Handbuilt ammo vs. Factory ammo

[Flexmoney]

I see almost no one whos handloads shoot every match flawless. I have gone a years worth of matches with having no tap racks or mag changes due to the ammo. So handloads for practice and match ammo is atlanta arms 9mm 147gr jhp black box.

Really?

My experience is the opposite. (I can't speak for other people's reloads, though.)

[G-ManBart]

oddly enough this is the premise that manufacturers and salesmen of reloading gear use to sell us on said gear....."build better ammo than factory"

That's rarely the focus of their marketing. It's almost always "pay for the machine in X rounds" or something similar. Heck, I think Dillon put a little chart in the Blue Press that gave estimates of how long (number of rounds) it would take to pay off each press.

Jan/Feb issue of American Handgunner, page 85. Lee Precision ad: "Reloading your own makes your ammunition supply as reliable as yourself. Handloading will save you money, and no one saves you more than Lee."

I don't see anything in the entire ad (which is much longer) that remotely addresses quality, or being better than factory ammo.

That's not new, it's not unique....it's the way it's been for years. People (as in the mass public) listen to "save money" a heck of a lot more than they do "higher quality".

[G-ManBart]

Give your gun to a factory, tell them to build the most accurate, powerful ammunition they can for it and it will far surpass anything you or I can ever produce.

Which factory is offering that service ?

None that I'm aware of, although I've read articles about it being done in the past.

There is some evidence of what I'm talking about. We all have probably seen ammunition companies offering "light magnum" ammo. They load a standard cartridge far hotter than is normally available, and it's almost universally more powerful than anything we can handload at home because it's loaded with non-cannister grade powder. It's also loaded right up to SAAMI limits. When we try that we're guessing becuase there probably isn't a private individual anywhere who has the equipment to measure actual pressure values (as opposed to relative pressure like you can do with the Oheler strain gauge system). Ammunition/bullet/powder manufacturers can do this and really get the most out of any given cartridge, without going over safe levels. The only way we get there is by chance.

I have an older magazine article that covered testing of the then new Smith M52. This was one of the Gil Hebard "Testfire" series. Smith sent Gil Hebard four guns to test extensively. He shot 2,000 factory rounds and 2,000 handloads of various types. He said he pulled out all the stops, but was never able to equal the factory ammo. Four guns and he couldn't equal what he could buy in any of the four. Granted, factory ammo and handloads aren't the same as they were, but the relative skill levels shouldn't have changed much....and I have a sense that Hebard had a little more experience than the average bear when it came to loading ammo.

[mike4045]

I load my own for all local shooting and practice. I do switch to factory for big matches. Lately the quality of factory ammo has gone down. Misfires, high primers, and no crimp on bullets. It has really killed my finish at a couple of matches. No more factory for a while, hopefully the quality will come back around.

Mike

[ben b.]

In realistic terms as a hobby competititor, it is "better" for me to reload than to purchase factory ammo. I get the PF I want, the price, the OAL, and the bullet type. I don't have those options with factory ammo.

Edited January 3, 2010 by ben b.

[Seth]

For me I choose factory ammo for matches. I dont know anyone who reloads who doesnt have atleast 1 time every match or two if not every match they have to tap, rack or put in a new mag. I see almost no one whos handloads shoot every match flawless. I have gone a years worth of matches with having no tap racks or mag changes due to the ammo. So handloads for practice and match ammo is atlanta arms 9mm 147gr jhp black box.

Thats unreal. I'm not a super high volume shooter (about 18k last year) and I didn't have a single failure in .40 or 9 major. I trust my ammo explicitly.

[RevolverJockey]

I voted for the Handloads, not because they are more accurate in my gun, but because they are that will function. In my Tanfoglio, if I don't load at least .070" long, I can rarely get through a whole magazine. 10mm frame guns don't shoot SAAMI very well...

Lee

[mpeltier]

My reloads are superbly acurate and reliable. More so than the average factory offering. I have tried some premium factory offerings that met but never excedded my reloads but cost an incredible amount more. so for me my handloads are better, only by a cost standpoint, not neccesarily due to any other reason.

Edited January 10, 2010 by mpeltier

[Macca]

For me I choose factory ammo for matches. I dont know anyone who reloads who doesnt have atleast 1 time every match or two if not every match they have to tap, rack or put in a new mag. I see almost no one whos handloads shoot every match flawless. I have gone a years worth of matches with having no tap racks or mag changes due to the ammo. So handloads for practice and match ammo is atlanta arms 9mm 147gr jhp black box.

Funny but I've never had to tap rack, change mags or have a round perform any different to any others in 10's of thousands of loaded rounds (not counting when I am working up a new load and testing it)....I have had 5 failed to ignite 9mm factory rounds out of about 5 thousand

Worst incident I have had with reloads is one round that seemed a little light on powder and dropped down towards the bottom scoring area of a target at 50m

I will admit though that out of every thousand I load...there are probably 2-3 rounds that are faulty in one way or another, but they get pulled and the components recycled during loading. I have also never had a firearm malfunction, but then I clean and check my guns prior to shooting them....I'm sure one day I will have a malfunction but hasnt happened in close to 20 years yet.

Edited January 15, 2010 by Macca