Various reasons shooters reload shells

It’s not unusual for hunters and target shooters to load their own ammunition. So why do they take the time and effort to load their shells?

Historically, many people had to load their own shells, and at times there have been shortages of ammo, but even where shells were plentiful and reasonably prices, many shooters prepared their own.

Today’s gun store shelves are filled with all manner of ammunition for every caliber and every type of shooting, many shooters are not content to go with over-the-counter production ammo. Many, in fact, prefer to hand load their own cartridges. 

However. there are many reasons for reloading and ShooterSurvey.com recently polled recreational shooters and hunters to find out exactly what the top reasons are.

  Reason No. 1 was not a surprise. By far, the top response was to save on the expense of buying production ammunition, which can sometimes cost several dollars a round. In fact, 85 percent of those surveyed cited “to save money” as the main reason they hand loaded.

  Sixty-seven percent of those polled cited improving accuracy as a top reason, while 44 percent do it to obtain calibers or loads that are hard to find in stores. Lastly, 30 percent reload to reduce waste, and 15 percent cited other, unspecified reasons for hand loading, according to information provided by the survey.

Respondents could chose more than one answer as many have multiple motivations for loading their own ammunition.

  While reloading has its numerous advantages, anyone trying their hand at the activity needs adequate equipment and good training to be safe and successful.