Why Reload?

[Bottom Gun]

My best friend taught me the fine art of reloading 49 years ago. I consider it to be one of the most useful shooting skills I have ever learned. Your mileage may vary.

You may not save much by reloading short term but in time, it will save you $$$$. If you shoot an unusual cartridge, you will definitely save a lot by reloading and not paying a premium price for hard to find calibers. You don't need lot of fancy equipment to start. Get a single stage press and a few basic items and you're set for a while. If you like what you're doing, you can upgrade to a progressive outfit later and you will always have a use for that single stage so hang on to it.

More importantly than $$$$ though, you will likely shoot your reloads more accurately and you’ll probably shoot more so you’ll become a better shooter. You’ll see how varying components such as bullet style/weight and the amount/type of powder affects your point of impact and your group size. You’ll learn a lot more about ballistics by reloading than you will by shooting factory ammo.

Rifles and handguns are individuals. They all shoot differently with different loads and different brands of ammo. Even identical guns from the same run with serial numbers a digit or two apart won’t necessarily shoot best with the same load. The trick is to find what your gun prefers and that will be your benchmark. You’ll find that your handloads will shoot better than most factory ammo and, more importantly, they will be consistent. With factory ammo, even if you find a load/brand your gun shoots well, there is no guarantee the next lot of factory ammo produced will be identical.

Do you shoot well enough to notice that different brands of ammo and bullet weights can produce different points of impact? That’s what you will experience when you start tailoring your reloads to your gun. You can make exactly what you want rather than some common factory load that may or may not work best for you.

Reloading can open doors for some cartridges such as .357 Sig. Ammo selection is limited for the poor .357 Sig if you can find it at all. That’s unfortunate because it’s my favorite pistol round. It’s what I carry. I’m not limited at all by the ammo because I make my own. What I make is better than most factory ammo and I can make ammo I could never find anywhere. For example, I make a speedy 90 gr HP varmint load in .357 Sig. You won’t ever find anything like that in factory ammo. I make some interesting ammo in a variety of bullet weights for .357 Sig. You won’t see much in stores besides 125 or 147 gr. Oh, and my .357 Sig reloads don't cost any more than my 9MM reloads. I wouldn't like the Sig cartridge nearly as much as I do if I didn't reload.

Another benefit to reloading that nobody ever mentions is the ability to make lighter loads or something midrange. Target ammo selection can be limited and different ammo production lots can change. Forget about bullet selection with factory midrange or target ammo. You can make hot loads, light loads and everything in between. That's very useful.
Also, if recoil is an issue with your wife’s hunting rifle, you can make some slightly reduced loads that will still do the job with less recoil. A simple change of powder will often affect recoil considerably without much change to velocity. This is particularly noticeable in some handguns. That fact is seldom mentioned. I never understood why.

So, hopefully I made some points you hadn’t considered which may make coming to an informed decision easier. The bottom line is that you really need to have a keen interest in shooting to enjoy reloading. If you’re going to do it strictly to save money, I don’t think you’ll do it for very long before you lose interest.
I hope this helps.

[omegaman]

I do it to save money, but I shoot more rounds than most people.

[Suck My Glock]

For me, aside from the cost savings and the ability to tailor custom loads for custom purposes, it is also a very relaxing endeavor. As I have described before;...in order to prevent blowing myself or my guns up, I have to push all outside concerns and distractions away from my mind and focus on the task at hand. In that way, it is a very zen activity. I'm not thinking about all the crap going wrong in the world or bills I need to pay or appointments I need to keep with annoying people. So by the end of a session crafting ammo, not only am I relaxed, but I have a sense of accomplishment for having completed the thing.

I suppose I could get the same effect from woodworking or some other hobby. But expending the ammo later on puts a grin on my face.

[Lucafu1]

I really dont think reloading saves you money, especially when you factor in time. I do it to find those accurate loads and to shoot more. *Edit, I only reload for rifle calibers*

[brandyspaw]

Reloading still works for me on some handgun rounds like my magnum handgun rounds. Really it does on most all revolver rounds. The cost savings is real while on 9mm, 40 and others its not worth my time. Its cheaper to buy factory ammo rather than spend the time reloading.

Its kind of the same with rifle rounds. For me, its not worth the time to reload for .223 anymore but for my precision rifle and hunting rounds it is due to the cost of the factory ammo. Basically, all blasting ammo for plinking and range is cheap enough that its not worth the time.

[Suck My Glock]

If you think you're gonna load up some 115 or 125 grain 9mm FMJ cheaper than you can buy it by the case,...no,...reloading will not do that for you. But that's because, as a military loading, there is always big demand for that, so the contract over-runs alone tend to usually satisfy commercial/civilian demands in regular times.

But when you get into the more unusual stuff,...that's when it pays. Like super-heavy sub-sonic loads such as 158 grain through 165 grain pills. Or loading for something no government uses, like 6.5Grendel, or obsolete calibers for which surplus has dried up, like .303Brit, 8mm Mauser or 7.62x25.

[samnev]

My best friend taught me the fine art of reloading 49 years ago. I consider it to be one of the most useful shooting skills I have ever learned. Your mileage may vary.

You may not save much by reloading short term but in time, it will save you $$$$. If you shoot an unusual cartridge, you will definitely save a lot by reloading and not paying a premium price for hard to find calibers. You don't need lot of fancy equipment to start. Get a single stage press and a few basic items and you're set for a while. If you like what you're doing, you can upgrade to a progressive outfit later and you will always have a use for that single stage so hang on to it.

More importantly than $$$$ though, you will likely shoot your reloads more accurately and you’ll probably shoot more so you’ll become a better shooter. You’ll see how varying components such as bullet style/weight and the amount/type of powder affects your point of impact and your group size. You’ll learn a lot more about ballistics by reloading than you will by shooting factory ammo.

Rifles and handguns are individuals. They all shoot differently with different loads and different brands of ammo. Even identical guns from the same run with serial numbers a digit or two apart won’t necessarily shoot best with the same load. The trick is to find what your gun prefers and that will be your benchmark. You’ll find that your handloads will shoot better than most factory ammo and, more importantly, they will be consistent. With factory ammo, even if you find a load/brand your gun shoots well, there is no guarantee the next lot of factory ammo produced will be identical.

Do you shoot well enough to notice that different brands of ammo and bullet weights can produce different points of impact? That’s what you will experience when you start tailoring your reloads to your gun. You can make exactly what you want rather than some common factory load that may or may not work best for you.

Reloading can open doors for some cartridges such as .357 Sig. Ammo selection is limited for the poor .357 Sig if you can find it at all. That’s unfortunate because it’s my favorite pistol round. It’s what I carry. I’m not limited at all by the ammo because I make my own. What I make is better than most factory ammo and I can make ammo I could never find anywhere. For example, I make a speedy 90 gr HP varmint load in .357 Sig. You won’t ever find anything like that in factory ammo. I make some interesting ammo in a variety of bullet weights for .357 Sig. You won’t see much in stores besides 125 or 147 gr. Oh, and my .357 Sig reloads don't cost any more than my 9MM reloads. I wouldn't like the Sig cartridge nearly as much as I do if I didn't reload.

Another benefit to reloading that nobody ever mentions is the ability to make lighter loads or something midrange. Target ammo selection can be limited and different ammo production lots can change. Forget about bullet selection with factory midrange or target ammo. You can make hot loads, light loads and everything in between. That's very useful.
Also, if recoil is an issue with your wife’s hunting rifle, you can make some slightly reduced loads that will still do the job with less recoil. A simple change of powder will often affect recoil considerably without much change to velocity. This is particularly noticeable in some handguns. That fact is seldom mentioned. I never understood why.

So, hopefully I made some points you hadn’t considered which may make coming to an informed decision easier. The bottom line is that you really need to have a keen interest in shooting to enjoy reloading. If you’re going to do it strictly to save money, I don’t think you’ll do it for very long before you lose interest.
I hope this helps.

I feel the same way for the same reasons you have in your post

[Doc]

[schiffer99]

Its also just fun. Also incredibly satisfying when a small tweak shows a big difference in group size.

[chopper72]

The cost and difficulty of finding supplies argues against reloading. I feel like the cost of supplies has outpaced the price of ammunition in many cases.

[QuietM4]

The cost and difficulty of finding supplies argues against reloading. I feel like the cost of supplies has outpaced the price of ammunition in many cases.

Depends on what you reload. It's not difficult finding supplies, they are just more expensive than they were pre-covid. Bulk 9mm may not be cheaper, especially if you factor in your time. But, if you reload 6.5 Creedmoor match ammo, reloading is much cheaper than factory ammo...and hand loads will shoot much better. 9mm 147gr sub sonic is always cheaper to reload vs factory. But, I don't reload to save money...I reload to make custom, high performance ammo.

[BigNate]

I've given up on reloading for common cartridge plinking or pistol competition use. With the spike in primer cost, the savings are small enough to not make it worth the time. I think the last time I checked I could get my CPR for 9mm ball down to just under $0.20... but I can buy quality bulk stuff in the $0.23 CPR range... and that's without pricing in the miscellaneous stuff like replacement depriming pins, lemishine,etc. Saving three cents per round - or $30/1000 doesn't make it worth the time and energy to do the work. That price also neglects the fact that I get a once fired piece of brass when I buy and shoot bulk - which I can use later - or sell to offset the three cents...

On the other hand - I do reload for new / unique cartridges. For example - my $0.62 CPR for 8.6 BLK subs is ABSOLUTELY a gamechanger for my ability to shoot that cartridge given that the best price on any sort of factory load (per ammoseek) has recently dropped from over $2.50 CPR to $2.37 CPR before tax. So - at almost a 75% savings - it makes shooting that cartridge viable. I'm also working on reloading for precision rifle - where the ability to tailor a cartridge to the rifle is important.

[Doc]

I've given up on reloading for common cartridge plinking or pistol competition use. With the spike in primer cost, the savings are small enough to not make it worth the time. I think the last time I checked I could get my CPR for 9mm ball down to just under $0.20... but I can buy quality bulk stuff in the $0.23 CPR range... and that's without pricing in the miscellaneous stuff like replacement depriming pins, lemishine,etc. Saving three cents per round - or $30/1000 doesn't make it worth the time and energy to do the work. That price also neglects the fact that I get a once fired piece of brass when I buy and shoot bulk - which I can use later - or sell to offset the three cents...

On the other hand - I do reload for new / unique cartridges. For example - my $0.62 CPR for 8.6 BLK subs is ABSOLUTELY a gamechanger for my ability to shoot that cartridge given that the best price on any sort of factory load (per ammoseek) has recently dropped from over $2.50 CPR to $2.37 CPR before tax. So - at almost a 75% savings - it makes shooting that cartridge viable. I'm also working on reloading for precision rifle - where the ability to tailor a cartridge to the rifle is important.

Agreed.

I’m only reloading precision rifle but I still pick up my pistola brass. I’m sure one day prices will change…or I’ll sell the brass.

[BigNate]

I've given up on reloading for common cartridge plinking or pistol competition use. With the spike in primer cost, the savings are small enough to not make it worth the time. I think the last time I checked I could get my CPR for 9mm ball down to just under $0.20... but I can buy quality bulk stuff in the $0.23 CPR range... and that's without pricing in the miscellaneous stuff like replacement depriming pins, lemishine,etc. Saving three cents per round - or $30/1000 doesn't make it worth the time and energy to do the work. That price also neglects the fact that I get a once fired piece of brass when I buy and shoot bulk - which I can use later - or sell to offset the three cents...

On the other hand - I do reload for new / unique cartridges. For example - my $0.62 CPR for 8.6 BLK subs is ABSOLUTELY a gamechanger for my ability to shoot that cartridge given that the best price on any sort of factory load (per ammoseek) has recently dropped from over $2.50 CPR to $2.37 CPR before tax. So - at almost a 75% savings - it makes shooting that cartridge viable. I'm also working on reloading for precision rifle - where the ability to tailor a cartridge to the rifle is important.

Agreed.

I’m only reloading precision rifle but I still pick up my pistola brass. I’m sure one day prices will change…or I’ll sell the brass.

Yup - and I'm the "brasshole" at my local shoots. I pick mine... and if you aren't picking yours I'll ask - and I'll pick up yours too...

Some day I'll need it... or I won't... and I'll start casting custom brass door knobs...

[kenpoprofessor]

Agreed.

Yup - and I'm the "brasshole" at my local shoots. I pick mine... and if you aren't picking yours I'll ask - and I'll pick up yours too...

Some day I'll need it... or I won't... and I'll start casting custom brass door knobs...

Or, you could make some cool swords and blades.

Have a great, gun carryin', Kenpo day

Clyde