what got you into reloading?

[hangnoose]

IN A WORD POVERTY

Being the poorest member of our trap team, I was made an offer I couldn't refuse. The other members paid ALL my expenses & the costs of all the reloading supplies, all I had to do was crank out 125 rounds per 5 men, per week, for 10 weeks. Of course when anyone missed it was the loads problem. I was "LOAD".

 

[Big Cholla]

On my 16th birthday, 1955, my father gave me his well used Winchester M 12 16ga. pump. He purchased himself a new one! I had been shooting his Winchester M 12 20ga. Both my Dad and my Grandfather were very good shot gunners on the Nevada Mt. Quail. I wanted to become as good as they were and so needed to practice a lot. My paper route money wouldn't go far enough on new factory ammo, so I got the idea of reloading. I had just read an article in American Rifleman magazine on reloading shot shell and it didn't sound like it would be that difficult. After conferring with an Uncle that was a practicing gunsmith, we bought the supplies and a straight line Pacific Press. I went to work and quickly was turning out acceptable ammo. When I got to college I went to work in a Sporting Good Store with a custom rifle shop. It quickly became my job to turn out all the custom ammo that went with the custom rifles. I acquired my first pistol, a Ruger Blackhawk, and included that on the reloading bench for both 38 Spec. and 357 Mag. I have never quit reloading. I Just spent yesterday and today relocating my special built and dedicated reloading building from one property to my present home. I can reload for 12 handgun calibers, 20 rifle calibers and both 20ga. and 12ga. shotgun. Strange, but I no longer reload for 16ga. ............... Big Cholla

 

[76Y40]

Walked into the indoor range as three guys were leaving and I saw a "sea of gold" laying on the floor.

Found a RCBS Jr. on eBay for 60 bucks just like the one I had 40 years ago and the rest is history.

 

[alwslate]

I started reloading/handloading in 1966 when I had a job that provided
enough income to be able to buy a few toys. My first good handgun
was my S&W 28-2 that I still have followed by a couple of 38 spls. My
first centerfire rifle was a 257 Roberts for which factory ammo was
pretty limited. Older co-workers that I hunted with were reloading
30/06s, 270s, 222s and various handgun rounds and they helped me
get started. The 257 Roberts was soon replaced by a 30/06 and I
got plenty of advice from co-workers to point me in the right direction.
I've been handloading ever since and I cannot imagine not doing so.
Besides the obvious benefit of saving money the options are nearly
unlimited compared to being restricted to factory ammo. I can't say
I always enjoy the work involved but I really enjoy the experimental
aspect of developing a satisfying load, plinking or heavy.

 

[Ksimons]

Started back in 1976 a year after buying a Marlin 30-30 and paying a fortune per round I bought a Lyman SparT. I always saved my brass so I had about 200 casings to work with. Kind of got out of shooting for a while until my wife bought me a S&W 686 in 1985. But mostly shoot store bought reloads or factory loads in that. Fast forward to two years ago and I bought a M&P 40 FS. So it was time to break out the SparT and dust it off. Now I reload 30-30, .38/.357 and S&W .40. Saves a bundle of money and even at the worst of the drought I always had supplies.

 

[br25004x4]

Started about 1966 when I was 14 to have more ammo to shoot. Been at it ever since. Used a Lee Kit with the hammer to start. Then a Lyman T press of my Uncles. Then bought a Rock Chucker setup. Currently still using the Rock Chucker, plus a Dillon 550 and 2 Dillon 650's. I should gone Dillon a lot sooner than I did, they sure make loading handgun ammo a pleasure.

 

[Maddog 521]

I couldn't afford store bought 41 magnum shells.

 

[Cdog]

My first .257 Roberts caliber rifle.

That was near 30 years and several .257's ago.

 

[Chukar60]

My dad started reloading about two years after I started hunting. We reloaded every rifle round we shot. When I bought my own set up almost 30 years ago, it was a Rock chucker. I loaded for both rifles and handguns on that thing. I am still using the same press for my rifles along with some of Dad's old dies. I just moved to a Hornady Lock n Load about a month ago for handgun ammo. Now both adult daughters come over to load for their handguns, and the two granddaughters are at an age where loading and shooting are starting.
Any gift that can span four generations is a great investment.

 

[tim c]

My Dad also. I remember when i was 8 yrs. watching the care and time he took to get every round just right.He taught me and 40 years later i enjoy and take the same pride in it as he did. Thanks pops god rest your soul.

 

[mike from st pete]

S&W696 I had to have one and when I found that the ammo was hard to find and expensive I got started handloading.

 

[KarmannGhia]

The 32-20 (32 wcf) before Cowboy Action Shooting resurrected the caliber is what sparked my interest into reloading (late 1980s). I still use my original single stage press for all my reloading (357/38, 44, 45 acp and colt, 32 long and mag, 9mm, and 32-20).

 

[SW_shooter]

Technically I'm still not reloading, still haven't been able to build a bench and set up. BUT, I have a lot of components purchased!!

I suppose I could say $$ is the reason, but to be honest its deeper than that. Yes ammo is coming down in price ( a little) but availability is sometimes still an issue. I think I have two reasons.

1) I think ammo is going to be harder to get in the future, Democrats and gun grabbers are aiming to make it very difficult in my opinion. So I want to be able to make my own and to do so I will be buying and hoarding as many components as I can find and buy.

2) I think it will be an interesting hobby to add to my shooting hobby. I don't hunt (at least as long as grocery stores are still in existence) so I don't need hunting rounds. Its all about the hobby for me. The fun and the challenge of shooting well.

Besides, so far I haven't saved a dime, buying powder, brass, bullets, primers and other stuff isn't cheap. especially in bulk!

 

[3rdgeargrndrr]

the cost of 45acp.
Well, most reloaders I know spend much more on reloading supplies than they ever would have on factory ammo because they shoot twice as much.

 

[Engineer1911]

1974 I received a Lee Loader (Pound-a-Matic) from my brother for my Rem 700 in 30-06. Six months later I bought an RCBS Rock Chucker and die set. On the slippery slope for rifles.

1977 I bought a 6" Ruger Security Six 357 mag revolver. Another die set, 4 cavity bullet mold, and sizer body got me on the handgun slippery slope of reloading and casting quanties of lead bullets.

 

[Bkreutz]

I initially got involved because of my uncle who was a gun collector and big game hunter (Africa type hunts). He was always having to make ammo for some of his collector pieces because they weren't available. I loved hanging around his workshop when I was small, then I worked for him one summer when I was 15 (he owned a construction company). After the summer he asked if I wanted to go hunting, I said sure (thinking we would hunt deer) next place I find myself is Kenya It was great, spent a month there, shot a few Sprinbok, saw some really big animals shot. From then on I was hooked. I stopped handloading for the 10 years I was in the Army (got my ammo for free during that period of my life) Then started again when I got out in 1979.

 

[carpriver]

I started reloading because I could not stand seeing all that used brass laying on the ground at the range. I looked into reloading and found that if I picked up the brass I was on my way to a cheaper way to shot if I reloaded. I started reloading 10 years ago after getting my first pistol. Now I reload for all my pistols, revolvers and rifles.

 

[Ga.BuckBuster]

Needed to practice with my new S&W 29(one of many I no longer have, do own a .500 S&W now though) back in the 80s and to get good with a handgun. You have to shoot, a lot! Since my last name wasn't Gates or Buffett, I knew I needed to learn to reload. Enjoy it now more than ever!
Reload for every gun I have now, except one and mil surp ammo was cheaper when I bought it back then for this gun. Cast bullets for my pistols now too.

 

[MasterTech1960]

Hi, my name Dan and I am a reloading addict. It all started in 1976 . My brother in-law asked, do you want to go shooting? The first time he paid for the ammo. Then after that he said if we went shooting, I had to pay for the ammo. Well l was addicted and could not afford store bought. Looked into reloading and and never looked back. My revenge was getting him addicted to reloading.

 

[RIDE-RED 350r]

What got me into reloading??? 3 words: NY SAFE Act..... And that's all Im going to say on that point.


Of course, I enjoy the heck out of every aspect of it from how much I have learned and am continuing to learn, the fun and satisfaction of building and firing my own rounds, and of course the cost being cheaper than factory is big too...