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Is reloading a lost art?


Highwall

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I was an avid shooter in the 70's thru the 90's and did my own precise reloading in .45 Colt, 45/70 and 30/30 to give me more of an advantage in competition shooting, I mean powder choice, bullet size weight and primers made big difference in accuracy. My son-in-law, a Marine from the Iraq war says there is no need for that anymore. Just buy the best ammo and shoot it. He's an AR15 competitor in .223 and semi-auto pistols in 9mm.

I told him there is a lot of satisfaction from reloading to your own preferences but he said it was a waste of time.:angry:

I reckon times have changed and us oldies need to step to the curb. :(

 

 

 

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Lost art ? oh heck no,  I often tell my buds that I shoot to reload. Now days don't shoot nor reload like before the dryup of components, but still doing it, still lovin' it.

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Lost No .

Art Can Be .

I find it very relaxing and a joy .

Still very cost effective. 

I seen this ammo and supply shortages coming a few years ago .

And started buying all the components and supplies I could afford to stock pile .

I can honestly say I can load and shoot the rest of my life with out buying anything else.

With all that said .

It would be very expensive to be just trying to start reloading right now.

Rooster 

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Depending on the accuracy requirements of the type of match their time may be better spent practicing, rather than loading. That being said I’m certain I can tailor a load to most any rifle that will perform better than any factory produced ammo. 

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6 hours ago, Highwall said:

I was an avid shooter in the 70's thru the 90's and did my own precise reloading in .45 Colt, 45/70 and 30/30 to give me more of an advantage in competition shooting, I mean powder choice, bullet size weight and primers made big difference in accuracy. My son-in-law, a Marine from the Iraq war says there is no need for that anymore. Just buy the best ammo and shoot it. He's an AR15 competitor in .223 and semi-auto pistols in 9mm.

I told him there is a lot of satisfaction from reloading to your own preferences but he said it was a waste of time.:angry:

I reckon times have changed and us oldies need to step to the curb. :(

 

 

 

You can’t base your opinion on one person. Your son in law doesn’t want to reload, that’s his choice. I know plenty of shooters that don’t reload and they also don’t shoot to much either !

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I take great satisfaction in producing my own bullets and ammo. I have not the time to taylor loads for each rifle but I do try to match bullet weights and loads to what a rifle shoots well. Just not the absolute best. If I could just walk out my door and shoot I would take it to the next level. All our ammo meets or  exceeds factory and we always have it. For now.

As to the OPs question though, probably more reloading now than ever before. I've helped set up a dozen Dillon 550s in the last ten years. 

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While I would agree that today's factory ammo is generally premium ammo that should provide excellent performance, I also know from experience that different guns (even of the same type) perform better with different loads.  In fact, the same gun can show rather wide swings in accuracy with only minor changes in components and tuning a load to a particular gun does have it's advantages.  Still not sure I'd call reloading an art form, but being able to taylor loads to my specific needs and firearms is the primary reason I reload.  However, the cost advantages are a big plus as well.  However, once I have developed a load, the act of mass producing the ammo needed to shoot regularly is pretty much drudgery in my eyes.  In any case, I sure hope this shortage thing loosen up on components again soon, as it has already cramped my style as to how much I shoot and I refuse to not hold back some reserve.  Good luck and good shooting to all.  

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If the importance of reloading isn’t learned this time around it never will be. 

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Reloading like in cowboy shooting has a big tent. I couldn't see an 800 yd. target if I tried let alone pepper it with small groups. I admire those who do make these incredible shots, more so if they have painstakingly developed loads to do so. Personally, I reload to shoot and to shoot more with the money I spend. Is that an art? I don't really care. All I know is if I only used factory ammunition, I would be sitting home a lot rather than shooting cowboy matches each month.

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A shooter who does not understand that every gun has it's own favorite load has not gained enough experience to worry about.  And if  you think a gun writer has found a perfect load for YOUR gun by shooting his choices of factory ammo in his gun, you are seriously ill.  It's the precision shooters (of either rifle or pistol) who are MOST in need of a custom load.   

 

Only in shotgun ammo does accuracy not play as much importance.  Consistency of velocity and high quality shot (thus patterns) rules those sports, and even that is possible to obtain with custom loading.    

 

Let him go spray bullets around targets.  Put your first shot where it needs to go with confidence.

 

good luck, GJ

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In normal times, 9mm and .223 is cheap enough that it really isn't that much advantage to reload when shooting large round counts.  

  I was at an auction yesterday.   Ammo prices were insane.  Better than a dollar a round for 9, 45, .223, 7.62.  30 cents a round for .22.  The real kicker.   .410 slugs.    $120 per box of 5 rounds.  

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1 hour ago, Yul Lose said:

If the importance of reloading isn’t learned this time around it never will be. 

 

1 hour ago, Go West said:

Reloading like in cowboy shooting has a big tent. I couldn't see an 800 yd. target if I tried let alone pepper it with small groups. I admire those who do make these incredible shots, more so if they have painstakingly developed loads to do so. Personally, I reload to shoot and to shoot more with the money I spend. Is that an art? I don't really care. All I know is if I only used factory ammunition, I would be sitting home a lot rather than shooting cowboy matches each month.

 

A BIG +1 to both of these posts. I don't think it's confined to just Cowboy shooting or even other shooting disciplines but includes trigger time at the range just for fun.

I was tasked to sell some reloading dies, brass and other equipment. Much of it sold fairly quick. Pretty much, the only thing left is a Dillon 650 with most all the extras. I've advertised it here in the Classifieds, at the local range that has many members and went to a gun show yesterday with a large sign. I've got the price down to $875 and still there has been little interest here, none at the range and none at the gun show. I would think that there would be a very large contingent of shooters would be interested in reloading, if anything, to save money and have ammo. I would also think that they would begin to gather their equipment and what components they could get for doing so but it doesn't seem to be the case.

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With factory 45-70 currently priced at over $4 per round ya better be reloading if ya want to shoot and still eat. :angry:

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Reloading is not a lost art.  With last years shortage of ammo, it’s exploded.  Many who can’t find ammo turned to reloading.  Just try and find small rifle or small pistol primers.  People want to load 9mm and 223, both rounds that were typically not reloaded due to the low cost of new.  Not anymore.  

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It really depends on the game you play.   I shoot BP so I have to reload. When I shoot 3 gun I use store bought ammo.  When shooting BPCR I cast and reload since the level of accuracy supersedes the quality of store bought ammo or even bullets. It’s foolish for anyone to make a blanket statement regarding the need to reload. 

 

Gringo

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Look around on the various gun forums and you'll see lots of recent and current discussions about reloading. But right now we are in an unusually bad situation as far as cost and availability of factory ammunition or reloading components. 

 

Did your son in law tell you where to by that ammo? Is he even aware of the current situation?

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Here in CA, it is getting harder and harder to buy ammo.
Shelves are bare, and the wait in line and paperwork is onerous.

The city of Sacramento has an ordnance in place that prevents residents from ordering any components direct to their house.
Everything has to go through an FFL, with the incumbent fees and delays.

If this expands to Sacramento county, this will be the final impetus that forces us to relocate.

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How does the city of Sacramento know what you have ordered online? And exactly what is the penalty for doing so,  since they enacted this ordinance against ordnance?

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I don't live inside the city limits, so I have neither tested nor investigated further.
As you also live in CA, you know that mail order vendors won't ship ammo to CA home addresses.
Perhaps these vendors have state flags in their systems, or simply fear the drastic penalties of getting caught doing this shipping.

My neighbor's Dad lived inside the city limits, and this pissed him off to the point where he moved to Oregon.
He was an avid reloader, caster and shooter.

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12 hours ago, Highwall said:

I was an avid shooter in the 70's thru the 90's and did my own precise reloading in .45 Colt, 45/70 and 30/30 to give me more of an advantage in competition shooting, I mean powder choice, bullet size weight and primers made big difference in accuracy. My son-in-law, a Marine from the Iraq war says there is no need for that anymore. Just buy the best ammo and shoot it. He's an AR15 competitor in .223 and semi-auto pistols in 9mm.

I told him there is a lot of satisfaction from reloading to your own preferences but he said it was a waste of time.:angry:

I reckon times have changed and us oldies need to step to the curb. :(

I'll give you a parallel example.

 

My Dad was an avid fisherman.  Salt water, fresh water, didn't matter, he even kept to his night shift work so his days could be spent fishing!  From the age of 6 when came into my life, till he entered the hospital @ 86, he fished!  Was a knowledgeable fisherman if success was any measure.  I cannot remember a trip that ended without fish to eat.  I was woke u[p @ 4 or 5am , launch the boat and fish till noon.  Come home, he'd get ready to leave for work, I'd clean boat, motor and tackle.  I loved the time with my Dad, but apparently none of his love for fishing!  I love catching, eating; can even sit for hours practice my casting on our pond... but fishing?  Not so much!  

 

So, I ask you, "Is fishing a lost art?"

 

Oh, and my son loves "unloading" ammo, reloading?  Not so much!

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19 minutes ago, Griff said:

Oh, and my son loves "unloading" ammo, reloading?  Not so much!

 

There are consumers, and there are shooters.  Many today are just consumers.  Some wise guy centuries ago wrote  about "Much sound and fury, signifying nothing."  Believe that applies to lots of ammo dumping I see at ranges today.

 

Could it be that high volume shooting helps contribute to our current ammo buying panic?  Where a range trip involves shooting up 500+ rounds?

Yeah, sure, it's great for ammo vendors.  For building shooting skills?  Not quite so much.

 

good luck, GJ

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I asked hubby to teach me how to cast, run the machines, clean my guns...

Everything I should know to operate.

In these times, we need to know all the "lost arts"...

Finding/hunting food, planting/ harvesting seed....medical/ hebal plants...water places, ect....

 

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Given the lack of reloading supplies that are currently available at all of the traditional outlets, reloading is not a dying past-time.  Have you tried to get anything from Dillon Precision, the demand  for products is astounding.  

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I also have have heard a lot of people in my area say that reloading is a waste of time, just buy it and have it delivered.  Now that ammo is almost impossible to find, and the prices are crazy, many of these people ask me if I could reload for them, answer is NO!  "Failure to plan ahead  on your part doesn't constitute an emergency on mine."

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4 hours ago, Singin' Sue 71615 said:

In these times, we need to know all the "lost arts"...

 


The Foxfire books are an encyclopedia of the lost arts.
My bride has owned the complete set for many years now.

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The lost Art is with reloaders that come to the process with one or two caliber firearms and only have a pound or two of ABC or XYZ powder ... don’t buy a reloading manual or read the vendor loading tables ... then come to the forums wanting to know which of the only powder they have for a load and further never specify the bullet weight

So, the bottom line is They Don’t Buy a reloading manual for 30 bucks or Read vendor tables before they jump into the reloading process.  So candidly, Sympathy can be found in the dictionary between s**t and syphilis for there lack of due deliginces   

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BC (Before CAS): I started reloading in the 80's.  Then there was no such thing as Federal Premium or ammo manufactured by Hornady or Nosler.  Hornady and Nosler made bullets.  "Factory" ammo was Winchester Super-X or Remington Core-Loct.  You could not buy ammo as accurate as you could make.  Today you can, but you may pay $40/box (before damnpanic).  That's the "just buy it and shoot it" ammo for the hunter that fires 4-5 rounds a year.  If that's you, then, yes, no need anymore.

 

Other than the AR15 or the Chi-Com 7.62, I have never fired a factory round in a rifle I own that shoots a bottle-necked cartridge.  I haven't fired much factory ammo in any pistols.  Everything loaded on a single stage Lee.

 

AC: Two Dillon 650s.  The "waste of time" is because I can not buy the loads I want to shoot.  I can't imagine not reloading if you shoot any type of competition.  Back in in the days of $1/box steel case .223s sure... for that game.  SIL must be flush.

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I reload for about everything ,,, except Rimfire ....

Including hunting ammo ....

Varmint Loads that are used on tiny critters away out there ... 

 

Jabez Cowboy

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9 hours ago, Cypress Sun said:

 

 

A BIG +1 to both of these posts. I don't think it's confined to just Cowboy shooting or even other shooting disciplines but includes trigger time at the range just for fun.

I was tasked to sell some reloading dies, brass and other equipment. Much of it sold fairly quick. Pretty much, the only thing left is a Dillon 650 with most all the extras. I've advertised it here in the Classifieds, at the local range that has many members and went to a gun show yesterday with a large sign. I've got the price down to $875 and still there has been little interest here, none at the range and none at the gun show. I would think that there would be a very large contingent of shooters would be interested in reloading, if anything, to save money and have ammo. I would also think that they would begin to gather their equipment and what components they could get for doing so but it doesn't seem to be the case.

Unless an existing reloader is ready to upgrade to a 650 press or 2nd 650 so that they don't have to change primer size the lack of primers will suppress demand for your 650. 

Until the 2020 COVID buying surge I hadn't reloaded 223/5.56 or 9mm since 2017.  It was hardly worth it when boxer primed brass case 223/5.56 was 28-30 cents each & 9mm 115 grain was 18 cents each including shipping.  I just wise I bought more primers.

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I reload EVERYTHING from shot shells to all centerfire. I have supplies to last me a couple years. Hope the supply chain opens up before I am out.

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