What Got Everbody Started Reloading ?

[foul bore]

I STARTED about 44 years ago, for cost savings. My wife got me RCBS set up for Christmas. Over time process has evolved to reloading for accuracy. I enjoy working up a load that works for my rifle. I have added a lot of tools to the original set up, but still have the same press and scale. Its just FUN.

 

[Mike Matteson]

I started reloading in the late 60s. Back then you couldn't buy factory ammo that would shoot any better then 2-3"s. With hand loads we could regularly get under an inch groups and that was with factory rifle barrels that were generally no where near as good as what you can buy today. Over the years I have taught a lot of people how to reload, both by teaching loading courses and one on one. It is a very satisfying part of hunting to take game with your home made ammo. It has also allowed me to shoot easily 5 times as much as I could have ever afforded using factory fodder.

Relatively speaking, reloading presses, dies and the like are far less expensive today than they were back in the 70s. I have a set of RCBS 308 dies bought in 1968 that were $32 (adjusted to today dollars that would be $260). That was a hell of a lot of money 50 years ago and even though I worked part time I would never have been able to afford to get into reloading without my Dad's help.. He was quite happy for the better accuracy of the reloads but since he got all of his 12 gauge, 22 and 308 ammo free from the military, there wasn't really a cost savings when we started.

Reloading equipment and other stuff today is really well made and quite a bit cheaper in adjusted dollars. Reloaderes today are much better off than we were 50 years ago.

 

[Pa Grizz]

I started in the early 70's just as a new hobby.I only had a 30-06 and a 16 ga shotgun.Now I load for 14 rifle's ,4 shotgun's and 5 handgun's

 

[Aggie1999]

For me, when my wife's uncle died, I picked up his .41 mag Blackhawk. When I looked at the price of ammo, I went and picked up his reloading gear as well. That was 3 years ago. I've now loaded for 4 other guns, but have yet to load any .41 mag. Still using the ammo it came with. It's a hobby I always thought I would enjoy, I do, bit this was the opportunity I needed to start.

 

[ajkellerusmc]

I started as a way to make less expensive ammo and like most I just wound up shooting more with the same amount of money!

Now I am spending tons on trying to shoot that one hole group with everything in the safe!

 

[BigJohnH]

I started reloading because I could not find consistently accurate factory loads beyond 200 yds, being able to weigh every load to be sure all loads are the same helped with that.

 

[30BR]

A neighbor gave me some 357's he loaded for himself. They promptly locked up my new 686 Smith.
Figured I couldn't do much worse than that. And I actually believed you could make ammo cheaper.

Boy was I wrong.

 

[Quarter Round]

It started with outdoor magazines and shooting articles describing the rifle detail and load development. The attention to detail always caught my attention and stayed with me until I moved and met a hand-loader, Paul Patterson, in the late sixties. Paul taught me the basics and I fast forward to today where I hand-load for my rifles and reload for the pistols and ARs.

So here I am teetering on the ledge of custom rifles and long-range marksmanship.

 

[CoachChris]

A few years ago a guy at my range started badgering me about doing a precision rifle match. I was constantly shooting dot drills with my .22lr and steel out to 500yds with my .17wsm to practice for hunting season.
I picked up a Savage 12lrp in 6.5CM. After figuring out that it shot Hornady 140gr ELD-M's the best I ran 10rds through a chronograph. The ES was something like 42. The ammo was consistent enough to place high and even win a few matches. There was always lingering doubt in the back of my mind. This creeped over into my hunting.
I decided I needed more control over the quality of my ammo. I bought a Lee Challenger kit, dies, etc....I watched every video and read everything I could. Now I have a whole room devoted to reloading and guns in our home.
I still feel like I'm trying to figure it all out. I guess that's part of the process.

 

[Deleted member 112174]

I started reloading shotgun shells for my dad before I was old enough to hunt. I bought my first rifle, a Ruger 77 in 30-06( for 197 dollars) when I was 21. A college professor told me I could make better ammo than store bought and cheaper too. I started with Lake City brass and a Lee Loader. I once bought 2 boxes of rifle shells at the same time and they shot to very different groups. Unacceptable to me, I now reload for every firearm I have. I enjoy knowing my rifle/ammo are precise and accurate even though I work to shoot at close range. With Pet Loads UPdate on a .300 savage, it is a deadly combo and very accurate. I have a .35 Whelen that shoots 5/8 inch groups. All this a far less than factory prices. (I don't figure my time because I enjoy doing it and for me to travel to gun shops with good variety I have to drive 1.5 hours.) With reloaded ammo, I shoot more and that is always good.

 

[WHITEBULL]

I started about 10 yrs ago, during the Obama administration. It started as more of a challenge to accumulate the necessary products to reload. I promised myself that I would never run out of all the different components to reload. Went a little over board but I can breath now. It turned into a really sweet hobby, its very therapeutic, and now most every gun I own, I have a favorite round that shoots lights out.

 

[5gauss]

I started over 30 years ago to get better bullets over factory ammo, then it led to accuracy. Know I have to because most of my rifles are wildcat cartridges.

55 years ago for me...shotgun first, then 3 years later rifle. Cost was main reason. Then just wanted more control over the rifle loads for target/ long range and special interest. Satisfaction...

 

[sp6x6]

Mikecr post reminded me of my roots.Small town,in jr high I shot in local sm bore rifle and pistol club. Real small maybe 6 lanes, it was right across from post office. My coach,was a gun nut and reloader. He influenced me alot.He had every Weatherby made,but was a collector of all things interesting.Thats how I ended up getting a 340wby when I was 20. Like mentioned,several weatherbys,BETTER reload. Mikecr thank you for tips and helping with my reloading questions over the years

 

[Groot]

I have not been reloading near as long as what I would assume to be the majority of the members here, but what got me started in reloading was the day I picked up my first couple boxes of Winchester varmint 223 bullets 4 years ago and I paid in the ballpark of 28 dollars a box for those little tiny bullets (that I shot in a matter of a coupe days groundhog hunting/missing lol). And my mind straight to math and did some research and realized if I kept buying those shells in 5-10 boxes I could start reloading significantly cheaper, less half a dollar a round. So bought some stuff, had stuff given to me and passed down within a few months. I now spend more on reloading components and shoot more so in the end it never did really save me money but I love to reload, its now one of my favorite hobbies!