Will reloading disapear with the new too lazy to do it generation

Austin AH said:

Hard disagree. That's the fun part

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That’s the thing everyone must follow their own path. I am still using primers I bought for $10 a thousand. Buy low and stockpile.

MS 9x56 said:

That’s the thing everyone must follow their own path. I am still using primers I bought for $10 a thousand. Buy low and stockpile.

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I’ve turned my stockpile into ammo

I’m sitting on a little more than 1000 rounds of hunting 308, and anywhere from 200-300 rounds of all other hunting calibers…

But still keep about 3-4000 primers on hand all the time, several pounds of powder, hundreds of bullets, etc etc…

At this point I should have enough hunting ammo to last me, my wife, and my kids until we are buried in the dirt…

But every time I have a few hundred pieces of brass, rest assured, it’s getting loaded

You’re worried about only reloading going extinct. I’m worried about hipsters making all of the following extinct:
Side by side shotguns
Lead bullets
Lead shot
Heavy for weight bullets
Wooden stocks
Classic looking rifles
Metal framed firearms (as opposed to polymer framed ones such as Glock pistols)

mdwest said:

That’s sometimes true… but not always… even with the inflated current cost of components…

For example I can buy a box of Barnes .308 168gr ttsx for right at $40 with my veterans discount at cabelas (not the cheapest source)… so $0.80 per bullet…

I just bought 1000 federal 210 primers today at cabelas for about $59 with my discount.. so right at $0.06 per primer..

The brass is already paid for..

I can get right at 150 charges out of a pound of IMR 4064.. that’s $0.37 a charge paying $56 a pound… so I can build a very accurate, devastating, premium cartridge for about $1.23 for my 308… so $24.60 a box of 20… the load replicates the factory Barnes Vor-tx 168 gr ammo.. which sells for $59 a box at midway… I’m saving $35 a box…

Granted I’ve got the sunk cost of a press and some other tools.. but that gets spread over a dozen different cartridges… I’ve also got the cost of the dies… but after 2 boxes of ammo the savings pay for the dies…

Assume I shoot 8-10 boxes of ammo a year (hardly a high volume shooter)… it only takes a few years to recover the cost of the equipment… every year after that I’m saving a reasonably decent amount of money…

And I get to enjoy the process of hand loading along the way..,

Pre-covid the savings were much more significant..

Since I’ve been hand loading off and on since the 80’s… my gear has long since been paid for.. and I only hunt with premium bullets… It doesn’t make a lot of sense to buy factory ammo…

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Sure, but I can find factory loaded rounds of .308 all day for what you're paying just for projectiles. 99% of shooters aren't paying $3 a round for range ammo in common calibers.

If you're shooting 8 to 10 boxes of premium .308 at game animals every year then reloading premium bullets is cost effective, but most people shoot 0 rounds of .308 at game animals every year so 9 boxes of Seller & Belliot from Cabelas at $1.25 per round and one $59 box from Midway juuuuust in case they might shoot a deer comes in at about $284 for the year. Your 200 loaded rounds cost $246. A $38 difference not counting labor and equipment.

And someone who buys online (or checks local classifieds every day for deals like I do) can acquire ammo significantly less than what you're paying to reload it (in the last few months I picked up 2,000 rounds of 7.62x39 bundled with a rifle for 25 cents a round, traded 600 rounds of it for 1,500 rounds of 9mm making my effective cost of the 9mm 10 cents a round, and traded some other odds and ends that cost me about $50 for 160 rounds of .308 making my effective cost about 35 cents per round. I can't reload anything for less than my effective costs of trading for ammo). Imagine if we applied the same logic to people who used coupons or bought groceries on sale. Are they too lazy to work the extra hours to pay full price?

Do people buy ammo because they're too lazy to reload? Do people buy bullets to reload because they're too lazy to cast? Do people who cast and shoot lead bullets do so because they're too lazy to swage their own jacketed bullets? There's always going to be someone more hardcore than whoever is complaining that other people aren't enjoying the hobby the right way.

OP apparently got the idea that young people don't buy components because they're lazy from older gun shop employees. Small gun shops are dying out for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is their propensity to be run by grouchy old guys who don't actually know much about guns and won't adapt to the times so they blame "lazy young people" instead of adapting to their market.

There used to be a little gun shop across the street from where I went to community college, I was about 23. I bought a few things here and there, a cheap 20 gauge pump, Carcano clips, a bullet sizer for my Steyr M95 because it takes .329 caliber bullets rather than the more typical .323 that more common "8mm" cartridges use. There was an old guy there that would talk down to me about young people, so one time I asked him if I could see the Mas 36 on the wall. He didn't know which one that was. I point it out to him, he goes and gets a ladder lol, I look at the price tag and it's marked $700 (they were $400 all day at the time). So I said no thank you and he climbs back up the ladder and puts it back. Later, I come in and he's working so I ask him for M16 clips. He hands me an AR-15 magazine. I tell him I don't need that, I have hundreds of them. I need a 5 round clip for my M1916 Berthier carbine because shooting them without clips can break the extractor. He checks all their buckets of milsurp clips and of course finds none because they're pretty uncommon and expensive. Was I being a brat? Yeah. But if I go into a gun store I expect the owner/employees to be knowledgeable about their inventory or have good polite customer service, preferably both. Too many gun stores have neither. Why would I go to a gun store and buy components for 50% higher than they are online or pay twice as much for an FFL transfers from rude old guys with boring inventory who are mostly clueless about any gun that wasn't American made between 1944 and 1964?

MS 9x56 said:

That’s the thing everyone must follow their own path. I am still using primers I bought for $10 a thousand. Buy low and stockpile.

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I think this is the most correct and succinct answer to the original prompt. Young people generally have different interests within the broader hobby of liking guns and reloading is one of the things they're less interested in. On the other hand, they'll build AR's or mill Glocks from 80% frames or 3D print parts or even entire guns, things the older generation has much less interest in. And with the availability of just about everything being online there's very little demand for small quantities of reloading components in physical stores anymore.

Hunter-Habib said:

You’re worried about only reloading going extinct. I’m worried about hipsters making all of the following extinct:
Side by side shotguns
Lead bullets
Lead shot
Heavy for weight bullets
Wooden stocks
Classic looking rifles
Metal framed firearms (as opposed to polymer framed ones such as Glock pistols)

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Me too.

To be fair, I didn’t read all of the responses in this thread, so others may have written the same.

I do think it depends on how reloading is taught to the new generation.

If it’s made to be part of the careful preparation, attention to detail, “look at the whole picture but see every step”, pride of ownership aspects of hunting tradition, I think it will survive.

If a sense of accomplishment is instilled and satisfaction in the results, I think reloading will survive.

About 50 years ago, I had lugged my Rockchucker, dies, balance beam scale, etc to hunting camp to “roll my own” when the day’s hunt was over.

Lenny, my dad’s best friend (and a truly nice guy) watched as I trickled powder one kernel at a time onto the scale as it balanced on my chosen weight asked:

“Is all that worth it? I could buy a box for under ten dollars.”

I said “Yes. I enjoy all of this. I like putting this all together just like I enjoy looking for deer sign in the woods and finding scrapes and seeing deer even when I’m not hunting them. Plus it’s kinda cool that you got your buck with a round I put together.”

If it’s an enjoyable part of the experience plus all of the things I mentioned, I believe reloading will survive.

Factory loaded ammo is better than ever with highest quality bullets at amazing velocity with incredible accuracy, so these reasons alone are little incentive except, perhaps, for the competitive shooter.

Both my daughter and my son reload and have done so from a very young age at my side. If you asked them why, they’d say something like “It’s fun and the results are mine when the mellon or orange or grape explodes or I put 5 together on the target.”

I’ve reloaded since I was 22 years old. I’m 36 now. I reload way less now for 3 main reasons:
1) I have much more money now and reloading is a pain in the ass and time consuming. Unless the ammo is north of 2 dollars a round it’s not worth it from a time vs money standpoint FOR ME
2) reloading components are either not available or insanely expensive. Luckily I have a good stockpile but it doesn’t change the fact that these prices are likely here to stay for a long time or forever.
3) it just takes too much time for how many guns and calibers I have and the large amount I shoot (machine guns, etc). Due to this I only reload for precision rifles I need the utmost performance for and large game hunting rifles I use for Africa that are not offered in factory loads (example CEB bullets in 375 Ruger and 458 win mag)

I started reloading in the 60's only time I didn't and could not is when steel shot first came out. I load TSS shot now. Other wise I reload for everything except my carry guns for those when carring I use factory loaded ammo, from CEB.

CCMDoc said:

To be fair, I didn’t read all of the responses in this thread, so others may have written the same.

I do think it depends on how reloading is taught to the new generation.

If it’s made to be part of the careful preparation, attention to detail, “look at the whole picture but see every step”, pride of ownership aspects of hunting tradition, I think it will survive.

If a sense of accomplishment is instilled and satisfaction in the results, I think reloading will survive.

About 50 years ago, I had lugged my Rockchucker, dies, balance beam scale, etc to hunting camp to “roll my own” when the day’s hunt was over.

Lenny, my dad’s best friend (and a truly nice guy) watched as I trickled powder one kernel at a time onto the scale as it balanced on my chosen weight asked:

“Is all that worth it? I could buy a box for under ten dollars.”

I said “Yes. I enjoy all of this. I like putting this all together just like I enjoy looking for deer sign in the woods and finding scrapes and seeing deer even when I’m not hunting them. Plus it’s kinda cool that you got your buck with a round I put together.”

If it’s an enjoyable part of the experience plus all of the things I mentioned, I believe reloading will survive.

Factory loaded ammo is better than ever with highest quality bullets at amazing velocity with incredible accuracy, so these reasons alone are little incentive except, perhaps, for the competitive shooter.

Both my daughter and my son reload and have done so from a very young age at my side. If you asked them why, they’d say something like “It’s fun and the results are mine when the mellon or orange or grape explodes or I put 5 together on the target.”

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Handloading is part craftmanship and part technology. In hunting or competitive shooting, I know that my handloads have been an important part of it. When in Africa, in Alaska or rest of US, all of my ammo are my handloads, tailored and tested for my rifles. Emphasis "MY" because I take pride in the development. For skeet and trap, I can tailor the shells to the course.... something not possible off the shelf. It's a hobby and a passion.

If you shoot 16 ga you will likely want to reload! Better choice of shot and load, and you will find yourself picking up every 16 ga hull you see at the range. Same might be said for the 410, especially with tungsten on the menu.
In 12 ga I shoot doves exclusively with "killer bees" which recipe can be found over at BPI

steve white said:

If you shoot 16 ga you will likely want to reload! Better choice of shot and load, and you will find yourself picking up every 16 ga hull you see at the range. Same might be said for the 410, especially with tungsten on the menu.
In 12 ga I shoot doves exclusively with "killer bees" which recipe can be found over at BPI

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So many wads....so little time.....

Honestly I got into reloading after a misfire and extremely poor bullet performance out of factory ammo early in my whitetail hunting days lead me to reloading and after loading 100rnds I had paid for all my equipment.

I can tell you from chronograph testing that I produce much more consistent and accurate ammo than the vast majority of factory production ammo.

It also affords me the opportunity to shoot more, you’ll also find people on this forum who have an EXTREMELY high opportunity cost to their time but still choose to load their own ammo.

I buy premium hunting bullets when needed and exclusively on DG, but for practice the factory seconds and an 8lbs jug of unopened Acc2700 given to me 20 years ago means I’m practicing with my .375H&H for $0.88ea and that’s with my $0.15ea primers.

So yeah it adds up, like when I put 300rnds through my .470 in prep for the tuskless hunt at $2 vs $11ea and again mine are more consistent and accurate than factory.

deewayne2003 said:

Honestly I got into reloading after a misfire and extremely poor bullet performance out of factory ammo early in my whitetail hunting days lead me to reloading and after loading 100rnds I had paid for all my equipment.

I can tell you from chronograph testing that I produce much more consistent and accurate ammo than the vast majority of factory production ammo.

It also affords me the opportunity to shoot more, you’ll also find people on this forum who have an EXTREMELY high opportunity cost to their time but still choose to load their own ammo.

I buy premium hunting bullets when needed and exclusively on DG, but for practice the factory seconds and an 8lbs jug of unopened Acc2700 given to me 20 years ago means I’m practicing with my .375H&H for $0.88ea and that’s with my $0.15ea primers.

So yeah it adds up, like when I put 300rnds through my .470 in prep for the tuskless hunt at $2 vs $11ea and again mine are more consistent and accurate than factory.

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I hear you..... I can shoot hard cast 500 grain bullets in the 470 at 2150 fps. 79 grains Varget. Of course the cost of powder has zoomed.

DrBob said:

I hear you..... I can shoot hard cast 500 grain bullets in the 470 at 2150 fps. 79 grains Varget. Of course the cost of powder has zoomed.

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I just catch the “factory seconds bonded 500gr” on midway; their the DGX bonded bullets that are discolored and also the old unbonded ones off gunbroker for .470 practice rounds with 78gr 3031, foam wad and win mag primer.

Hunting is the same load but Woodleigh RNSN

I have never reloaded. But it is not out of laziness. When it comes to something this important I trust the experts more than I trust myself. I was a paratrooper for 21 years in the US Army. I did not pack my own chute. I had no idea how to do that - we had trained riggers to do that. When it comes to making bullets - I have no idea how to do that - we have trained people to do that. Sometimes I buy commercial ammo (Barnes, Nosler partition etc) and sometimes I pay Choice Ammo or Hendershots to make my hand loads for me. It's not out of laziness. When I was a young man my dad taught me you either have to become a man that can do and make shi! or become a man who can write checks to men that can do and make shi! I chose the latter.

Reloading is a skill, skill, dedication, tradition... I think it will hardly disappear

coyote wacker said:

I started reloading in the 60's only time I didn't and could not is when steel shot first came out. I load TSS shot now. Other wise I reload for everything except my carry guns for those when carring I use factory loaded ammo, from CEB.

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If you can reload TSS shot you will soon be one of few who can use it because it looks like as far as retail availability it will be obsolete soon.