Reloading
I reloaded ammunition for the first time this week. It's a tedious process, but not without rewards. One friend of mine calls it "meditative." It's hard to imagine Thich Nhat Hahn recommending reloading ammunition as a meditative practice.
People reload ammunition for a variety of reasons. Some want a more powerful load than you can buy off the shelf. Some are excellent shooters, and the amount and type of powder makes a difference to their performance. I'm not nearly so good that a hand-loaded round is likely to improve my performance over a factory round, and I don't care much for extra power.
But I do enjoy shooting. Two weeks ago, I spent an afternoon practicing with my .38 Special revolver (which was given to me by my father, and he got it from his father). I fired over a hundred rounds at the target. I'd like to practice like this with all my guns— but 20 rounds for my bolt-action .270 cost over $12. At that price, I don't practice very much. But I learned that I can reload for about 1/4 to 1/3 the price of factory rounds.
Another reason I enjoy reloading is, factory rounds for the big guns are usually designed for hunting larger game. My .44 Magnum (inherited from my other grandfather) really kicks when I use factory ammunition. But I can load a less powerful round with a smaller bullet that kicks a lot less and is still pretty accurate. That makes the gun more fun to shoot.
At some level, though, it comes down to something even more basic than control or frugality. If I can reload my own ammo, I am more self-sufficient. And that, I have come to believe, is a worthy goal in itself.
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