Do you shoot factory or load your own ammo?

[mitchellmountain]

Saw this thread on another forum and was surprised by the replies. Wondered what the crowd around here is more likely to do.

I've been reloading my own ammo for 15 years. I shoot a lot of oddballs so it's out of necessity but also because I just like making my own .

What say you Roksliders?

 

[WMag338]

I am new to the reloading game. When ammo disappeared several years ago, i got pissed and jumped head first into reloading. I've had a learning curve for sure, but am starting to get the hang of it now. I've worked up several loads for several calibers and have quite a few of 1/4-1/2 MOA loads i feel extremely confident with.

One thing I have learned in speaking with different folks along the way is ammo manufactures can change powders, loads, primers, etc and you'll never know it. Even with consistant lot numbers. So you can never really be 100% if one box ballistically matches the next. I can attest to this personally - even from highly regarded and expensive ammo manufacturers.

 

[knale87]

I shoot factory. Reloading is something I’ve wanted to get into for years. I told myself once I bought a house, I’d start reloading. Well 7, almost 8 years later and we’re in our second house with 3 little ones and I’m still shooting factory. I just honestly don’t have the time. Maybe one day I’ll get into it.

 

[elkguide]

Factory ammo?????
What's that?

 

[Rich M]

Both. If there is a good sale or rebate, hard not to buy factory. I buy when it is cheaper to buy and reload stuff that isn't commercially sold.

 

[hiker270]

Been reloading for over 50 years. Was taught the basics in shop class in high school.

 

[WJS23]

I shoot factory because my rifles shoot it well and I don’t really have the time or space to reload right now.

 

[Slugz]

Reloader here.

 

[cnelk]

Reload

 

[handwerk]

Been reloading for about 14 years and now days that's about all I shoot except for pistol and 22 LR.

 

[CRJR45]

I'm a rookie reloader , but my reloads generally surpass anything factory . Hornady Match loads work great , but I couldn't find them , or anything else for that matter , in 7mm RM .
Granted I suck at the more technical aspects of reloading , the analytical stuff is above my head , but it is a much better option than paying for crap ammo , IMO

 

[MallardSX2]

Reload for everything except for rimfire....aint figured that one out yet.
I even make my own shot for shotgun shells...

Do I save money? I might break even one day. A guy has got to have a hobby!

I would say that 98% of hunters likely buy their ammo from a store.

 

[ToolMann]

Reload for rifle. Factory for pistol.

 

[Plainsman79]

I started reloading when this last ammo crisis hit, it was expensive to get into and components were hard to find but more than likely I wont go back to factory ammo. For me, the accuracy of reloading far outweighs the up front cost and frustration of not finding components at a reasonable price.

 

[RyanT26]

Both. My three rifles shoot factory ammo well enough. But I reload to save money (haha) for more practice and have managed to throw some pretty accurate ammo together.

 

[justinspicher]

Factory ammo, I am pretty lazy.

 

[PredatorSlayer]

I hate reloading with a passion, it brings zero joy to my life. I am all set up to do it, but avoid it like the plague. If a rifle can’t shoot .5 moa with factory ammo, I kick it down the road.

 

[mitchellmountain]

What's odd to me in a way is I'm from Pa and most everyone I know hunts. I would say about 1 out of 50 reload, get on forums like this and the majority handload. The percentage on 24hourcampfire was probably 80-85% handload.

 

[Pony Soldier]

Early on I experienced the inconsistancies of factory ammo. Once I started reloading I learned I could fine tune each rifle and attain predictable performance. I load a batch about every three years and keep about 300 -400 on hand for each gun.

 

[Newtosavage]

Only factory ammo I've shot in the past 7 years (since I started reloading) was only for the brass when I couldn't find what I needed locally, or when I wanted to shoot cheap steel case out of my 7.62x39's. Otherwise, it's all been hand loads and by the primer count, I've loaded and shot somewhere between 2-3k rounds of rifle ammo in 7 years.

I never would have shot that much factory ammo, so I can't say I'm "saving" money but I sure do get to shoot a lot more for the same cost, which I really appreciate. Makes me feel pretty confident when I head out in the field.