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View Poll Results: What is the MAIN reason you reload
I think its pretty cool that I can make my own bullets 16 18.39%
My Pappy/Granpappy/Uncle/etc reloads, so I do it with them 1 1.15%
I want to save money for the same number of factory bullets I would have bought 10 11.49%
I want to save money so I can shoot more on the same budget 47 54.02%
I need a hobby away from the wife/girlfriend/kids/dog/cat/etc 1 1.15%
I think its both vital equipment and a vital skill to have should the SHTF 12 13.79%
Voters: 87. You may not vote on this poll

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Old October 2, 2001, 11:58 PM   #1
J.T.King
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No, really, why *DO* you reload?

Now that we have got all riled up about why people reload, I thought I would post an obnoxious poll on the subject so that sricciadelli could find out why we REALLY reload...
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Old October 3, 2001, 02:58 AM   #2
blades67
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I reload to save money. I have found other benefits along the way.
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Old October 3, 2001, 05:49 AM   #3
Hal
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I started w/a Lee pound it in and out reloader right after I bought my first box of factory ammo, and have been saving $$ ever since. I've found other huge side bennies along the way.
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Old October 3, 2001, 08:28 AM   #4
sricciardelli
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I reload to match as closely as possible the ammunition to the firearm, obtaining the optimal performance for each firearm. This optimal performance is measured in accuracy and terminal effect.
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Old October 3, 2001, 11:15 AM   #5
J.T.King
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I agree with the tangential benefits...

Althouhg I primarily reload to be able to shoot more on the same budget, I do find that it gives me a great activity to do with my dad. Secondly, its nice to know that I *can* reload should the SHTF. Finally, I think the ability to tailor a round to your personal application, in my case +P practice ammo, is a big benefit as well.

Still, if it cost me MORE to reload than to buy factory, I would buy factory.

JT

as usual, FWIW, YMMV, IMHO, and all that...
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Old October 3, 2001, 03:36 PM   #6
WIL TERRY
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WHY RELOAD/HANDLOAD...HMMM

NONE OF YOUR CHOICES REALLY FITS HERE...WE DON'T MAKE OUR OWN "BULLETS" PER SE' [ CASTING AND SWAGING ASIDE HERE ], WE HANDLOAD OUR CARTRIDGES WITH BULLETS WHICH ARE THE PROJECTILES ONLY.
I DO THIS BECAUSE I'D RATHER DO IT MYSELF;
I DO IT BECAUSE I'M A CRABBY OL' BASTARD WHO CAN MAKE BETTER AMMUNITION FOR MY GUNS THAN ANY AMMO MANUFACTURER;
I DO IT BECAUSE I'M THE CAPTAIN OF MY OWN DESTINY;
I DO IT BEACAUSE NO AMMO MANUFACTURE WAS EVER SMART ENOUGH TO LOAD KEITH SWC BULLETS IN 38, 357, 41, 44SPL, 44MAG, 45COLT ETC;
I DO IT BECAUSE NO AMMO MANUFACTURER WAS SMART ENOUGH TO LOAD 357MAG WADCUTTERS;
I DO IT BECAUSE NO AMMO MANUFACTURER MAKES 32MAG WADCUTTERS NOR 1500FPS 85GR JHPS;
I DO IT BECAUSE I'M AN AMERICAN WHO SAYS GET THE EFF OUTTA MY WAY, I'LL DO IT MYSELF;
I DO IT BECAUSE JOYCE HORNADY AND VERNON SPEER WERE COOL GUYS;
I DID IT BECAUSE IT KEPT ME BUSY AND OUT OF THE BARS;
I DID BETWEEN MARRIAGES BECAUSE IT KEPT ME FROM THINKING ABOUT SEX ALL THE TIME;
I DO IT BECAUSE CHARLIE HECKMAN DIED FOR OUR SINS;
I DID IT AFTER MY LAST MARRIAGE BECAUSE MY NEW BRIDE LOVES GUNS AND GOING SHOOTING; WATCHING ME RUN A PRESS MAKES HER PANTS WET;
I WORK FOR AN AMMUNITION COMPANY, SHOOT UP ALL THE SECONDS I CAN LAY HANDS UPON, AND STILL SPEND 3 OR 4 NIGHTS A WEEK IN MY LOADING ROOM;
I WORKED FOR ANOTHER AMMO COMPANY BEFORE AND AVERAGED 1000 ROUNDS PER WEEK OF THEIR SECONDS THE ENTIRE TIME I WORKED THERE AND STILL LOADED ALL THE REST OF MY AMMUNITION;
I DO IT BECAUSE NOT A SINGLE FIREARM IN THE 135 CALIBERS I'VE LOADED FOR WAS AT ITS BEST WITH FACTORY AMMUNITION, AND THAT ASSUMES THERE WAS EVEN FACTORY AMMO FOR IT;
I DO IT BECAUSE I CAN;
THERE FORE I AM;
A HANDLOADER.
I NEED A COLD BEER NOW...
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Old October 3, 2001, 04:34 PM   #7
J.T.King
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Excellent!

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Old October 3, 2001, 04:52 PM   #8
Gewehr98
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Because there ain't no commercial ammo...

For the wildcat and obsolete chamberings in many of my guns, so there!
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Old October 3, 2001, 05:25 PM   #9
dntorbert
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I started reloading because of a derringer I bought.... I purchased a cheap single shot fie 38 derringer to put shot in for snake medicine on woods stomping expeditions. When I got it home I found out the chamber is not cut to max cartridge lenght and every commercial 38 shot shell is loaded to maxlenght so a lee loader was purchased and it was down hit from there(I now own 4 reloading presses and 3 lee loaders) The current reason fro reloadign is being able to shoot more for less
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Old October 3, 2001, 05:49 PM   #10
Keith J
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Because I cannot find a 80 gr 5.56 x 45 NATO that prints small groups at 600 yards.

Because my reloads are custom tailored to my rifle.

Because no one loads the 64 gr Power Point to 2800 ft/second and its deadly accurate and effective on deer to 200 yards.

Because .22 Hornet ammo is too expensive.

And its fun!
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Old October 4, 2001, 10:14 AM   #11
J.T.King
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ok, so far...

We have 22 votes to save money and 11 for other reasons.

I think its safe to say that saving money is the DOMINANT reason to reload.

JT
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Old October 4, 2001, 10:50 AM   #12
sundog
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again, just like the other thread:

Because I can....

Nothing like living in the greastest nation on earth. sundog
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Old October 4, 2001, 11:32 AM   #13
E. BeauBeaux
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What about none of the above for an answer. I thought we had covered everything with the poll crap.
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Old October 4, 2001, 01:21 PM   #14
J.T.King
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E. BeauBeaux,

What about you just dont read threads that you dont like? I thought we had covered your kind of crap in other threads.

JT

as usual, FWIW, YMMV, IMHO, and all that...
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Old October 4, 2001, 01:56 PM   #15
Edward429451
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I started reloading to save money/shoot more and it turned into because I can reload BETTER ammo than I can buy (Which isnt in the lineup of choices, so I voted for the vital skill for when TSHTF).
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Old October 4, 2001, 11:02 PM   #16
swifter...
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Hoo-Boy, between this and Steve's post, there sure are a lot of guys getting defensive!

You missed my reasons: I shoot 2 rifle rounds that you cannot buy factory ammo for, and one that I've never seen any factory for, tho it supposedly exists...
And I enjoy it, and I can try new things. Save money? For the AR's! Why should I leave anything for my relatives and the gummint to squabble over?

Hell, its all supposed to be fun. Some of you folks get way too intense. Loosen up, you'll be more accurate!
Tom
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Old October 4, 2001, 11:25 PM   #17
Bill Adair
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JT,

Interesting poll.

I bought my first handgun over 25 years ago (Dan Wesson .357), and with the money I would have spent on my first years supply of ammo, I purchased an RCBS reloading press, Lee powder scoop set, a set of dies, a lube pad, and enough components to reload my first few boxes of ammo. Copied reloading data from a manual at the library, and have never looked back!

Had four kids to feed at the time, so factory ammo was out of the question.

I'm still using the original press, but over the years I've added all the fancy stuff like a scale, powder measure, hand priming tool, calipers, and all the other toys we reloaders absolutely have to own.

Now I can afford the ammo, but the only factory ammo I ever buy, is the first few boxes in any new caliber I add, but only until I get the dies and components to reload.

My reasons went from purely economic, to the joys of load development, and pride in making the very best ammo for my guns!

Your survey had no such combination, so I picked my original reason for reloading.

Bill
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Old October 5, 2001, 12:05 AM   #18
zot
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its all about money,when I buy wheel weights and use them for bullets, it takes time, but save alot of money, buy primers in large
amounts, buy powder in large volume, it all saves money compared to $15 to $150 for exotic calibers, money!and its a
self satisfing to reload a box of 20 rd's of .458 mag for a 10th of the price of store ammo.
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Old October 5, 2001, 09:44 AM   #19
Bob243
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there are no options for "because I can load more acurate ammo than I can buy"
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Old October 5, 2001, 12:50 PM   #20
HankB
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It depends. For shotgun and most pistol calibers, I reload simply to save money. For rifle, the ammo I load is more accurate and can sometimes be more powerful than typical factory ammo. (Ummm . . . gotta be careful about that "more powerful" part. It depends on a lot of things - caliber, type and condition of your firearm, and other things too numberous to go into here.)
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Old October 5, 2001, 02:54 PM   #21
Quartus
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sricciardelli, that's a good reason.

So are the others.


BTW, here's an interesting site for reloaders, especialy varminters:


http://www.cctrap.com/~varmint/ahunt.htm


The site owner is good folks.
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Old October 6, 2001, 07:49 AM   #22
gbrading1974
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Can I pick all of them?
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Old October 6, 2001, 02:49 PM   #23
Waterdog
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The best part about reloading is telling newbies how much it cost to roll my own.

Waterdog
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Old October 8, 2001, 10:24 PM   #24
Stonesheep
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roll my own's

There is a certain satisfaction in shooting an animal with a bullet you worked up a load for. I just got my moose with my pet load in my 300 Win Mag, a 190 gr Hornady boat tail with 74 grains of RL22, loaded 10 thou. off the lands for an overall length of 3.4 inches. Nice. And if the SHTF here in sleepy little Canada, I can reload til the cows come home....
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Old October 8, 2001, 11:55 PM   #25
Ala Dan
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Great skill to have in case the SHTF; and beside's
you can custom your favorite round to your own
specifications, in some case's.

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member
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