The answer is an obvious yes and a very big NO! Is it no more dangerous than many of the other things you do everyday without giving a second thought, or for that matter, a first thought, about the danger involved? NO. Let me explain. Life is inherently dangerous. Many of the things you do daily, comfortably and with complete peace of mind, are inherently dangerous. The list of dangerous activities is endless, but let me just give you a few examples so you can understand my point: Sleeping in bed, getting out or into bed, walking across a room or down a hall, climbing or descending stairs, brushing your teeth, changing a light bulb, fueling your car, driving a car, talking on your cell phone, are all dangerous. As I said, this list is endless. Any of these things can cause serious injury or death if done without regard for basic safety rules and practices. You do almost all of these things without giving any thought to the safety rules.

Infrequently, some of the rules are brought forward to your conscious thought. You know that gasoline fumes are flammable and explosive when contained. You also know they are pretty safe when proper precautions are observed. You may never consider smoking while fueling your car. The danger doesn't cross your mind until the driver fueling a car next to you IS SMOKING. Even timid people get brave enough to speak up.

Lets examine some of the dangers of a safe activity like brushing your teeth. You normally use a clean toothbrush, fresh water and toothpaste. You don't consider using any of the acids that would certainly clean your teeth more thoroughly than the toothpaste. You probably have brushed your tongue or gums, but never considered brushing your throat or esophagus. If the spinning toothbrushes are good, why not try the wire wheel and your electric drill? The stupidity is pretty obvious.

Here is one that is a little tougher. Some of you are quite comfortable talking on a cell phone while driving in busy traffic. You probably know that it is dangerous. You have seen or read about the fatal accidents and the disfigurements caused by others, but you feel more competent. So, you talk on the phone while driving. Just because you feel confident and competent doesn't make an activity safe. Just because you do something and are not in fear doesn't make it safe.

The reason most of us are still alive is because we follow the safety rules for the activities we choose to participate in. Many of those rules are unconscious but they are there and we follow them.

IF YOU FOLLOW THE SAFETY RULES OF AMMUNITION RELOADING, THEN IT WILL BE AS SAFE AS ANY OTHER ACTIVITY YOU ENGAGE IN. If you are willing to smoke a cigarette while fueling your car or cradle a cell phone while in busy traffic, you may just be willing to break common sense reloading safety rules. If rules are for the other guy, then reloading may just be too dangerous for you. In that case, choose a different hobby, like sudoku or 1000 piece puzzles.

Smokless powder is used in most reloading and is not considered an explosive. Black Powder, TNT, and dynamite are explosives that detonate causing a super sonic, concussive shock wave. Smokeless powder burns producing rapidly expanding gases. When confined in a firearm chamber and barrel those gases are used to accelerate and propel the bullet out of the muzzle at high velocity. Powder manufacturers use a variety of means to control the burn rate of smokeless powder. Different burn rates make powders suitable for some cartridges and bullets, but not others. Consult a reloading manual or powder manufacturer's recommendations for the specific caliber cartridges and bullets you are reloading. Stick closely to those recommendations and recipes when choosing the powder type and volume for your specific cartridge and bullet.

Reloading is safe if you stay within the guidelines and follow the rules.