When Reloading starts to feel like a job?

[Xfire68]

I have been shooting a bit more then I have in the past and when I go shooting so do some of my brothers and some friends.

Well for me that means lots of reloading!

I started out loading for .380 as the ammo was way too much for those little buggers! Then I loaded for my new 9mm which was not so much for the cost but more so I could shoot better ammo and more of it. Now I am loading for the family to go shooting and man they love to go through some rounds!

I load for .223 (Lots! And Lots! Thousands), 9mm (Again lots and Lots!), .380 (Not so many anymore), .45 Colt (Lots so far), .40 S&W (Lots and Lots).

I just placed an order for powder last week and I just placed another order again tonight for 12 more Lbs and 2k more primers. I have plenty of pistol powder but I can go through a bunch of rifle powder in a day!

I am not really complaining as I do love reloading but, I can't seem to find anyone that even wants to check brass or size cases for me! Man how ungrateful!

[rduckwor]

Any time I load rifle it's a job! Pistol is a piece of cake.

[dawico]

Do they atleast buy the componants? You should be shooting for free since you do all the loading.

[Xfire68]

My friend kicks in for reloading supplies and so does my brother so at least I am not stuck with the bill as well!

rduckwor, I agree it is much more of a task to reload quality rifle ammo then pistol!

[Wrangler5]

Hope you're using a good progressive press. One with a functional case feeder. And maybe even a bullet feeder. And if you load primer tubes, an automatic tube loader, too. Your buddies ought to be providing those sorts of aids as well. Especially since they don't seem to be willing to help otherwise.

I enjoy loading 9mm and to a lesser extent 38 Special (harder to see the powder level with most powders.) But I'm with you, 223 always seemed more like work.

[Xfire68]

Nope I have a single stage and a 4 hole turret press. My brother was nice enough to buy me the turret press even though I almost had him talked into a Hornady Lock and Load progressive press! At the time the price seemed a bit to high but now that he wants to shoot every Monday I might have to hit him up for that again?

The 4 Hole press does pretty quick work on all of the loads but it sure would be nice to have a better one. I can do 200 9mm an hour when I am on a role but, it's more like 150 on average. The .223 is more like 80-100 per hour.

[FrankenMauser]

It sounds like you need to make them reload a few hundred rounds, so they can see what kind of time and effort goes into the process.

All they see, is the magical ammo box refilling itself every time they go shooting. (And even when "chipping in" on supplies, it's still costing them a boatload less than factory ammo.)

One of my brothers sometimes treats my ammo the same way, but usually remembers how anal I am about my reloading process (it can take me 3 hours to load 20 rounds of rifle ammo, if I'm serious about consistency). My other brothers understand ... a bit. But they're still using mixed-head-stamp brass while chasing accuracy loads in rifles. ...One of these days, I'll show them the light at the end of the single-lot-of-the-same-brand-of-brass-if-you-want-consistency tunnel. (And I won't even get into flash hole deburring, chamfering, primer pocket cleaning, tracking times fired, etc, etc... I'll go easy on them.)


The title of the thread made me think reloading for yourself had started to feel like a job. In that case, I have one remedy:
Go buy a box of quality factory ammo for your favorite centerfire rifle. If you actually make it out the door of the shop with the ammo in hand, shoot the whole box in a single range trip. Return to the same store, to replace said box of factory ammo. Weep at the ridiculous amount of money wasted on factory ammo, rather than multiple times more rounds worth of reloading supplies. Job, no more.

[sserdlihc]

First, get your family involved in the process if they want to continue to shoot. Even if they help out monetarily with the componets, your time is just as valuable as theirs.

Second, sounds like you need a progressive press if you are running thru that much ammo. I don't use a progressive press but I would if I found myself using that much ammo.

[Don P]

I am not really complaining as I do love reloading but, I can't seem to find anyone that even wants to check brass or size cases for me! Man how ungrateful!

Easy fix, either they help out or they buy factory ammo or as a last resort they pay you by the hour for all your endeavors in re-loading.
My view point is family or friends will push until you push back. They also do not realize the time involved. If they are not willing to do the above quote then asking them to sit in on a re-loading session is pointless

[sundog]

When Reloading starts to feel like a job?

When prepping a thousand new pieces of brass -- fls, flash hole debur, primer pocket uniform, fire form, fls or ns, trim, neck turn.... That's a lot of work. And, if it is once fired military, removed the primer crimp. All of that before the case is ready for match use.

[spacecoast]

It sounds like you need to make them reload a few hundred rounds, so they can see what kind of time and effort goes into the process.

Better yet, make them do it with a hand press

[Edward429451]

When people say they want to go shooting with me I tell them to pitch in on ammo. Since I reload that means help reload. A couple times I have had people show up to help but when they see brass instead of powder or seating bullets they lose interest and not help. Come range day I leave them behind unless thI see them peeling some green out.

[temmi]

I only load for my sons and only if they help me.


I like to load… but I hate to cast pearls before swine.


If they help I will load… if not they can buy their own darn ammo.

[demigod]

I stay on top of brass prep so I'm never processing more than a hundred or two at a time.

Big batches of mil brass really make reloading feel like a job. :barf:

[g.willikers]

I supply all the ammo, targets, and even the guns, when friends and family join me.
It's all .22.
If they want to shoot centerfire, they're on their own.
With enough interesting targets, especially the kind that go clang, spin and do other entertaining things, there's no complaints.
They are also welcome to the remainder of whatever reloads I've brought and didn't use.
No guilt trip there.

[BigJimP]

Reloading does consume some time / but a good progressive press would make it a lot easier on you as well. A progressive press like the Dillon 650 will easily crank out 1,000 rds an hour on handgun ammo/especially if you put a casefeeder on it.

I don't reload for people outside my immediate family - sons, grandkids, etc - primarily because I tell my friends that god forbid, I screw up, I can't stand the thought of them getting hurt. If I were to sell reloads to my friends - its even worse - because I don't think my Homeowner's Insurance would cover me - if I were selling it. If they were paying me for the components - maybe it would cover me / maybe not ---but I'd still feel terrible. And the reality is - I use that as a reason not to reload outside my immediate family.

I have made my press available to buddies / to mentor them on reloading - to teach them - so they can buy their own press. Let them buy all their own components / not buy my stock ...and help them load up 1,000 rds or something .... But I make them do all the work / with me watching --- so if they screw up / its their issue. But making my press available all the time to a buddy / no, I won't go that far. Its too big a hassle / if they want to reload - they need to buy presses and deal with storing their own components, etc ...

I know guys that go together and buy "community presses" ...and that's cool - but each guy does his own work on the press. They might share components / but each guy sets up his powder measures, checks everything ...its just shared together / and nobody is getting paid to make ammo !

Same thing when it comes to guns / at some point your buddies need to buy their own guns - to use ...vs using all my stuff. Not that I won't share / if they'd like to try shooting a certain gun / or a certain caliber ...but at some point / they need their own stuff !

Otherwise ---dragging 8 or 9 guns to the range / and 1,000 rds of ammo --gets to be way too much work ( exactly like you're finding out). That's why I think the "Liability Issue" gives you a crutch to get out of doing all this stuff ... Tell them you'll help them get set-up when they're ready to buy their own press ....but otherwise / they're taking advantage of your good nature ...and treating you like a "rented mule"...in my opinon.

[Jim243]

Xfire68

What range does your brother use evey monday night? I will work on him and when done, he will insist on loading his own ammo. Who knows he might even buy his own Hornady L-N-L press and then you can have him load YOUR ammo to shoot. (not that I recommend that, I only shoot my own ammo).

PM me a picture of your brother and the times he shoots. I'll do the rest, just don't let him know.

I would guess we are not that far apart. (Wood Dale, IL)


Jim

[Xfire68]

Jim we are lucky enough to have a friend with a farm and that is our range whenever we want to go shooting day or night. In the Fall/Winter we can set up long distance shooting but in the spring and summer we have to keep it down to 80-100 yards due to the crops in the fields.

Guys maybe I came off as though I was tried or mad about having to reload all of this ammo but the truth is I don't really think I would want them "Really" helping out other than maybe sorting brass or giving me money for supplies.

I will invest in a progressive press soon enough and my buddy is paying me full price per 1k of .223. $350 and it cost me around $165 depending on the projectiles used so I will be able to save up for one pretty quick.

My brother has helped me out more times then I can count so I don't ever really feel taken advantage of by him. My younger brother on the other hand thinks the ammo is free and I find it in a ditch somewhere!!!:barf:

They all do make a point of thanking me for my work so it is not as bad as I must have made it sound. I do want them to spend a whole day in the garage while I load so they can see how much work is really involved.

[Teuthis]

Learn to love it or don't do it. You will get in a hurry and make some lethal loads. I treat every round as a masterpiece. When it starts to pall, stop and continue when you really want to.

[Elkshed]

Why not teach them to do their own.

[RaySendero]

Xfire68,

I like to reload - Pistol pratice rounds and Shotgun target/dove loads are like rduckwor said "piece of cake". Rifle rounds aren't that bad either once you've got the recipe.

BUT...working them rifle loads up from scratch are a job due mostly from packing up, going to range, shoot ladder for various powders, recording chrono info, drive back, unpacking, recording pressure signs, analyzing, planning more loads, loading more, packing-up, going to range again, shooting accuracy/comformation targets, recording chrono info again, drive back again, unpack again, recording pressure signs again, analyzing again, analyzing again, planning again, loading more again, packing-up again, going to range again, shooting group/trajectory/sight-in targets, recording chrono again, drive back again, unpack again, record pressure signs again, analyzing one more time, making notes of recipe for future reference = DONE (if somewhere along the way the rifle doesn't reject your choice of bullet)

[TheNatureBoy]

Reloading never feels like a job to me and it never has. Maybe its because I know what I like to shoot and I make sure I have plenty of it ready to go. Add to that the fact that I don't get a chance to go to the range as often as I'd like so preparing i.e. loading gets me excited about a long, fun day of shooting.

[TXGunNut]

Quit your day job so you can load more, mebbe they can shoot two days a week! Or bring 22's like GW and tell them you went out and got a life and couldn't load for their hungry little guns.
I load a bit for my brother but rarely for anyone else. I wish I had more time to load, I don't get to load all I want to shoot. I even buy store bought pistol ammo so I can spend my loading time with the rifle cartridges that I've been almost obsessed with lately.
Your beneficiaries are lucky folks, I hope they appreciate your efforts.
Gotta ask, Jim, what did you have planned?

[glock 2026]

If it feels like a job . GET a 650 XL DILLON . I DID FREE PARTS TO REPAIR AND VERY FAST YOU WILL WANT MORE TO LOAD.

[Xfire68]

Well seeing none of the people I shoot with nor myself are at this point interested in extremely accurate 1/2 MOA rifle rounds and are more interested in safe, quality and quantity for the AR's we shoot.
I don't spend all that much time researching or work up a load. I have found a good powder that is pretty cheap (TAC) and load all of the loads according to published data and normally of the light to mid level charges. Right now I am using LC brass, CCI SRP, 23.5g of TAC with pulled 62g FMJ's and 55g V-Max.

I don't see the point in spending all that much time on ammo that is going to go bye bye at the rate of one every 1-2 seconds!!! These loads print nice groups at 50-100 yards and are a ton of fun in general to shoot!

Went shooting again today so soo much for every Monday as we already made plans to shoot again this weekend!!!!

I do have my work cut out for me and being disabled and out of a job the last 3.5 years it does give me something to do........ that is for sure!

Pistol I load mostly 9mm and am still trying different powders. I just got 12lbs of TAC and 4Lbs of Tightgroup today. I really got the TG for the .45 LC as I have read that it works well in that caliber do to the large, darn near empty case! So far I have a load I like with AA #5, Bullseye and Power Pistol but have not decided on a favorite yet? Once I do I will more then likely drop down to 2-3 powders including the 1 for rifle.