Why do we do this?

[tommag]

Ok, I got into reloading as a teen ager. Because I felt it was cheaper than buying factory ammo. Never mind that it cost me more than I could earn at my job. Somehow, it became an addiction. When I started casting, I was under no illusion of saving money. I saw it as a way to keep going when tshtf.

I just finished casting and sizing a couple hundred rcbs 200 gr. clones with night owls mold(what a beautiful mold) Had I ran my truck for the same time, I could have bought lots more bullets with the profits than I cast. Loads were available, I took the time off to play. Fiscally, it makes no sense at all.

Any job, even driving truck, is tiring. While it is profitable I guess I need an escape. Casting, reloading, is my escape. I find it cathartic. There is a fair chance these boolits will never be fired. That seems pointless, but it is an escape, so I do it to maintain what ever sanity I have left.

Does anyone else do this more for relaxation than for utility?

[richhodg66]

When I was growing up, I used to watch my Dad a lot and seriously thought he enjoyed the casting and reloading even more than shooting (which we did a lot of too).

At some point for some guys, the hobby becomes not just the means to an end (shoot more, shoot cheaper, etc.) and becomes an end in itself. I think bullet casters define this group more than other handloaders.

[tomme boy]

It gives me something to do. I can only spend so much time with my old lady before I have to go do something for myself.

[USAFrox]

I always tell folks that reloading/casting is my "zen time". There is not much brain power involved at all. Once you've set up the equipment, it does most of the work for you. You simply move things around. In my job, I'm mentally focused and solving problems all day, so I NEED a hobby where I can basically just turn off the brain and do "pointless motion". It is my Zen. At this point, I've reloaded a WHOLE lot more than I've shot. And that's fine with me.

[theperfessor]

Casting your own gives a reloader another complete set of options and possibilities. It's another level of control that lets us use our imaginations and do something creative. When I'm casting and everything is going right I sometimes get into that Zen-like state where you don't notice the passage of time, you just look up and it's three hours later.

[km101]

Reloading/casting is a hobby that I enjoy, so even though it is physically taxing sometimes, it gives me a sense of accomplishment and achievement. With the necessary components, I can load better, cheaper, more accurate ammo than I can buy off the shelf.

This requires some skill and the application of knowledge that I have acquired over several decades. It also requires concentration and no small amount of labor. So it gives me a sense of doing something worthwhile and maximizing my shooting at the same time. In short; a productive hobby that is fun.

So I guess I do it more for relaxation and fun than necessity.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I enjoy learning/doing/mastering anything that gets me one more step closer to self-sufficiency.

Maybe it's my own personal rebellion against a generation and a government that is pushing American's into becoming dependant on the government.

[Eddie2002]

I find reloading fun, it helps fill in the down time in the day and beats watching reruns on TV. There are so many different types of reloading so you always are learning something. I'm working on light weight plinker/galley loads this month, last month reloading 30-06 using Berdan brass, next month maybe loads for my .380 LCP or resizing for my 7.7 Jap. Being able to just sit and work on reloading is a real pleasure. Right now i'm running out of room for the ammo i've reloaded and probably won't ever shoot it all but what the heck, it's a hobby.

[40-82]

I started reloading when I was very young. Mostly to save money, but maybe partly because my father did it. I don't have any illusions that I save much money now. I put far more into reloading and shooting than I would ever do, if I had to rely on factory ammunition. Somewhere along the way reloading and casting boolits became part of who I am. The vast majority of the meat I eat comes from animals killed with cast boolits, and for that I feel a great deal of satisfaction.

[tommag]

I recently got a good friends family into shooting. The wife didn't like guns, but had Dads old Mossberg 22 with a broken firing pin. When I showed them how to fix it, she became interested in shooting dads old rifle. He suddenly had her blessing to purchase a handgun. I got him into reloading .38 spl and 45 acp because ammo was hard to come by.

Now, he likes the process more than the shooting. ( gave him a keg of bullseye and a couple lbs of international clays). He thinks it is relaxing to load. I'm really thinking its more therapeutic than economical.

[jmort]

I like the whole deal, scrounging for lead/alloy, smelting, casting, reloading and shooting. I only use hand reloading tools and no mounted equipment of any kind.

[Beerd]

If you have to ask, you wouldn't understand. :Fire:
..

[bob208]

when I started casting and reloading. it was to save me money. I owned my .357 Blackhawk for 3 years before it shot a factory .357. now it did shoot a lot of hot loads in .38 sp. cases. after that every time I bought a new gun I got a mold for it.

other things casting and reloading have done for me. kept me from setting in front of the tv trying to stay awake by eating.
keeps me out of the bars.
keeps me away from boring people.

and now with the ammo shortage I just say what shortage ?

[starmac]

Why do we do this, because we want to. There is no better reason.

[44Vaquero]

It's more then Zen and relaxation. In todays modern world many of us work every day 5 n 6 days a week and produce nothing tangible. We are not farmers, machinist's, contractors or engineers. It's had to like at a pile of processed paper work and feel fulfilled.

The need to create something with our own hand still exists, that sense of accomplishment. Blacksmithing, woodworking, knitting, gardening, reloading and casting etc all provide a certain sense of satisfaction that may be missing from our career choices.

Re-loading is not only relaxing to me but also mentally challenging when work up a new load, modifying a piece of equipment or repairing a broken machine and there is a certain sense of accomplishment and satisfaction that comes from that.

[PS Paul]

Besides creating something with our hands, it also has that "Zen" to it. Cathartic, as is the act of shooting, fishing and hunting.

For me, I always was attracted to older calibers that had limited factory ammo available, and if there was, the ammo was usually low-performance and limited in scope. 7x57, 6.5x55 and .45 Colt were the calibers I first started loading and casting for.

Now, it is so ingrained in my psyche, if I did NOT have this outlet, I would have difficulties in my personal and professional life....... They would be at times, unbearable. So more than just an escape, as it were.

Yeah, ours costs less than factory ammo, but I have really not shot a lot of factory ammo in my life, outside of .22lr. That aspect was NEVER the driving force behind it for me......

[Springfield]

It's a hobby, pure and simple. So if ya gotta have a hobby, it might as well be one that COULD save you money, DOES make us more self sufficient, and IS something that you can do with friends and family. It is probably cheaper than dirt bike riding, boating, fishing, skiing, 4 wheeling, golfing, RVing and many other hobbies.

[destrux]

I always tell folks that reloading/casting is my "zen time". There is not much brain power involved at all. Once you've set up the equipment, it does most of the work for you. You simply move things around. In my job, I'm mentally focused and solving problems all day, so I NEED a hobby where I can basically just turn off the brain and do "pointless motion". It is my Zen. At this point, I've reloaded a WHOLE lot more than I've shot. And that's fine with me.

Yeah that sums it up well for me too.

I also do it because I really can't afford factory ammo to shoot as much as I like to, and I have a steady source of wheel weights, so it keeps me in plinking ammo as long as I can get lead (or zinc if lead ever goes the way of mercury).

[GRUMPA]

Me personally, I view it as a means to get what I want how I want when I want.

[Dean D.]

I like the Zen aspect of loading also. But more importantly for me is the accuracy aspect of casting and handloading. Most Factory loaded ammo is by necessity a "one size fits all" cartridge. It'll shoot, but you most likely won't get the best accuracy from your gun like you can with a handload. I really enjoy the load development aspect of handloading. Finding that ONE load that your gun shoots the most accurately is a very satisfying endeavor. Add your own cast boolits and its even more satisfying!

[35isit]

I am the odd man out. I cast to save money first. I do love the fact that my cast boolits shoot extremely well in my Contenders. I don't cast for rifles yet. I'm always on the look out for a simpler, less time consuming way to get the job done. I only cast enough in the winter to last for the next year. I then ration my boolits to last the year. That's why I'm going to try Hi-Tek coatings in my Contenders. I have only bought 1 mold in my lifetime, the rest have been loaned or given to me. But I do read a lot of posts on here and have had a mentor for over 20 years.

[500MAG]

I cast and reload to for enjoyment. I found it was a lot cheaper before I found this site. Always someone doing something I want to do and end up spending more money.

[PAI-Scott]

So glad to hear I am not the only one!

I don't do this to save money.
I don't to this to get the most accurate load.
I don't do it because I like the challenges that it can present.
In fact I don't even tinker with a load, if it fires and is clean, and works the gun (in the case of an autoloader) I stick with it.
I have more lead than I will shoot in my life time; I have such a stock pile of some types of booltes cast from a particular mold that it may be years until I get around to loading and shooting them. Yet I still collect lead, I separate it, and melt it into smaller usable ingots. I continue to cast, size and lube. I may run something through the lube sizer or I may size with the Lee unit, and pan lube simply based on how I feel today. I may use one press today for a load, and another press tomorrow for the same load.

I like it because the decisions I make have no effect on any one but me.
I like it because I don’t have to apply continuous intense concentration.
I like it because the problems I solve when doing it show immediate results.
I like it because I hate playing golf.
I like it because I can break away at a moment’s notice to play with the dogs, kids, wife (fill in the blank). Then reset easily.
I like it because it’s not just one thing. I like the entire process from acquiring lead, to casting to case prep to finished product.
I like it because half the time there is someone in the duck blind that irritates me (usually the dog) however there is never someone in the workshop that rubs me the wrong way.
I like it because I am one messed up individual, and I like it that way.

[retread]

So glad to hear I am not the only one!

I don't do this to save money.
I don't to this to get the most accurate load.
I don't do it because I like the challenges that it can present.
In fact I don't even tinker with a load, if it fires and is clean, and works the gun (in the case of an autoloader) I stick with it.
I have more lead than I will shoot in my life time; I have such a stock pile of some types of booltes cast from a particular mold that it may be years until I get around to loading and shooting them. Yet I still collect lead, I separate it, and melt it into smaller usable ingots. I continue to cast, size and lube. I may run something through the lube sizer or I may size with the Lee unit, and pan lube simply based on how I feel today. I may use one press today for a load, and another press tomorrow for the same load.

I like it because the decisions I make have no effect on any one but me.
I like it because I don’t have to apply continuous intense concentration.
I like it because the problems I solve when doing it show immediate results.
I like it because I hate playing golf.
I like it because I can break away at a moment’s notice to play with the dogs, kids, wife (fill in the blank). Then reset easily.
I like it because it’s not just one thing. I like the entire process from acquiring lead, to casting to case prep to finished product.
I like it because half the time there is someone in the duck blind that irritates me (usually the dog) however there is never someone in the workshop that rubs me the wrong way.
I like it because I am one messed up individual, and I like it that way.

I identify with a lot of that. I'm hooked so bad I look for fellow shooters that don't cast or load and offer to do it for them if they pay for the stuff I don't already have in their caliber. (Pay for the stuff and I'll keep you supplied with ammo.) Is that crazy or what!

[USAFrox]

Yep, brother, you got it bad. Just repeat after me: " Hello, my name is retread, and I'm an addict..."

:-D

[Four-Sixty]

I cast because I hate brass. I want to fire, resize, expand and crimp as many brass cases as often as I can until I get as many to fail as possible. Casting enables me to more economically use up as much brass as I can. Everytime I toss a split case in my "toss" box, a slight smile creeps across my face and the fire in my eyes grows a little brighter.

[dragon813gt]

I've been spending more time at the range picking up brass and lead then shooting. My dog seems to enjoy it more since he gets to run all over instead of patiently sitting by my side while I shoot. I've been having more fun with this aspect then casting or reloading lately. But as soon as it cools down I will rediscover my love for casting and a lot of weekends will fly by in the blink of an eye. I will be counting time in pounds casted instead of minutes.

[btroj]

Why do we do this, because we want to. There is no better reason.

Exactly. Because I can and chose to.

[lylejb]

I first started reloading shotgun at age 12 to feed a budding trap shooting habit. It was a reality that if I was going to shoot the amount of practice I needed, factory ammo was not going to happen. Soon I was loading all the shotgun ammo for dad and I, light loads, heavy loads, grouse loads, duck loads, goose loads......I had a book of many recipes and I liked it.

Fast forward to me as a young man, and I had just bought my first pistol, a S&W 44 mag. I was working, but $7 / hr didn't go far, even back then. So, a metallic press soon graced the reloading room, and now I could afford to load 100 rounds for not much more than 20 factory. Woo hoo. A bit later, I discovered commercial cast bullets. No use in burning those jacketed bullets for plinkers. I stayed with commercial cast for years. I had another book of many recipes, and I liked that too.

Then, a few years back I found this site. It was all downhill from there. A used lee pot from craigslist, Another member sold me a lee mold cheep, and life's never been the same since........

Funny, I was just looking for some load data for win 571 powder and google pointed me here. Didn't know I wouldn't come back........

At first, it was to save money, but it's become much more

[Gliden07]

I started to reload to save money when someone gave me a free loader (Lee Pro 1000). I think I do save money for the most part if I stay focused on reloading and not equipment. I really do enjoy reloading and casting though and getting a better this, or that is part of any hobby. Have always done good with equipment though, I have a limited budget and have to either save or wait for "Deals" to come up!

I feel that I'm like a guy hooked on buying scratch off lottery tickets. I only notice when I win money not on all the money I spent to win!! :grin:

[Down South]

I enjoy it as much as shooting. I started out about 40 yrs ago loading for my Rem Mod 700 BDL 25-06. That was a tack driver of a rifle. I figured that I could make ammo more accurate than factory and I still figure that.
Casting just added to the fun. It's nice to know I don't have to depend on what the future holds for the ammo industry, I'll always have enough "stuff" to make ammo as I need it.

[Boerrancher]

I got hooked on it all when I was 7 years old. Dads gun smithing partner gave me an 1894c marlin in .357 mag and 10 boxes of 38 special loaded with cast boolits to shoot out of it. It didn't take he and dad long to get tired of keeping me in ammo so they sat me down at one of their work benches in front of a Lyman furnace with a Lyman mold and put me to work. Then I sized and lubed them with the Lyman Lube sizer, and lastly they showed me how to set everything up and produce live ammo. From that moment on I have never looked back and cast for just about everything I own.

Dad and Don are long gone now but I still have the rifles and the knowledge they gave me. I think they would be proud of how far I have taken the casting thing, in being able to reach jacketed velocities in many of the rifle calibers I shoot. Back when I first started anything over 800 fps had to have a gas check and you couldn't possibly push cast lead boolits over 1600 fps even with a gas check according to the popular thought of the day. When I look at what we are doing now those days are like the Stone Age.

Best wishes

Joe

[375supermag]

It's more then Zen and relaxation. In todays modern world many of us work every day 5 n 6 days a week and produce nothing tangible. We are not farmers, machinist's, contractors or engineers. It's had to like at a pile of processed paper work and feel fulfilled.

The need to create something with our own hand still exists, that sense of accomplishment. Blacksmithing, woodworking, knitting, gardening, reloading and casting etc all provide a certain sense of satisfaction that may be missing from our career choices.

Re-loading is not only relaxing to me but also mentally challenging when work up a new load, modifying a piece of equipment or repairing a broken machine and there is a certain sense of accomplishment and satisfaction that comes from that.

I agree with this statement...
I run a receiving dock and while the work is interesting and challenging at times, it gives me no sense of accomplishment. It is merely a means to an end...a way to earn a decent income.
I have never allowed my job to define me...it is just work.

My sense of accomplishment in life comes from my family.
I make things as a hobby to satisfy a certain desire to create and build something...one of the things I make is reloaded ammunition, another is scale model military vehicles. I study military history, firearms and reloading as my main hobbies...they keep me fulfilled mentally and physically(along with yard work).
Oh, yeah...I also serve as wait staff for an extremely lazy and demanding black Labrador Retriever.
My life is full of duties and demands...reloading a few hundred or thousand rounds of ammo allows me to escape and focus on something different for a while.

I noticed a few people said that they may never fire all of the ammo they have reloaded. If that is the case...I would like to introduce to my son...he is quite happy to shoot all of the ammo I reload and ask for more. I have no problem with ammo storage.

[Smoke4320]

I do it because I control every aspect of the process .. can do it when I want to. for as long as I want to... shoot when I want to ..not worry about finding projectiles in stock and it totally irritates the Gobberment

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

first , everyone needs a hobby , most everyone has one and as far as hobbies go casting isn't all that expensive , it can get costly but it doesn't have to be so , it is a tiny investment compared to boating, sailing , racing , horses , airplanes , girl friends , mistresses , cults , and drugs.

some people will tell you they don't have a hobby , that's cause they call their hobby by a different name if your at church 3 or more days or nights a week and in more than one bible study , church is your hobby , in no way saying that's bad just accept it for what it is.


now why i cast and reload , no it probably costs me more money than i ever used to spend on ammo , but i shoot many many times more than I used to , it brought new life to shooting guns i hadn't shot in years , as a result i have become a better shot.

the other side of it for me is I want to know how things work , how better to learn how and why things do what they do than to build and experiment to try things.

I don't know how people go through life with no understanding of how anything works they just take everything for granted that it is , from food , drink , cars , electronics
now some things i don't need to know every details , but a fairly solid understanding of most things , and there are certainly some things outside the bounds of what i can learn about and just having a concept of how those things work is good enough for me , I like learning but not necessarily in a class room , reloading combines a almost endless journey of exploration while combining shooting one of my favorite things to do.

[Redhorse702]

[Your post is like talking to myself! Ditto..ditto... now I'm really I'll and it's a great sit-down event .. sit down to cast...sit down to load. Sit down to shoot... repeat!... love it for so many reasons... Redhorse702

QUOTE=tommag;2355741]Ok, I got into reloading as a teen ager. Because I felt it was cheaper than buying factory ammo. Never mind that it cost me more than I could earn at my job. Somehow, it became an addiction. When I started casting, I was under no illusion of saving money. I saw it as a way to keep going when tshtf.

I just finished casting and sizing a couple hundred rcbs 200 gr. clones with night owls mold(what a beautiful mold) Had I ran my truck for the same time, I could have bought lots more bullets with the profits than I cast. Loads were available, I took the time off to play. Fiscally, it makes no sense at all.

Any job, even driving truck, is tiring. While it is profitable I guess I need an escape. Casting, reloading, is my escape. I find it cathartic. There is a fair chance these boolits will never be fired. That seems pointless, but it is an escape, so I do it to maintain what ever sanity I have left.

Does anyone else do this more for relaxation than for utility?[/QUOTE]

[DCM]

Me personally, I view it as a means to get what I want how I want when I want.

Prety much sums it up for me, If I can dream it I can load it.
No matter how off the wall it is in somone elses opinion. Never really know till ya try it.

[mroliver77]

The guys that state they would be farther ahead to work and buy ammo usually dont stay around this forum long. hehe

Every job I have ever had was only a means to an end! My needs are few and I am not into keeping up with with The Joneses so I don't pursue riches but fulfillment.

I get satisfaction out of tinkering with a broken toaster and learning something in the process. Fixing a piece of furniture tickles me. Making and shooting my own ammo is very relaxing and fulfilling!

I have learned more about life and other things while pursuing this casting addiction than I have learned about casting.

[gbrown]

I got into reloading shotgun when I was 15 along with a buddy. We loved dove and duck hunting, and at $3.50 a box, back then, our money didn't buy many. We put together the money for a Texan. We reloaded for a couple of years and then he bought a .357 magnum we loaded for with the very simple Lee hand loader. I found an old C-H press for $20.00 on a clearance shelf and got some 30/30 and 30/06 dies. We got into casting when I was about 18. Did it until I was 24 and then got out of it for about 20 years for various reasons. Got back in reloading first with my old stuff (still have it) and then upgraded. Got back into casting about 5 years ago. I agree with all the reasons on this thread. If I can make something with my own 2 hands, it is much more satisfying than buying it. It's relaxing and I can turn out my stuff. Reloading allows me to tailor loads for a specific need. Subsonic loads are fun in big bores. Try to find those on the shelf! Alloys are fun to make and experiment with. I'm retired with time, but still can't find enough time to cast enough! People around me think I'm a little strange, sitting in front of my storage unit casting. I have grandsons I hope to get interested in casting and reloading. We'll see.

[waksupi]

The guys that state they would be farther ahead to work and buy ammo usually dont stay around this forum long. hehe

Every job I have ever had was only a means to an end! My needs are few and I am not into keeping up with with The Joneses so I don't pursue riches but fulfillment.

I get satisfaction out of tinkering with a broken toaster and learning something in the process. Fixing a piece of furniture tickles me. Making and shooting my own ammo is very relaxing and fulfilling!

I have learned more about life and other things while pursuing this casting addiction than I have learned about casting.

If they are ahead working and buying ammo, they don't shoot much! Yesterday I would have shot up a couple hundred bucks worth of factory ammo.

[mold maker]

I do it because I like it. I enjoy making my own, whether it's casting, swaging, loading, black Powder, just holes in paper. I cut gemstones, prospect for gold, make wine, and spent 39+ years as a pattern and mold maker. All my life I have made something with my hands.
Although I can't do as much as I did a few years ago, it is still what flips my bic.

[OBIII]

This is so silly. Of course we do it for the savings. After all the money and time I have put into it over the past years, I just know the savings will start any day now. :-D

OB

[gbrown]

waksupi
If they are ahead working and buying ammo, they don't shoot much! Yesterday I would have shot up a couple hundred bucks worth of factory ammo.
OBIII
This is so silly. Of course we do it for the savings. After all the money and time I have put into it over the past years, I just know the savings will start any day now.

It actually does if you purchased wisely in the past. A trip to the range with the oldest grandson and a friend or 2 would cost me a couple of hundred if it were "store bought." My stuff, it costs me about $20.00-$30.00 with what I bought 15-20 years ago. My lead is free, for the most part, my powder is cheap, at today's prices, and my primers are "cheap", given the amount I have purchased in the past and inherited. Am I lucky? Oh yeah.

[MrWolf]

Saving money on reloading is what I told the wife when my son wanted to start trap shooting and I bought my MEC progressive. Two Browning Citoris later and three years, it was time to save money when we started shoting my old Beretta 92f. Nine months later with a new 550b, supplies, two Ruger 10/22's, S&W 1911e, M&P.45c, Ruger 22 pistol, AR15 and supplies I am still saving money....
I reload and am accumulating supplies and lead to cast because I am part of the weird breed that likes reloading about as much as shooting. Self sufficency and such are all parts of it but I really enjoy the process and tinkering that goes along with it. I even like scrounging around for brass and cleaning it - weird huh? [smilie=f: