How many Gun Owners Actually Re-Load/cast?

[UtopiaTexasG19]

I know this is probably a "un-answerable" question. Here on a casting/re-loading forum one could get the impression that everyone that shoots guns casts and re-loads for them selves. The re-loading industry appears to be huge, but just like everyone that owns a automobile does not change their own oil everyone that shoots does not re-load/cast. Has anyone seen any figures as to how many folks re-load/cast their own rounds? I'd bet a lot more re-load factory made bullets than cast their own but I am curious as to some figures. I assume there is no formal way to count the number in this hobby though it is probably a lot. This is a wonderful yet addictive hobby...Thanks...

[zxcvbob]

In my bullseye pistol club (maybe 50 people, mostly middle-aged men) less than half reload, and I might be the only one who casts my own boolits. And this is a group of handgun enthusiasts -- although many of them shoot .22LR only, so that skews the sample group the other way.

[Beau Cassidy]

I would say only about 5 percent or less of handgun owners even shoot more than one box of ammo thru their firearm. Of the remaining 5 percent, I would say less than 2 percent reload. Rifle owners sboot a little more but not much. Probably even fewer reload.

[ku4hx]

castboolits is a great site and caters to a group of people dedicated to a craft. At any one time viewer numbers are usually around 50 or so. Many other gun related forums may have hundreds of viewers. But one thing I've learned over the years is quantity does not necessarily mean quality.

General run-of-the-mill gun forums are seldom dedicated to a specific task but rather exist to provide a place for all sorts of topics and questions. That in and of itself is not a bad thing. It's just what I've observed and frankly there is enormous expertise on all forums I've ever visited.

But if you consider the numbers of forum viewers as a data point that indicates interest and participation, many are "into" guns but few are craftsmen as boollit casters are. I have no idea what the real numbers are but to gun owners I'd allow "many", as to hand loaders/reloaders I'd say "some" and to boolit casters I'd say "few".

[Roundnoser]

I shoot at a local sportsmans club. The outdoor pistol shoots are held every week for novice and experienced shooters alike. Most of the old-timers and some of us in our 40's reload. I'd say its about 50/50. As for bullet casters...only a handful. Many guys these days just buy their lead bullets.

[marvelshooter]

I would say that most Bullseye shooters who shoot CF and .45 are reloaders if not casters. At my home range which is mostly a plinking range I have yet to meet another reloader. A lot of people ask about it when they see me picking up brass. I always offer to help them get started but no takers yet.

[geargnasher]

I'd be surprised if there are more than 50,000 regular boolit casters in the U.S. I know our membership alone is almost half that, but for lots of people it's a "phase" or they try it for a while and lose interest.

There are 43,000 people residing in my county. I've very connected to the gun community here, and know or know of pretty much everyone who casts their own. Counting myself, there are five active or semi-active casters, two are WWII veterans. There's someone who has purchased group-buy moulds before with an in-county zip code, but they keep a very low profile. Even if we assume a couple I missed, thats only about eight out of 43,000. .02% if you round up. If that were indicative of the national average, and I doubt it because this is a rural area full of ranchers, hunters, and craftsmen, that would be ~62,000 nationwide.

In other words, not very many.

As far as reloaders go, probably a million if I had to guess.

Gear

[Cadillo]

I would say only about 5 percent or less of handgun owners even shoot more than one box of ammo thru their firearm. Of the remaining 5 percent, I would say less than 2 percent reload. Rifle owners sboot a little more but not much. Probably even fewer reload.

So, how do you perceive the other 90%?

[Springfield]

I belong to 3 cowboy action shooting clubs. An informal survey showed that about 90% reload their own cowboy ammo, but I only found 2 others who cast, out of about 100 people.

[btroj]

I perceive them as fun owners. I hold no ill will towards those who don't cast or reload.

Actually having a smaller number of casters and reloaders means we have less competition for lead and for range brass.

I think there are many gun owners who own firearms strictly for hunting or something like that. These people don't generally reload, they don't shoot enou to justify it. Their gun is just a hunting tool.

The 2 gun clubs I shoot at have large percentages of reloaders. One even has a fair number of casters. The local indoor range sees far fewer reloaders. I think the clubs are frequented by more hard core shooters, the indoor range sees more casual shooters and mall ninjas.

[Cadillo]

There are over eight hundred members in the rifle and pistol club I belong to. I have met only three other members who cast bullets, but their production is very low. There are, however, quite a number of handloaders, due mainly to the fact that there are monthly competitions in Action Pistol Shooting, Steel Plates, and Cowboy SA shooting, all of which consume a lot of ammo, which is mostly reloaded.

Oddly though, I've not met a competitor who casts, other than a rifle shooter, who loads only rifle bullets for use in the Postal Matches put on by the Cast Bullet Association. That man shoots some astounding one hundred and two hundred yard groups with those cast bullets.

[Kraschenbirn]

If you set aside a few "traditional" ML-shooters, of the (225) or so members of the club where I shoot, I'm only aware of (2) other shooters who cast but, perhaps, half of the guys with whom I'm personally acquainted reload, at least, some of their ammo. From the empties left littering our rifle line, though, it appears that most of the club's AR/H&K/FAL/AK/etc. shooters prefer to shoot low-end milsurp or steel-cased Russian/Chinese ammo.

Bill

[Bwana]

I would say only about 5 percent or less of handgun owners even shoot more than one box of ammo thru their firearm. Of the remaining 5 percent, I would say less than 2 percent reload. Rifle owners sboot a little more but not much. Probably even fewer reload.

About ten years ago, when my son and I had to get parts for our KP95s that we were using in IDPA, I was told by the Ruger Rep at the Arizona plant that Ruger figured that their handguns, on average, only had 1000 thousand rounds fired through them in their lifetime. In my experience dealing with "gun owners" that seems about right. Most people buy a hand gun, shoot a box of rounds through it, buy another box of ammo and then put it on a shelf.
That makes those of us who reload, cast, swage, wildcat, etc. very rare individuals. Our numbers have swelled a bit in the last two years because of the shortages waking up a number of people to the realities of the ammo suppy train. Due to current and future trends I see it staying at it's current level and even getting stronger provided the bottom doesn't drop out of the economy. Along those lines I would recommend the books "One Second After" and "Survivors". http://www.amazon.com/Survivors-ebook/dp/B004T4KXWS
http://www.amazon.com/One-Second-Aft.../dp/0765317583

[runfiverun]

i live in a small community @ 2,000 people.
try finding brass on the range or finding a lead supply around here.
the members of the club here number about 75.
and many more just use the range as it's public, and open to use all day.
of the "regulars" there are about 20, all of them cast.
all of them know about this sight also.
many of them reload for others.
the minority of shooters here buy factory ammo.
you can buy reloading supplies at two different places here,two in the town to the south [approx the same size and i know a couple of guy's there that cast and about 5 that reload] and one in the town to the west [pop 900].
the box store and one gas station here sells factory ammo and the local grocery just recently quit selling factory because they didn't sell enough to bother with.
hunting and shooting is not unpopular here.

[geargnasher]

I'll be burglary and armed robbery isn't popular there at all!

Gear

[tuckerdog]

I've been on other sites but this is the only one I keep coming to. Around here about 25% of shooters reload and only about 10% of those cast. Range lead is easy to comeby,just pick a day the range is not busy and take a bucket. deer gun season is the best time because we have to use handguns shotguns or muzzleloaders and the berms are full of lead

[44man]

It is sad but remember, more lead for the rest of us!
All of my friends want my cast or come to cast because that is where accuracy is.
Dirty pool to let some buy boolits to go "bang" but you will get free brass too.

[perotter]

I'd say that 1 out 25 gun owners reload. I base this on some industry info I saw about 10-15 years ago. At that time something like 2.5 million people in the US reloaded ammo. Shotgun, handgun & rifle.

Casting I'd couldn't even guess. Around here almost nobody does it. The competition for WWs comes from those that cast sinkers.

[shotstring]

I have been involved in professionally selling firearms for about 20 years, was licensed to manufacture ammunition and sell it for 5 years including casting our own bullets. Yet in this forum I am a mere novice where casting and firearms expertise are concerned. This forum contains such a large number of people that have "unique knowledge" based on actual experience that it is downright freaky.

I for one, am glad that I can profit from it all and share my own small bit of expertise in a few areas when I can.

But overall, I believe the consensus is correct in saying that there are very few that actually reload anymore let alone cast their own bullets. Much of it has to do with the high price of components for reloading which makes it more a labor of love these days rather than a great cost saving venture.

Couple that with having far less places to shoot than there was 20 years ago or even 10, and you find people that don't shoot much but if they do, they just buy the cheap flavor of practice ammunition offered by the chain stores and leave it at that. Those that actually take their shooting seriously or compete in the shooting sports are the last bastion of reloaders and bullet casters and that number is rather small I would think.

[btroj]

It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking everyone thinks and does the way we do. Just because I cast and reload doesn't mean all shooters do. I try my best to always remember that. Many gun owners are just that, gun owners. They are not shooters per se.

I drive a car but I am no far junky or gear head. They are a tool to me. I think most gun owners feel the same way.

Many of us shoot more in 1 year than many gun owners will in their entire lifetime.