What Are Your Reloading Habits?

[zhunter]

This should be interesting.

Personally, I NEVER have less than 3000 rounds loaded and ready to go, but as I said in an earlier thread, reloading is therapeutic for me

[JFD]

Reloading is a pain the elbow for me lately, but I start to get worried if I don't have 4000 rounds for each of my competition guns.

Went kind of nuts with .45s and now have nearly 20K of them. Too bad I haven't shot .45 in quite some time.

[edwin garcia]

I load at least a week before a big match after chronoing load. Usually have about 500 of ready ammo for locals. I have a 1050 setup so overnight loading shouldn't be a problem.

[shred]

I'm lucky to have enough ammo on-hand the night before a local match-- if there's ammo around for long, it gets burned in practice, so I'm always loading last-minute. I don't usually keep more than 1K of brass in rotation anyway.

For big matches I'll load a week or two in advance just in case the press decides to pick that moment to break catastrophically and to re-verify the chrono.

[ChuckS]

My guardian angel is Murphy, so I give at least 2 weeks for loading before a major match so I can deal with equipment issues and supply shortages. My ususal MO is to have a month - 6 weeks worth of "normal" shooting inventory on hand.

[yoshidaex]

Is there a choice for both? If I know i'll be shooting a large match, I'll have the ammo ready 2-3 months ahead of time. For local club matches, I'll use what I have on hand or load up the night before....

[dajarrel]

I really couldn't decide which to pick.

Sometimes I'm like ZHunter and do it for therapy, but quite often I find myself reloading at the last minute.

FWIW

dj

[nphd2000]

The morning before my "Local" match. (I like em fresh)

The night before a not so "Local" match.

A week before a major match.

Not such a good regimen on my part. My new year resolution is to be more prepared for matches and practice/shoot more (or was that last years resolution?)

[38superman]

I don't usually keep many thousands of rounds on hand.

I typically have 500 to 1000 rounds on hand for each of my competition guns at any given time.

That is enough for a major match, a couple of local matches or a few practice sessions.

Once I burn it up I go immediately back to my press and replace it.

I rarely wait until the last minute to load ammo.

I don't like to be rushed and if there is a problem or break down I want time to react to it.

Tls

[ima45dv8]

Need a selecion for "Both".

Despite having 2 1050's (one each for .40 and .45), I hate reloading. Occasionally I'll get on a binge and load up a 3 gallon bucket of one or the other, just so I don't have to do any reloading for a while. But mostly I wait until 1-2 days before a match if I'm running low.

Now, I just need to get one of those KISS bullet feeders to cut the aggrevation even further.

[Flexmoney]

Holy crap...the poll is runnig 8 to 1 so far in favor of the Boy Scouts.

Maybe the rest of us JIT reloaders just haven't gotten around to voting in this one yet.

[mike_pinto]

27-5 for the non-wait until the last minute type. I never seem to find the time to load, especially since the second daughter came last Jan.

[JFD]

If I waited until the last minute, my luck would insure something not included in the spare parts kit would break.

[Merlin Orr]

Try to stay about 5 gal. bucket ahead on .40 & .45. Less of my other usuals...

[MichiganShootist]

Unlike a lot of you guys... I hate to reload..... My only reason is to allow me the money to shoot more

So deal with this chore ONLY during the crappy Winter weather we have in this neck of the woods.

I'll fire up the wood stove in the workshop right after Christmas (the end of deer hunting season) and by the time our outdoor ranges are open... I'll have enough to run me through the season.

[uscbigdawg]

I was taught to value of the RL1050 by Matt Burkett.

Rule #1: Just 'cause the airport shuttle is in the driveway doesn't mean you have to stop loading for the Area match you're going to.

Club matches, I'm loading that morning. The fiancee and I have our system down pat. I roll size and tumble brass, while she fills up primer tubes (did I mention that's one of her best qualities?). While I'm loading ammo, she's getting ready. I get done with the ammo and it's in a large Dillon Akrobin. We finish getting ready and she drives to the match, stopping at McD's ('cause I love their breakfast) and I'm case gauging and boxing ammo all the way to the range.

It's a perfect system.

For major matches, especially 3-Gun matches, I'm loading my "match" ammo about a week out just to not run short on anything during practice sessions leading up to the match.

Rich

[baa]

I really don't enjoy reloading, so I tend to do it at the last possible minute, as I can usually find something more interesting to do up until 20 minutes before I have to leave for the match.

I am going to shoot my first set of major matches this year and I plan to be a bit more disciplined with my ammo leading up to those matches.

[Flatland Shooter]

Personally, I NEVER have less than 3000 rounds loaded and ready to go, but as I said in an earlier thread, reloading is therapeutic for me

I'm a lot like zhunter. Reloading is therapeutic.

I rarely have more than 500 rounds loaded up in advance, but I keep my 550 on the ready. If I feel like getting out of the house, load up 100. Just happen by the reloading bench, load up 100.

I do not differentiate between "match loads" and "practice loads". Each round goes through the same quality control ritual. Rounds that do not pass muster end up in a 5 gallon bucket for the day I just want to go to the range and go "bang".

Bill

[DougCarden]

I have two small children, work nights, and live in Iowa, where the winter is NOT conducive to shooting outside. Needless to say I load ammo all winter, and try to stay 10K ahead, but I usually have to load up more steel ammo close to the steel challenge...

Regards,

DougC

[Lee Bell]

I load and shoot for fun and never know what I'm going to be shooting next. I like to keep around 1,000 rounds of anything I shoot, .45, .44, .357, .40, 10mm and 9mm. I generally reload the night after I shoot, bringing my supply back up to norm.

Lee

[Harmon]

I'm lucky to have enough ammo on-hand the night before a local match-- if there's ammo around for long, it gets burned in practice, so I'm always loading last-minute. I don't usually keep more than 1K of brass in rotation anyway.

For big matches I'll load a week or two in advance just in case the press decides to pick that moment to break catastrophically and to re-verify the chrono.

+1.

I simply shoot and work too much to spend any more time than i have to at the reloading press..If i know im gonna need say 1000 rounds for 2 big matches, ill load them ahead of time and put them aside.

Practice ammo is loaded with the JIT method. normally 300 at a time 2x a week.

the boy scouts have us beat though...always with plenty of ammo.

Perhaps they dont practice enough?

Harmon

[Aircooled6racer]

Hello: I'm still kinda new to all this stuff and enjoy reloading. I usually shoot the match then reload that night. I also tumble my brass after each event as well. I have about 500 rounds of 45,40 and 9mm at any given time ready to go. I also like to have at least 1500 rounds of brass ready to go. My wife thinks I'm nuts for having all this brass hanging around. Thanks Eric

[XD Niner]

I try to keep at least 1000 rounds reloaded at all times. That way if travel for my job interferes, I always have a cushion that will carry me several matches or practice sessions.

[JFD]

At least you non Boy Scouts don't have to listen to "you have WAY too much ammo" at least once a week from their wives. So what if I have 40 gallons of assorted ammo loaded?

However I haven't heard that since my wife got her first USPSA card

Now I hear "why don't you get a 650", which I did

No way could I handle loading ammo for my wife and I, then loading twenty-four 20/21 round extended mags the morning of the match.

[vernbo]

The night before gives best opportunity for dry fire and mag change practice.