Can't get friends into reloading no matter what I do.....

[Recycled bullet]

Some of "The people" I know who don't reload have an entitled attitude that I should reload ammo for them for free. Strangely I have found asking them to read a reloading manual when they attempt to mooch free ammo from me repels that freeloading attitude. There is a constructive ignorance at play and the solution is simply...

I'll write a book and charge for it.

Then they might actually read it.

[Soundguy]

Reloading isn't for everyone, and frankly, lots of people don't have any business doing it.

It's a distinct hobby from shooting that requires significant investment of space, time, capital, and attention. Many shooters don't want to deal with that...They just want to buy a cheap box of 9 and blast it into the dirt.

I think it's pretty clear at this point they're not interested in taking it up. Accept that and leave them alone. How'd you feel if someone was pestering the hell out of you all the time to take up golf or some other such hobby you had no interest in?

Yup.. as much as reloading is a distinct hobby from shooting so is casting from reloading

[Willie T]

Ive never actively tried to get others to reload. If someone asks for my help, I gladly help. I did teach my son when he was in JR high. That little rascal loved to shoot. He wanted to shoot up everything I loaded. No matter how big the pile was. I told him now that he is responsible enough, I would show him how. Then he needed to start loading it back up if he was gonna shoot it all. I supplied the components. He went through a bunch of them. He also learned a few lessons about doing things right along the way when he had to break loaded ammo down. We had a ball. He is grown man now. He still loads and prefers shooting his own center fire hand loads and shot shells. I have had several friends and acquaintances ask me to load for them and tell me they just don’t have the time. I politely decline. I tell them I don’t have the time to load their ammo either. My take is grown men who possess the desire to load their own also generally have some mechanical aptitude. They just get the tools and components they need and a manual or two and get after it without waiting for a bell cow to follow. If they need their hand held, or it isn’t worth investing the time, loading and casting probably isn’t gonna be their gig.
Willie

[trapper9260]

I don't know why it is, but people I have met who don't yet reload all seem to believe that they should buy a Dillon progressive to start with.

Wayne

I hear that also and they think they can push out ammo like a factory and dose not look for accuracy. I see to many that dose that or they just look for speed.

[truckjohn]

Reloading is a different hobby than shooting. It takes its own skills, time, effort, and cost. Many people just don't have the interest or inclination to research loads, make test loads, and then sit at a bench for hours assembling ammo.

Look at model airplanes... Building airplanes is not the same thing as flying them. Now that you can fly without building, far fewer kits are bought. Often the people building them are so horrified at the prospect of plowing one into the ground at 50mph that they don't fly them.

Look at racing... There are builders and there are drivers. Very different skills.

Look at fishing... There are fishers, and there are people who build boats.

So for the shooter who doesn't reload... That'a fine. He has chosen his hobby - shooting. I would expend the energy on somebody who wants to learn reloading rather than trying to convert those who only want to shoot.

[Froogal]

Don't have time?? Just 2 hours or so instead of watching some goofy show on TV is all you need.

[Thumbcocker]

I actually started with a Dillon 550 in 1986. The press was purchased with part of a settlement from an auto accident I was in. I started casting the same year.

No one to teach me so I read a lot and proceeded carefully. I have never had a problem loading for any cartridge with it. I don't go for just speed. When doing load development I am pretty slow but when cranking out a known load I go faster. I have never even gotten close to 550 rounds per hour.

[Froogal]

Reloading should never be interpreted as a show of strength, nor as a race to see just how many rounds you can crank out in one hour.

I use a LEE single stage. If I get 100 rounds per session I am happy. Sometimes 50 rounds is about my limit before my shoulders start complaining.

HEY, 50 rounds is enough. Tomorrow is another day.

[wwmartin]

I looked at 9mm components today at midway and came up with around 44 cents to load a round + the powder of your choice and time. That was new brass and jacketed bullet +primers.
They have WW white box on sale at $299 a 1000.
With your brass and a home cast bullet reloading is still economically viable but not by much.
Most of the other cartridges I load for the spread between factory and reload is more noticeable and easily justify the time and save components for them. 9mm??

Bill

[45_Colt]

Yes, I too have noticed that 9mm round prices have dropped considerably. Don't shoot it, but do and have been keeping and eye on prices of various ammo. Being that 9mm is a very popular round, and used by NATO, I can see why the price is low.

But needing to put out $2+ a round for decent 308 or 30-06 hunting ammo, ouch. Even decent 223 is between 75-cents and $1.25 a round.

45_Colt

P.S. shouldn't include the cost of brass as that get reused when reloaded.

[Soundguy]

I looked at 9mm components today at midway and came up with around 44 cents to load a round + the powder of your choice and time. That was new brass and jacketed bullet +primers.
They have WW white box on sale at $299 a 1000.
With your brass and a home cast bullet reloading is still economically viable but not by much.
Most of the other cartridges I load for the spread between factory and reload is more noticeable and easily justify the time and save components for them. 9mm??

Bill

Bass pro had plain Jane 9mm fmj plinkers for 26.99/100 today.

I can still reload cheaper with cast bullets..but the margin gets thinner. About 15$ per 100 using my brass.

[Outer Rondacker]

I often try to save my primers for rounds that cost much more to buy. Like my main gun is a 45 GAP. Being out of work and on a very hard budget I am forced to make sure I get every piece of brass I have since finding more is not easy or affordable. So if I was in the market I would consider buying 9mm and saving primers for other cals.

I was speaking to a friend the other day and I mentioned how we are having this conversation online about people not wanting to get into reloading or even shooting but they own many guns. He gave me a different prospective on the mater. He loves guns and likes owning them and sometimes shooting them. He is more into the ownership than the firing of such weapons. He stated reloading for him would be a waste of an investment as he shoots around 50 rounds a year if not less. I can understand that. I guess it makes me realize that not everyone who owns firearms is a shooter.

[JoeJames]

I often try to save my primers for rounds that cost much more to buy. Like my main gun is a 45 GAP. Being out of work and on a very hard budget I am forced to make sure I get every piece of brass I have since finding more is not easy or affordable. So if I was in the market I would consider buying 9mm and saving primers for other cals.

I was speaking to a friend the other day and I mentioned how we are having this conversation online about people not wanting to get into reloading or even shooting but they own many guns. He gave me a different prospective on the mater. He loves guns and likes owning them and sometimes shooting them. He is more into the ownership than the firing of such weapons. He stated reloading for him would be a waste of an investment as he shoots around 50 rounds a year if not less. I can understand that. I guess it makes me realize that not everyone who owns firearms is a shooter.

That is true. There are a lot of dedicated deer hunters I know who probably do not shoot more that 6 or 7 rounds a year; if that much.

[WRideout]

In PA some deer hunters have carried the same box of ammo to deer camp "up north" for twenty years. About the only game they ever bag is a "Wild Turkey."

Wayne

[Alferd Packer]

This is why the create channel is watched.
They are lazy and would be useless dead weight in a survival situation.
Wouldn't lift a finger to save themselves.
Sad but sad,truly.

[dverna]

Yup.. as much as reloading is a distinct hobby from shooting so is casting from reloading

I agree with that. I doubt I will ever stop reloading but I hope to stop casting someday. I dislike everything about casting...except the money it saves.

The "problem" I have is that I got acquired my casting equipment when I was shooting a lot. I have about $2500 in pots, molds, and sizers.

A typical reloader who shoots 2-3k rounds a year can buy a years worth of cast pistol bullets for $300. Sure, he can cast 3k bullets for $100 but that is not enough of a saving for most people to get into casting.

Here is the cost of 124 gr HI-Tek coated bullets for 9mm:
https://hoosierbullets.com/new-profi...ted-no-groove/
$276 delivered for 3650 bullets. Less than $76/k. Cost of lead at $1.25/lb puts home cast bullets at $22. With a four cavity mold it will take 4-5 hours to cast, lube and size 1000 bullets to save $54. I won't do it.

My main CF plinking/fun guns are 9mm. Using current cost of $100/k for primers, $50/lb of powder and $76/k for the Hi-Tek bullets above, I come out to $205/k for reloaded 9mm. I can purchase FMJ 9mm ammunition for $255 delivered. If I had not "hoarded" components, and did not reload on a 1050, I might not reload 9mm. Think about a new reloader with a SS press making 100 rounds an hour. It will take 10 hours to save $50.

[skrapyard628]

Here is the cost of 124 gr HI-Tek coated bullets for 9mm:
https://hoosierbullets.com/new-profi...ted-no-groove/
$276 delivered for 3650 bullets. Less than $76/k. Cost of lead at $1.25/lb puts home cast bullets at $22. With a four cavity mold it will take 4-5 hours to cast, lube and size 1000 bullets to save $54. I won't do it.

This is why I only cast for a few rifles and shotgun slugs. My time is worth more money than what I would save by casting for most pistol cartridges. The cost of the bullets and slugs for the larger bore rifles and shotguns can be close to or over $1 each so casting saves quite a bit of money and allows me to create a load that shoots well and is accurate.

Common pistol cartridges? Nope. Not going to cast, size and powdercoat thousands of rounds for them. My time is worth much more than ~$10/hr. Add in the time it also takes to reload those cartridges and I will stick with just buying bullets for those.

I understand some folks just really enjoy time at the lead pot. And thats awesome for them. Ive got other hobbies and work to do that I enjoy just as much as they enjoy casting. So I trade my time off to those other hobbies by buying bullets for certain things.

[Soundguy]

I agree with that. I doubt I will ever stop reloading but I hope to stop casting someday. I dislike everything about casting...except the money it saves.

The "problem" I have is that I got acquired my casting equipment when I was shooting a lot. I have about $2500 in pots, molds, and sizers.

A typical reloader who shoots 2-3k rounds a year can buy a years worth of cast pistol bullets for $300. Sure, he can cast 3k bullets for $100 but that is not enough of a saving for most people to get into casting.

Here is the cost of 124 gr HI-Tek coated bullets for 9mm:
https://hoosierbullets.com/new-profi...ted-no-groove/
$276 delivered for 3650 bullets. Less than $76/k. Cost of lead at $1.25/lb puts home cast bullets at $22. With a four cavity mold it will take 4-5 hours to cast, lube and size 1000 bullets to save $54. I won't do it.

My main CF plinking/fun guns are 9mm. Using current cost of $100/k for primers, $50/lb of powder and $76/k for the Hi-Tek bullets above, I come out to $205/k for reloaded 9mm. I can purchase FMJ 9mm ammunition for $255 delivered. If I had not "hoarded" components, and did not reload on a 1050, I might not reload 9mm. Think about a new reloader with a SS press making 100 rounds an hour. It will take 10 hours to save $50.

Agreed.. Money invested in gear is a determining factor for many in the casting or reloading game.

I remember getting into safari calibers.. .458 win mag and .458 lott, etc. To shoot those guns I had to reload.. Otherwise I was paying 5-6$ a trigger pull. Reloading dropped it by 80%.. And casting another 10%.

Shooting a lot..and or shooting expensive to purchase calibers is one reason I got in. Some rifle cartridges only do one run a year. If I didn't reload 35 rem.. Me and a buddy would likely not be able to shoot it due to cost and availability. Many rifle ammo types are still hovering at around a buck a round or more.

[Good Cheer]

Started out casting for economy. Then it became a hobby. Then an art form.
Half a century later it's just an understood way of getting things done with confidence.

[Wolftracker]

I've been reloading for 41 years now. I also cast or swage my own bullets. I did get a brother to get into it enough to make his own hunting loads for himself and his sons and one friend invested enough to get started but he doesn't do it much. One advantage of not alot of people you know who reload is that free range brass. It's rare that I ever buy brass which leaves money for primers and powder when I can find them. I just love that once fired 300 Win Mag brass occasionally found when hunting season approaches and there are lots of others one can find any time as well!