen this guy's 100 yard pistol targets? WOW!

Sgt. "W", express the corporal's deepest regret to the "top" and have him explain to the "Cap'n" that I'll do my best not to do it again! (If you had been an officer, I would have said: AYE, AYE Sir!)

 

[Noah Zark]

Why did or are you getting into reloading your own ammunition?

. . . You see, in the late '70s when I started to reload, I had a wife, several kids (with more on the way) and only one income. House payments and utility bills and a desire to share the shooting sports with my children.

Many of you know that with only one income, and certainly at that time, there wasn't going to be a lot of things going bang if I relied on store bought ammunition.

So with a donation from a friend that was getting out of reloading, I got my first setup. A Lyman Spar T and a bunch of accouterments. In that box was an RCBS 3 too, I still have both of those presses as a matter of fact . . .

My experience was almost a carbon copy of yours. I started with a Spar-T press in 1969 as a sophomore in high school. It represented lots of lawns mowed and driveways shoveled, and tractor-trailers of plywood, shingles, drywall, and dimension lumber unloaded and put away (by hand), and then loaded and delivered to customers. I could not afford a $5.25 box of factory Winchester 357 Magnum ammo for my then-new Model 28, and reloading was the only game for me if I wanted to shoot the thing. I also got into casting Keith style bullets about a year later.

To me, reloading has always been driven by economics, but it is also very much a "green" activity -- recycling as applied by firearms enthusiasts. Cases are used time and again, and scrap lead is melted and recast into new bullets. In recent times, some shooters have taken to "mining" the berms at local clubs for spent projectiles for raw materials.

Reloading also introduces the possibility of development of loads that are not readily available. Example: BP substitute loads using smokeless powder -- 13 gr of Unique under a 350 gr cast bullet in the 45-70 is a wonderfully low-recoil yet amazingly accurate round in my H&R Trapdoor Musket. Similarly, I have some IMR 4831 loads for the 140 Hornady Spire Point in 6.5x55 that yield dime-sized groups at 100 yds out of old Swedish Mausers. As another example, reloading has unlocked for me the joy of shooting the 38 S&W in old M&P and Webley revolvers.

Nowadays it is still about economy. The 15-year run of inexpensive Eastern European ammo is over. The Czechs, Serbians, Croatians, and Russians all have the internet and know what we American shooters pay for their ammo, and they demand bigger pieces of the pie now. Consequently, I have a couple used Dillon SDBs, one set up for small pistol primer and one set up for large pistol primers, and each press has various appropriate die sets. I load a lot of 9mm to keep a number of handguns, two semi-auto Uzis and two select-fire SMGs fed (S&W 76 and Sterling Mk4). I'm a huge fan of the 45ACP in both 1911s, SIG 220s, and S&W wheelguns like the 25-2, 1917, and 625. Reloading allows me to keep those toys well-fed, and allows me to hoard the remaining steel-cased ammo for wintertime shooting activities when it's no fun to grub for hundreds of pieces of hot empty brass that melts its way through 8" of snow in seconds.

Reloading is different things to different individuals -- we each have our unique interests and goals, be it Cowboy Action Shooting or High Power Silhouette. Reloading is one of the many aspects of firearms shooting that unites people of diverse shooting and firearms interests.

Noah

 

[Rule3]

Skip,

We spoke so there is not much I can add here. Glad to see you back and I reload primarily due to cost or lack of ammo.
(AKA I'm cheap) Plus you helped me learn a great deal and I consider myself a very safe and careful reloader rather than some of the wild and reckless things I have done in my life. This I thank you for.

 

[VAdoublegunner]

I started loading 20ga shotshells when I was 12 on a MEC 600jr for my Stevens 311. My dad had it for loading his 12s so I wanted to learn. In those days it was easy not to screw up ... you had certain charge bars that you could only use with a certain shells, powder and wads. But it was fun to load my own shells and take them out squirrel, quail and dove hunting. Plus, it seemed such a waste to leave all those nice shells laying around (mostly paper in those days, plastic was still fairly new and expensive). There was a certain satisfaction in hunting with shells that you had loaded.

I really didn't load, or have reason to, much else until I got my first centerfire rifle when I was 20. Economics was a part of it, but I also read all about reloading in the outdoors mags, and having some experience with shotshells thought it would be fun to load 30-06 for my new Win Model 70. So, I got one of the little Lee Hand Loader tools. Pound 'em in and tap them out. A couple boxes of bullets and a pound of powder seemed to last for a long time. Rubbed many blisters on my thumb using those little Lee case trimmers too! But I started experimenting with different bullets and powders and found that it was fun to do and resulted in some pretty decent ammo.

Next I got a Lyman 310 tool, the famous Nutcracker, when I bought a .357 Ruger Blackhawk in 1976. I figured that was the way to afford to shoot a lot to get good with a handgun. That's when I learned that shotgun powders made decent pistol powders, particularly for lead bullets, which were relatively inexpensive to buy compared to loaded factory ammo. Of course, full power jacketed .357s were quite expensive in comparison, so I had to load those too. I loaded lots of 38s with that set up, and used lots of Herco, Green Dot and Red Dot.

As I got more guns and found RE-loading to be more enjoyable, I upgraded my equipment adding RCBS presses, powder measures, scales, etc. and became a HAND-loader, experimenting with different loads to obtain better accuracy, shoot more for practice, or develop that perfect special load for that special application. Cowboy Action Shooting makes it almost a necessity to load your own ammo.

Now, handloading has become a hobby in itself. I've added case trimmers, vibe cleaners, progressive presses, yadda, yadda. I feel that I have enough experience now and understand how things work well enough to go off the books on occasion to develop load combinations for which there is no referenced data. But that's not for everyone nor specifically recommended. Part of that experience is knowing where and when to try something like that. I still play it pretty conservative for shotshells, not much room for error there. Sometimes developing and testing a new experimental load is more fun than the actual shooting of it if it works out well. Awww, who am I kidding, that IS the fun part!

I've never done much casting except for muzzleloader bullets and I did a good bit of that. Most commercial centerfire bullets were inexpensive enough and easy to obtain. I may have to rethink that. These days it seems more of a good idea, particularly for the big bores.

 

[acl864]

I got started reloading in 1980 because of economics. My Dad and I were both shooting in Metallic Silhouette Competions at a local gun range. We both were mediocre on a good day, but we did it together and enjoyed it. It was costing alot with two guns shooting factory ammo so my Dad invested in some used equipment: RCBS Rockchucker, Uniflow Powder Measure, Redding Scale, 38/357 and 45 ACP Dies, etc. We bought a manual and some supplies at a local gun shop and sat down and figured it out. No mentors, no internet, My Dad would've helped more but he worked lots of hours. I wasn't yet 16 years old. It's been said that God looks after fools, drunks and children. I think I proved that because over the course of the next 7 or 8 years I kept reloading and fit into two out of the three of those categories at any given time. Around my middle twenties I lost interest in reloading and packed my stuff up. My nephew ended up with it when he was getting interested in shooting, but never used it. He called me up out of the blue one day about a year and a half ago and said he was going to throw all this "junk" away unless I wanted it back. I went and picked it up that afternoon. It was in sad shape. I still wasn't really interested in reloading again, but figured I'd clean up all this stuff and see if I could sell it. I got everything cleaned up and figured what the heck, everything is still here all I needed was some powder. Now I have three single stage presses, four powder measures, more sets of dies, casting furnace and a couple of bullet molds, etc.... I should have never left.

The internet has completely changed the face of reloading for me. Before it was a solitary activity. I didn't even know another reloader. Now I have thousands of people online to give me advice, ideas and feedback. Plus through local online forums I've networked with local reloaders that are now shooting/reloading buddies to hang out with. I'm especially appreciative of all the efforts to help newbies learn and be safe. I'm still not 100% sure how I avoided blowing myself or someone else up during my first reloading stint. The advice I've seen given here to folks would've been invaluable to me when I was trying to figure things out on my own.

Due to Skip and ALL the good people on this reloading forum, Newbies (including me) get good safe advice here. That is important.

BTW- Glad you're back Skip!!!

 

[ACP230]

I started reloading because I wanted to shoot more.

I shot NRA Hunter's Pistol with a Ruger Blackhawk .357 (Old Model) and .38 reloads made with a Lee Loader.
Later I got a Lee Turret Press and a C Press and am still using them.

I've shot a lot of pistol and rifle ammo in competition and taken some game animals with my reloads. The .250 Savage and .308 ammo my son and I used for deer hunting this year was all reloaded by me.

I have also been pleased, from time to time, that I had enough supplies on hand to keep shooting for at least a few years, no matter the economic or political climate.

 

[Jellybean]

I'm really glad to see you're back Skip.

The reasons I got in to handloading are, in no specific order:

1) Cost, I shot a lot and after getting married couldn't afford to buy the $4.00 a box reloads from the local dealer.

2) Availability, I got hooked on the .41 magnum at a very young age and found the ammo was sort of hard to find.

3) OCD, well, it's never been diagnosed but it, or something worse, is there. I carried a firearm for work and felt that it was my responsibility, and in my own best interest, to learn how to use it the best I could. I also learned all about the firearms I carried inside and out for the same reason, and carried that on to the ammunition they took. The OCD won't let me stop trying to learn, even though I no longer carry a firearm.

4) OCD, Once I started reloading I became a handloader because I just couldn't stop myself.

 

[blastfact]

I didn't know there were so many reason's for reloading. I have always thought it to be part of shooting and one of the many facets of the sport/hobby.

 

[rburg]

Hard to argue too much with the OP here. Heck, thats the kind of drivel I normally write!

I do have one negative comment, sort of. What caught my eye was him still having his original two presses. I don't. Thats strong language from a hoarder like me.

I gave mine away to start someone else on the path. The first went to a shooting buddy about 15 years ago. He's still expanding calibers. Its a path to ruin! The second press went to my oldest son a few years ago. Then last year with the .223 shortages, he realized how badly he needed it.

Of course with offspring its worse. He's now got my case tumbler. And he's got 500 or so of my 7mm Mag empties he's supposed to be polishing up. I'm starting to worry about them, as in maybe he'll buy his own 7mm and I'll never see them again.

 

[kennyb]

economics...in the beginning...when the 500 mag.ammo jumped to over $50.00 a box...that was it....i now reload many calibers and reloading stands alone now as its own hobby