Percentage of gun owners that reload

[lamarw]

Think about it for a moment. A large number of gun owners have not fired their gun(s) in the last ten years or more. There are a lot of guns standing behind a door, in a closet, or in a table drawer for years and years.

I still maintain less than one percent or even much less of gun owners reload since there is a significant percentage of gun owners are just that owners and not anyone who ever shoots. Some may not even know where the ammo is for their guns.

[elkslayer4x5]

I think that since this last shortage that the percentage of reloaders is increasing, have noticed that the average number of bids on dies and other reloading equipment has gone up on ebay since the shortage began. I collect Herter's dies sets, and have noticed that the average cost has increased $10-15 a set, almost double right now. A good time to sell off any extra die sets you have.

[lll Otto lll]

It’s next to impossible to know with any degree of accuracy how many people reload or (for that matter) how many Americans even own guns.

[t45]

There is no doubt that reloading is cost effective after you have your initial investment of equipment behind you. It is not why I reload. I just damn love it. I get the same satisfaction pulling the trigger as I do pulling the handle. I think a lot of new gun buyers are buying up reloading supplies because ammo is so scarce and expensive. I think when things calm down you will see that a lot of the new potential reloaders won't follow through and will go back to buying ammo off the shelf.

[AL45]

A guy came by work today looking for .44 Special ammo. He said the only place he could find it was a pawn shop that wanted $60.00 for a 20 round box. I smiled and told him to start reloading. I told him I was reloading .45 Colt for around $8.00 a box and he was surprised. But I don't think he will take my advice.

[tuck2]

I started reloading 270 Win ammo in 1953 and since then whenever I got a firearm I also purchased reloading dies and components . Except for a 10 Ga and 3 1/2 IN 12 Ga I reload ammo for my centerfire rifles, handguns ,and shot guns. I grew up in the country and most of my life lived in small towns . So except for powder and primers most all of my reloading supplies and some equipment has ben ordered from cataloges. Very few of the people I know reload their ammo.

[Mike40-11]

Among casual shooters/gunowners, I don't think the fraction is even 1%. But the competitive shooters make up for it. Before I started shooting matches, I didn't know anyone who reloaded. Started shooting IDPA and found a lot of guys that did. Started shooting highpower and CMP matches and found out that almost EVERYbody did. At my range your lucky to ever find any brass left behind. If the shooter leaves it, one of the other brass rats probably got there before you.

[larryf1952]

I began reloading in 1976. I had bought a 9mm Mauser Parabellum, and shortly thereafter, a Ruger Security Six. Even in those days, I quickly discovered that shooting factory ammo was going to be a major financial burden. So, I bought a Speer #9 reloading manual, a Pacific single stage press (which I still use), as well as the rest of the small parts that I needed to get started, and I started learning how to crank out ammo. That was in the days before carbide sizing dies, so I had to lube my cases. I didn't like that part, and I switched over to carbides as soon as they became available.

In any case, I can probably count all of the boxes of factory ammo that I've purchased on my fingers and toes, with a few left over.

When I go to the range, I can spot the reloaders...if there are any...right away. We're the guys with the green, red and blue flip top plastic boxes. Most of the shooters, though, are there with their new wonder gun and a box or 2 of factory ammo. They plow through it and are gone in half an hour. I appreciate the fact that they left their new, shiny brass on the floor for me to pick up.

Many here have already said what I believe to be true. I've always been a tinkerer and am mechanically and technically inclined. I've made my career with electronics. I think it's something one is born with. I have friends who make a very comfortable salary by selling things to other people. If I had to do that, I'd starve inside of 3 weeks. I don't have it in me. Some folks just don't want to be bothered, or are afraid that they're too technically inept to be able to understand how to reload without making a catastrophic mistake. In those cases, they're probably better off not to reload.

I take pleasure in knowing that I'm capable of building my own ammo that's at least as good and as safe as any factory ammo that I might buy. And, when I see a 2" group with stuff I've built, it makes me smile inside.

Knowing that I can do that and spend 1/3 of what other shooters spend to buy a box of "WWB" makes my smile even bigger.

[dickttx]

Basically all the people I have shot with since about 1967 were completely indifferent to reloading. I would go with 4%/5% of shooters as reloaders.
Along this line, I received my new Hornady 2013 catalog today. I am really grateful to them, and the other manufacturers who spend time and effort to produce quality products for the small percentage of people who do reload.

[TXGunNut]

I shoot at a public range and the percentage is well under 10% I suspect the percentage is higher at club ranges and I know it's higher at matches. Wild card is what percentage of gun owners actually shoot.
Finances are not the only motivator, if it were I wouldn't reload anymore. I just like repurposing wheelweights and figuring out how to make old leverguns shoot. And if it aggravates the guy on the next bench with his "sniper" or "assault" rifle when he can't shoot as well as me and my old levergun that's OK too.