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Old June 24, 2006, 08:42 AM   #1
SOSARMS
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At what point do you consider reloading ??

I have asked myself this question many times....Do i handload for the ammo that are difficult to find or are wildcat cartridges ? Do i handload to get better consistancy or hotter loads ?? With many of the current calibers available from overseas that do shoot quite nicely, do i even waste my time ? Is there a correct way to approach this ? Or is it all just for the fun of it.........
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Old June 24, 2006, 08:48 AM   #2
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At what point do you consider reloading ?

At what point do you consider reloading ?
That's an easy question to answer.
[1] When you shooting desires are outside your pocketbook.
[2] When factory ammo. is not accurate enough to do your job.
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Old June 24, 2006, 08:56 AM   #3
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Hand loading will save you money in the long run. It will also help you to greater understand each individual gun and how well different loads work with a cirtain gun. It also helps to greater understand ballistics. Hand loading is all about consistency and finding out which load(s) work best for your shooting type and your gun.
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Old June 24, 2006, 10:42 AM   #4
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It becomes a hobby.
Combined with the cost savings-or not- there is the ability to tailor the load to the need and practice with what you will shoot when it counts.Be that paper , game or BG's.

You load when you have some spare time-now that the kids are grown and on their own, the daytime job has been laid to rest and I don't really care what is on the tube, you go down to the reloading bench and tinker.
Maybe you get a bit more into the game and start to check run-out, turn necks, burnish primer pockets, whatever.
You get the idea, it becomes something to do that you enjoy and you get to enjoy the hopefully improved performance of what you load.

Note the recurring word "enjoy".

I enjoy reloading.
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Old June 24, 2006, 10:51 AM   #5
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I have to disagree with saving money by reloading. Yes, you will save money per round, but you will easily shoot 5 to 10 times as many rounds. There are many benefits to loading your own ammo - cost, accuracy, custom loads not available commercially, the satisfaction that comes from making your own "premium" ammo, and it's fun. I can't think of any drawbacks. I like reloading almost as much as shooting, and will find myself reloading only because I have empty cases.........and shooting because I don't have any empty cases!
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Old June 24, 2006, 11:06 AM   #6
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I handload for accuracy. Buying factory ammo is like going out to eat all the time.
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Old June 24, 2006, 12:33 PM   #7
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Old June 24, 2006, 12:50 PM   #8
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handloading

If you're trying to save money--these days it's a tossup--there is a lot of good cheap factory ammo for the most common calibers. I hate to say it, but some of the imports are surprisingly good.
Eventually, a lot of us get bit by the accuracy bug and then all bets are off! I tell myself that factory ammo can never be SO tailored to my guns. So, I am not wasting my money on premium ammo that won't work as well. I tell myself that same thing over and over. But in truth--developing a load and fine tuning it and finally getting that tiny group and/or SD on the chrony, well that's FUN!
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Old June 24, 2006, 01:13 PM   #9
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At what point do you consider reloading ??

The point for me came after spending over $100.00 to shoot my .44 magnums for an hour and a half.

The bonus came when I discovered the challenge of making custom rifle ammo.
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Old June 24, 2006, 02:17 PM   #10
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I started 2.5 yrs ago when I couldn't find enough factory .204 Ruger ammo to feed my habit. Very soon afterwards I started loading for every caliber I own (except 7.62X39). It's quite an enjoyable and addicting hobby, and now when I buy a new gun I just by brass, powder and bullets and get started.
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Old June 24, 2006, 03:16 PM   #11
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I'm going to go against the grain and suggest that yes, there's a very good chance reloading will save you money.

I have to drive about an hour to get to a really nice range. So, 2 hours of total driving means that I maybe get out once, maybe twice a month. I tend to shoot rifle and magnum handguns. So, rather than costing me $120 per trip, it's more like $40 per trip. And the ammo is far far superior. And it's a neat hobby.
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Old June 24, 2006, 06:17 PM   #12
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Sometimes it's all just for the fun of it.

Other times it's not.

Factory ammo nowadays is of excellent quality and a load can usually be found that shoots well in most any firearm.

Reloading has many advantages other than just cost. Being able to load a cartridge that is difficult to find and/or expensive to purchase, the satisfaction of achieving one hole groups with ammo of your own manufacture, the ability to load poofer mouse fart loads for teaching a youth who is just graduating from a rimfire without discouraging him/her with recoil, or working up a specialty load to suit your specific needs maybe with an unusual bullet type. All these are easily done by handloading. That and it's just plain fun and interesting, not to mention addicting.
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Old June 30, 2006, 08:18 PM   #13
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For me it's when factory Ammo cost over $55/ box of 20 .338 lapua is ranging from $55 to $80/ box of 20 now.
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Old July 1, 2006, 02:22 AM   #14
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It really depends on what you're shooting. For my MAK-90 (7.62x39), my .223, the .40SW, shotguns, etc, I wouldn't waste the grey matter thinking about reloading. But for my 6mm and 7mm, it's A) the only way I can afford to feed 'em... and B) the best way I can keep a 1000+ meter targets recieving new holes reliably. Aside from that, it's a fun hobby, a great way to kill time, and my son enjoys doing it with me. It gets him that much more involved in shooting as a whole. It has a certain amount of self-gratification behind the idea of spending the afternoon at the range firing loads YOU put together.
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Old July 2, 2006, 08:00 AM   #15
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For me it is simple. I consider the reloading aspects before I buy the gun. I have several guns that have never once seen a factory load. I am considering buying another rifle right now. I have already scoped out the reloading supplies, probably starting load, resources I would need etc.

To me reloading is a huge part of the hobby, not a means of saving money.
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Old July 2, 2006, 10:08 AM   #16
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My reloading philosophy says....

Handgun shooters reload to save money because they shoot large quantities of ammo to become proficient (combat/SD shooting) or to save money on "match" ammo (target competition).

Rifle shooters reload to obtain "one-hole" accuracy and save money over the "premium match" loads or to tailor a load for a specific game animal.

If you shoot a lot of a common cartridge (e.g. .38 special) the generic branded factory ammo (WWB, American Eagle, etc) is pretty cost effective. Saving the brass and reloading it for practice ammo is even more cost effective and a fun hobby. Especially since you can generally get about 5-7 reloads out of a cartridge case if you keep the loads in the mid-range.

If you shoot harder to find cartridges (e.g. .32 H&R Magnum, .41 Magnum, 10mm, 9x23mm etc.) then reloading saves a ton of money over factory ammo.

If you shoot older cartridges in modern guns (e.g. .44 Special, .32 Long, .45 Colt, .32-20 etc.) then you can add some velocity to the older cartridges without buying a premium branded ammo.
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Old July 2, 2006, 10:10 AM   #17
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When ammo costs more than $150 per 1000rds.
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Old July 2, 2006, 11:15 AM   #18
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It cost me $2,800/ thousand rounds minimum for factory ammo
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Old July 2, 2006, 01:17 PM   #19
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$2.8 per round? What caliber is that? .50 BMG or some other giant magnum?
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Old July 2, 2006, 01:40 PM   #20
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When I started in the mid 80's, it was because I was a poor college student, and we didn't have all of the former Eastern Bloc imports (because they weren't "former" yet) ... and there were none of the bargain domestic lines (i.e. Winchester white box), at least not in Michigan's upper peninsula.

Now, it's mostly for enjoyment. I'm with firechicken ... sometimes I shoot just to turn loaded cartridges into empty brass.

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Last edited by dogfood; July 2, 2006 at 10:07 PM.
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Old July 2, 2006, 02:26 PM   #21
Tuf Toy
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$2.8 per round? What caliber is that? .50 BMG or some other giant magnum
No (but close) it's .338 Lapua Magnum
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Old July 2, 2006, 02:54 PM   #22
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I shoot somewhere on the order of 15-20 thousand rounds a year because I shoot competitively (Cowboy Action Shooting). I started reloading to save myself a ton o' $$ and it's working out well so far. My shooting budget has stayed the same, but I get to shoot 5 times as much. As an extra added bonus, it was fun developing a load for .45 Colt that was pleasant to shoot all day and accurate to boot.
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Old July 5, 2006, 02:50 AM   #23
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.375 H&H aint cheap either. About 2.10 a round. I load that because its cheaper. I reload 9mm because i got sick of throwing away good brass

SW
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Old July 5, 2006, 04:44 AM   #24
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One other reason to reload is the stress relieving nature of the motion.

At least for me, I enjoy the repetitive motion of operating a press.

I would think that, like me, most are alone when they reload, and the time to yourself gives your mind a chance to relax.

Plus, my right arm is beginning to look like Popeye's.
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Old July 5, 2006, 12:35 PM   #25
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You May save money or not… I started to Load when I wanted more Accuracy than I could find in factory ammo. It also allows you to try different bullets in a Apples to Apples configuration There is also the enjoyment of the hobby and learning experience; you will learn more about exterior & interior ballistics than you can guess you would… and finally there is a sense of pride and accomplishment when you make the best load you can.
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