It can be an expensive hobby! The world is moving to PRC which shoot decent with factory ammo and with tuners growin in popularity the future is 90% 6.5/7/300 PRC with low cost factory ammo or bulk .223 for most shooters.
Passing on reloading skills
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There seems to be a stigma associated with hand loading. Anyone I knew that actually was reloading just did not talk about it much or offer to show me how rewarding it can be. I was not exposed to it in my younger days and fell into the buy it off the shelf crowd. Although time was always my excuse for not starting, it was more of a lack of exposure than anything else. I applaud those that reach out to the uninformed and take the time to get them involved. Although I am still relatively new to the reloading world, I am now a big proponent of the hobby. Spread the word and keep sharing your knowledge and time to the uninitiated.
CNY Yote Hunter
Well-Known Member
I'm with most others on here, my son doesn't have the time and only have 2 friends that have ever asked. I sold one of them an auto progressive press cheap to help him get started and years later he still doesn't load. The other one always asks but hasn't taken the first step yet. Funny the same guys that usually complain about not being able to go shoot cause of the ammo availability or cost are the same ones who don't load. Realistically you can buy a super nice press for under 200 bucks, cheap dies are 30-50 bucks and a micrometer and scale is all that's left to start out. I look at it as the cost to reload initially is like buying a new rifle and everything after that is like scope selection, can go cheap or all in…. Wish more people loaded and wish all those clowns on gun broker selling 500 primers for 300 bucks choke on them when they start to hit the shelves again!
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Muddyboots
Well-Known Member
The future may not be so kind with factory ammunition availability. Self sufficiency will be major positive factor in "obtaining" ammunition.
Yes I have; over the years, sometimes with success, other times not. Part of the problem, especially these days is the cost of components which often exceeds what one can buy new ammo for. For example it costs me around $19 to load a box of 50 9mm 147 gr hollow points. I can buy them at Freedom Munitions or LAX for $14. Trying to find favorite components, most recently Nosler Partition 30 cal 165 or 180 gr and let's not even mention Hodgdon's idea to quit making different powders, most notably, at least for me IMR 4320 which I used on my 270 and 30 caliber loads.
People these days want instant gratification. They are not interested in working up a load that shoots sub moa. They don't want to take the time to hand prime cases, dribble powder to the exact amount called for. Facing facts, they are simply just to lazy to take the time, energy and patience to turn out a box of 308s or other calibers when they can simply go out and buy a box of commercial that will hold a three inch group and call it good enough; that is, if they can even shoot well enough to shoot that tight a group with the rifles they bring to the range.
The Covid fiasco, and I call it that lightly suddenly found ammo shelves empty devoid of all but the most popular calibers, and even those in extremely short supply. Those shooting all of the different calibers that they are so enamored with suddenly couldn't find any ammo. It was panic city as deer season approached. Even the reloaders were having issues finding components to even reload their pet cartridges. Turnouts at the local rifle ranges were down, the club memberships dropped considerably simply because people didn't have ammo to shoot so why belong to a gun club?
Anyway this is enough chatter for now. How about those of you who reload. What have your experiences been?
Bang4theBuck
Well-Known Member
I am very proud to say that I have personally mentored no fewer than 8 people in the last 5 or six years. Truth of the matter is that I am into it so much, that to feed the addiction, if I am not teaching someone and living vicariously through them in their learning curve, I am out spending my own money and time on my own experiments. I am also proud to say that some of the guys that I've taught have actually returned the favor and are active contributors on the feedback loop. It's awesome. Most of the guys have also gotten bit by the rifle building bug and are now battling the symptoms of that.
Some of the guys were local, but more than one of them was not and we taught over zoom, and facetime and all kinds of other mediums.
Grey Goast
Well-Known Member
I keep hearing the term hobby this should be a way of life. Like changing a flat tire or servicing your car like knowing the difference between a carburetor and a alternator or how to skin a deer or catch a fish. For the whole Family to Survive in peace or a war or in time of famine and hunger in a time when government may threaten your family's survival This is what learning reloading is. IT IS A ART FOR LIFE.
Outfall
Well-Known Member
I load with my 9yr old son. We started when he was tiny he would sit and hand me cases or whatever i needed. He will be 10 in 5 days and he is to the point where he has a very good understanding on the process and we do it as much as we cn just to hang out. he also loves to shoot so it works out. I watch everything he does now and he only loads with me but he is on point and more picky about powder weights and measuring things than you can imagine. its fun to watch and i know he will pass it on someday as well.
tacasp63
Member
tacasp63
Member
Theres more than a couple problems getting started in this particular hobby. First is the expense and lack of availability of the required components. Second is work ethic. Young people these days are not willing to put in the time learning the basics and developing the necessary skills, usually on entry level, manual equipment. They want progressive presses, automatic trim/chamfer/deburr equipment, digital auto fill scales...
I have twin daughters that love to duck hunt. I have 2 mec jr presses. If they wanted to go duck hunting, they had to reload 150 rds., 50 for each of us. We even went as far as building a shot dripper and started making our own bismuth shot.
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brettman
Well-Known Member
There's hope for the future.
Nipper
Well-Known Member
Here Here!
pdog shooter
Well-Known Member
Books taught me.
Taught one coworker / friend who is very detailed oriented. We worked at a power plant together. He really took a deep dive and shoots PRC, invested in all the best like auto trickler, boroscope, custom guns and all accessories. He is pretty darn good at it.
Tried to teach a cousin with not quite as good an outcome. Heres the thread,
www.longrangehunting.com
Taught one coworker / friend who is very detailed oriented. We worked at a power plant together. He really took a deep dive and shoots PRC, invested in all the best like auto trickler, boroscope, custom guns and all accessories. He is pretty darn good at it.
Tried to teach a cousin with not quite as good an outcome. Heres the thread,
Case lube removal
Got a friend that started reloading about a year ago. His goal is long range precision shooting. He's doing pretty good but has one (several) reoccurring problems that I believe related. Hard bolt lift, stuck cases, and blown primers. We have varified powder charges, chamber measurements, die...
