When did it stop being fun?

[dverna]

I recall as a high school lad having fun loading for my .222...the only rifle I owned. I had 40 cases and used a Lee Target Loader. It took a long time to load each one but it was fun. Getting a super accurate load was fun too and I relished the time at the bench (an old desk) and the range. I was poor and could never buy more than a box of bullets at a time, pack of primers, and a lb of powder.

I started competitive shooting in my early twenties and could not afford a progressive. Only Stars were available then, and they were about $1000, but my mentor had two of them so I would load at his place. Started buying components in bulk and started casting. We would mine the range for cheap lead to save money. It was still fun.

By the time I was 30, it stopped being fun. I love to shoot, so reloading was a way to make that affordable. I bought faster machines so I could spend less time reloading. By the time I was in my mid 50's, I had over half a dozen progressives ranging from a Star to two Dillon 1050's. But all that capacity to turn out ammunition did not make it "fun". It was a chore that needed doing if I wanted to shoot. I justified buying machines so I would not need to change primer systems or do caliber changes...I was addicted. I was not poor anymore and I spent a lot of money on reloading stuff.


I am down to a 550 and a 1050 currently. Sold one of the 1050's, 650, Star and two SDB's a few years ago. Recently sold the Spolar as well but kept the PW 800+. I have a used 550 and used 1050 waiting to be set up. I thought when I retired I would be shooting more but it has not happened. I was shooting 20k a year when I was working (and competing) but shoot less the 5k/yr now. It seems silly, but I am shooting less because I hate reloading....and I have oodles of time to reload!

I have decided to make it fun again. My reloading shop is a disaster area. I have **** all over the place. First thing is to clean it up, organize things and sell some stuff off. I cannot find things I know I have and that adds to the frustration. I will also teach my fiancé to reload. She loves to shoot as well so I am lucky.


Shooting, but more so competing, has allowed me to meet some of the best people I know. It is great hobby and it should be fun!!!!

[Don Purcell]

I hear ya'. In my 20's I was shooting at least every other day and always on the weekends regardless of weather. Did my casting with a double cavity Lyman 250 Keith .44 and loading on a single stage Rockchucker. I remember my first 8 pound keg of 296 and was in heaven. The only handgun I had was my 8 3/8 Model 29. Now, I have 8 and 10 cavity H&G molds along with a Master Caster and many other 4 and 6 cavity molds and load on an old Dillon 450 and new 550 and several 8 pound kegs of different powders. Retired almost 5 years ago and the total number of rounds fired in that time wouldn't match what I used to shoot in 2-3 months when I was younger. Seems upside down.

[Chihuahua Floyd]

Still using a RCBS Rockchucker. Still enjoy reloading.
Shot Cowboy Action for years, reloaded for 2 or 3 people per match. Sometimes shot two matches a month. enjoyed the competition and the reloading and casting.
Have not shot anything since May due to shoulder surgery. Hope I can get turned loose to empty some brass soon.
Could I buy a progressive, yes, do I need a progressive, I don't think so. Sold off or gave away some other presses, RCBS and Lee. only have two on the bench now, the Rockchucker and the MEC.
CF

[Tom W.]

Progressive reloaders look like too much trouble. I have been loading on a single stage since Early '70's, except when I had an early three hole Lee turret press that I used for my .357. My latest is an old RCBS Rockchucker I've had for I dunno how long. What isn't fun for me is trimming brass......all the rest is just fine and relaxing.

[Harter66]

This old guy said to me once "when you're joy becomes work and the work brings no joy it's time to stop either that which brought joy or change the work ".

Sometimes we have to step back and look at what brought the joy to what we used to do . Personally I can't imagine a more tedious task than loading with a whack a mole ........maybe bucking rivets. I love pouring those big 35 and 45s and the the other real pot sucker 4,5,6&8 cavities . Wanna see me depressed about having to pour bullets? Tell me it's time to pour 200 of anything in a single . That is right in there with whack a mole and rivet bucking . I don't especially like loading shotgun either . I suppose it could be the tools .

My money says a couple of campsite like when you were struggling to shoot and buy a new mould and a box or 2 of reduced need to have 5000 rounds next month mentor/teaching ammo followed by some Zen shooting or tablets of opportunity around the camp sight will rekindle the joy .

[RED BEAR]

i still enjoy loading most times but other times it is a chore that i don't like doing. i try to keep enough ammo on hand to fill my needs so i don't have to load if i don't want to. my biggest problem with reloading is my back and shoulder really hurt.

[mattw]

I feel sorry for you. Have been loading for 30 years with a rock chucker and uniflow. Wife and I shot IDPA for a few years, was loading about 1500 per week this way. Now, I am loading and shooting less, but loading and casting are just about as much fun as shooting for me. I have helped a commercial loader over the years with 1050's and big casting machines, but was always happy to take home the small odd lots and do them by hand.

[lightman]

I think we all go through a burnout phase with our hobbies. Like most, I started out on a tight budget. I slowly added nicer equipment as my income increased. I still enjoy the hunt for lead and making scrap lead into something useful and I still enjoy reloading. Over the years I have bought a few things to make it faster or easier. A progressive press, a Star sizer, gang molds, a Giraud case trimmer, ect ect. But I still enjoy sitting down and loading 40 cases on my Rockchucker for a match. The middle years of my career were so busy that I got away from the shooting sports except for deer season. Work was very demanding and my family was pretty active. Boy Scouts, camping, ball games, you name it! I'm glad that I kept my equipment through all of that.

[mold maker]

Reloading needs only a trip downstairs. The range requires loading the car and a trip that leaves Granny by her self.
At our age, the buddy system is safety for both of us, so I have an increasing supply of loaded ammo.

[Shopdog]

"The futile pursuit of happiness " was a paper written by a cpl of professors or ? back 'round the mid 80's or sumthin. I first read it when practical machinist forum first started back in the day. Worth looking up? dunno.

I'll no doubt mess this paraphrase up... but it goes like this. It's not the "thing" that brings you happiness, it's what you "do" with it. So,another gun... another press... another pce of equipment,etc,etc. Is just that,another. Using one of them should be the emphasis. I still lust after a new rig but... understand fully the implications.

My reloading room is almost spotless.... and still use equipment/presses bought "in the first place" 40 years ago.Handloading has always been about patients,relaxing,and chasing accuracy. Nothing more,nothing less.

[bikerbeans]

Over ten years ago i became very ill and was forced to stop working and go on disability. I had never planned to retire so i was kinda lost. I talked to a friend of mine and told him what was going on. His response was good, you have time to reload 45ACP for me. He is an addicted Bullseye shooter. Since that time i have loaded over 50k rounds for him and learned to cast so half of them have my cast boolits stuffed in them. I now load and cast just about anything, 410 bore to 10 ga slugs and buck, pistols, revolvers and rifles from .22 to .458 cal. I don't see me losing interest in reloading. There are days when i feel so bad i don't want to get up but i always make it out to the barn to load or cast, even if its just for an hour.

BB

[lefty o]

to be perfectly honest, reloading is never what id consider a hobby or fun to sit and do. for me, reloading is a means to an end.

[Preacher Jim]

Dverna you have caused me to think about my hobbies, I started with a Winchester nut cracker casting and loading because was only way I could shoot and hunt. Then a single stage Belton and mull. I think it lost the fun when my daughter grew up and I lost my shooting pardner. Still build and load because once in a while I get a day to shoot but now I pursue that perfect group one hole, 10 rounds 100 yards with a rifle I built from scratch.

[EDG]

When I see people focused on how fast they can load and huge volumes of ammo loaded with progressives I interpret it as someone who is in a big hurry to do something else.

I have been loading for 50 years and I still find it interesting. I challenge myself by loading odd rounds for old rifles and making some my own tools.
I will admit that loading pistol and shotgun ammo is about the most boring activity on the planet. So I don't load much of either.

[Freightman]

Dang I think I shoot so I will have empties to load, but to each his own! Have fun at what you like.

[Ole Joe Clarke]

I enjoy reloading, spent some time today on the Lee Classic Turret. It's not super fast, no bells or whistles, but it does the job on 9 mm and other pistol loads. Also talked to our oldest daughter about a shooting date, she has changed jobs and it sure messed up our every other week of shooting. The weather is cooling off and I will get to the range even if by myself.

I also have an old Pacific Multi Power 'O' type press for rifle a Pacific DL-266 for shotguns. It's still fun and keeps me active.

Have a blessed day,

Leon

[zymguy]

I used to say i shoot so i can reload, since i've gotten into casting i think i reload so i can cast.

[razorfish]

I’m definitely a shooter and I only reload/cast to support my shooting habit.

If I had unlimited funds I’d never pick up a piece of brass, cast a bullet or reload a cartridge again. The worst part of the whole process is cleaning and tuning my guns so I’d hire someone to that for me too.

But, with things being as they are, I will continue producing arguably the finest ammo possible. It’s oddly satisfying to see other shooters ammo jam up during a match while mine basically never fails.

Oh yeah, working with molten lead never seems to get old. :)

[Tom Trevor]

The fun went away when the last of the old time gentlemen shooters in our club died off. replaced one by one over the years by self centered experts who cannot wait to tell anyone who will listen they know everything and any other advise is stupid drivel.

[pworley1]

It has always been fun for me. I have been loading for almost 50 years and I still look forward to getting in the loading room.

[Bazoo]

I've not got nearly the experience as most here, in either shooting or reloading. I know some folks that are "high speed", but im not. Im slow speed. I prefer single stage presses, hand presses and lee loaders. I prefer small batches of 100 or less. I have 2 batches of brass for my 30-30 that I use. One is 50 pieces, the other 33. I have more brass, but I like loading simple. I dont want to end up like you. I enjoy reloading and casting, and shooting, and hunting. I dont want that to change.

[GhostHawk]

No desire for a progressive here at all.

I load everything on a Lee Hand press. I do sometimes use a bigger lee press for full length sizing of rifle ammo.

I try to never load more than 50 in a given day. Never cast much more than 100.

Lately I've had my hands full with other projects, so have neglected the casting and reloading a little.
But I plan to be home for december, should give me time to catch up on casting and reloading.

[M-Tecs]

Started reloading in at 9 or 10 years old for a re-enactment club. Loading about 50,000 rounds for them on a single station press. Reloading was never fun until I purchased a 1050.

[bob208]

defined fun. it is a means to a end. the end is shooting. reloading has kept me sane. when I was laid up after a bad wreak . I cast and reloaded. when there was nothing on tv and before computers I cast to keep my hands busy. I got into muzzle loading so the centerfire loading fell off but the casting picked up. now the grandson wants to shoot and deer hunt. so I started loading again.

[Rooster]

I've been at it since the JC was a corporal and the Dillon I bought years ago sits with the dust cover on it most of the time. Maybe I'm slow, maybe I'm stubborn but I prefer a single stage and taking my time. To each his own I say.

[redhawk0]

Don...it might be time go rekindle the passion. Get out the old Target Loader for the 222...if you no longer have the rifle/loader...get an old Target loader kit for something you do have. Spend the time just producing quality ammo...one at a time. Build up two boxes...go shoot two boxes....then load 'em up again and shoot them again. Like the Righteous Brothers once sang...."Bring Back that Lovin' Feeling" Sometimes a return to your roots can be a great way to break the mundane routine feeling.

redhawk

[DCM]

It got to be no fun when I got way too wrapped up in the competition end of things.
I pulled the plug on that and only shoot a less formal pistol league when I feel like tuning up my pistol skills and have the time. I keep a whole different mindset with this and get a chuckle out of those that have my old mindset, especially when I beat them using my week hand just for kicks and practice LOL. It is a local range bullseye league and most folks have an easy going mindset but there are a few with the hard competition mindset.

Same with loading, it was a chore when all I did was feed the completion thing. Now I just go my own way loading whatever suits my fancy and it is much more satisfying.

[JBinMN]

I still make it fun by doing things that are interesting to me like testing different things that I have not done before, even if others have... I think for "me", it is the "doing" that makes it interesting rather than it being a chore.
It is something I can do on my own, even when no one else wants to be involved & go along. Even just plinking. I make it fun by challenging myself to do things I may not do if others were there...

Example, "Timed shooting", or " quick drawing/point shooting from the hip, or even shooting from odd positions...
and I find it a bummer that some of ya have lost the enthusiasm.

Hey though, stuff happens & it takes the person to make something stay interesting and exciting.
If you wait for someone else to do it, or go along to do it, you are likely gonna lose that battle... At least IME, that is how things work...

"Make the trail yourself if ya really want to get somewhere and do something!"... If others follow along later, or want to go along when you do... So much the better.
:)

G'Luck! in ya'll who are finding handloading & reloading to be considered a chore. Only YOU can make it better...
;)

[arlon]

The older I get the more I appreciate the "less is more" idea. I reload ammunition one cartridge at a time. I like my single stage press, single cavity moulds, single shot rifles and single shot pistols... I thought I'd shoot a lot more when I retired too, so far it has just been the opposite. I can't see targets like I used to. It is less fun than it was or maybe I've just found other things that are more fun.

[Wis Tom]

I still enjoy reloading, but just don't take as much time to shoot as much. My wife and I use to go down to our outdoor range almost every night, and shoot and pick up brass and lead, but my garage that is also our heating business, got so full of lead and 55 gallon drums full of brass, that this last year, we quit going. I think I miss the time with my wife, more than the shooting, as I have a 50 yd range right out my back deck, so I can still shoot anytime I want. I am also finding that as I age, it takes more out of me, through the workday, that I just don't have the same getup, at night, after working all day. It will be easier during the winter though, as I can take the cold better than the heat, and have alittle more time, during those months, to shoot and cast more.

[David2011]

Progressive reloaders look like too much trouble. I have been loading on a single stage since Early '70's, except when I had an early three hole Lee turret press that I used for my .357. My latest is an old RCBS Rockchucker I've had for I dunno how long. What isn't fun for me is trimming brass......all the rest is just fine and relaxing.

It depends very much on the press you choose. Some require a lot of constant tweaking and some just work once they're set up correctly. I was fortunate enough to make the correct decision with my first progressive and it makes reloading easy. I don't like trimming brass either.

Shooting became less fun for me due to two things. First, a job transfer took me to an area where there was little competitive shooting. The other think was a knee giving out. I've haad a knee replacement and the desire to shoot USPSA is returning. We're relocating to an are where the weather is more favorable to year 'round shooting and there is more activity. I'm not looking forward to moving the shop but getting it going again will be fun.

[Land Owner]

when my life long hunting partner died, the thrill was gone. my motivation simply got up and left the building. now I have no one with whom I shoot so casting and reloading have taken a back seat. I have more firearms, equipment, and components than I will use in another lifetime. I cannot take it with me and selling it is a chore, but one that I will wade through as I want YOU to be the recipients of my armory rather than some after-the-fact Jack who knows nothing of my amassed components and sells my tackle box full of sizing dies and top lunches for $50.00 at the Flea Market table to a savvy purchaser that KNOWS there is over $1,500.00 dollars worth of components in there. I suppose I should open a firearms and fishing tackle store. I could probably do that, and enjoy it, with the right sort of business partner(s).

[Rick Hodges]

I love to reload....though when I am pressed for time and it becomes a bit of a chore. For me it is like hunting.....I get as much fun out of the preparation for the hunt, the planning, choosing equipment, the anticipation as I do the actual hunt. Yes that includes developing loads to use, reloading the ammunition, sighting in the rifles. It is all part of the shooting/hunting/outdoors pursuits.

[Shawlerbrook]

Never was a high volume reloader. Loaded shotshells since I was 13( I’m 61 now) for rabbit hunting and an occasional trip to the skeet/trap range. Loaded rifle and pistol cartridges since my early 20’s for hunting and plinking. Now I load a box at a time and do it mainly because I shoot many obsolete/ uncommon calibers and find them expensive and/or difficult to purchase. I do get satisfaction out of making quality hunting ammo and feel secure I will always have something to put in the chamber.

[reloader28]

Dang I think I shoot so I will have empties to load, but to each his own! Have fun at what you like.



Your not alone. This is what I do

[mjwcaster]

I like reloading, but haven’t been doing it all that long.
I got into it to save money, but found I really enjoy it.
But like working on cars, it is fun when I do it because I want to, it is work when I have to do it because I am low on ammo.
Except filling primer tubes, I hate filling primer tubes.
I even enjoy sizing bullets on my cheap lee push through, but not when I have to do it.
It is nice to be able to go out to the garage and have something simple and brain dead to do at times like sizing bullets or prepping brass.

It is no fun when I have to get this mess of bullets sized because I have to load them to be able to go out shooting.
I keep trying to build an ammo stash, but I seem to shoot it up about as fast as I reload.
I think the best I have done is get a couple of thousand rounds ahead.
What seems to happen is that I like to test fire some if each batch just to check them.
Next thing I know that caliber gun becomes my go to gun and I shoot all the ammo I loaded.
I do manage to keep about a thousand rounds on hand per caliber, I get real antsy if I get lower than that.
Only reason I manage to keep that much is because I stop shooting that caliber when I get down to 1k and move onto something else.

I have plans to cast and load heavily this winter, hoping to get 5k ready in each of my handgun calibers, although I would prefer 10k. 5k to shoot next year and 5k for a stash.

Time to head out to the garage and load some 380, got a new lcp II that I need to shoot some more before it replaces my lcp custom as my edc.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[JoeJames]

If all I ever reloaded was one specific load in one caliber, I reckon I'd get tired of it, but new calibers, new bullets, and new powder make it quite enjoyable. And after the reloading, checking for accuracy, point of aim, and velocity generally make it all worthwhile. Even exciting.

[mold maker]

After 60+ years the reason for doing it has changed, but the desire is even more intense. The sad thing is the ability to be mobile has declined to the point that it's a rare privilege to make it to the loading bench. That makes those times really special to me.
It took me over 3 months to process a K of .556 once fired brass. To me the completion was a real milestone. I probably won't ever finish loading them because I only occasionally shoot a few.
All that to say I still use an RCBS single stage even though I've had several quality progressives and simi-progressives. Doing each step hands-on gives me total control, and to me, that's all important.

[waksupi]

If you are using a progressive, you are just a reloader. Most of us are handloaders, and a single stage press is much more appropriate for the best quality ammunition.

[3leggedturtle]

Not that it’s not fun, it’s just that we/I used to only have a few guns and ammo. It was simpler to grab the only 3 guns and gear I had, and head out. Now when I go shooting I try to only bring 4 rifles and 5 pistols! Todd/3leg

[jmort]

"this has to be one of the most self serving ignorant posts ive read in a long time. pure horse doodie! did it make you feel good? ill probably get banned or slapped for saying this, but you are insulting very very many other members here with nonsense like this."

^^^^^ This is a bit much. But the notion that the "best quality ammunition" is a single stage only deal is not a thing. Prime example David Tubb. I like single stage presses and have two 550s. I like them all.

[lefty o]

"this has to be one of the most self serving ignorant posts ive read in a long time. pure horse doodie! did it make you feel good? ill probably get banned or slapped for saying this, but you are insulting very very many other members here with nonsense like this."

^^^^^ This is a bit much. But the notion that the "best quality ammunition" is a single stage only deal is not a thing. Prime example David Tubb. I like single stage presses and have two 550s. I like them all.

sorry, but the post i was quoting was in poor taste.

[Mr_Sheesh]

When shooting 500-1000 rounds of pistol ammo a weekend, EVERY weekend, some years back, I'd have just plain glared at the thought that I had to single stage press every single round I would fire that weekend. That would take longer than the time I had weekly, so, what, I could just buy a case of ammo a weekend?

Sure, the hunting guns and varminters get individually weighed powder charges, but for plinking and ammo to keep your pistol skills up, you really can NOT afford the time to do it all super accurately. Or at least I sure couldn't! Could load for myself and siblings with the progressive.

[Traffer]

I started reloading about 3 years ago. I hadn't even shot a gun since 1985. That was the last deer I shot.
I just got the desire to do a little plinking with a 22 in 2015. They said "forget it, you can't get ammo anymore". I bought a little 22 anyway. Then I couldn't get ammo.
Internet to the rescue. I saw a company that was selling kits to reload 22lr. I saw the one or two videos of people who had tried them and decided that it was indeed possible to reload rim fire. Believe it or not I couldn't afford the $80 for the kit. So I decided to try and make the tools myself.
I am one of those guys who likes to make his own stuff. Been making my own fishing stuff since I can remember. I make everything from rods to flies, spinners to tip ups. Ice chisels, ...everything I can. I make rods from broken rods I find in the trash.
Anyway, I have the same approach to shooting. I thought it would be cool to shoot 22 WMR so I got the pieces that I figure I would need to build a gun.
I have gotten deeply into the buying tooling for making bullet making. Just made the biggest purchase of my lifetime. (except for a car) Got a mini lathe from Harbor Freight for $450. Been wanting a lathe for over 50 years.
Got bogged down with a couple of the steps of reloading 22lr. Biggest snag was, believe it or not ...crimping!. In order to make consistent accurate ammo the crimp must be consistent at aroung 50lbs of pull. ...Lot of work there for me. I have collet crimpers that work but make the rounds "look odd" so I am trying to make a cannelure type crimper.
Long story a little shorter...I haven't even been to the range in well over a year. Don't really care to. Shooting now is just a necessary part of the development process. Many of you shoot more in a day than I have shot in my lifetime. I used to enjoy shooting but my eyes are poor now so the thrill is gone.
I enjoy solving problems, fixing things and mostly doing something that no one else does. And I am amazed by guns, always have been.
When I finally attain my goal (if I ever do) of making the most accurate match 22lr ammo there is, I will quit this foolishness.

[Anschutz]

I like reloading, but haven’t been doing it all that long.
Except filling primer tubes, I hate filling primer tubes.


Same. I'm thinking about getting a hand primer just so I don't have to flip 75% of the primers by hand and hunt them all with the tube.

[danthman114]

reloading can get boring at times but you have to change it up. use different tools. a lot of times ill pull out my lee hand press and sit in front of the tv. a couple days ago I pulled out the 38 spc lee classic loader and loaded a box... this weekend ill use the hornady lnl progressive for some .45acp and .223. just change it up and the most simple means of reloading is usually the most enjoyable. now I'm looking into a lyman 310 for 45colt and 30-40 krag.

[45workhorse]

The fun went away when the last of the old time gentlemen shooters in our club died off. replaced one by one over the years by self centered experts who cannot wait to tell anyone who will listen they know everything and any other advise is stupid drivel.

I can see where that would NOT be fun anymore..
Maybe you need to turn into one of those "old time gentlemen shooters!"

[dverna]

Guys, it is good to see many of you are still having fun at it. And it is interesting that there are some in my boat too.

I do not see any way to use a single stage press if someone shoots a lot. When I was competing, it was easy to go through 400 rounds a week. Heck, in some of the trap shoots we would fire well over 1000 rounds in less than a week. The only way to shoot was to reload on a progressive, or buy ammunition.

It has been two years since I reloaded on a single stage press and today I bolted down the old Co-Ax. I need to work up some .308 loads for a new rifle I got this year. The M70 Coyote was getting a bit heavy to lug around and I picked up a couple of Thompson Center rifles this summer. I will do the barrel break-in and then find an accurate hunting load. Hopefully, the guns shoots as well as most say. Accurate guns are fun. Might put 50-60 rounds through it total this year working up a load. I have been asked to thin the doe population by my neighbor so will go through more than the 4 shots a year I was doing (three sighters to check the scope and one round for the deer). BTW, never loaded bottleneck cases on the Dillons as it never made sense to do so. Never got into High Power so no need to churn out a lot of rifle ammunition.

The other toy I will be playing with is a Howa mini-Mauser in .223. The .223 will be my first rifle case on a progressive. Not for the Howa, but to feed the AR's.

I sold off a lot of guns over the last few years and will be shedding a bunch more. In CF rifles, I don't really need more than a couple of deer/black bear rifles, an accurate varmint gun, a couple of .38 lever guns to plink with, and, for what may like ahead, a sniper rifle, and a few AR 15's. In CF pistols, a couple of Kahrs for light carry, a couple of Glocks for normal carry and my prize set of Colt SAA's in .357 for pure plinking fun. In the shotguns, I have put one of the Krieghoffs on consignment already and on the fence about the other one...but leaning towards keeping it. For hunting I will keep the Browning O/U 20 ga and Beretta 12 ga. For home defense, the three Mossberg 500's are staying as well. I hate getting rid of the rest but I hardly use them. The one that will be the most painful is the 28 ga O/U Browning XS Feather....with a weight of about 5 1/2 lb it is a pleasure to carry afield for upland game...and it astonishes others with how lethal it is at 30 yards or less.

So my simplified arsenal will be covered by reloading .223 and .308 for the rifles; .38/.357, 9mm and .40 in the pistols; and 12 and 20 ga in the shotguns. Estimated consumption is 10k rounds a year 3% .40 S&W, 9% .223, 23% 9mm, 30% .38 Spl. 35% 12 ga.... and for hunting, a box of .308 and two boxes of 20 ga. It makes no sense to reload for either the .20 ga or the .308 in economic terms. But I have the equipment and I wish to be self sufficient in case (or when) our freedoms are taken from us. Therefore...looking at reloading in those terms....

I will give one of the 550's to my son and sell the other 1050. That will leave me with a 550 (set up for .223 for the AR's), 1050 (.38, 9mm, .40...no primer change over needed), Co-Ax (rifle hunting ammunition), Rock Chucker (sizing/depriming), PW 800+ (12 ga target ammunition) and two PW375's (12 and 20 ga). One 375 is set up for 3" hulls in 12 ga and 20 ga, and the other for 2 3/4" hulls in both gauges.

I have a few .30/30's and I have not shot them in years. I will be keeping those just in case. If/when AR's are banned, they will be my AAR's (Appalachian Assault Rifles) . May never need them...but better to have and not need, than need and not have. Plus it is a good cast bullet caliber if bullets become difficult to acquire.

I look forward to load development for the T/C Compass .308 and the Howa .223. Next project will be the .30/30's with cast. Maybe I can start having fun again! The cool weather will help a lot as I do not handle heat well.

[Big Boomer]

At my age and my wife's condition, getting out to the range is a sometimes proposition. I already gave my son all the "excess" guns I'm willing to part with at the present. Since I quit using conventional lube groove lube that I long ago put together (FWFL) and started powder coating, my zest for all things shooting has been on the rise even at almost 79 years of age. While I have always enjoyed all aspects of reloading and shooting, the one thing I really despised was the gooey, sticky boolit lube but since it was necessary, I wanted the best and picked up a couple of Stars to get the job done right. I do use some jacketed bullets in .223/5.56 and .243, but even with those rounds I have started casting and powder coating. I'm left with a gaggle of stuff for making FWFL and a large quantity of it I have made over the years. Even purchased the grease and other stuff necessary to make Ben's Red. Don't want to part with that stuff as yet, but I'm getting to where I don't need it any more and pleasantly so. It is so easy to cast up a bunch of boolits and run them through Smoke's clear and load them up. So uncomplicated. Only some kind of catastrophe will send me back to boolit lube - even FWFL and Ben's Red. Like to store cast and prepared boolits in my wife's empty coffee cans (don't drink the stuff myself). Always had boolit lube all over the boolits and the containers. No more of that with powder coating. So, reloading and shooting is getting more interesting all the time. Big Boomer

[reloader28]

If you are using a progressive, you are just a reloader. Most of us are handloaders, and a single stage press is much more appropriate for the best quality ammunition.



Its funny how most guys hate reloading pistols but if you have a progressive to speed it up your ridiculed

[waksupi]

Its funny how most guys hate reloading pistols but if you have a progressive to speed it up your ridiculed

No ridicule intended, just a statement of fact.

[Big Boomer]

Probably most of us started out on single stage reloading presses. I thought I jumped ahead of the crowd a bit by buying a Lyman Spar-T turret press - with five or six stations no less. Still have that press and still use it for reloading all rifle ammo. However, the Dillon XL-650 and a Hornady-Pacific Pro-Jector really helps crank out the handgun ammo. Have both and will continue to use both. My son reloads .223/5.56 on his Dillon 650 but I just can't see it but I don't criticize him for it. Different strokes for different folks. Big Boomer

[lefty o]

No ridicule intended, just a statement of fact.

an incorrect statement!

[David2011]

If you are using a progressive, you are just a reloader. Most of us are handloaders, and a single stage press is much more appropriate for the best quality ammunition.

You’re almost always right. Not this time though. I do all load development on a single stage press. Some gets loaded on that press. Some gets loaded on the progressives. The power charges are equally good as is seating depth. That doesn’t make me less of a handloader.

[toallmy]

I have just always loaded my own ammo but I just do it when I feel like it , I have had dry spells with months of not loading or even shooting , but I have never ran out of ammunition or had to hurry up loading . On the progressive reloading - I wish I had started loading handgun ammo progressively in my youth along with casting . I would have put a lot more rounds down range if I had .

[Mr_Sheesh]

I suspect it's a matter of time management for MOST here - If you're loading "plinking" ammo where you have worked up a GOOD load and need a lot of rounds loaded so you have TIME to plink, and 98-99.5% of the quality will do the job, progressive loading is a good idea; For hunting ammo where you need that 100%, single stage press it is the only answer. Progressive ammo's pretty darn good, so long as you use your OCD-fu while running that press. (It's a good idea to use all of your OCD-fu when doing ANY reloading, other than depriming - if you don't inspect at that stage as well.)

[M-Tecs]

If you are using a progressive, you are just a reloader. Most of us are handloaders, and a single stage press is much more appropriate for the best quality ammunition.

Like most long range rifle competitors I mostly load on a progressive. We all have no problem holding 1/2 MOA out to a 1,000 yards with a progressive. To produce extremely accurate ammo the same steps have to be followed. Press type makes very little difference providing the press is not adding any inaccuracy. I do not use arbor dies so I am not including them in this comment but runout and shoulder consistency with my 650's and 1050's equals the best of my single station press. I own RCBS rockchuckers, A2's, A4's, Co-Ax Reloading Press and a dozen others I have collected through the years.

[robg]

When I started to handload it was so I could shoot .now I shoot to reload .still find it very satisfying and relaxing ,but I've only been doing it for 36 years so my opinion may change .

[Efin]

I love to reload, but lately it seems as though I love to buy stuff to reload than do the reloading...

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

[toallmy]

Since I have started casting , I think I might need to hire some help shooting pretty soon .

[Traffer]

Since I have started casting , I think I might need to hire some help shooting pretty soon .

Yup, as soon as I perfect the loading of match grade 22lr, I will be giving them to competition shooters to test for me. I haven't even been to the range in 18 months.

[Mr_Sheesh]

You guys'll have me getting some poster board and marking it up "Will Shoot For Room And Board" :)