Sports Publications

Feeding the habit: reload for more competition fun

American Handgunner, July-August, 2009 by Dave Anderson

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The first handloaded cartridge I ever fired was a .308 Win., in 1963. I was in my early teens at the time and the round was loaded by a neighbor who was a hunter. It would be another ten years before I bought my own reloading equipment, a Lee Loader in .270 cal. It didn't cost much but produced good ammunition--and still does today.

I didn't take up reloading to save money, though the reduced cost did allow me to shoot more. I wanted to use bullets like the Nosier Partition--which at the time were not available in factory loads. The other motivation was improved accuracy.

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In those days even a novice handloader could assemble ammunition significantly more accurate than the typical factory round. Current factory ammunition is so accurate it takes a good deal of reloading skill to equal it, much less surpass it. But accuracy fanatics are almost always handloaders.

The Competition Solution

For about 15 years, starting in 1980, I competed in practical and action handgun matches. In the peak years I fired 25-30,000 rounds annually, though the average over the whole period was more like 12,000 rounds a year. Not being rich, or good enough to have a sponsor, there was no way to shoot without reloading. I loaded thousands of rounds with a single-stage press before moderately priced progressive tools such as the Dillon 450 came along.

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Saving money is another advantage of reloading. For most of us it's likely the prime motivation. The cartridge case is usually the most expensive component of a cartridge and it can be reused many times. In 2008 the cost of many commodities skyrocketed, influenced by speculation and fear of future shortages. Copper and lead, components of most cartridges, were among those commodities and we saw increases in the price of components and loaded ammunition.

As I write this in January of 2009 these speculative bubbles appear to have burst, with prices again influenced primarily by supply and demand. But it could happen again. We can all imagine scenarios in which ammunition supply could be curtailed. It's a great comfort to have a secure supply. I'm not advocating hoarding though, because legal and insurance factors can limit the amount of powder and primers which can be stored. But it's nice to know that come what may, I'll still be able to shoot, even if not as much as I'd like. In the Kipling book Kim, Mahbub Ali says, as he presents young Kim with a revolver, "Put it away, but load it first. Of what use is a gun unfed?" I have enough components and loading tools on hand my guns will never go unfed.

Reloading means you can feed firearms chambered for wildcat cartridges, or obscure cartridges not readily available. It lowers cost per round, allowing you to shoot more. It provides the security of having an ammunition supply in times of shortage, and it can be an engrossing hobby in its own right. Start inexpensively with perhaps a Lee "kit" with press, powder measure, scale and the various bits you need. Then, if it's interesting and fun--which it is--you can build on that first step.

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For more info: www.leeprecision.com; www.dillonprecision.com; www.forsterproducts.com, www.hornady.com; www. lymanproducts.com; www.rcbs.com; www.redding-reloading.com.