# Reloading vs Factory Ammo...why?



## brazman (Aug 22, 2006)

Let me set the parameters for this thread right up front: I am just getting into hunting (other than dove/quail) these past couple of years, have a couple of rifles now, but won't be getting into reloading. I don't have the time or space to take up yet another hobby related to a hobby I don't already get much time for. So don't feel the need to convert me. Maybe someday when I'm rich and bored. 

My question is not whether reloads are more/less accurate than factory ammo; I'm pretty sure I understand that factory ammo can be fairly spotty if you're shooting for sport, accuracy, benchrest target shooting, but for most hunting applications factory is perfectly adequate. My question is, WHY does reloading produce seemingly so much more accurate shots? What is it about factory ammo that they can't get to compare with any Jim Bob sitting in his garage putting rounds together (no disrespect, I'm picture my own dad when I describe this imagery)?

Is it the fine tuning with your own rifle/reload match, that it's easier than trying every bullet brand/weight combo out there and going broke finding THE bullet your specific gun likes? 

I'd be more appreciative of facts delivered in layman's terms, rather than feelings or opinions, and certainly more than master-debaters looking to stir folks up. Getting tired of asking for help and having to pull on the high boots to go looking for my answers. :work:

I'll throw this over in the reloading page too.
Thanks, fellas!


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## SeaTex (Aug 27, 2009)

Factory ammo has to be produced to fit all weapons in that caliper, whether single shot, bolt action or semi-automatic. (sammi spec)
In Reloading...or more correctly Handloading is where you fine tune the ammo to shoot more accurately in your weapon. In all these weapons you can adjust the powder charge to improve the accuracy.
In a single shot or bolt action you can also adjust the distance the bullet sets off the rifling which will improve the accuracy.

That's the short version, I'm sure other will reply with a more indepth answer.


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## CoastalOutfitters (Aug 20, 2004)

_In a single shot or bolt action you can also adjust the distance the bullet sets off the rifling which will improve the accuracy.

_big advantage my 22-250 comes to mind, i won't shoot some factory ammo at all. If I seat the bullet way out to the rifle's specs , it's go time.

tolerances in higher end factory ammo are very tight, within grains per loaded cartridge or they are kicked out.

You can really knock the cost down . esp w premium components for handloads
ck out a nosler factory load, you can reload that for prob. half , same components.


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## CHARLIE (Jun 2, 2004)

I guess its all about shooting the best you can either hunting or target. Really its matching the bullet to your rifle which will make you more accurate and also providing a projectile that does better or is better than factory ammo. Also the satisfaction in knowing that I built that ammo and it is the best.. Also cost does enter into the story here too. Plus I enjoy the hell out of it. IMHO 

Charlie


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## pg542 (Oct 9, 2006)

It can definitely bring the cost per round down. And like the ST and CO stated, you can tweek a load to your bullet/powder/primer/ chamber/barrel combination. Factory ammo has to be able to fit any modern gun made, and in doing so the tolerance specs can be a little loose. That isn't to say that after some trial and error that you couldn't find a factory round that would shoot great in your gun. I reload most everything i shoot for bench shooting and hunting. For me there is alot of enjoyment "working up" a load. Changing 1 variable at a time, then testing it at the benchrest.Change something else,and back to the bench. Then just about the time you're ready to scrap the whole load and go back to the drawing board, you make minor "tweek" and you see your group begin to get smaller. Further similar tweeks may or may not improve things, so you begin to adjust another variable......and so on and so on..... Modern factory ammo has come a LONG way in the last 10-20 yrs. A few years back I had a chance on a friends South Texas lease for a freebie management buck. In my haste to get my truck loaded and out of town, I left my pet hunting loads back at the casa. (Don't say that it'll never happen.lol) Before any newbie on this particular ranch goes hunting, you have to prove yourself and your gun at their range first. Not a bad practice really. I went for my gun case and before I opened it I KNEW!..and I'm still living it down........ Luckily some body had a brand new box of Remington Core-lokts, some of the most inexpensive ammo out there. My heart sank because my old stainless 700 didn't like Core-lokts at all, and from past experience I wasn't sure my gun would even print a 4inch group. I was shocked to see 2 rounds in almost the same hole, 3rd and 4th printed a group I could cover with a quarter. I still use core-lokts to this day for hunting. My gun loves'em. In a nutshell, handloading is another way to get more enjoyment out of the shooting sports. It ain't for everybody but it can be addicting as ****. If you don't find a factory round that gives you good performance, keep looking. You may end up with a lot 1/2 empty boxes before you find a good'n. And I bet you'll find something with the selection there is these days. Sorry for the looong read..Good luck


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## Salty Dog (Jan 29, 2005)

There are alot of little things a handloader can do to increase accuracy over factory ammo. Start at the beginning, case prep. You can turn your case necks and trim them much more uniformly than factory brass. That is, you can shave the neck thickness to a uniform thickness taking off the high spots. And you can trim your cases all to a closer tolerance. You also clean out primer holes of burs and stuff like that. 

Then priming and charging you have literally thousands upon thousands of possibilities with different primers and powders not to mention all the different bullet types and weights. A factory load would be like picking one of those thousands and hoping it is right enough. 

Then there is how deep you seat your bullets. How far they have to jump to make contact with the rifling is a very important detail for accuracy.

There are more but basically those are a few of the many details that you can tweak to gain more accuracy out of your rifles.

That isn't saying you can't get a factory load that will do everything you need. For hunting you probably can. It is all what you enjoy. If you like spending time piddling and shooting then it is something to consider doing. If you just want to kill a deer and time and money are issues, grab a box off the shelf and go kill some critters.


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## Pocketfisherman (May 30, 2005)

When you want to "be all you can be" with respect to shooting sports, then reloading is your only real option to excel. If you can't really shoot worth a darn, then you won't benefit much other than the cost savings by re-using brass. I like pushing big heavy .452" and .458" cast lead bullets as fast as I can. Not many options for that in factory ammo unless you're buying Buffalo Bore brand at $35-50 a box.


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## 27contender (Dec 22, 2008)

I got into it because it had been 5 years since I had seen a box of 41 Rem mag. I had to start reloading or stop shooting. I got down to my last 2 boxes! Now I load a lot. I got help on this board form the fellas like Jammer, Texas T and Screemin Reel? Once I learned the skills I am able to load for all sorts of stuff. It does not save me money because I do not shoot enough. The kids and I do enjoy it. I do not know how many times I have ended up with a shop full of kids mesmerized not by TV but an RCBS press and automatic scale and powder dispenser.

Factory rounds are good, what I load is better.

R


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## Screeminreel (Jun 2, 2004)

As has been mentioned already it is the ability to tune the load for your specific rifle. It might simply be adjusting the seating depth or a change in powders from a medium to slower burning. If it means shaving 1/2" or more off a group size it makes a difference in my book. 

Also as mentioned by 27contender, there are some calibers to which shooting time is pretty limited if using factory rounds due to cost or availability. Like him I shoot a LOT of 41 magnum rounds, along with 7mm STW and 454 Casull. To purchase enough of any of them for a good weekend in the woods or simply a few hours of range time would put me in the poor house. 

All that said, the factory fodder has come along in leaps and bounds over just the past 10 years in both performance and overall accuracy in most of the popular calibers. They are now offering most of the bullets that have up until lately been a hand loaded option only. 

If I were in a position, that I shot less than a hundred rounds a year from any firearm, it would not be as cost effective to have all of the handloading stuff for it either. In fact, even though I have and do load for everything I have, there are still a couple of them that I generally only shoot factory from due to this, or being that I just haven't sat down long enough to work up a load which will out perform what I already get from the factory loads I do shoot.


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