What cartridge made you take the plunge into reloading?

[TexMex247]

The colt 45. It's what started the snowball 6 years ago.

Now I reload for 12 different rifle and pistol calibers. Got a whole room full of reloading crap that makes my wife crazy.

With the colt, I couldn't accept the prices the big 3 were asking for low-powered RNFP lead rounds. So, I basically made my own for a quarter of the cost.

As far as rifles go, some loads were developed for range fun, others for precision. Lately, high powered rifle loads have occupied most of my time. Tryin' to get a jump on deer season.

It has really been an awesome journey, probably the most rewarding hobby I have ever had.

 

[Dawico]

It had definitely been an awesome journey. I learned more about shooting by reloading than I did by actually shooting. Reloading for rifles really brings it all together.

 

[Tony2]

It had definitely been an awesome journey. I learned more about shooting by reloading than I did by actually shooting. Reloading for rifles really brings it all together.

Me as well. three of the rifles I acquired from an old "shooter" who is now dead and gone. all where custom built off mauser actions and all are very accurate. I wish he was still around a life time of knowledge in the days of the wildcat will be missed

 

[vmax]

223/556
Started loading for better quality control

 

[shortround]

9mm Luger back in '82.

Ammo was expensive in those days, and I could save maybe ten cents per round by reloading.

Next up was .45 ACP. A box of 50 factory rounds cost about twenty dollars. Reloading saved me over half the cost of factory ammo.

I now reload for every center fire caliber I shoot.

Since I could not load .22 LR, I kept a few thousand rounds on hand "just in case."

When it got hard to find, I shot what I had and scrounged for more.

Sad to say, I have more .22 LR today than I can shoot in my lifetime.

My wife will be a wealthy widow with all that .22 if I croak before she does.

Be well.

 

[tarheel7734]

I am not into reloading as of yet, but when i move to a 338 lapua and a. 277 wolveriene i hope to be reloading.

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Xparent BlueTapatalk 2

 

[Dawico]

I am not into reloading as of yet, but when i move to a 338 lapua and a. 277 wolveriene i hope to be reloading.

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Xparent BlueTapatalk 2

I hope you are into reloading for them too.

I reload .338 Lapua for about $1.25 a round and expect it to get cheaper when I buy in bulk. Factory plinking ammo runs almost $4 a round and match stuff atleast $5 a round.

When I had a .50 BMG I loaded for about $1.25 and the cheapest milsurp was $3. I made match grade ammo for that price.

I used to load for 6.5-284, .500 Magnum, .454 Casull, and .50 AE. Any of these rounds easily paid for all my equipment quickly.

 

[Moonpie]

I loaded some.338 Lapua with a bud.
GOOD GOONIE GOO GOO that thing eats powder! LoL!

 

[Dawico]

I loaded some.338 Lapua with a bud.
GOOD GOONIE GOO GOO that thing eats powder! LoL!

My test loads are in the 90 grains area. Double that for the .50 BMG.

 

[Brojon]

300 blackout for me. Expensive and even harder to find on a store self.

44 mag was just too damn expensive. Having reloading equipment has "enabled" me to spread out into others like the 300 BLK.
I just like making stuff - I make my own 300 brass, cast and powdercoat my own bullets for everything I shoot.
Biggest lie ever told is reloading saves you money. I guess it could if you shoot just the right amount: too little and your overhead makes teh end result not worth it, then there's "too much" - whatever that means.

 

[TheDan]

I started just because I wanted to see what all the fuss was about, but the cost of factory .44mag and .45-70 keeps me at it.

 

[popper]

Sounds silly but 30/30, FTX. Then 40SW, then casting my own. $7 to $25/100 for everything I shoot.

 

[Pawpaw40]

44 Mag was what started it for me back in the early 80's. 357, 308, 45, 9, 40, 30.06, 300 BO all followed. And no, it doesn't save you money, it causes obsession.

 

[trigger643]

Back in the '80s it was 30.06 Match because my source for cheap rounds dried up. After I sold the last rifle chambered in this round in the late '80's I quit reloading as cheap .308 Match was plentiful.

Two years ago I began reloading again, this time for .223AI, .243AI, .338LM and .308 match. This has branched out to .357, .41 & .44 Magnum as well.

 

[Ozzman]

.38 special and .308

 

[Lost Spurs]

300 blk for me. I wanted to have a subsonic round tuned for my SBR. I have all the stuff for 45acp but have yet to load any. I also plan on loading .308 some day of I ever start shooting my long range rifle.

AdamT

 

[ed308]

Started reloading 6.8 about 4 years ago. But ammo cost has come way down for 6.8 lately.

 

[dobarker]

.308 win for me. I just liked the idea of rolling my own. My .308 I started for is the pickiest rifle I've ever seen. Since then I've started reloading for everything I own. One of which is because ammo is no more, a .25-36 marlin, once I learned to form brass and cast bullets, another level opened up. Now I'm trying to build my own case annealer and stalking local tire shops for lead.

 

[Dman62]

44 magnum for me also. I probably have more money invested in dies now than my two 44's cost. Extends the fun to more than just the range!

 

[Coop45]

25.06 was hard to find in 1969.