When/how did YOU get into reloading?

[MarkInFolsom]

Started in 1973. Bought a Browning HP and started loading 9mm using Lyman tongs. Took forever to load a box but was a great learning method. Updated to a Rock Crusher in '74. Loaded mostly rifle for the past few years.

Recently started shooting more pistol so a Dillon 550 is waiting under the tree for me.

[classicbronco]

My dad taught me reloading back in the eighties when I was about 12 years old. We used to go trap shooting, and would load 100 rounds of trap loads every week or so. We loaded many different pheasant and quail hunting loads, and some handgun rounds as well.

In the sorry state of affairs we are in now, I can only imagine now how much scrutiny you would happen if your child was helping reload ammunition, and, god-forbid, some type of accident happened. It would be a leading news story, father "forcing" child to "manufacture" ammunition, blah blah blah.

[RFBIII]

I was interested in reloading from the get-go when I bought my first firearm, a Colt Government Model, AKA "a 45 Auto" (now a "1911" in popular vernacular), upon reaching my majority.

What really got me going was the gift of a reloading bench from my cousin about two years later. Bench only, and used, but all mine to play with! I subsequently starting acquiring pretty much all RCBS equipment and told myself how much money I was saving by reloading!

Thirty plus years later and I'm still reloading and I'm still telling myself how much money I'm saving on the (now) fourteen calibers that I handload.

Besides saving money I have the satisfaction of making the ammunition, and making it to the velocity/pressure that I choose with my choice of bullet weight and type.

Reloading also has become rather necessary when you acquire a .32 Remington caliber rifle and a 10mm pistol!

The secret to all of the money savings by reloading: my time and labor is priced at $0.00

[knucklehead0202]

After watching the movie "The road", that helped me push to reload too. I decided that I would like to have more ammo, and never run out if I could avoid it.

Thinking back to when I was a child, my parents had a friend who was a neighbor that they went hunting elk with every year, and I recall seating what I think might have been lead .45-70 rounds with him, after casting w/lead the week prior. This was back in the 80's, I don't think I was 11 yet, and it was a single-stage press. I am going to contact my mother and see if she can ask them what calibers he reloaded back then, as I can't be sure it was 45-70.

lol I just watched that the other day and was thinking "ha, that s**t'll never happen to me!" I helped the old man reload when I was a kid and once I started collecting old military rifles, it became pretty much a necessity. I can't afford $1.50-$3.00 a round boxes of ammo to plink away and after spending a modest amount of cash on reloading stuff, I'm cranking it out. a cheap single-stage is good enough for me, I don't load high-volume, but enough to keep in stock.

[knucklehead0202]

Got my first center fire pistol in 1980. A Dan Wesson 357. Used to pay $9.99 at K Mart for Remington 38 Special. But what is neat, I first learned about reloading from the movie Nevada Smith. Brian Keith has Steve McQueen pick up the brass from his shooting practice! I started out with this:
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And now:
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how do you like the Pact powder dispenser/scale? I have the lyman 1200 and love it, just wonder how the others work. bought my dad the hornady one and I don't think he's used it yet, lol. aside from emptying powder, the lyman is sweet though.

[M1NM]

Started in 1968 w/a Lee hammer loader to save some $. Now at 63 and limited time to reload/shoot I'm thinking of getting out of reloading. After I load all the components I've collected over the years I'll sell the reloading stuff. Once the ammo is gone I'll sell the gun - at least that's my exit strategy.

[RacerX7]

I started reloading in 2011. My friends started reloading and I couldn't be the only kid that didn't have a reloading press. I started with a bare bones Dillon 650 set up for 45ACP. Now 2 years later 9mm, 40S&W and 223rem with all the bells and whistles that can be purchased for a 650. Oh wait I didn't get a bullet tray. I don't see the need for one.

[tamalpias]

about 15 years ago i went on a ground squirrel shoot up in Modoc County. Brought 1,700 rounds of ammo (2 x 550 22lr bulk packs and 600 x 22-250) and shot it all up in the first day. I had to buy more ammo at the Ace hardware store in town because it was a 4 day shoot. The first thing i did when i got back was buy a RCBS single stage press and started reloading. I now reload for 308, 22-250, 22 hornet, 44 mag, 357 mag, 45 and 9mm. Pretty much every caliber i shoot i reload for except 22lr.

[kostner]

Jeez it was back in 1980 I bought my first revolver. 6" Smith model 19 target. I was just too damn broke, frugal to afford factory ammo. A friend bought a press and I would go to his place. Then a year or so later a friend/mentor at work gave me all his reloading gear. A Rockchucker a 10-1- scale and the rest of the basics. Oh he also gave me a 4 cavity mold and the stuff to cast also. I was loading 158 gr .38 special for about $1.50 per box.

This pretty much my story too. Started with 380's then the wife thought she need more 9mm for her G17. Well she no longer reloads but I have a nice set up for reloading and casting. Her father sold his Mec Jr to me for a song. Now I reload and cast for about a dozen calibers. Enjoy spending about an hour every evening after dinner.

[mark501w]

In the late 70's I bought a colt .45 auto, my buddies were shooting for a Nickel a round.

[bigdawg86]

My grandfathers friend passed away and he was into reloading... My grandfather thought I may be interested and gave it to me. The rest is history.

Starting off with 3 presses, thousands of projectiles, pounds of powder, and about 10 die sets isn't a bad way to start.

[bender152]

Got bent over on ammo prices during the panic of 2008. Didn't want that to happen again, so I got into reloading and stocked up on equipment/components in 2010/2011 when things finally calmed down.

[rugerkp]

Had a great friend at church named Bruce who got me into it. Sadly, he's gone now. My wife surprised me 2 Christmases ago with the Lee kit Bruce had recommended.
Enjoyed it since then.

[B W E]

This is the God's Honest Truth!

When my wife and I started watching "The Walking Dead". I swear to GOD! I had wanted to buy a handgun for quite a while. At the time, I had an AR that I built, an 870, and an old Remington 512 TargetMaster .22 I had inherited from her grandfather. Up until The Walking Dead, I couldn't ever get the green light on a handgun. Then, after the first few episodes, she says "How much was that gun you wanted to get?"

Exactly one month to the day I signed the DROS papers on mine, we bought hers.

I got sick of leaving the house at 4:00 to beat the lines at Wal-Mart, so I made a deal with her.... I'd sell off all my RC planes and gear and buy reloading equipment.... didn't take much convincing once I was able to show her what ammo would cost from the garage vs. Wal-Mart.

So, with the cash in hand from freshly sold RC gear, I hit the craigslist ads. Quickly picked up a Rock Chucker, Uniflow, 5-10 scale, books, and about 3# of powder for $100. Then I found another ad for the Pro 1000 with brand new .30-06, .270, 30-30, and .223 dies, tons more books, and some other goodies shipped to my door for $180.

Turned around and sold the Pro 1000 and bought a brand new Load Master.

Now that I had the equipment, I needed the components.

Back to craigslist. Found a guy selling 1k 9mm FMJRN, 500 .224 FMJRN, 2.5k 9mm brass, 1k .223 brass, and 1200 .45 brass for $130. Sold.

Then, as the cycle continued, I bought more guns, and more dies, and here we are. Shooting more, for less. And my wife is now a gun fan

[MR_X]

I got into competive shooting last October. Saw that spending $250+ on ammo a month was not the best and this was for reloaded ammo that wasn't accurate at all through my Sig 1911(it hates 230gr ball ammo). So I started reloading for it in Decemebr and got addicted from there. Now I reload 45ACP, 9MM, 40S&W and 223 Rem soon to start on 308 once I move. I shoot minimum 1k of 45 and 223 for competition and practice a month and it has cut cost down by half if not more.