The first hand-loaded ammunition dates back to some distant time when someone combined a powder charge, a fuse, whatever projectiles were available, rammed them in a barrel of sorts and ignited the whole thing.

Today we have equipment available to us to produce ammunition at home equal to or better than most factory loaded ammunition. We also have the benefit of manuals and computer programs produced by several companies that take the guess work out of reloading and, when followed, produce quality safe ammunition.

So why should I reload when there is so much good quality ammunition on the market today?

The first questions I would ask is how much do you shoot? How much would you like to shoot but find the cost too high? If you are a hunter and get "Ole Betsy" out once a year for the family deer hunt and occasionally fire a round or two during the year at something, then hand loading is probably not for you and not worth the investment of time and money. But if you love to shoot or want to shoot more, then a progressive reloader should be seriously considered. These can run from a few hundred to more than a thousand dollars but have capabilities of loading from 500 to 1000 rounds per hour.

Shotgun shell reloading for the casual family clay pigeon outing is hardly a savings when you can buy good target loads on sale for little more than what reloading costs. For the serious clay shooter who may shoot hundreds of rounds per month, then volume reloading is the way to go. Whatever type of equipment you are looking at, buy the best you can afford. You will be glad you did.

One of the fun things about reloading is using information given by such greats as Skeeter Skelton, Elmer Keith and others to reproduce loads they used and finding out why they thought they were the best. One such load used by Skeeter Skelton for the .357 Magnum has also become a favorite of mine.

One of my favorite handguns is the .44 Magnum. I have been told by several gun dealers the reason people sell or trade their .44 is because they are intimidated by the noise and recoil of full power factory loads. Reloading gives you the flexibility to tailor loads from mild to wild and everywhere in between. Find that load that works for you and enjoy shooting. One such load I discovered is now used by several friends. It is powerful enough for most shooting but is still comfortable to shoot a lot and often.

Flexibility and economy is why I reload. For example, I have a couple of .223s. One is a lightweight carry around varmint rifle; the other a heavy barreled over-the-bench prairie dog rig. Both rifles shoot well. They just don't shoot the same load well. By reloading I can adjust the powder bullet combination so that each gives me the performance I am looking for.

Now the trick is not getting them mixed up. I have a .45 ACP that I acquired on a trade along with a box of factory ammo. The former owner told me he had problems with the cases chambering and didn't want to deal with the thing anymore. The price was right and so I did the deal.

Soon after I took the gun along with his box of factory ammo and a box of my reloads to the range. Sure enough his factory rounds were not chambering as they should. I tried a clip of my reloads and found no problem. Upon returning home I looked at the factory loads a little closer. The crimp on the factory loads did not appear to be the same as my reloads. I took the remainder of the box and ran them through my crimp die.

The next time I went to the range, the first clip I shot was the factory loads I had run through my die. They worked perfectly. I never did tell the former owner he had a shooter and not the clunker he thought he had. If I had not been a reloader, the problem with this gun may not have been discovered. The gun would have either gone unused or been taken to a gunsmith for a costly examination to determine that there was really not anything wrong with the gun at all, only the ammunition.