Hunters who handload

As a hunter do you shoot factory ammo or do you craft your own?

  • Factory offerings.

    Votes: 10 4.9%

  • Hand-loads.

    Votes: 193 95.1%
  • Total voters
    203
'Boo

'Boo

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In Silverado's poll about flat based bullets it was mentioned by one member that more hunters shoot factory ammo than those that reload. My experience is a little different with almost all of the hard-core hunters I know handloading.


So the question is very simple do you as a hunter reload your rifle ammunition or do you feed your rifle factory ammo?
 
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Handloading adds a dimension to hunting and shooting that cannot be bought. Its like tying your own flies for fishing. You can create exactly what you want and it brings great pride and satisfaction when it pays off.
 
Handloads.

Why not? They are developed to be more accurate than factory for starters. They usually have bullets taylored to the game being hunted.

And by loading a good supply at one time, the consistancy will be better than the lot to lot variations of factory ammo.

And most of all, they add just a bit more satisfaction to the hunt when you bag your game with "home cooked".:cool:
 
I started handloading and bullet casting when I tried a little competitive handgun shooting. With the volume of ammo I was going through weekly, cost wise it was a must. After that, it was sort of a logical progression to reloading rifle hunting ammo. The reason I do it now, in addition to what I've mentioned, is because I enjoy the trial & error of working up loads that really perform. Nice when it all comes together.
 
90% handloads, 10% factory for hunting. Either way is fine as long as you take the time to practice and sight-in with the load you are going to hunt with.

44Bore
 
Most of the time my rifles utilize my carefully developed handloads for hunting. My newly aquired .270 WSM has only been fired a few times with factory ammo to sight in and try a couple groups. I'll be using factory in it this year as deer is open and I don't have time to develop a load for it :)
 
While my experience is the same; everyone I know uses hand loads, here's my theory...

People like us on CGN are what may mildly be called enthusiasts. We like our guns, hunting and everything related to it. Birds of a feather stick together...

I'd wager for every enthusiast out there, there are probably 3 or 4 hunters who see the range once or twice a year, buy their ammo at Canadian Tire, and get their deer/moose/whatever.

It's this time of year when the brass bucket and garbage cans at the range are full of non-premium brass and boxes in the usual: 270, 30-06, 7RM, 300WM etc.
 
I haven't used factory ammo in several years, but interestingly my African PH uses only federal premium factory ammo in hist DG rifle because "can't take a chance on a failure". It is a 458 win mag, a mauser.
 
ewww, factory? My guns aren't tainted with mass-produced ammo, all are shooting painstakingly developed and tuned hand loaded ammo. Most my guns have NEVER had a factory round down their sweet lil barrels
 
martinbns said:
I haven't used factory ammo in several years, but interestingly my African PH uses only federal premium factory ammo in hist DG rifle because "can't take a chance on a failure". It is a 458 win mag, a mauser.
Click to expand...

odd. I trust ammo that I've assembled myself much more than some ammo that's come off an unattended automated machine, and is only QC'd in small samples
 
I use handloads in most things but last year I bought a new Winchester Model 70 and didn't have time to load anything. I bought some 30-06 MFS and it shot a 1" group at 200m. I have been using MFS ever since.
 
martinbns said:
I haven't used factory ammo in several years, but interestingly my African PH uses only federal premium factory ammo in hist DG rifle because "can't take a chance on a failure". It is a 458 win mag, a mauser.
Click to expand...

That might be a liability issue as he is there to protect you from being eaten/stomped/gored, etc by the beasties. If he was using hand loads and had a FTF, you might get injured and sue.
 
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