Reloading more then Shooting

[evorider]

I am differently reloading more then shooting. I find myself getting a lot more OCD about my handloads for my 6.5 Creedmoor bolt action rifle. The repetition and obsession is making me feel better. How about you?

[PoorRichRichard]

Just shotgun for me. Feels good to know I have everything I need to shoot my scatter guns.

[Divernhunter]

been doing it for many years.
Some ammo I spend a lot of time making really good and other not so much.
Since the weather has been crap and my knees are so bad(getting the 1st one replaced in Jan) I do more case prep so my brass is ready when I want to load. Also doing some test loads with a couple of new powders(RL16/RL23/RL26) to see how they do when I get out to shoot again.

I have been cleaning brass, resizing brass, belling pistol brass(pistol and 45-70), case trimming, chamfer and deburr case mouths, deburring flash holes(on some brass) and even sold some brass.

[MongooseV8]

The monotony lets my brain unwind. I find reloading very therapeutic.

[xfer42]

I did that for a few years. I was barely shooting .223/556 but somehow justified loading up 2x 5g buckets (~8k) worth of it one time (2012 maybe). I already had a few thousand before that. Did the same for .308 and 45acp. Ive stocked up on a lot of components since then and just trying to get rid of my old stock before I start a new run. I finished about 25k 9mm a little while ago and feel like I need to start cranking.

[walkonmars]

Sometimes slow but mostly fast

It depends upon what I reload. I reload for all rifles I shoot and that includes 300AAC, 7.62x39 and 308Win.
For auto loading semi-auto related ammo I definitely want to shoot more than reload. It does not serve my hobby purpose nor need for enjoyment to spend too much time on the bench when the real purpose is to improve my shooting skills. I run 2 Dillon 550 presses and one single stage O-frame. The semi auto ammo always gets decapped, wet tumbled, sized and trimmed(if needed) then on to one of the Dillon progressives. I trim using the Little Crow Gunworks trimmer and trim brass down to -.020" than maximum. That is considered a lot but I already said this is for autoloading rifles. The purpose here is to go fast and get me ready to go on the range as fast as possible. I run 2 Dillon 550 progressives because it allows me to decap brass very fast. Even if Dillon claims changing calibers is fast, I do not want to change calibers often. I want to get home, decap and get the brass processing started.

For precision rifles I reload and process much slower. I weight every powder charge and trim brass down to +-.002" for every case using a mandrel trimmer. I also use premium brass (Lapua) and size on a single stage press. I am after accuracy and consistency so this is the only time I process slowly. These rounds get placed into special partitioned plastic boxes marked and separated from each other. (Semi auto rounds are stored like candy or bulk flour. They are thrown into gallon freezer bags stuffed so full they look like couch pillows.)

Overall, I want to shoot more than reloading. I enjoy both but enjoy the shooting more than reloading. I have no regrets buying the extra Dillon 550. The hassle of taking the extra 5 minutes to change calibers is frustrating enough to make a person not process brass right away. I feel it should be done as soon as possible otherwise it just piles up. It takes me longer to change calibers because I need to find the caliber conversion kit tucked away on the bench drawer someplace. An improvement is to have them in a rack on the bench or nearby. (You see. I learn something every day by reading these forums. Thanks for the question!)

[2Asupport]

I'm a new reloader that just got into reloading over the past few months. I have also been spending a lot of time reloading...especially during these past recent pandemic months!!!

I have reloaded 357sig and 40SW and have come to really appreciate the ability to no have to rely on factory ammo or searching store shelves for availability.

Reloading is a great skill to have and I hope to find my favorite recipe and to be self sufficient during these times. (just as long as my wife doesn't get upset)

It's a great accomplishment and fun!!

[Full Clip]

The monotony lets my brain unwind. I find reloading very therapeutic.

Same.
I have a very deadline-driven job and the step-by-step mythology to reloading is a huge stress reliever.
But I need to make more time for the range... if only to make more brass!

[XDJYo]

Its been a while since I did a batch. I am set for our needs as far as ammo is concerned. I spent a lot of time lately depriming and cleaning brass during late fall. Have a ton ready to reload. Have a lot of components but short on 45 ACP bullets though.

Will probably pick it up later in the spring when the garage warms up a bit. And I'm still waiting on my 9mm exchange kit from Dillon and some coated 45ACP bullets. Oh yeah, need to get my hands on some small pistol primer...

[sigguy552]

Precision rifle reloading is a deep rabbit hole. I’ve been doing it for a few years now and there no end to the extra steps you can take to chase supposed increase in accuracy. My friend who’s neurotic will anneal, point Bullets, measure case capacity with water, sort Bullets by weight and ogive to tip length and other weird stuff. His accuracy is not much better than mine if any at all.

[ohsmily]

I am differently reloading more then shooting. I find myself getting a lot more OCD about my handloads for my 6.5 Creedmoor bolt action rifle. The repetition and obsession is making me feel better. How about you?

Reloading then shooting is the correct order. And how are you differently reloading? Differently than what? Are you saying you're different...so it seems.

[noylj]

I reload to shoot. Unless you are in competition, forget most of the OCD stuff and start shooting more. You can't get good at shooting without practice, and anal reloading is not practice.
If you must, concentrate on minimizing bullet runout and let most everything else just ride. You might be very surprised to discover most of the things you are doing are really not important and have no effect on the target.

[ptmn]

I load in cycles. Might do 2k rds of 9mm, then 1k 45, then 1k 38. Basically anything to have an excuse to tell my wife I need to be left alone to concentrate on safely reloading. Gives me a break from nagging. Have no idea when I'll shoot, bit nice to know I have thousands of rounds to pull from when I do hit the range.

[trailblazer87]

Yep. Processing brass gets me out of the house, throw some tunes on and chill in the shed until it gets too dark. Let's me clear my head and keep the hands moving. Showed a buddy my process and he said, your fast, mind you it was only 50 rounds of 300 win mag in 2 hours to work up a load for his rifle. But just able to chill.

[evorider]

I find myself really doing a lot of case prep. I am looking for that perfect case. I am sure that what I am doing is not helping with accuracy but those cases seem almost perfect!