Handloading vs Reloading

Smithhound

Smithhound

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I've debated this topic for awhile and have decided to kick the ant nest and post it.
First some qualifications, I've been loading ammo since 1980, started with a gift from my soon to be Wife of an RCBS rockchucker set. I'd watched a neighbor load a few times in my teens and had been amazed you could shoot cases over and over, so this gift was both a surprise and appreciated.
I had zero experience with it tho', but read the manual that came with it and this aspect of the shooting hobby just took off from there. I've been casting bullets since 1990 as well, but that's another topic.
Here is my theory of handloading vs reloading:

Handloading is different from reloading. To me, it entails a level of excellence above reloading. Handloading is a quest for the ultimate accuracy of a load for a specific firearm, you want to get the utmost out of your load, and try many different components in that quest. If you have to sacrifice a bit of velocity for utmost accuracy, so be it. It is all about the search for 'The' load. Sometimes you'll never find it.

Reloading entails finding an acceptable load that will function in your firearm and give a level of accuracy you are happy with. This is what most hobbyists will be happy with, and there is nothing wrong with this.
Most people want to shoot cheaply and are happy with a load that will accomplish this goal.

I've never owned a progressive press (NOT knocking them, it's not the purpose of this post) and have loaded tens of thousands of rounds on my set up of two RCBS single stage presses. This has served me well over the years and gives me the control for Handloading that I desire.

I know this will cause many comments, so lets hear them.
RD
 
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Handloading is making ammunition.

Reloading is putting ammunition in your pistol/revolver/rifle/shotgun.

I realize that over time the terms have become generally interchangeable but I shoot various action pistol type matches and "reload" means drop the mag and put a new one in.;)
 
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I agree with your description of handloading vs. reloading, but in reality and today's methods of speaking; six of one, half dozen of the other...

With your description, I'm a handloader. I weigh a lot of charges, I still experiment/work on loads, I have no quota and am not concerned with "Rounds per Hour"...
 
To me, handloading is similar to a gunsmith hand fitting. I'm not sure why one word vs two word. I'll ponder that a while...
 
Bkreutz said:
Handloading is making ammunition.

Reloading is putting ammunition in your pistol/revolver/rifle/shotgun.

I realize that over time the terms have become generally interchangeable but I shoot various action pistol type matches and "reload" means drop the mag and put a new one in.;)
Click to expand...

I subscribe to this point of view.
 
Vase, Vahz

Potato, Potahto

I reload with my hands therefore I am a hand reloader.

:D

I guess hand loader denotes a bit more care or precision. I take such an approach but when folks ask I say I reload.

All semantics to me.

I believe coaltimer was attempting to say this in his thread but it came out with other interpretations.

http://smith-wessonforum.com/reloading/387388-old-timers-advice-interested.html
 
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Agree with the OP that there's a difference between those two approaches to the hobby . . . but the definition of those two words depends solely on the context or what the listener chooses to hear.
 
I find it very interesting that the periodical mailed to your home or bought off the shelf at the local Barnes and Noble is named "Handloader" and not "Reloader"... I consider myself a handloader. I think it has a better connotation than reloader; to me, a reloader is somewhat willy nilly in what he does, while a handloader is much more careful and precise, capable of bettering what is out there on the commercial market.

But hey: I am wrong A LOT!
 
Semantics! Reloading of what, shell cases, guns or manure spreaders. I got the impression that Smithhound was referring to shell cases.
 
Handloading is what one does with a muzzle stuffer,reloading uses a brass,paper or plastic container that holds the powder and shot/bullet [emoji41]
 
Some good thoughts from all, actually the post 'Old Timers Avice..' is what got me thinking about posting this.

Yes, the two words are a semantic problem, but I've always believed if you are going to do something, do it the best you can, and that is where the difference, to me, comes in.

When I load for my standard .45's or .38's and want something for the range I have a set load for both. I don't bother sorting cases, weighing etc. Just check to make sure the cases are within spec's and use an old recipe that has worked. But when I load for my Gold Cup or a highly accurate pre 14, I trim cases, use good hand cast bullets, I don't weigh charges in these but have a different recipe for them.
Loading for an incredibly accurate early Ruger 77 .243 is different, I sort cases but most times don't weigh them, but they are trimmed, cleaned and prepped very carefully. A load I have with a Sierra 85g bullet is a true tack driver. I won't get that kind of accuracy just cobbling things together, I've compared the two processes and know this.
That is where the difference comes in, the care and precision you put forth into the load, that is what seperates, to me, reloading and handloading. I do both, but am careful to deleniate between the two.
Range ammo is reloaded, hunting or target ammo is handloaded, simply that.
Nothing wrong with either, it is just the level of excellence you strive for that, to me, makes the difference between the two.
RD
 
Not quite ready to accept the definition based on fired vs. virgin brass. I have loaded ammunition with Lee Loaders, Lyman tong tools, single stage and turret presses. Never had a need for a progressive, as my shooting is usually as slow and methodical as my loading and I'd rather spend the money on powder and primers.

All of my loading is hand loading, since it is all done on hand operated machinery (except for brass tumbling).

Before Remington made an honest woman of the .35 Whelen I loaded lots of it using once fired .30-06 brass, just like every other Whelen shooter from the Colonel to 1987. I also experimented with the 7mm TCU, every round of which started life as .223 brass.

That made me not only a handloader, but a wildcatter, which in most people's minds follows only benchrest shooters with regard to precision and attention to detail.

When I am churning out a few hundred rounds of .38 wadcutter ammo I may take more of an assembly line approach, not sorting cases by brand or lot, but I am still meticulous about the settings of my dies, verify the powder charges with a scale on a regular basis and examine every case for a charge before seating.

There is more of a difference in my mind between automated loading, where all the components are dumped in hoppers and the only human involvement is pulling a lever or throwing a switch and handloading, which is a hobby in and of itself, than between the use of fired or virgin brass.

Besides, I don't know any handloaders who load up a round in virgin brass and then throw away the empty, do you? If they ever use the brass again wouldn't they descend to the level of a reloader?
 
The titles on my bookshelf all pretty much use "loading", "reloading" and "handloading" interchangeably, although it might be that some authors are dreaming a little too much because the books are not all equal.

I usually define "reloading" as making ammunition to meet SAAMI specifications and "handloading" as producing ammunition for a specific firearm that may not meet SAAMI specifications when this topic comes up.
 
I completely disagree with the usage, but the following is what you see repeated various places on the internet (paraphrased):

Handloading: What I do with my super meticulous slow technique and superior equipment.

Reloading: What the rest of you slobs do because you don't do it like me.
 
I understand what the OP is saying. I have friends that reload. They are happy if the rounds go bang. They never try to find just the right load for their guns. They stick to the one load mix that they tried first, if it went bang, that is it. They do not wish to expermint with different powders. I have been told that would cost too much.
 
Thanks MasterTech, that is exactly what I am trying to get across!

OKC, I hope snobbery wasn't intended, just getting a discussion going.

I said I was going to kick the ant nest, rainy day here so am enjoying the back and forth.

Actually, right now I'm sitting here cleaning .45 brass and 'handloading' some .25-20 winchester, given the scarcity of that brass right now I want to get it as good as possible. The last factory I priced was around $70 per 50! I don't understand how anyone can afford to shoot nowadays without rolling thier own.
Whatever your view on it, count yourself lucky.
RD
 
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I was mostly a reloader , but as I have gotten better at it, I must now be a handloader . I load better / more accurate stuff , but my old eyes aint good enough to take advantage of it. I might as well go back to just reloading and not worry so much about quality.
 
Same/same. I load each cartridge by hand. Sometimes its virgin rifle brass working up a load for a new rifle/bullet combination. Sometimes its several thousand pieces of 9mm brass and bulk bullets. Either way my finished product is way ahead of the ammo you can buy at the local Walmart.

Handloader, reloader, prepper, hoarder, zombie phobe, match shooter, grumpy old man, conservative, etc. all are correct...some more than others.

When no one had ammo on the shelf, I kept on shooting at the local range. I enjoy crafting small batches of .32 wadcutters for my J frames as much as developing a load for a new .243. Equally as happy cranking out several hundred rounds on the Dillon.

I just enjoy reloading period. It helps me relax. Gladly will I learn and gladly will I teach. And when its all said and done...lets go the range to test said loads.
 
My Hornady Handbook of Cartridce Reloading #1 1967 and my Speer Manual For Reloading Ammunition 1970 were my first and second books purchased. Both say Reloading ammunition. But all my Handloader's Digest purchased through out the years call it Handloading. I just don't know.
I reload ammo and use my hands to do it, or so I thought....I'm soooo confused ...just what have I been doing all this time????
Let's just go fishing, a nice can of worms has been opened.
Gary
 
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I reckon I'm a cartridge/shell remanufacturer/handloader/reloader. I started loading & casting back in 1972. Through testing/trial&error I established what my guns like. I have stuck with most of the same recipes over the years. They work! I have no desire or $ for retesting everytime a new powder or bullet hits the market.

Or simply........Who cares as long as it gets the job done.
 
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Like I said in an earlier post, handloading and reloading have become a common term for the same thing for most people. The difficulty comes in when using those terms in some of the action shooting sports (USPSA,IDPA, 3 Gun). All of them define "reloading" as (quoting USPSA Handgun Rules Appendix A-3) "The replenishment or the insertion of additional ammunition into a firearm."

I didn't think much about the difference until one time I was giving a course of fire description to a bunch of brand new USPSA shooters and part of the instruction was a "mandatory reload" at one point. I got a puzzled look from one guy so I asked him if he had any questions. He said "Does this mean I can't shoot my store bought ammo?, I don't reload yet." I'm just glad this wasn't an IDPA briefing and I had said "reload with retention, or tactical reload." His head may have popped. :eek:

Personally I don't think there is any implied distinction between handload and reload, at least I've never thought of it that way. Even though I shoot thousands of rounds a month, I still make sure they are the most accurate and dependable that can be made. I put too much time, effort, and money into my shooting to have it spoiled by a substandard round. ;)
 
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I consider myself a handloader. Loading now 25 calibers, including 3 wildcats & several old commercial carts that have no data. i cast my own bullets, swage jacketed bullets, i had a chronograph when they were foil screens. Yes I am a Handloader first & reloader 2nd.
Having said that, the misconception you can't make high quality ammo on a progressive just gets old. Today's equip is certainly capable of match grade ammo, rifle & certainly pistol. It is the 21st century, th days of arbor presses & painfully slow handloading can be behind you.
 
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