OttoBon100 Posted January 26, 2005 Share Posted January 26, 2005 I shoot a Para 16-40 (1911) done by Dawson. Love it! I will get into reloading as the budget and space will allow but for now must buy factory or buy reloads. I have used some Georgia Arms (165 gr) bought at a gun show which seemed okay. Based on what I see so far to make major I might buy the Winchester white box (165 gr) at WalMart for practice if I run out of Georgia Arms reloads. Two questions: 1) What factory ammo do you shoot at matches where the Classifier (USPSA) means all - at least to me. And, 2) What ammo do you buy to practice with? I know most serious competitors reload and I'm getting there but would appreciate some tips from some more experienced than I. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin c Posted January 26, 2005 Share Posted January 26, 2005 Paying for commercial ammo, even reloads, will get costly if you practice anywhere near what most people claim to do. Even just a thousand rounds a month will run you $150 bucks a month for WallyWorld White Box Winchester. Commercial reloads might be less, but you'll need to find a reliable source close by, as shipping can eat up a lot of dollars as well. Quality varies too, with the reloaded product's manufacturer. Loading lead or plated with commercially bought once fired brass (which you can recover and reload several times) will run you about 6 or 7 cents for the other components. With the brass, that's still only 4 bucks a box. Reloading isn't for everyone, of course, but if you are conscientious, and thorough, you will make quality ammo that you can customize to your needs for much less than what you can buy from somebody else. The quick and rough calculations above mean you save about 7 cents a round over the factory white box Winchester. You might want to figure how much you'll shoot over a year, and whether you might actually save more money (or shoot more for the same) by spending the money to buy a Blue press and learning how to use it instead of buying ammo. Just my thoughts. Kevin C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted January 26, 2005 Share Posted January 26, 2005 OttoBon100, The Winchester val-u-paks from Wal-mart should work just fine. Save your brass. You will probably want to start reloading at some point down the line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shred Posted January 26, 2005 Share Posted January 26, 2005 Ditto what Flex said. Gun shows also sometimes have good deals on bulk ammo. Just don't buy anything too wierd like 1940s corrosive ball (saw that in Sportsmans Guide the other day) 1000 rounds a month is a heck of a lot, especially if you're just getting started. Dry-fire is your salvation.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OttoBon100 Posted January 26, 2005 Author Share Posted January 26, 2005 I have saved two full small size ammo cans of 40S&W brass to date and a can of .45ACP brass. Also have a case cleaner so it is all clean. Majority was from the Georgia Arms reloads I have been buying. I also bought a thousand rounds each of .40 180 gr Montana Gold JHP and 180 gr Hornady HAP bullets and some Tightgroup powder. I'm ready. Just need to save a few more dollars for a Dillon 650 and I'm there. Took a class taught by Todd Jarrett last year and got some info for a good .40 load for my Para. See what you think. With 180 gr bullets: COL 1.175-1.180, 4.6g of Tightgroup. The Georgia Arm reloads (165gr JHP) were typically 1.130 COL but it worked okay. Thanks all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harmon Posted January 26, 2005 Share Posted January 26, 2005 that should work, but always use a chronograph to verify actual velocity. Natchez had a deal on independance 40 caliber ammo, 6.95 a box... either 180 or 165 grains. Rumor has it, its made by a BLOUNT plant in Brazil...should be good ammo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zerwas Posted February 7, 2005 Share Posted February 7, 2005 With 180 gr bullets: COL 1.175-1.180, 4.6g of Tightgroup. That is pretty much the same load I use in my 5" SVI. I use 4.7gr or titegroup however. Pretty soft load, you should like it. Do you plan on reloading anything more than pistol rounds? If not, try a Dillon Square Deal B. I have 3 of them and I love 'em. They work VERY well for pistol loads. You may just have enough $$$ to buy that right now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stumpnav Posted March 18, 2005 Share Posted March 18, 2005 Shred, When I was in college and poor, I found a "good deal" on some Argentenian military surplus 45 ball. It was who knows how old and had a green laquer coating that covered the bullet and about half way down the case. Attempting to shoot that stuff was interesting to say the least. Only about 1 out of 5 rounds would even fire. Those that did either barely made it out of the barrel or looked like a flamethrower!! I tried about 35 rounds out of that box before I finally got smart and quit. I guess like they say...The cheap man pays twice! On a side note...if anyone is looking for a couple boxes of some fine Argentenian military 45 ball, I can cut you a good deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted March 18, 2005 Share Posted March 18, 2005 I've been looking around for a temporary ammo fix (won't be reloading for my new .40 for a few months - reloading is my preferred thing The *best* deals I can find locally, on factory ammo, seem to be ~ $15/100 on WWB 165gr (at Wally World), or $42.50/250 for UMC 180gr (at Academy). I can also get WWB 180gr for about $10.50/100 at Wally World. Sportsmans Warehouse is about a $1 more for WWB or American Eagle 180gr. Interestingly, I can buy 1000 rounds of American Eagle 180gr from ammoman.com for about $5 more than 1000 rounds of UMC (w/ tax). My best price, out the door, is $.18/rd. Ouch.... W/ once fired brass, and 180gr Zeros, I can save about 9 cents per round. W/ lead, I can save 12-13 cents per round..... It's a no brainer - the Dillon pays for itself in very short order.... The 180gr UMC stuff shoots softer in my Trojan than the 165gr WWB stuff. I have no clue if either is major or not. It sure *feels* major I haven't shot the American Eagle stuff, yet - Federal brass has a great reputation, though, so it might be the route to go.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuck in C Posted March 18, 2005 Share Posted March 18, 2005 Its not only the cost. I got a good deal on Win white box 180's in .40, and the recoil is stout to say the least compared to my major reloads with Titegroup. Since IPSC/IDPA are sports, you might as well give yourself a break from the recoil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted March 18, 2005 Share Posted March 18, 2005 Stuck in C, I was wondering if that wouldn't end up being the case, as well. I don't have any empirical evidence, yet, though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harmon Posted March 19, 2005 Share Posted March 19, 2005 i recently shot a stage with Federal 180 grain Hydra shocks...when your on the juice, you really dont notice the recoil in your hand, just the behavior of the sights..the front sight seemed to lift out of the notch faster, but really not much more vertical.. the downfall to recoil is shooter fatigue though...i shot a match with bone stock G22 with winchester 180 grain white bx ammo.. after 150+ rounds my hand was tingling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
recon215 Posted May 18, 2005 Share Posted May 18, 2005 OttoBon100,The Winchester val-u-paks from Wal-mart should work just fine. Save your brass. You will probably want to start reloading at some point down the line. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Flex or anyone else who has actually shot/cronoed this value pak .40 ammo from wally world, can you tell me if it makes major? This stuff is 165 gr fmj target/range it says on the box. These are the 100 paks we are talking about. Need any input into this as I am getting heat for not shigning up for the local Ky. State Match this weekend yet. Heck, I just got this gun last week and havent even fired a round through it. So, I need to be sure it will amke major before shooting the match and getting bumped to minor, don't need any ammo handicaps, enough of my own, and being upset. By he way, I am shooting a Para P16 with stock barrel, if this matters... Thanks for any and all help/input... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
recon215 Posted June 18, 2005 Share Posted June 18, 2005 OttoBon100,The Winchester val-u-paks from Wal-mart should work just fine. Save your brass. You will probably want to start reloading at some point down the line. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Flex or anyone else who has actually shot/cronoed this value pak .40 ammo from wally world, can you tell me if it makes major? This stuff is 165 gr fmj target/range it says on the box. These are the 100 paks we are talking about. Need any input into this as I am getting heat for not shigning up for the local Ky. State Match this weekend yet. Heck, I just got this gun last week and havent even fired a round through it. So, I need to be sure it will amke major before shooting the match and getting bumped to minor, don't need any ammo handicaps, enough of my own, and being upset. By he way, I am shooting a Para P16 with stock barrel, if this matters... Thanks for any and all help/input... <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Yes, replying to my own post! hehehe Just updating the power factor issue on the Value Pack ammo from wallyworld. It does make major out of a srock P16 barrel, 171.5 at the Ky Section Match last month! At $16/100 though is it cheaper to reload .40 major ammo? I haven't loaded in 11 years and am a tad rusty. I do own a 550B which works great for what I need, sold the 1050 when I was forced to stop shooting back then due to work closing down...Also, I see ppl shoot the 180 gr bullets most, is this due to recoil or just what exactly? Well, off to Wallyworld for more 165gr value ammo for this weekend! Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuildSF4 Posted June 18, 2005 Share Posted June 18, 2005 Yes, replying to my own post! hehehe Just updating the power factor issue on the Value Pack ammo from wallyworld. It does make major out of a srock P16 barrel, 171.5 at the Ky Section Match last month! At $16/100 though is it cheaper to reload .40 major ammo? I haven't loaded in 11 years and am a tad rusty. I do own a 550B which works great for what I need, sold the 1050 when I was forced to stop shooting back then due to work closing down...Also, I see ppl shoot the 180 gr bullets most, is this due to recoil or just what exactly? Well, off to Wallyworld for more 165gr value ammo for this weekend! Thanks <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Yes it is cheaper at $16/100 that is $160/1000. I can reload 40 cal 180g JHP at ~$85/1000, and Moly Coats at ~$70/1000. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
recon215 Posted June 18, 2005 Share Posted June 18, 2005 Yes, replying to my own post! hehehe Just updating the power factor issue on the Value Pack ammo from wallyworld. It does make major out of a srock P16 barrel, 171.5 at the Ky Section Match last month! At $16/100 though is it cheaper to reload .40 major ammo? I haven't loaded in 11 years and am a tad rusty. I do own a 550B which works great for what I need, sold the 1050 when I was forced to stop shooting back then due to work closing down...Also, I see ppl shoot the 180 gr bullets most, is this due to recoil or just what exactly? Well, off to Wallyworld for more 165gr value ammo for this weekend! Thanks <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Yes it is cheaper at $16/100 that is $160/1000. I can reload 40 cal 180g JHP at ~$85/1000, and Moly Coats at ~$70/1000. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Ok, next question. What components are you using for this load? What brand of Powder/Bullets/Primers and are we talkin retail purchased or dealer cost? I need a load to start loading myself is what I am getting at, and have never loaded for .40. Will need to buy a new quick change head and all for my 550B. Also, what OAL works best in the P16? Thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuildSF4 Posted June 18, 2005 Share Posted June 18, 2005 Ok, next question. What components are you using for this load? What brand of Powder/Bullets/Primers and are we talkin retail purchased or dealer cost? I need a load to start loading myself is what I am getting at, and have never loaded for .40. Will need to buy a new quick change head and all for my 550B. Also, what OAL works best in the P16?Thanks again <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I use either Billy Bullets 180FP or Zero 180JHP, WSP primers. Powder Universal Clays or V V 320. (Did use Titegroup, but too dirty in my gun may work in yours.) My OAL is 1.200 and it works in my Para or S_I. (I get most of these components are at retail cost, cost may vary a little with location, if you have someone that orders large quantities, or a group order you can get lower prices.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
recon215 Posted June 18, 2005 Share Posted June 18, 2005 Ok, next question. What components are you using for this load? What brand of Powder/Bullets/Primers and are we talkin retail purchased or dealer cost? I need a load to start loading myself is what I am getting at, and have never loaded for .40. Will need to buy a new quick change head and all for my 550B. Also, what OAL works best in the P16?Thanks again <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I use either Billy Bullets 180FP or Zero 180JHP, WSP primers. Powder Universal Clays or V V 320. (Did use Titegroup, but too dirty in my gun may work in yours.) My OAL is 1.200 and it works in my Para or S_I. (I get most of these components are at retail cost, cost may vary a little with location, if you have someone that orders large quantities, or a group order you can get lower prices.) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Of the 2 powders you mentioned, which is cleaner and what is the powder charge per round to make a soft major load? I can get VV 320 locally, not sure about the Clays. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuildSF4 Posted June 18, 2005 Share Posted June 18, 2005 Of the 2 powders you mentioned, which is cleaner and what is the powder charge per round to make a soft major load? I can get VV 320 locally, not sure about the Clays.Thanks <{POST_SNAPBACK}> They are both about the same as far a cleanliness. i.e. >1000 rounds with no appreciable buildup. I use about 5.5 grains of Universal Clays, the V V320 load I do not recall right this minute. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TY45668 Posted July 14, 2005 Share Posted July 14, 2005 I'm looking at my chrono sheet from the Area 8. From my Glock 35 with stock factory barrel, Wal Mart Winchester white box 165s clocked 1015, 1037, and 1007 for an average of 1019 fps. I've shot them exclusively for matches for a couple years now, and I've never had a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
recon215 Posted July 14, 2005 Share Posted July 14, 2005 I'm looking at my chrono sheet from the Area 8. From my Glock 35 with stock factory barrel, Wal Mart Winchester white box 165s clocked 1015, 1037, and 1007 for an average of 1019 fps. I've shot them exclusively for matches for a couple years now, and I've never had a problem. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> The walmart stuff made major fine out of my para p16 at the ky. sectional. made 171.5 i think. Am looking at reloading now, as it is always cheaper. Also, just checked uspsa site and my new limited classification is in, looks like I made "C" already hehehe even with a limited gun. Never thought that would happen so soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFD Posted July 14, 2005 Share Posted July 14, 2005 Got 1107 out of the 165 WWB ammo. 183 PF and it felt like it in practice. My reloads with Rainier 180 HPs and 4.6 Titegroup (1.197 OAL - 174 PF) are much softer. These were shot with my P16 LTD and factory barrel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
recon215 Posted July 14, 2005 Share Posted July 14, 2005 Got 1107 out of the 165 WWB ammo. 183 PF and it felt like it in practice. My reloads with Rainier 180 HPs and 4.6 Titegroup (1.197 OAL - 174 PF) are much softer.These were shot with my P16 LTD and factory barrel. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Anybody have a load for the 180 hp using VV320? Looks like this is the powder of choice around here, since I can usually pick it up at the range! Not sure if it's high or not, but its between 80-90 per 4 lbs? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted July 14, 2005 Share Posted July 14, 2005 TiteGroup cost about half that price. Performance is similar. Try out the search function...there is tons of info about these two powders and Major loads for 40 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splashdown Posted July 16, 2005 Share Posted July 16, 2005 Flex or anyone else who has actually shot/cronoed this value pak .40 ammo from wally world, can you tell me if it makes major? I chronoed it out of my Glock 35 w/ Barsto and it came in at 177 power factor. This was an average of 5 rounds fired with a Std Dev of 28 fps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now