Have a caliber that you wanted to reload, but not really have a need for? Well lately I've been wanting to reload 25-35 Winchester. My father has a Winchester 94 in 25-35 that was my grandfather's. I have no idea why I feel the urge to reload for this, guess it just seems odd-ball enough, maybe I am just hoping it will have less recoil than 30-30. I have only shot the gun once, and I really have no love for lever-guns--mostly because my arhritis has screwed up my left-elbow so I can't fully extend my arm, which makes it hard for me to hold rifles steady. I don't have to ask if something is wrong with me, my wife already tells me, but anyone else have this happen to them?

There is nothing wrong with you...you are just a dedicated handloader! (that's a little different than being a 'reloader')

I think that sometimes those of us who enjoy the handloading hobby in itself get to the point where it is not just loading enough of a favorite load to shoot up, or to "save money" [audience laughter] that gives us pleasure. It is trying out a new powder, finding something rare or unusual to load, trying to eke out that last bit of accuracy or performance, casting a new bullet, getting hooked reading a new article about some cool new load we just gotta try, even for those more advanced at it developing a load for a powder/bullet/cartridge combination that doesn't appear in the references to achieve...well ... something!

Yep, a handloader. I can understand wanting to load for a classic old cartridge you can actually use in something but don't really have a practical use for except for the range. It's even worse if you score a deal on a set of dies then have to go out to buy a firearm to go with them. Or, shudder, what if you never even do....???

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" I said, good DAY! "

the obscure reloading bench mistress ... yup, I got one ... 400 corbon

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it just needs more voltage

I feel your pain, I have tons (literally) of brass in calibers I want to load. Unfortunately I usually have to buy a gun to justify it. Case in point, I've been sitting on a 5 gal. pail of once-fired 22 Hornet brass. Found a nice CZ bolt gun, now I have a reason to buy dies and get started. I hope I never find a 30-378 Weatherby, that one would blow my ammo budget for quite a while.

A 32-20 pistol and a 12 ga. German hammer gun with 2 1/2 in. chambers. Sometimes I just like to use old stuff that a lot of people think is obsolete and not good for anything anymore. Just do whatever makes you happy as long and it doesn't cause you to starve or go to jail. Larry

I'm a packrat by nature and have been accumulating/hoarding components for decades and like others have brass for calibers that I don't own but may someday stumble across. .22 Jet brass, .38 S&W brass, .45 Schofield, .218 Bee, .300 WM etc. Sometimes it has paid off handsomely.
I once got a call from a dealer friend telling me he had a young man who was desperately searching for brass to get his Dad's old gun firing and thought if anyone would have some it would be me. It turned out to be an old Winchester M70 chambered in 225 Winchester. I searched around and found a couple hundred pieces of NIB brass, still in the original cardboard boxes, I ended up teaching the guy how to reload.
Which brings me to my favorite reason for reloading: Getting old guns barking again. I just recently helped a friend get his Grandfathers old Win M92 (made in 1915) in .25wcf back up and running for the first time in probably 50 years. I had the brass stuck back and a lot of old gas checked bullets I'd had for 20 years under the bench. I had to boil off the old lube and put new stuff in the grooves but it turned out real nice. My friend was very touched to finally get to shoot that old gun and that made it very much worth my time and effort to see.
Twenty odd years ago I bought a nice old m96 Mauser in 6.5x55 and stocked up on brass and bullets when they were reasonable, recently I acquired an extremely fine CZ 550fs from a forum member and was ready to go shooting within a day of recieving it.
Old calibers and old guns are to me the core of what handloading is all about, get those old ones out and get them firing.
RD

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Got a Phd from Hard Knocks U

I have a 100 year old 94 in 25-35. The inside of the bore looks like a pitted drain pipe.I reload the Hornady 117 gr round nose for with H335 powder. This rifle will shoot 1 1/2" groups with open sights at 100'. It has virtually no recoil and is a pleasure to shoot. I also load for the 218 Bee, 32 spl and 375 Win. along with numerous others. Give it a try you might be surprised at the results, I was.

Yorkie Man, what dies are you using? Glad to hear the recoil is low, most likely when I start reloading it will be bench shooting. Not sure if I should be apprehensive starting with this caliber as my first rifle caliber, slightly nervous about loading necked down cases--which is why I haven't started loading .223 yet.

This reloading thing is addictive, and getting a little overwhelming, just got started last year and up to 3 calibers so far. Trying to keep components stocked up an find time to get brass prepped, and loaded.