RELOADING
THE ECONOMICS OF RELOADING By Reis Ladd
Photo courtesy of MEC Outdoors
C
raftsmanship takes many forms, but the pride within whatever form it takes never seems to be lacking. At first glance, reloading shotshells does not have the appeal as, say, woodworking or glass blowing. However, once an individual takes a deep dive into the world of reloading the appeal seems to quickly stack up. Looking back at my summers before being able to drive, I spent countless hours in a seated position behind a sturdy desk with a single-stage 20 gauge reloader that lived in the garage for the remainder of the year. Our relationship always started out rocky, but by the end of the summer and thousands of shells later, I was always somewhat sad watching her go back into the garage. Reloading shotgun shells took off in the 1950s with companies like MEC Outdoors and Lee Precision bringing self-reloaders to the market. Companies such as these enabled outdoorsmen to reload shotshells in their own homes with the ability to save money, customize their loads, and experience a sense of independence apart from the big ammunition manufacturers. In addition to purchasing one of the various reloader options, any individual reloading will need to source the expendables within the process; hulls, primers, powder, wads, TexasDoveHuntersMagazine.com | 33
