Why did you start reloading your own ammunition?

Why did you start reloading your own ammunition?

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Because my dad did his when I was growing up.

Because I can get superior quality at a much lower cost, its fun, its rewarding, and its satisfying.

I've always been the type to enmesh myself in whatever I do and learn as much as possible about every aspect of my hobby. Other than that ... because I thought it was cool to be able to "Roll your own" (ammo that is). Then the cost factor, then when I mover to rifle loading, it was about complete control.

I started when I couldn't find any .45's on the shelf for a decent price. Then I discovered how much fun it was to roll my own.

Now I'm trying to see which gives out first, me or my XL-650.

Started reloading back in the early 90's when I got into Cowboy Action Shooting. The reason, COST! as those 44-40 rounds were not cheap, not to mention hard to find, especially in RNFP bullets. LM

Both cost and the ability to load ammo that I cannot purchase off the shelf.
i.e. for my AR I load 68gr hpbt match and my AR loves them, I cannot find anything close off the shelf at a price I would call affordable.

because I went to 4 gunstores and couldn't find .45ACP at any price

Because I wanted to shoot lots more for the same money.

It also sounded cool, and fun, and relaxing, which it is.

I started after I purchased my first Swiss K-31 (probably 15 years ago now). At the time I had plans to hunt with this gun and could find "zero" hunting ammo online or at any of the local gun stores. There seemed to be plenty of fairly inexpensive GP-11 ammo available but I would still need dies and a press to switch the bullets from target to hunting. One of the local gun stores had a Dillon 550 on display and they told me with some practice I could crank out a hundred bullets an hour (that's all it took). I went home and ordered a Dillion 550 and everything I thought I needed to load my first Swiss 7.5 x 55 rounds. After about a month of messing with it I found it worked great for making handgun ammo but I couldn't get it to work that great for the Swiss rounds (I couldn't get it to drop the same charge 3 times in a row and back then I thought the weights had to be exact). I added a Rock Chucker to my bench and I use it primarily for rifles (except the .223) and the Dillon for handguns. To make a short story long, I guess my reason for taking up reloading was fear that I wouldn't be able to get ammo for one of my favorite guns.

When I was growing up... about ages 10-14 or so, my dad and I shot a LOT of skeet. Him on a 12ga, me on a 20ga 1100. We reloaded all our shells on a single Mec Jr. We enjoyed reloading, but it was mainly for economic reasons. We couldn't have afforded to purchase that much new ammo.

Fast forward a couple decades, and I bought my first pistols. I didn't mind Blazer or WWB when it was around $13/hundred. When it hit $15, i started shooting less. When it hit $18, I bought a press. I enjoy the process, and the accuracy of the rounds... but the initial push was purely economic.

thorn

Money savings when the 45ACP rounds went from $45/250rnds to $65/250 rounds. Also, to pursue a hobby that was supposed to be a small one. Oops.

Money it's a great way to kill time also.... I think I shoot to reload anymore

because i couldn't find any .45 acp, and when i could, it cost too much...

this thread got me excited so i just reloaded another 50 rounds! haha

I like the 44 special and was having a hard time finding any. I also wanted to have a hotter round for my Ruger 44 specials. I like the " Skeeter Load ".

Now I reload 44 mag, 44 special, 38 special, 357, 45 acp, 40 S&W, 9mm, 380, 270 short mag and want to start loading 45 colt and 32 H&R mag.

Mike

I wanted to save money on ammo for both shooting and stockpiling.

The Cost Savings!

Then it got fun.

Much more satisfying to make rounds and then shoot them yourself.

Especially with my single stage press, I get to visualy inspect each one during the process.

I've yet to have one fail to go bang.

For me it was the overwhelming curisiosity of seeing all the equipment, bullets, different color cans of power that my Dad inherited from my Mom's dad.

Dad hunted some at the time, as did I, but the fascination of picking out your own recipies, rollin' some up using the meticulous notes my Grandfater left was the greatest. I remember running out to the back yard to shoot each n;w batch on my make shift 100 yard range and being so excited when i got my first 1 inch group. It was just too cool for a 15 year old Kentucky boy!

Accuracy and money savings. In that order.

Because for .41 mag it costs $35/box....and I think I can load just a little cheaper than that Plus, a sign in the window saying this home has explosives sure gets the local law enforcement in a qwirk J/K

Shortly after my best friend introduced me to firearms (I came from a completely non-gun family), he inherited a 22 Hornet rifle, Belding and Mull reloading gear and 22 Hornet components. I was fascinated. I hadn't even known you could reload ammo. Between the two of us we figured out how to make things work. (This was before the internet so instant access to information wasn't available.) As I recall, that was a sweet, accurate load in a comfortable rifle. God, that was thirty years ago!

I was hooked. I found a Lee Loader kit at a yard sale for 45 acp, my first centerfire gun. It was slow but it worked. Being recently married, money was tight and I discovered that reloading let me do more shooting. Then I learned that my in-laws lived not far from the Lee Precision factory in Wisconsin. On our next visit I stopped by and picked up a turret press at a big discount because it had a minor cosmetic flaw (I still use it), and the other gear for reloading and bullet casting. In fact I continue to use most of that gear. And the satisfaction of producing a good, usable cartridge has never wavered.

The rest, as they say, is history. Well, maybe not.

I now load for about ten different calibers and 12 ga. Reloading and bullet casting has become a hobby in itself.

Jeff

45 colt around here is $50 a box.

Not finding any .38 special at realistic prices for over a year was a driving force to expand my reloading operation.

First it was because I was unhappy with .308 groups with factory ammo. Then it was because I got infatuated with large bore revolvers and ammo was making me broke. And now I do it to get away from my wife.

I just wanted to reload. I saw it as an integral part of shooting.

Than there's the problem of not being able to find the ammunition I need at stores. I shoot Cowboy Action. There's no chance of finding cowboy loads at WallyWorld or Gander. Nothing is loaded for low recoil, low bounce-back ammo by major ammo manufactures.

I just bought a 12 gauge MEC shotgun press so I can make my own low recoil shotgun loads. I've searched everywhere for WinLites and other low recoil stuff. Finding it is pretty hit or miss. Stores have been out of it for months at a time.

Plus I can experiment with loads. Right now I'm trying 125 grain Sierra bullets in my .308 to see if I can make the gun into a .260 Rem equivalent. Those bullets are supposed to shoot very accurately.

The fact the ammo is cheaper and better is just frosting on the cake.