Please Post Your Reasons For NOT getting into reloading - Long Ago

[Quirt Evans]

. I just picked up a .44 special pistol,

Yep, if you want to do much shooting with a .44Special you're almost forced to reload unless you're rich.
The prices for Special, (if you can find it for sale,) are often as much or more than .44Mag, and the load/bullet selections are few and dismal.
Not to worry though, with reloading you can make ammo, (to quote a statement from someone else,) "From mild to wild" and all in between.
Oh, a .44Special is nothing to sneeze at for defense either.
As Hickok 45 says; "There's something special about a .44Special".

 

[Certaindeaf]

I don't have the time, patience, interest or room to reload. I also wouldn't waste my time/energy reloading 9mm so the only thing I would maybe do is centerfire rifle. But I really don't shoot enough of it (5.56 notwithstanding) to justify it.

A half a million 9mm is still some pretty big bucks.

 

[CLT65]

Reloading isn't for everyone. I really think that you need to be at least somewhat detail-oriented, and some people just enjoy working with their hands and making things. Other people don't. To each their own. I've helped a lot of people get set up to reload over the years, and it's "stuck" for very few, only three that I can think of off the top of my head.

Personally I suspect that I have the opposite problem. I enjoy reloading and have done it for over three decades. I cast and powder coat bullets, and have dozens of bullet molds and reloading dies. I don't do anywhere near the volume that some of you guys do, but I have always enjoyed tinkering and making things.

Sure I save money and shoot guns I couldn't afford to otherwise, but money is tight for us raising a family on a single income. I never pass up overtime at work to reload instead (that would be stupid- I can't think of anything I load that would save that kind of money), but if I took all that time I spend tinkering and reloading, and started a side business of some kind that was even moderately successful...

 

[Red98422]

I reload now, but what kept me so far from it for a long time was the fear a lot of old hands tried to instill, with stories of guns blowing up and tragic accidents involving squibs I must have heard them all.

The old mentality of "you need to have a mentor" "always start with a single stage" etc etc. was also a big turn off...I can see what they were getting at, but IMO anyone with a couple brain cells to rub together and the ability to follow well printed and detailed instructions can do well enough to make pistol ammo....bottle neck on the other hand still has me anxious lol

 

[awshoot]

The thing that I find most interesting about reloading is that over time I've come to think of my ammunition as literally part of the firearms I own. The shells are less durable than the bolt or firing pin and must be replaced more frequently, but they're no less important.

 

[awshoot]

I reload now, but what kept me so far from it for a long time was the fear a lot of old hands tried to instill, with stories of guns blowing up and tragic accidents involving squibs I must have heard them all.
...

In the end a squib isn't that big of a deal so long as you notice it and stop shooting. You can mitigate bomb loads by using a powder that has the right bulk to fill more than half the shell. That way if you double up, the second charge will spill over the case mouth, you'll have a mess of loose powder grains on the bench, and you'll immediately know what happened, dump that case out, and do over. The reloading mistakes thread is probably a good one to read for people starting off: Share your hand loading mistakes!

 

[Red98422]

In the end a squib isn't that big of a deal so long as you notice it and stop shooting. You can mitigate bomb loads by using a powder that has the right bulk to fill more than half the shell. That way if you double up, the second charge will spill over the case mouth, you'll have a mess of loose powder grains on the bench, and you'll immediately know what happened, dump that case out, and do over. The reloading mistakes thread is probably a good one to read for people starting off: Share your hand loading mistakes!

the biggest eye opener for me personally is when I actually took the time and sat down and read an actual reloading book (Lee's in this case) and that helped to dispel quite a bit of the fact from fiction and to let me know the real dangers...which quite frankly are all easily avoidable with the correct amount of caution and good practices.

I have a few of my own that Ive shared in that thread hahaha

 

[CLT65]

I reload now, but what kept me so far from it for a long time was the fear a lot of old hands tried to instill, with stories of guns blowing up and tragic accidents involving squibs I must have heard them all.

The old mentality of "you need to have a mentor" "always start with a single stage" etc etc. was also a big turn off...I can see what they were getting at, but IMO anyone with a couple brain cells to rub together and the ability to follow well printed and detailed instructions can do well enough to make pistol ammo....bottle neck on the other hand still has me anxious lol

You're absolutely correct. There is so much good, detailed information out there, both online and in reloading manuals, that so long as you're able to understand and follow directions, and pay attention to the details, it's really not a big deal.

Bottleneck ammo isn't really so much different- a couple extra details to watch maybe, but it's not alchemy. I always stress the details. Develop some reloading habits that demand your attention to the details. Follow the rules and watch the details, and you'll be fine.

 

[WWShooter]

I reload for my .260 Remington rifles on a regular basis. Reload for 9mm or .45 ACP? Nope. I have thousands of rounds of factory ammo for both . . . but I also have the brass, bullets, primers and powder to do a bunch.

So, I reload where it makes sense (.260 Remington), and use factory ammo for .45 ACP and 9mm for now - but can reload at least 1,000 of each should the need arise.

BTW, I probably have more .22LR than I can use for the rest of my life, but I have kids

 

[shadows]

Let go of my reloading stuff in a divorce few years back. Had a RCBS press and a few sets of dies, tumbler and a bunch of brass. Working on rebuilding piece by piece now. Ordered a press....and gonna visit a reloading shop this week. A buddy may part with a few primers and brass. One of my first planned projects is to learn 300 blackout. looking forward to getting back into Reloading

 

[NCW_Robert]

Thought about it but don't shoot enough to warrant it for now or the recent past. Probably will change in the future as I am moving [Michigan] closer to my son & grand kids. Ever since he reached military age he has pretty much been my main shooting pardner. He now has a girl friend he is serious about who supposedly likes to shoot as much as we both do.

So.... later this year or early next year we will rev things back up and see where it goes. If we end up shooting a lot more then reloading will be something I may try.

When all this SHTF stuff started did the bulk bullet/primer/powder companies raise prices like the ammo sellers did?

If those cost did stay low and you really can save that much over what the now inflated ammo cost, that would be a big incentive to finally take that step and start reloading.

If these sorts of companies took the opportunity to screw you re-loaders by jacking up prices, all I can say is really? so now I am just going to switch and pay a different group of jackal profiteers?

~

 

[American123]

I really don't have a good place at my home to set everything up.

If you have 2 square feet of space and a table, you can reload. Not every reloading set up has to be a dedicated room.

"The Cameron" is a wooden set up (that could easily be duplicated) that can house a fair amount of reloading stuff in a condensed space.

 

[awshoot]

...
When all this SHTF stuff started did the bulk bullet/primer/powder companies raise prices like the ammo sellers did?
...

I haven't seen price bumps but good luck finding certain things. Small rifle primers (needed for 5.56) for example are sold out everywhere. Small pistol primers (used for most pistol cartridges) seem pretty much sold out too. Large rifle primers are everywhere and normal price.

 

[Aero Denezol]

If I was single I would reload. As is, I am happy my wife lets me buy guns and go shooting regularly. She doesn't love my hobbies, but she doesn't complain either. Some of my friends and relatives are not as lucky as I am. They will never be allowed to own a Glock, a Garand, or an AR15.

There's no way I could shoot as much as a I do, and also spend the time reloading, without taking significant time away from my family. Those are my priorities.

 

[ACO]

Because of time and space. Also, I could get ammo cheap enough for the shooting I did. When I did think about it, I wanted a progressive press, and when I added it all up, it was a big investment. Now I can afford to get into it, but with 2 kids under 5, and my only workspace for all my projects in life is 5'x15'... not really enough space for that and all the rest of my tools and yard maintenance crap.

I hope to get into reloading at some point though. Especially when I get a few more supressors and some new bolt guns. Kind of interested in the ballistics, and the ability to reload more obscure rounds like 7.7

 

[powermad]

I used to have a nice setup and got out of it years ago.
Now I'm thinking I need to at least get a single stage set up and start laying in components for times like these, which is happening more often now.

I have plenty of ammo stored away, but now don't want to shoot due to the cost of replacing it.
I don't think we'll see $156 for a case of 9mm for quite some time again.
When the same ammo jumped to $239 I still bought some and went blasting.
I'm not paying the asking prices now, you can kiss my butt.

 

[teflon6string]

Way too many gear-intensive hobbies already. I shoot common brands of common calibers and buy a few extras when I see a good price. Over the decades, that's gotten me through those panicky times when shelves in stores are empty.

 

[Caveman Jim]

Reloading was my favorite hobby, spending many hours, mainly at night prepping brass, and so on.i found it a very relaxing and rewarding thing to do.

Thanks for pointing this aspect out brother!!!
This right here folks is why I do it. I was medically retired before my liking but have dealt with that and moved on. I don't really save that much money reloading but as others know full and well that we do shoot more often.

My former job was very labor intense and one had to be very technically inclined along with patience for sitting or standing in one spot "laying down pairs" for many hours at a time.

Reloading to me is basically the same thing, the precise process and 100% quality outcome is the goal, always. Picking brass, sorting it, prepping it and loading it is at times very relaxing and oh so rewarding.

I've been told many times that once you are retired, that you have to keep going and stay busy because if you don't your retirement will be short-lived.

 

[Mrnorke]

I lucked up and found primers this morning at Sportsmans. Small rifle and pistol. Plenty of large rifle as said above. They seem to get some in every week...

 

[jbett98]

I don't reload as I have the tendency to screw the simplest things up.