Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Difference Between a Handloader and a Reloader?

As I peruse the various reloading forums on the 'net I am struck by the difference in attitudes of the posters - especially in these times of high ammo price and demand.

Since this particular forum includes some of those who have made a real contribution to handloading - I am interested in what your opinions are as to WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A HANDLOADER AND A RELOADER?

As for me, one answer would be:
A Reloader assumes his 140/7mm Mag load goes 3200 fps because his single reloading manual says so while a Handloader knows exactly how fast his load goes (and has a shelf full of manuals)...
or something like that...

That's pretty close. It's basically the difference between a normal person and an OCD person. I'm a handloader and proud of it!

I think they are basically the same, just called different things by different people.

You could say a re-loader takes a once fired factory case and re-loads it, where a handloader loads his cases several times, and loads all of his ammunition.

A re-loader might also be one that shoots a lot of factory ammo and re-loads the factory case, where a handloader crawls around on his hands and knees in brush and under benchs and in trash barrels at shooting ranges looking for emptys.

A hand loader might think he saves money by loading, but if you add up all of the money for his gadgets and every new piece of loading equipment that comes out, and has a whole bench with several presses, bullet casting equipment, bullet swaging dies, stacks of boxes full of brass he has scavanged, a set of dies for each of his 20 or so rifles, then I doubt he has saved any money by loading.

But, he is having fun, and that is what matters. When I shot a lot, I had a metal lathe and a few machine tools, and I enjoyed making my own reloading tools. I enjoyed doing that about as much as I enjoyed loading and shooting.

A re-loader would just have the few basic tools necessary, and he probably does save money by reloading, but then, he doesn't shoot much, either.

In other words, a handloader owns a chronagraph, and a reloader doesn't?.......


Casey

I think it's like the Ipsc guy who finds one load that hits close and Dillonizes 1000 rounds cause he hates reloading versus the Benchrester who lovingly handcrafts 40 rounds and takes all day to shoot them.

I'm certainly both in the last few months me and pards cranked out 3,000 rds of .223 and 3,000 rds of .40 cal. They had never loaded anything in their lives and I reminded them that this was loading not really re-loading. Yes we used a Dillon 550 and 650.

I've got a single stage and single stage turret press for "regular" rifle/pistol loading.


Mike

I can't really call a lot of what I do "reloading", at least until I've fired the first go-round. Mostly I buy new brass to start the cycle, and I virtually never shoot factory ammunition.

So that's all "handloading", not "reloading".

FWIW...

Dennis

In my opinion they are interchangeable labels that describe the same activity.

A person who thinks handloading and reloading is the same is a reloader.

A person who cannot even fathom that someone else would think they are the same is a handloader.



A NASCAR driver and a public transit bus driver are both professional paid vehicle drivers. Does anyone think their avocation, their interests, their passion is the same ?

.

I always figured that creating your ammo has two aspects. One is handloading. That is selection of components and careful assembly of several or more loads for several rifles until a satisfactory number of loads is developed. That process may never really stop as the possibilities for load development are pretty limitless. The second phase is reloading, which I always looked at as the precise recreation of the handloads. YMMV

A reloader creates his own ammo so he can shoot and a handloader shoots so he can remanufacture precision cartridges.

Difference Between a Handloader and a Reloader?
Semantics.....
Make up your own definitions.
If 10 guys answer your question, you'll get 10 different answers.

Uhhhh; reloaders just "reload" any ammo that their firearm use and go banging away, while handloaders roll their own and shoot itty-bitty groups[most of the time anyway!]? Better have a beer and think this one thru. Just kidding, have fun.

Actually, there is a precise definition, and it has no uppity-snooty inferences about it.

A handloader is one who assembles virgin components by hand versus by automated machine. The products are handloaded ammunition versus factory ammunition.

A reloader is one who re-assembles previously fired cartridge cases into loaded ammunition.

The ONLY difference is whether the brass has ever been fired. You can handload ammo once, after which it becomes reloading.

Not a writer�

but to me it is the attention to detail. Checking the details and recording the results� round by round for specific rifles. Most reloaders will deliver safe accurate loads� but Handloaders try to deliver safe, accurate tailored and documented loads.

When I crank out a thousand rounds for my 223, that's reloading. Volume production.

When I painstakingly load 50 rounds for a hunting rifle, a load that I know from far too much testing is just a bit more perfect than the other loads I have tested in that rifle? Doing umpteen extra steps even though I logically know those umpteen extra steps don't make a tangible difference; but I do it anyway in case that round is in the chamber when the target is a 170 class whitetail quartering away in fading light at 375 yards? That's handloading. Did someone mention OCD??

I am a handloader, not a reloader. I use only NEW components, I dont re-use brass. Nothing against it, I just dont shoot that much. I did years ago and had to with wildcats but now its just 20 rounds here or there for hunting season. I do save brass but since I dont target shoot, my big game loads all use new brass.

Damned if I know..Guess I'm both.

Im a Rehandloader...

ditto!!!