Surfing the intertubes and this video pops up. The guy is griping that factory ammo is not consistent. Imagine that.
This guy asked for recommendations, and I have one word for him. Handload. For about $200 you can start making better ammo than you can buy. The thing about handloading is that the initial $200 investment turns into $1000 or more. Then you start chasing nodes, and Es and Sd and before long you wonder if you are a shooter who wants good ammo, or a handloader who has to shoot experimental ammo so that you can load it again. You start chasing bug hole groups and find yourself down rabbit holes.
Don't get me started on making your own bullets. That rabbit hole is so deep, you will wish you had mining equipment.
When I was running a SWAT team, my marksmen shot Federal God Medal ammo. It was the most consistent factory ammo we could find. My agency required factory ammo, so we shot Federal Gold Medal.
The ammo companies make good ammo. It goes bang and will generally do what it is intended to do, but the simple fact remains that theirs is a bulk manufacturing process, and they don't have the time to spend that a good handloader will spend on each round of ammunition. If you want the very ammo for your rifle, you have to build it yourself.
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and I have to prep a turkey.
4 comments:
"God medal ammo",where can I buy some!
my marksmen shot Federal God Medal ammo.
Everyone who filled the scopes of those men were about to be judged! Harshly,,,
When I got into reloading for my hunting rifles, I went in "whole hog". I bought the RCBS Rock Chucker Supreme Master Single Stage Reloading Press Kit. And factory crimp dies. And neck dies. And a precision scale. And neck reamers. And case trimmers.
$1000? Haha. More like $2500.
I have loaded ammo that will shoot 1 hole groups from a Lead Sled.
Reloading is like an event horizon. Once you are past a certain point, there is no return.
Your description is on target. I have determined I likely will never shoot enough to make my handloading investment pay for itself, but I have had some success in crafting some incredibly accurate ammunition (as well as a large number of attempts that "patterned" more than grouped). The satisfaction I get from the process of creating a successful load makes up for the frustration found in the failures. I'm guessing I'm not the only one of your readers who suffers from this.
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