On Home Brewing and Reloading

In a recent thread on the Virginia IDPA mailing list someone commented about placing an ammunition order with a popular vendor. The thread quickly morphed, or rather degenerated, into a discussion of why people did or did not reload their own ammo, as opposed to buying commercially. The discussion got me thinking about an interesting parallel between reloading and home brewing.

For as long as I've had an interest in craft beer, people have been asking "Do you brew your own beer?" Sometimes they don't ask, they simply assume that I must. When people ask me if I am a home brewer, I often jokingly reply that when I've tasted them all, I'll know what I want to make for myself. In all seriousness, I really have no desire, at this time, to brew. I respect the people who do, and I've been the beneficiary of many of their efforts. If you really think about it, does the question logically follow? I love a good steak too. But I've never been asked if I raise my own cattle.

The same pattern follows for shooting and reloading. It doesn't take long before the topic of reloading comes up in a conversation about shooting. People assume that the second activity automatically follows the first.

The ammo reloading question is almost always based on a presumed economic advantage. If you compare the cost of the components alone to the cost of commercial ammunition, reloading is going to win hands down. The same could probably be said for brewing, though I've never actually done the math on that. For the sake of argument, let's ignore the start up costs in acquiring the equipment to do either activity. We'll assume those costs will eventually be recouped. But we must add in the time factor. Both brewing and reloading require a time investment, and not an insignificant one at that. How much is my time worth? Better yet, how much time do I have to devote to reloading or brewing, however much fun it may be? These days, very little time it seems. Hardly a month goes by that I don't have opportunity to lament missing some shooting event, or some craft beer tasting, simply because they conflicted with other demands on my time.

When I stop to think about it, I see both home brewing and reloading as distinct activities or hobbies from the related interest that may spawn them. They are hobbies in and of themselves. Sure someone may start brewing or reloading as an offshoot to their interest in drinking good beer or shooting, but these interests aren't a mandatory part of the first activity. Someday I may even try both, but for now I'm very happy to stick with beer and ammo created by dedicated professionals.

Reload or buy, we'll have to do something about this empty box!

Based on some other conversations I've had, maybe next I need to discuss the difference between IDPA and IPA. :-)