I do a lot of shooting. I shoot shotguns, rifles and pistols, as well as archery. With all the firearms I shoot, I often get asked how much time – and money – I spend on reloading. But the thing is, I don’t reload. At least not yet.
One reason I don’t is that I like to spend my free time actually shooting, not preparing to shoot. Yes, I could increase my accuracy, especially when it comes to long-range rifle shooting, if I loaded my own ammo. Handloading gives you complete control over the amount of powder you put in each cartridge, and that makes the rounds themselves much more consistent than mass-produced loads. You can also tailor the amount of powder to get the absolute perfect pressure for an individual rifle.
But that all takes time. Time that for me, would be better spent actually out at the range, putting holes in paper way downrange.
And then there’s the cost. Yes, you can save money per round if you reload your own ammo. From what I understand, you can save a little on each cartridge for pistol rounds, and you can save a bit more on shotgun shells. But the big savings come on rifle rounds, where you can cut the cost per cartridge in half. However, that’s only true after you’ve saved enough to pay for all the equipment.
And that’s where my big problem comes. I have an addictive personality, and it manifests itself the most where gear is involved. I’m not very good at anything I do, but I can’t keep myself from buying all the best, newest gear for all of my current addictions. Just ask my wife about my photography and woodworking gear.
And just look at what there is to buy for reloading. Yeah, I might save money per round reloading, but the way I approach hobbies, I’d quickly save myself right into the poorhouse.
