Meaning

2 senses
  1. (uncountable)The loading of cartridges for firearms when it is done by hand and (especially) at home (in semi-homemade manner): assembling them from the individual components (e.g., casing, primer, gunpowder or other charge, and shot or bullet).

    With handloading of their practice rounds, they can save money, especially in light of how expensive the store-bought cartridges can be these days.

  2. (uncountable)The loading of a firearm, usually a pistol or rifle, by hand.

Origin

By surface analysis, hand + loading. The verb (handload) is possibly a back-formation from

By surface analysis, hand + loading. The verb (handload) is possibly a back-formation from the noun.

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