Reload or not?

KnotRight

KnotRight

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If you have your ammo stash where you like it (if that is possible), would you reload just for the fun of reloading?

I enjoy reloading and do it on a single stage press so I will not be doing 500-1000 rounds per weekend. Usually 50-100 rounds a sitting.
 
Pistol, definitely, but on a used Dillon RL550b, if I didn’t have one. 450-500 rounds of .45 in one hour, even when verifying the powder charge every half box or so. Single-stage on Rifle only. But yes, I reload even though I have always kept a nice size stash. It provides flexibility and a backup source, but mainly gives me volume pistol ammo and tailored to my rifle, accurate ammo.
 
I reload but I am not a fan of reloading. I do it because of economic and diversification. When ammo was cheap in 2019- early 2020 the press did not get used much but I continued to buy reloading supplies when they were on sale.
 
I reload not for economic reasons but for best accuracy in most of my stuff. I do have a couple guns that reloading is the only way to have ammo for that particular arm that I enjoy shooting.
 
I reload for lots of reasons. One is not for saving money. Too many toys to buy. I have planned ahead and can load till my heart is content. Reloading is an enjoyable hobby that allows me to load old, odd calibers. Yes, saves lots of money on these. I also cast which saves me even more, because I get all the lead I want. Which in its self is another hobby!
 
I started reloading for economic reasons in my pistols, during the past year started loading rifle for accuracy & am considering seeing if I can fine tune my pistol loads at all. I find that I enjoy reloading now and would continue do so.


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After the 2012 rush. I got interested in reloading.

Got my first 9mm and it took months to find my first box of ammo.

So when I was able, I bought presses (yes plural) and all the components to roll my own.

I ended up finding it enjoyable to no end to spend free time making ammo that is both better and cheaper than the factory can offer especially for "plinking" ammo.

Even when it wasn't worth the time to reload for something like 9mm, I was stocking up on components.

So now that another 2012 is upon us. I can make more than I can shoot easily.

My "factory" stash of whatever caliber is pretty mundane. But my "ability" to make as much as I would like is a gift of circumstance.

So, especially now. I reload for the fun of it. It makes me happy that I have the resources I have collected during the good times, all at hand to make whatever I want, whenever I so choose. During the current "bad times"..
 
Thanks,
Let me state my question a different way. If you have a good stash of ammo loaded and you are not shooting much because of what is going on and you might have a years worth of reloading components, would you reload them just for the sake of reloading?
 
Yes because I enjoy the process. Unfortunately, I got into reloading too late and am low on SPPs, so my reloading is on hold until I can find some more :(
 
KnotRight said:
might have a years worth of reloading components
Click to expand...
@Toprudder would say that's rookie numbers! 😁 But that be said, I would slow down on my shooting and reload what I needed to practice with. I believe this shortage will last longer than the last one.
 
KnotRight said:
Thanks,
Let me state my question a different way. If you have a good stash of ammo loaded and you are not shooting much because of what is going on and you might have a years worth of reloading components, would you reload them just for the sake of reloading?
Click to expand...

Why wouldn't you? If you are making known loads for yourself, all the components are just that... Supplies needed to make your preferred ammo. Until they become loaded rounds, they are just ingredients. Sitting in inventory waiting to serve their purpose.

Now if one was still actively bringing in new firearms to work up new loads for. I get letting the "ingredients" sit until it's time to make specific ammo for it. But if your set. Why leave it as components with potential instead of making it something readily useable.
 
KnotRight said:
Thanks,
Let me state my question a different way. If you have a good stash of ammo loaded and you are not shooting much because of what is going on and you might have a years worth of reloading components, would you reload them just for the sake of reloading?
Click to expand...
I have found myself to be extremely lucky and have scored some massive reloading estates. So I have more components than I will probably ever shoot. My loaded ammo stash will last me forever. I still reload. But now, instead of doing it out of necessity, I do it for relaxation and enjoyment. Now is the time where I can really do some R&D to play with certain loads for each firearm to get optimum results.
 
Much like @Took , this is usually my reloading season. Cold wet nasty days bad for shooting or fishing but I can always hang in the garage for a few hours and knock out some gun food. My ammo stores are good but I know that I will be depleting it as the weather gets nicer so now is the time to get ready for shooting.
 
I load for the fun of it. I got started just before the 2012/2013 shortages, so when things became available again, I started stocking up. I had collected factory ammo before that, and still have a good stock, but I hardly ever shoot factory ammo other than 22 anymore.


Trevillian said:
Why leave it as components with potential instead of making it something readily useable.
Click to expand...
Good question. I typically only load as I need too. No more than 500 rounds of calibers like 9mm or 45acp, less for calibers I don’t shoot that often. I have enough components to last for several years, though. Why don’t I go ahead and load it all up? I would loose the option of selling the components. Right now, I could make good money if I wanted to sell my components. Hand loaded ammo is harder to get rid of.

I hear too many stories about an estate sale where the loaded ammo almost has to be given away, but the components will sell much easier.
 
Accuracy. My hand loaded 44 magnum is twice as accurate as any ammo I have ever bought. It’s the same for most calibers I load for except 450 Bushmaster. Hornady factory ammo is your most accurate option. If someone can duplicate that have them teach you.
 
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KnotRight said:
Thanks,
Let me state my question a different way. If you have a good stash of ammo loaded and you are not shooting much because of what is going on and you might have a years worth of reloading components, would you reload them just for the sake of reloading?
Click to expand...
Yup. Always looking for a better, more accurate load
 
"Thanks,
Let me state my question a different way. If you have a good stash of ammo loaded and you are not shooting much because of what is going on and you might have a years worth of reloading components, would you reload them just for the sake of reloading?"

Having dealt with several estates,, I can say I would NOT recommend reloading just for the sake of reloading it.
Toprudder has mentioned it a bit.

Selling ammo, that was NOT loaded by a licensed, and marked ammo manufacturer,, can cause HUGE liability issues.
How may people would buy ammo NOT knowing the maker?
We always preach; "Do not shoot someone else's reloads."
God forbid,, if something were to happen to you, your family would have to dispose of the ammo. And you may have someone in your family that would use it. But what if your family needed the money over the ammo?

I helped an old friend,, a few years back, sell off a lot of his estate. He knew his time was coming. And his kids were totally in the dark about guns & ammo stuff. He put it in his will, AND told me directly,, that when his time came he wanted me to help his kids with whatever was left over.
Well, his daughters wanted to take all the handloaded ammo to the local Sheriff, and give it to them for disposal. LUCKILY,, I knew the sheriff, and we talked a bit. He told them to let me get the ammo. I did,, but I also had to have a lawyer drawn liability release for them. (My wife was working for an attorney at the time, so it wasn't an expense.) And I bought it all at 0.03 cents each. All 12,000 plus rounds of handloaded ammo. I have been slowly pulling the ammo apart, when I have the time & inclination to do so.

Individual components, in their original containers are much more valuable,,, easier to sell, AND without the liability issues.
 
KnotRight said:
Thanks,
Let me state my question a different way. If you have a good stash of ammo loaded and you are not shooting much because of what is going on and you might have a years worth of reloading components, would you reload them just for the sake of reloading?
Click to expand...

Yes.

I see no downside to having loaded ammunition immediately available. I have around 600-700 primed 5.56 brass just waiting to be loaded. Soon as I can manage to find the bullets I need in stock and can get them, I’ll get em loaded.
 
I can see both sides of this - you may want to tweak or make minor changes to the load - so having more in components makes more sense- maybe for a different firearm in the same caliber ??
Loading the ammo limits your ability and breaking it down is a pain
 
I would guess that I spend at least 5x as much time reloading as I do shooting...maybe why I’m not a very good shot.

For some calibers I have a couple years worth of reloads on hand, for others just a few months. I honestly hate the process of converting the press from one caliber to another, even though it only takes 30min, so when I run 9mm or 45acp or 223 for plinking I run several ammo cans worth.
 
JimB said:
I would guess that I spend at least 5x as much time reloading as I do shooting...maybe why I’m not a very good shot.

For some calibers I have a couple years worth of reloads on hand, for others just a few months. I honestly hate the process of converting the press from one caliber to another, even though it only takes 30min, so when I run 9mm or 45acp or 223 for plinking I run several ammo cans worth.
Click to expand...

JimB, I am on a single stage Rockchucker and all my brass is deprimed and resized before I sit down. I prime the brass, turn the meter on the powder thrower to the correct number, weigh maybe 4 charge then start loading. Can easy do 50 in 20 minutes. Change dies, powder and set the powder thrower to the correct number and can know out another 5o in less then 25-30 minutes.
 
KnotRight said:
JimB, I am on a single stage Rockchucker and all my brass is deprimed and resized before I sit down. I prime the brass, turn the meter on the powder thrower to the correct number, weigh maybe 4 charge then start loading. Can easy do 50 in 20 minutes. Change dies, powder and set the powder thrower to the correct number and can know out another 5o in less then 25-30 minutes.
Click to expand...

My single stage process is similar, although I start with primed brass and if I’m only doing a couple dozen I’ll just weigh each charge on the beam scale. It’s the brass acquisition and prep that takes so much time.
 
KnotRight said:
f you have your ammo stash where you like it (if that is possible), would you reload just for the fun of reloading?
Click to expand...
Yes.

KnotRight said:
I enjoy reloading and do it on a single stage press so I will not be doing 500-1000 rounds per weekend. Usually 50-100 rounds a sitting.
Click to expand...
Its not about "Quantity", its "Quality" that counts.................

I have been Hand Loading now for over 40 years. When I was a kid, it was the mystic of loading your own that attracted me, later in my early youth it also was about economics. I started with a RCBS RockChucker as many of us do. Later I was able to talk the parents into a Dillon for a birthday gift, and holy cow, I had hit the big time then.....Woo Hoo...................

Thought the late 80s and early 90s it was mostly handgun........... In the later 90s it became about loading serious hunting ammo, study of Terminal Ballistics, and making moves to larger bore rifles. In the early 2000s we started to get interested in various "WildCat" cartridges, and "Semi-WildCat" cartridges, 338 WSM, 358 STA, even 6.5 WSM, and of course 458 Lott. Yes, when I started shooting 458 Lott I had to make brass from 375 HH and or 416 Remington. Made some 358 STA from 375 HH, and some with 8mm Remington too. Of course 338 WSM and 6.5 WSM made from 300 WSM. By the end of 2005 we had dreamed up the 50 B&M... .500 caliber. I had a need for such. And this started a avalanche of B&M cartridges finally ending with 6 different .500 caliber cartridges, for Bolt, Lever, Single Shot and Semi. It led to 4 different .458 caliber cartridges, 2 different .474 caliber, and 1 each of 416, 375, and 9.3 caliber for a total of 15 new and different cartridges for calibers .366 to .500 caliber. And with each one of these a very serious study of terminal ballistics that led to entire new lines of bullets available for all calibers today.

I have explored many avenues of Hand Loading, and today I view it as a science, and not just "Re-Loading"................I have been doing Pressure work for over 20 years now, and that alone has been taken into areas that have never been done or explored before.

I very much enjoy exploration and going where no one has gone before. I enjoy Discovery. Hand Loading gives me an avenue to put those energies to work. Some of the things we have explored and discovered here have had a very large impact on some of the things you see in our market place today, in particular bullets and the way shooters think and practice different ideas. We have busted old time myths and hearsay as well in some areas. It has been an incredible journey and a hell of a lot of fun.

I retired from hunting after 2014. And with that, many other things have slowed down considerably. But I still Hand Load something nearly every week. Today I Load most cartridges so I can have ammo that is loaded with the very best Terminal Ballistics, which is all about the BULLET and what it does once it leaves the barrel. Accuracy is of course extremely important, but it is not the end all of everything, Reasonable Accuracy Combined with Terminal Performance is, at least for me. Most of my efforts are geared to Big Bore, because I have seen the difference it makes in the field. However I still load some small bore, such as 223, 300 BLK, 308 Winchester and 300 Winchester, but I load purely for downrange Terminal Performance... Hand Loading gives you bullet options you just do not get from the Factory in most cases..............

I have less respect for some handgun cartridges, in particular 9mm. I do and have bought a lot of factory ammo for that. However, I also do some serious hand loading for even 9mm with "Special Bullets"............

How much is too much to have on hand? I don't know, sometimes hundreds, other times 1000s........... I can promise I have more on hand than I will ever shoot, especially in this shortages we are having currently. But I do like to also have Ready to Load brass on hand, just add powder and bullet......... and I really do not like prepping brass.......That has been one of my goals of late just having brass ready to load if you need it, or have a special load or bullet you want to test...............For me, Hand Loading never ends, there is always something to explore, something to discover, something to investigate, something to test............... What is next?
 
I started reloading in 1971, and have not looked back since then. I can't say it saved me any money but I can say I shoot a lot more because I do reload. The reloading is a passion but at times it can be very frustrating. However, it can also be very satisfying.
As for the concept of having a "stash" set back, it is rather comical. When is it ever enough?
 
If my stash were exactly as I want it today I would come up with something tomorrow that would bring me back to the reloading bench. its not for fun, its part of shooting.
 
It's just darn satisfying making stuff! Yup, still reload even if there's plenty of factory around.
 
Michael458 said:
Yes.


Its not about "Quantity", its "Quality" that counts.................

I have been Hand Loading now for over 40 years. When I was a kid, it was the mystic of loading your own that attracted me, later in my early youth it also was about economics. I started with a RCBS RockChucker as many of us do. Later I was able to talk the parents into a Dillon for a birthday gift, and holy cow, I had hit the big time then.....Woo Hoo...................

Thought the late 80s and early 90s it was mostly handgun........... In the later 90s it became about loading serious hunting ammo, study of Terminal Ballistics, and making moves to larger bore rifles. In the early 2000s we started to get interested in various "WildCat" cartridges, and "Semi-WildCat" cartridges, 338 WSM, 358 STA, even 6.5 WSM, and of course 458 Lott. Yes, when I started shooting 458 Lott I had to make brass from 375 HH and or 416 Remington. Made some 358 STA from 375 HH, and some with 8mm Remington too. Of course 338 WSM and 6.5 WSM made from 300 WSM. By the end of 2005 we had dreamed up the 50 B&M... .500 caliber. I had a need for such. And this started a avalanche of B&M cartridges finally ending with 6 different .500 caliber cartridges, for Bolt, Lever, Single Shot and Semi. It led to 4 different .458 caliber cartridges, 2 different .474 caliber, and 1 each of 416, 375, and 9.3 caliber for a total of 15 new and different cartridges for calibers .366 to .500 caliber. And with each one of these a very serious study of terminal ballistics that led to entire new lines of bullets available for all calibers today.

I have explored many avenues of Hand Loading, and today I view it as a science, and not just "Re-Loading"................I have been doing Pressure work for over 20 years now, and that alone has been taken into areas that have never been done or explored before.

I very much enjoy exploration and going where no one has gone before. I enjoy Discovery. Hand Loading gives me an avenue to put those energies to work. Some of the things we have explored and discovered here have had a very large impact on some of the things you see in our market place today, in particular bullets and the way shooters think and practice different ideas. We have busted old time myths and hearsay as well in some areas. It has been an incredible journey and a hell of a lot of fun.

I retired from hunting after 2014. And with that, many other things have slowed down considerably. But I still Hand Load something nearly every week. Today I Load most cartridges so I can have ammo that is loaded with the very best Terminal Ballistics, which is all about the BULLET and what it does once it leaves the barrel. Accuracy is of course extremely important, but it is not the end all of everything, Reasonable Accuracy Combined with Terminal Performance is, at least for me. Most of my efforts are geared to Big Bore, because I have seen the difference it makes in the field. However I still load some small bore, such as 223, 300 BLK, 308 Winchester and 300 Winchester, but I load purely for downrange Terminal Performance... Hand Loading gives you bullet options you just do not get from the Factory in most cases..............

I have less respect for some handgun cartridges, in particular 9mm. I do and have bought a lot of factory ammo for that. However, I also do some serious hand loading for even 9mm with "Special Bullets"............

How much is too much to have on hand? I don't know, sometimes hundreds, other times 1000s........... I can promise I have more on hand than I will ever shoot, especially in this shortages we are having currently. But I do like to also have Ready to Load brass on hand, just add powder and bullet......... and I really do not like prepping brass.......That has been one of my goals of late just having brass ready to load if you need it, or have a special load or bullet you want to test...............For me, Hand Loading never ends, there is always something to explore, something to discover, something to investigate, something to test............... What is next?
Click to expand...

I enjoy buying guns cheaply that folks "can't get it to shoot". It may take a while but I can always find a load that works. Nothing better than taking a gun that shoots 2moa and finding a load that makes it shoot 1/2moa.
 
I can't buy off-the-sheld ammo that I like as much as my reloads (especially true for 10MM), so I'll continue to reload because of that. Heck, I was reloading 9 back when it was 16 cpr. 😂
 
KnotRight said:
Thanks,
Let me state my question a different way. If you have a good stash of ammo loaded and you are not shooting much because of what is going on and you might have a years worth of reloading components, would you reload them just for the sake of reloading?
Click to expand...


No. You don't know what you might need in the future, so why assemble now? Also, nobody is going to buy your reloaded ammunition from you, but you can sell components all day long.
 
GoWolfpack said:
No. You don't know what you might need in the future, so why assemble now?
Click to expand...

GoWolfpack, that is sorta my feelings. Right now I have mainly RN bullets and a very few HP bullets to reload. If I had some more 124 or 147 grn HP bullets I think that I would load 3 to 500.
 
KnotRight said:
Thanks,
Let me state my question a different way. If you have a good stash of ammo loaded and you are not shooting much because of what is going on and you might have a years worth of reloading components, would you reload them just for the sake of reloading?
Click to expand...
No. I have a new Dillon XL750 with all the goodies that the wife bought me for my birthday. It as been here for more than a week and I have not even taken it out of the box because the Lee Turret is not even running much these days. I am shooting a lot of airsoft in the backyard and in the garage. LOL

Only load what you believe you will shoot in a reasonable window of time. Reloading is one of the few things were the end work product is worth less than the components. Think about the value of 10,000 SPP, bullets and associated powder vs 10,000 reloaded bullets. You can't resell the bullets. You can get $100-$200 per 1000 for the primers alone.
 
I started loading in the 70's because I had to if I was going to shoot. I worked odd jobs after school just to buy components and along with a couple of guys we could cast thousands of wadcutters out of wheelweights. I have bought many primers 100 at a time because it was all I could afford. Somewhere around my 18th birthday, my parents gave me 1000 pistol primers for christmas. You would think I hit the lottery. I do enjoy loading because it gets me away from work and everyone else for a few hours here and there. I went on a spree a few years ago shooting long barrel revolvers at 50,75 and 100 yards, and when I would get another gun, I would spend hours working on loads until I was satisfied I had the best load for a specific gun. It amazed me even after loading for many years how much the accuracy changed with different loads. No days most of my shooting if defense type 25 yards and less and I still load a lot but these days it is for availability as much as anything and also because with a bunch of pre panic bought components, I'm still loading at pennies on the dollar compared to factory ammo. Not sure loading really saves money, it just allows me to shoot as much as I want and still have a big stash so I can shoot for a while.
 
@Etruett funny you should say the 70's because that when I started reloading in college. At that time I only bought a 100 primers and maybe a box of 100 bullets to reload in a 38/357. I gave away my bin that I kept my reloading supplies in when I stopped reloading mid-80s. Around 2000, my friend gave the bin back to me and I just looked at it and thought the most primers I ever had in there at one time might be 150 and maybe 200 bullets and I thought I was ready for WWIII.
 
I only reload for rifles and the main reason is that I cannot purchase the ammo I wish to shoot. No one makes the combination of bullet, primer, powder, brass, seating depth, that my rifles like. Most of my rifles have never had a commercial cartridge in their chamber. The few that have are either hunting rifles or the ammo was purchased on sale, or given as a gift, and either shot for rough sighting-in purposes or to salvage the brass.

And like many have mentioned I too enjoy the process of "rolling my own".
 
When you truly have the sickness you think like this:

"I don't have any brass because I loaded it all, I really need to go to the range so I can have some brass to load."

I have that sickness. It is a hobby into its self as much as it is useful for actually shooting at the range also.
 
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