Gun Shops and Reloading Areas...

[Sitting Duck]

There is a lot of great advice here on reloading for the novice and experienced loader alike.  However, the amount of information, equipment, and investment can be overwhelming for the rookie.  I am curious as to why gun shops don't offer the use of various equipment and their expertise with regard to this.  It should be a good way to get people into the store, engage them in conversation, and sell more stuff.  This could very well be the magnet that helps the small stores survive the big box-store onslaught.  I would first in line to take advantage of such a service. 

I have a brother that understands the reloading process but he's two thousand miles away and more often than not doesn't understand the words coming out of my mouth.  Hell... I don't understand the words coming out of my mouth.  When I point at that thingamajiggy, he can't see it and I don't know what it's called.

So... A gun shop that offers the use of reloading equipment and expertise in exchange for related and unrelated product sales.  It would beat the heck out of some basement or shed and canine (talk about being two thousand miles away) conversation.

IMHO.   

[PartsMan]

That could become a liability issue.
Also some would abuse it.

[Lloyd Smale]

I agree and disagree. It would be a good deal if a gunshop had a qualified nra reloading instructor that would give basic instrution on loading using actual equiptment a guy could buy but i dont think any commercail gunshop is going to let you load your own ammo on there property. Liability would just be to great.

[Old Syko]

Duck, you've answered at least some of your own questions.  It takes a lot of very expensive and in some cases delicate equipment to build ammo.  Our shops are in business to make money and they will not do that by giving away the store.  Noone is going to loan you what you need to take home and use and you're not going to use it at their place of business due to liability.

Why not do like the rest of us and buy a good manual and start reading?  That way you'll at least know the names of all the thingamajiggys well enough to carry on a conversation and you can come here to get help with the finer points.

[Castaway]

Ask if your local range could possibly set up a clinic to show how easy it is to reload and even cast.  The operator would be donating his time and the end product would be his.

[jhalcott]

  At my club and range we did as Castaway said. I for one was VERY surprised at how LITTLE some of the members knew about reloading. I had one guy reload 6, .44 mag cases in  about 5 minutes. With talking about each step included! He was astounded that it was SO SIMPLE, and admitted that he was a bit afraid to pull the trigger on the first shot. We've had several classes and each was larger than the last. I think it is because of the escalating cost of factory ammo! We have been thinking about a SHOT SHELL CLASS, but no decision  on it yet.

[Siskiyou]

I have noticed the big outfit like Sportsman’s Warehouse puts on clinics. 

A number of sites provide how to video’s on reloading.

LEE
http://www.leeprecision.com/cgi/catalog/browse.cgi?=/html/HelpVideos/video.html

RCBS   http://www.rcbs.com/general/videos.aspx

Or have FAG’s sections.

http://www.lymanproducts.com/lymanproducts/index.htm

http://www.rcbs.com/questions/faq.aspx

http://www.redding-reloading.com/techlinepages/techline.html

NRA list of training by State:

http://www.nrahq.org/education/training/find.asp


Here is a whole list of reloading how to video’s on You Tube

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=reloading&search_type=

I am sure members can add to the list. 

Cost is a major reason that many stores do not put on reloading classes.  It takes space, time, and materials to put on a class.  The question is can the retailer recover the cost involved. A couple of the better stores for reloading in my area have dropped that side of the business.  The space taken up by reloading related inventory did not pay for it self.  One business owner who had had about 800 square feet dedicated to reloading told me that he could not compete with the Internet stores.

I am sure that I was not a big profit maker for him, because I always took advantage of his sales. 

[Sitting Duck]

Thank you, for the information.  One and all. 

I always wondered why the big name manufacturers of reloading equipment don't have their sales reps. putting on "dog and pony" shows for the ignorant masses.  Well... For me anyways.     

The links provided and advice is appreciated.

[MZ5]

I have no input on letting people load their own stuff in the store, but the idea of clinics or having an employee loading in the store is terrific.  How do Costco and Sam's Club sell grocery items?  They cook them in the store and give them away.  Increased sales revenue vastly outstrips the expense.  Plus, if everyone assumes that people will learn to reload somewhere else (or on their own) and then come to the store to buy the components, they're just putting themselves out of business a few years from now.  The flip side, of course, is that there's a whole bunch of folks out there for whom lowest price is vastly more important than anything else.  Thus, one would have to be careful about the balance between the 'giveaways' and pricing.

[Sitting Duck]

I was thinking about the liability issues.  I'm sure one of the big powder manufacturers could come up with dud primers and a simulated powder that would measure like the real thing.  The novice could go through the whole reloading process, using spent cartridges, from start to finish.  Case sizing, trimming, deburring, safety, and all that stuff you read about on this forum. 

The last step would be to pull the bullets, dump the fake powder, and remove the dud primers.  You pat him or her on the head and send them on their way with their new reloading stuff and supplies.

I win from a confidence and knowledge standpoint.  The shop wins because they have just set themselves apart from their competition and have made a sale. 

If I have a choice of buying my reloading equipment online with literature in a box or from a shop that provides the same product(s) with literature in a box and a beginners class attached to it, guess where I'm doing business?

This all might seem silly to the veteran reloader, but I assure you it isn't to the novice that doesn't have someone to turn to for help.   

Thank you, all, for the responses. 

[NE Hunter]

There was a shop here that tried this ... don't know what happened.   On Saturday morning a guy was there had a portable bench set up press and scale. you came in bought what you needed from the store and the guy showed you how to set up your dies and loaded one round for you and watched you load some to make sure you understood what he showed you. I think you loaded like 9 rounds in front of him making 10 total. The store didn't give anything away ( except the instructions ) I t seemed to be going well and then it stopped ... maybe the interest wained

[wncchester]

"This all might seem silly to the veteran reloader, but I assure you it isn't to the novice that doesn't have someone to turn to for help."

I think we all can understand.  It would be great IF gun stores would do as suggested but for an assortment of reasons it doesn't seem practical.  Not only are there liability issuses in which some idiots want to do their own thing but turn to attack those who try to help them but a few would try to use the store as their own loading room and leave a mess on the floor, etc.  And there would be only a few green horns who would likely attend a workshop on any given day so the dealer would get little return for his efforts.  

I think the best way to guide newcomers would be for local clubs to do it.  Many of them already have loading equipment set ups as well as ranges for shooting up the product!  Sadly, many gun clubs are clannish and disinterested in helping new guys in any real way so they just operate as a private facility for their old insiders.