I reloaded shotgun shells for years when I was a kid. Heck I learned to reload shotgun shells before I ever even shot at a clay target. My father had all the stuff to do it with, and set everything up for me.... showed me the process, told me to pay attention and get to it. Off I went. I enjoyed it and still do.

I got into reloading rifle rounds because somebody gave me a press and some of the related crap to do it with. What the hell..... before I knew it I'd dropped another $200 on dies, digital scales, digital calipers, reloading books, case trimming tools blah blah blah. I primarily shoot a 7mm-08, and have for better than a decade. Back then, you had about three ammo choices. So handloading was the bees knees, because there were several 7mm bullets available. Three years ago, I started loading Barnes TSX bullets in 120 grain and found them very accurate and they perform extremely well on game. Until 2008, there was no company loading TSX bullets in 7mm-08... federal now loads a 140 gr option. Another favorite bullet of mine is the Sierra Gameking, as well as the Hornady interlock SP. I've loaded everything from 100gr up to 162 gr in that gun with those two bullets.

I had a guy come by the gunshop I used to work at selling a WInchester 94 in 30/30 Ackley Improved. I'd only remotely even heard of Ackley Improved rounds at the time, but he had the dies, the gun with a Leupold Scope and a couple boxes of ammo.... I knew how to reload.. what the heck.. he only wanted $300 for it! I guess its been about 5 or 6 years now, and I've shot a PILE of deer with that gun. That was about the time I got into shooting does on crop damage permits, and I used that little tack driver a lot. Gun isn't as long as a yard stick, and LORD it shoots sweet!

Point here is that if you want to reload... do it. You'll learn a heck of a lot, and if you play at it enough you'll end up finding some loads that shoot better out of your gun and much more consistantly out of your gun than factory loads will. In the long run, you will save money, whether you are loading premium ammo or just cheap target loads. No matter what, your cheap target RELOADS will be leaps and bounds better than that $6/box crap you are buying now.

Yes you can load a better round for a specific gun (tayloring your loads) and for less cost. Here is the big BUT....for me it has been another obsession. I started out loading for my 7mm mag and now load for 8 more cal. that I own (only buy .22 rounds). A buck here, a buck there and 25 years later I look at all my reloading stuff and it could fill a shelf or two at any outdoor store. Perhaps others are more disciplined to buy only what you need (I guess to start but it is hard to remember what I started with) but then you get trimmers, calipers, scales, micrometers, tumblers, more dies, manuals, moldsand more and more and more. Add it with all my bow, ML, and rifle equipment, add in all the waterfowl stuff, camping and canoeing equipmentand thank the heavens above and a wife that rather have me in the bush than in a bar, I have a room where I can escape to enjoy a hobby that has taken a lifetime to develop. My two boys are in their mid and late teens and I can remember many a time when it was only after the end of a long day spent cartering to everyone else (job of a dad never ends) that I was able to pursue the hobby. So there is much more to be considered than the price of a round. If you are only going to do it to save on the cost of a couple of boxes of rounds a year then it is not worth your while.

First, let me differentiate here. Reloading consists of replacing the primer, powder and bullet in a cartridge case after it has been fired. Essentially, reloading involves the same tasks as reloading a muzzleloader you just fired. The only difference is that you are putting the power, new cap, and bullet into a cartridge case instead of into the barrel of your gun! On the other hand,if you have the equipment, you can buy brass, powder, primers and bullets and assemble custom-made cartridges. This is calledhandloading. Slightly different, as you produce a NEW round of ammo this way.

If you fire a round of factory ammo, then toss out the empty case, you are throwing awayabout 75% of the purchase priceof that round of ammo, regardless of how much it cost in the first place. To me, that is just too much of my initial investment to throw away. So I reload. How much it costs to do this depends on how much you spend on powder, primers and bullets. There are sources of military surplus, salvaged powders that are pretty inexpensive even today. For load development and target practice, you can also buy relatively inexpensive bullets as well. (For example, in almost every cartridge I reload, I found that I could use a Sierra bullet of a given weight, then switch to the same weight Nosler Partition. Usually,performance is generally close to identical, and the Nosler bullets, for hunting only, cost twice as much as the Sierras!!)

Another advantage is that using your loading tools, you can produce ammunition with features that you cannot buy already loaded. You can use bullets and powders to obtain ballistics and accuracy performance for which NO factory load exists. In additon, you may have, or may acquire, guns for which no factory ammo exists at all. If you are daring and resourceful, like the Lone Ranger, you can use your tools to make ammo for such critters. For example, I have an old German 8X60RS double rifle. I make ammo for it, as there is none still in production for it anywhere in the world, not even in Deutschland. When I see a gun I like, the fact that it is chambered for some oddball cartridge that is not available anywheredoes not concern me at all. Because it is mostprobable that I can whip up some cartridges that I can use in it. Using George Nonte's Home Guide of Cartridge Conversions or Cartridges of the World, I get the critical dimenstions and loading information so I can figure out what brass I need for modification, the powder and bullet specs, & which of my extensive collection of tools will let me make the stuff! (I will not keep any gun I cannot shoot! I am a shooter, NOT a collector!!)

I guess I really enjoy reloading and making special ammunition. It is, however, something you need to enjoy -or it can become just tiresome work. If you would not enjoy being able to do these things, just buy your ammo.

(It is, however, something you need to enjoy -or it can become just tiresome work. If you would not enjoy being able to do these things, just buy your ammo.)
eldeguello

Best advice given!!!!

Hello everyone, I have a question to anyone that might tell me how to reload speer shotshells for a .357 mag. i know how to reload bullets, my dad passed away and i have all his reload equitment and my son and i shoot s&w .357 and my dad did the reloading for the shotshell, i have all is empty cases and powder , just don't know how to load them, small game season is about to hit , so i need to get my butt moving and start loading , any one with the know how i would be greatful Thanks Mike, my email is [email protected] thanks again [8D]