Americans love a bargain, and shooting enthusiasts are no exception. When it comes to what motivates many handloaders who do reload and build their own ammunition, 88 percent of the people cited “saving money” was the key reason, according to a poll conducted by shootersurvey.com. The survey was conducted in September.

“Improving accuracy” was the second largest driver, with 70 percent of surveyed handloaders choosing that as another motivator. “Obtaining rounds difficult to find in stores” came in third with 40 percent, while 30 percent said “reducing waste” was the reason. Survey participants could choose more than one reason.

Of the types of ammunition reloaded, 76 percent reload rifle ammo, 64 percent reload for their handguns and 30 percent reload shells for their shotguns.

“Over time, ammunition can be the most expensive aspect to recreational shooting, so it makes sense that avid shooters see reloading as a way to cut costs without cutting time at the range,” says Rob Southwick, president of Southwick Associates, which designs and conducts the surveys at huntersurvey.com, shootersurvey.com and anglersurvey.com. “Of course, a key byproduct of saving money through reloading is a person (who) also becomes more knowledgeable about their firearm’s performance and can even potentially achieve better performance by fine-tuning a specific load to their firearm.”

To help continually improve, protect and advance hunting, shooting, and other outdoor recreation, all sportsmen and sportswomen are encouraged to participate in the bi-monthly surveys at huntersurvey.com, shootersurvey.com and/or anglersurvey.com. Every other month, participants who complete the surveys are entered into a drawing for one of five $100 gift certificates to the sporting goods retailer of their choice.