Some hobbies were not made for making money...

[Land Owner]

...by that I mean I cannot fish, including tournament fish, or make boolit molds (not that I can), or cast lead (to name only a few interests that I cannot do) for money. It would completely take the fun out of it if I had to eat off of the proceeds.

It is for others (not me) who can "sidetrack" themselves into the millions of cubby holes that any hobby invariably offers. I prefer just to enjoy the pleasures of casting and shooting. I will let others do the WORK in making a dollar off of what to most of us is just a hobby.

[georgerkahn]

I never weighed enjoyment versus income-source. Reckoning I'd need PAY OUT for concert, movie, and show tickets for enjoyment time, what's the dif' in that expenditure versus the purchase (or gift received ) of, say casting and loading equipment, and then -- might it not be more productive behaviour to cast/load than sit on one's derriere and just watch aforementioned concert, movie, or show?
Re "making the dollar" I see that as two-fold. If, say, I want a type of bullet in a calibre I have not a mould for, wouldn't it be a win-win that I may just buy a few from another caster, while (s)he can earn a few pennies passing them on to me? Same with equipment, as hobbyists move "up" to newer or better presses, scales, and whatever...
These NOT to be confused with those who engage in the commerce of casting/reloading as their means of income.
My "view" on it
geo

[Wayne Smith]

It's a general rule - you can never satisfactorily turn a hobby into a business. You may build a successful business but you have ruined it as a hobby. Case in point germaine to many of us on this site - you don't retire from a hobby.

[Tom W.]

I spent more money fishing tournaments than I ever collected, even won a few rods and reels, but had a lot more enjoyment just fishing, without the stress and time constraints.

Casting boolits is a hobby and I'll even cast a few for my son if he wants some. It also puts a smile on people's faces at the range when they come and watch me and sheepishly ask if they could shoot a few rounds. I don't mind making someone's day a bit brighter.

[Sig556r]

Some guys are just plain lucky getting paid for what they love to do...having said that, I know a lot of people who went under trying to make money out of what they love to do from the same frugal people who are into it...casters are a different breed, they thrive on inexpensive yet quality stuff & are always meticulously finding ways to make it even cheaper...I'm guilty of that...

[Petander]

It also puts a smile on people's faces at the range when they come and watch me and sheepishly ask if they could shoot a few rounds. I don't mind making someone's day a bit brighter.

This is so nice,I do the same. I'm off to our clubs moving moose target practise session right now, most probably my coated 45-70 465 grain boolits will get attention. Here where I live,very few people cast bullets. Might take a 500 revolver with me,too. People like to try the biggies.

I have spent so much time and money on everything casting related,I happily give bullets and slugs to my friends. I just gave my favorite loaded 20 gauge RB loads to a friend and his new Browning BPS looked very accurate with those. I think I have an extra Rib Rider and a red dot to get him set up.

Sharing is good. We all were helped when we started out,let's keep it going.

[Froogal]

If your hobby is making money for you, then it is no longer a hobby, it is a business, and then has to be done even when you don't want to work at it.

[WebMonkey]

Just for me, casting isn't either.
It's a skill I wanted to acquire and simply use it over buying projectiles.

Similar to my cheese making, food preservation, mechanics, etc.

[mdi]

If your hobby is making money for you, then it is no longer a hobby, it is a business, and then has to be done even when you don't want to work at it.

Exactly! My hobbies are done when I want to, for whatever reason (mostly fun time), but when I have to, like meet a quota or finish a job on time, then it is no longer a hobby...

[fredj338]

Yet there is that if you can do something every day you love, you really aren't working thought. I don't think I would want to do my hobby as a job but then I dont care much for my job anymore, so maybe?

[robg]

Had motorbikes worked on them when racing rallies and have worked in a bike shop for thirty odd years .now I've got to the stage I'm not interested in them outside work now .if you want to ruin a hobby do it for a living .

[Land Owner]

if you want to ruin a hobby do it for a living .

That sums it up for me. I can cast sinkers, but not for profit, well, maybe to break even. I can fish OR cut bait, but not both most times though without bait there are mostly no fish.

It would suck the enjoyment right out of the hobby if it were to morph into a business, especially with what Froogal said

has to be done even when you don't want to

I thought it would be "fun" to own and run a Gun Shop. Toward that end, I purchased a fellow shooter/reloader/caster's gun, ammunition, materials, and equipment - a HUGE estate by most standards - lock stock and barrel. To recoup my investment, I embarked on moving the estate to storage, cataloging, shelving, displaying, advertising, face-to-face sales, security, and bookkeeping. Oh boy! Was I sadly mistaken about what I thought I knew.

I am BURNED OUT after two years and two estates (my 25-year good time buddy left me his gun & equipment estate when he passed) and STILL have a mess of equipment and gear to off load - along with my OWN, which you cannot take with you when you depart this Earth.

[Bazoo]

Woodworking is both my hobby and my means of living. I don't take on projects other than work however.

I learned reloading and casting as a skill set, just like leather working. I have come to enjoy all three though and consider them hobbies. If my cost of ammo was not significantly lower than store bought, I would not cast or reload.

I don't subscribe to the theory that I'm not saving money by reloading. I don't shoot that much more, but I save plenty. There has been several instances I've not shot a firearm purely because I don't have ammo made and I refuse to purchase ammo if I can make my own. So when a glitch in the system stops the process, it stops the shooting too. So, in some instances reloading has caused me to shoot less than I otherwise would have, adding to the savings.

[RED BEAR]

I can tell you i didn't save any money getting into reloading and casting i just shoot a lot more. Some of my other hobbies do save money i make cabinets and furniture that saves money and looks better than what you buy anymore. I also make ww2 dioramas using coffee stirers tooth picks and match sticks. People who see it say oh you could sell that. But you could never get enough to make it worthwhile. When you spend months making a building just haw much could you get. My brother made historic sailing ships and made them deck by deck. And when he did sell them he got between $5000 to $10000. Sounds good but when you consider that he spent over a year of most of his spare time making the smaller ones and two to three years making larger ones it could never pay he just liked doing it.

[GhostHawk]

If money is involved it is no longer a hobby but work, a side job. I'm retired and proud to have made it this far. I flat REFUSE to work more than required to keep body and home in reasonable condition. And my idea of what is reasonable is degrading as I age.

I can honestly say that I know I have tied well over a thousand flys of various sizes and description. Most one of a kind, no established pattern. Most in panfish and bass sizes.

I have not made a dime off one of them yet and have no real plans to at this point.

I did trade a box full to a member here for a package of turkey feathers and assorted odds and ends of fur of different animals.

I know I will never use them all, but if you stop by and say hi, I'll give you a few if you like.

We went fishing monday and the clear winner was a small jig tied with some stuff they call "Angel hair" plastic strands about 8 inches long about the thickness of a hair with sparkly irredescent highlights. So today I tied up about 16 more in different variations.

Tipped with a small piece of a 1" chartruese gulp minnow the bluegills were all over it as soon as the bobber settled on the water.

I also lost one to what looked and felt like a 5 lb + northern pike. 10 feet from the boat, was stuck into him for 2 seconds then he bite me off, and rolled on the surface trying to throw the hook. After catching bluegills it was like getting hit by lighting.

Hobbys should be time spent doing something you enjoy, no more, and no less.

[flyingmonkey35]

I was a computer hobbyist for years till I did it for a living.

now you can't pay me to fix your pc.

I am happy to teach anyone about casting or reloading.

but if your not there to learn go away.




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[Hick]

I'm on a fixed income. Every box of factory ammo I don't have to buy leaves a little money in my pocket that I can spend elsewhere. Admittedly, that's not the same as making money-- but it's close enough for me.

[poppy42]

I’ve always figured once you start making money at it it’s no longer a hobby. Hick, i’m in the same position and I agree with you 100%

[country gent]

I look at it this way. Ig I have to get up do what someone else wants its a job. If I get up and do it because I want too then is a hobby. while I enjoyed and liked my job I had a different out look in that I felt the tool makers job was to make productions job easier to do. I enjoyed doing it. But it was a job.

[samari46]

I started reloading about late '67. At the time i was making about 2 bucks an hour. plenty of mil surp lake city ammo and brass. And plenty of WWII and korea vets were shooting a lot of lake city ammo. They would always leave the brass and we'd ask if they wanted it. We'd thank them and spend the next few minutes picking it up. Shot mostly M1 carbine and 30-06 back then. Cast bullets came about when I picked up a 1884 trapdoor. That old rifle was a teaching tool for sure. When C.E. Harris's article came out about shooting cast bullets in military rifles the hunt was on for a Moisin Nagant rifle with a great bore. Found a really nice one, a Finn model 27. Lyman 314299 is still the most accurate bullet I've tried. As far as making money I never gave it a thought. I've had folks wanting to have me reload ammo for them. Besides the liability concerns would probably cause me a lot of sleepless nights wondering about how my reloads would shoot in their rifle. What shoots like a house afire in one of my rifles may shoot like junk in theirs. I do it just for personal enjoyment regardless how long it takes to find an accurate load. Money is of no concern. Frank