Give Handloading a Try

by
posted on May 28, 2015
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
wiley-clapp.jpg
I am advised that well under half of all active shooters use ammunition they have assembled in home reloading shops. That means a solid majority of shooters go to local or online merchants to buy their ammo. Since we know that interest in the shooting sports is at an all-time high, with more people shooting more shots, I am amazed that more of them are not handloading. This is particularly true of handloading for handgun cartridges, as there are several new handgun sports that really didn't exist in the past. The sporting handgunner shoots a lot more times per match than does his rifleman brother. At the same time that all of this came to pass, the reloading industry replied with what amounts to a revolution in high-volume loading equipment. More than a few IPSC, IDPA, SASS and IHMSA shooters have a big blue Dillon of one sort or another bolted to a bench in the garage. Although these big blue (red, black, green, orange, whatever) presses are somewhat pricey, they pay for themselves quickly if you are loading for volume. Shooters who are considering a progressive, high-volume press need to take note of the fact that there is a surprisingly wide range of prices available.

But volume is only part of the handloading mystique. No shooter will ever appreciate a nice, tight on-target group as will the shooter who personally loaded the ammunition that produced it. When he follows all the rules and assembles a batch of cartridges that perform well, he knows the extra care that he put into it. As his abilities grow, so does his confidence. When a load combination does not perform well, a confident handloader/shooter instantly knows that it isn't (or maybe is) his fault and he needs to try another combination. As time passes, an experienced and conscientious handloader simply knows more about his ammo, gun and himself. And lest there be any mistake about it, it is possible to out-perform the ammo companies—almost all the time. Learning how to do it is simply  a matter of time and effort. The ideal way to do it to load at the range. For various assignments over the years and one complete book, I developed a kit that permits me to go to the range and set up a complete, but portable loading bench. Working with a partner (usually long-suffering Stan Waugh), I can get through a pretty detailed work-up of a particular caliber and load in a single day. I might want a super accurate, cast-bullet, long-range load for a long-barreled .41 Magnum. If you get a good early start, you can get through several dozen loads assembled, loaded, fired for accuracy in the machine rest, chrongraphed and targets measured and tabulated. That's in a day.  

Obviously, you have to be motivated to do this. Give it a try.

Latest

Taurus 817 01
Taurus 817 01

The Taurus 817 Is Back

The Taurus 817 revolver hasn't been available since the early 2000s, but now, it's back and features several notable updates.

NRA To Hold World Shooting Championship In Indiana

Registration is now open for the eighth NRA World Shooting Championship, which is sponsored by Walther Arms and will be held at Camp Atterbury, Ind., from September 30 to October 4.

Gun Of The Week: Springfield Armory Prodigy Compact 3.5” AOS

For this episode, we’re on the range with a double-stack, M1911-style handgun that’s more compact and lightweight than we’re used to seeing. This is the Springfield Armory Prodigy Compact 3.5” AOS chambered for 9 mm Luger.

The Armed Citizen® Aug. 1, 2025

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Budget Pistol Rigs With AIM Surplus

It's still possible to pull together a budget-friendly, name-brand pistol rig for $300 to $400, if you play your cards right.

Nextorch Celebrating 20th Anniversary—A Timely Preparedness Reminder

Nextorch North America is celebrating the company’s 20 years of providing lighting solutions for consumers, law enforcement professionals and military forces around the world.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.