I was wondering if anyone else does this

[john keyes]

buy a new rifle in a caliber that you don't have dies and bullets for and soundly proclaim that no matter what you are NOT reloading this cartridge.  so you buy a few boxes of factory ammo (saving the brass of course) and the next thing you know your dies and components are on the way from midsouth. 

[jim36]

Been there. Done that.
                                         Jim     <")))><

[victorcharlie]

Nope, if I'm going to own it, I'm going to reload for it.

[jlchucker]

I've done the reverse.  I once bought a Colt .380 Govt model, and a set of .380 dies for it.  A friend told me that "nobody loads .380" and I ignored him at the time.  I've never handloaded a round of .380 ammo, but load for everything else.  I've still got the .380 dies around somewhere, unused.

[EVOC ONE]

buy a new rifle in a caliber that you don't have dies and bullets for and soundly proclaim that no matter what you are NOT reloading this cartridge.  so you buy a few boxes of factory ammo (saving the brass of course) and the next thing you know your dies and components are on the way from midsouth. 

Yup! Done that with the .243 and 7.62X54, among a couple others.  I've also bought dies in anticiaption buying a rifle in a certain caliber. I wanted a .338 Win Mag for years.  Bought dies in the early 80's and didn't buy the rifle until two years ago. I still have dies for the .222 Rem, 7mm Rem Mag, 300 Weatherby Mag and .45 Win. Mag and no firearms in those calibers.

Reloading can be a sickness, I guess.   

[DANNY-L]

I usually buy the brass and dies then slip in the rifle or handgun to fill the picture

[necchi]

I've done the reverse. 

Ya me too, Buy the dies before I have the gun!   Why would you buy a gun and NOT reload for it? That just plain don't make sense,  

Has factory ammo suddenly improved soo much that they can preform better and more reliably than MY loaded shells?    

[jlchucker]

I've done the reverse. 

Ya me too, Buy the dies before I have the gun!   Why would you buy a gun and NOT reload for it? That just plain don't make sense,  

Has factory ammo suddenly improved soo much that they can preform better and more reliably than MY loaded shells?    

I rarely shoot that .380 that I have.  I don't like and don't use factory ammo in any other gun that I have.  I guess my problem with the .380, other than my not shooting it, is that with the first box of ammo that I bought (Magtech as I recall, but it's been years ago now) was that I lost some of my brass in the grass at the range. Those little cases, coming out of a semiauto like my Colt, can get hard to find. My .357's show up a lot better.  And for serious, middle of the night home defense, I figure I can find my 12 ga empties after the smoke clears.  I hate to part with that little Colt though.  It shoots pretty well, conceals easily, and looks and feels just like a shrunken, stainless, 1911A1. 

[carbineman]

I had my reloading down to four calibers, 9mm-.223-30-30, and 7.62x39mm. I have just added a new 7mm-08 rifle and a 30-06 barrel for my H&R frame the .223 sits on also. Lately I have purchased 200 .284 diameter bullets, 200 .308 diameter bullets and 3-1 lb cans of propellant along with two sets of dies and a bunch of brass cases. Primers I'm set on. But the madness never stops. But I do plan on developing loads using just one weight bullet of the two new calibers and might be able to load both with one propellant eventually.

[bilmac]

I start loading for my guns almost from the first. Sometimes the gun just wait till the loading tools are available. My problem is I buy and sell and trade at an alarming rate, I seldom keep guns for a long time. So then I'm stuck with dies ect. that are of no use to me that I usually end up selling for rediculous prices.

[gypsyman]

Always figure on reloading whatever new caliber I might get. Already sold one gun, and a year later, bought another in the same caliber, just because I had the dies. gypsyman

[Dezynco]

I did an extensive search to find a set of dies for my 270 REN well before I ordered the barrel!  I had the dies and a bucket full of loaded rounds nearly a year before I ever got the barrel!

I always get a set of dies to load my own.  I've got some Contender barrels that have never seen a factory load!

[mauser98us]

I built a 7 X 61 Sharpe and Hart after a friend gave me 3 cases and I did some research on the round.

[yooper77]

buy a new rifle in a caliber that you don't have dies and bullets for and soundly proclaim that no matter what you are NOT reloading this cartridge.  so you buy a few boxes of factory ammo (saving the brass of course) and the next thing you know your dies and components are on the way from midsouth.  

No way, I never buy factory ammo.  I buy or already have the brass, dies and bullets to start reloading.

yooper77

[Cheesehead]

I have 2 pistols in 32ACP and one in 380. I have been saving the brass. I have looked at dies and components. Nope, not going to do it.

Cheese

[drdougrx]

This is a funny thread and it hits home.  I usually buy the gun first...but....I shot a buddy's 480 ruger and liked the cartridge so much I bought all the components and dies as I looked for a gun.  I found the gun and now will probably sell it and have a custom 5 shooter built in that cartridge! 

[bilmac]

As much a die hard reloader that I am, I believe that the tiny autos would be some that I wouldn't load for. Being autos they fling the brass hither and yon. They aren't interesting as far as accuracy, their main purpose is to get a bullet headed in the right direction. Handloading can't improve much on that. Can't build squibs or high performance loads. The only reason to load for them would be to save $, but if you buy the bullets, you don't save much of that.

Maybe that's why I've never owned one, why would anyone want a gun that doesn't make sense to load for.

[Cheesehead]

There are many sensible reasons to own a compact pistol.

Cheese

[bilmac]

Yup, a 5 or 6 shooter.

[spinafish]

I load for a S&W Bodyguard in .380..it does fling brass..but everyone else seems to leave theirs on the ground..so I usually take home many more than I shoot.  A pound of powder goes a long way when loading for the .380!

[GH1]

I load for both of my .380's. I started reloading just to save money, but I've since found that Ireally enjoy it. 16 oz divided by 3.5 gr = lotsa ammo!
GH1

[375supermag]

I have done it both ways...I have handguns that have been fired thousands of times and have never seen a factory round. Sometimes I will buy some cheap factory ammo, just for the brass...not so much anymore, as I have friends that shoot only factory ammo and are willing to give me their used brass.

Rifle ammo is a different thing...I usually only fire a few boxes of factory ammunition through any given rifle in a year's time. So I mostly buy factory ammo...that will soon change, as my teenage son is shooting more and more rifle, especially 7x57Mauser, .303British and .25/06. Die sets in those calibers are on my need to get list. Factory ammo for the 7.62x39 is still so cheap, I can't see the cost benefit of reloading for it yet.

Another thing that may soon change is my reluctance to reload for 12ga shotgun. My son and I have been breaking an awful lot of claybirds the last year or so and even buying in bulk is getting a little expensive. I may need to get a shotshell reloading setup at the rate he shoots claybirds.

[Bubber]

I load for my .380, it does seem to be more of a chore than loading for anything else but I still do it. Since small pistol primers and Unique are always on the bench anyway, then I found a set of carbide RCBS dies at a gunshow for $20 and couldn't pass it up, all I need is a box of 90gr 9mm bullets as required. Why wouldn't I?

Granted, I was flat broke at the time I aquired the little fella and refused to spend that much of what little money I had on a set of dies no more than I was shooting at the time. It took two years of shooting it and whining about spending that much on a box of factory ammo when I knew I could load my own for pennies befor I spotted thoes dies and ran with it.

Everything else, I either already had the dies or promply got a set.

[Jal5]

I have a couple of old guns in 32ACP that I reload for and its a challenge. But the bigger challenge is finding the brass at the range the way they fling them. I finally made up a roll down "shade" from some old tarp material that goes with me, so when I shoot from the last lane on the range that shade down to the floor keeps most of them within sight!

Joe