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Thread: have you ever heard this

  1. #1
    Boolit Grand Master
    white eagle's Avatar
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    have you ever heard this

    Being and handloader I never ever buy factory ammo
    unless I do not have the sizing dies and components to make what I need
    I was hunting once in Montana and ran into a fella that made the statement to
    me that he will never us Reloads (his words) for hunting, only for target practice
    Well I was taken aback and thought what is the use of developing a load for a
    specific rifle only to not use the loaded ammo to hunt with
    It just didn't make sense to me then and it still don't
    Any of you have similar experiences?
    Hit em'hard
    hit em'often

  2. #2
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    If your using common ammunition and ever have a need for more you go to a store and buy more .
    If your hunting 800 miles from home with custom handloaded ammunition and something happens to it you are basically hosed .

    So yea I can see only using commercial ammo for a hunting trip

  3. #3
    Boolit Master
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    Curious as to what you mean by custom ammunition? Like wildcat rounds or similar?
    I know for certain that my 308 loads will perform better than factory ammunition. Better accuracy means a more reliable long shot. I don't hunt, but if I did, I'd want the odds in my favor.
    “Coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous.”

  4. #4
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by redneck1 View Post
    If your using common ammunition and ever have a need for more you go to a store and buy more .
    If your hunting 800 miles from home with custom handloaded ammunition and something happens to it you are basically hosed .

    So yea I can see only using commercial ammo for a hunting trip
    That's just bad storage practice. When out hunting (unless it's hogs with an AR) you should have maybe 5 rounds with your rifle. The rest of the box, plus maybe another box back at camp. Another box or two in the car in case everything gets wet.

    You'd need a whole lot of things to go wrong to need to run to the local store for replacement ammo.

    And even then, who says they'll have your brand/model/weight that you zeroed with available 800 miles from home? The wrong ammo is the wrong ammo, you've really only got what you brought.

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  5. #5
    Boolit Master
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    Many guides / outfitters will not allow handloaded ammunition while you are hunting with them. It really only makes sense for those fellas - they always assume the worst (and should if you've ever listened to some guiding horror stories). As for the gentleman that you spoke of - maybe he doesn't trust himself enough to load for those situations? And bully on him for realizing and correcting for his shortcomings - most of us refuse to do that.

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  6. #6
    Boolit Grand Master


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    If you practice with reloads and then change to factory ammunition to hunt, your point of impact will probably be different. If you have a good load, use it to hunt with. Just make sure you have enough, depending on the circumstances.

  7. #7
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    I also only very rarely shoot factory loaded ammo. Yes, I have heard the statement you described, and it makes little sense to me. After all, how much ammo does a person shoot on a hunting trip? If you take along 3 or 4 boxes it should be way more than enough. Seems like you should have practiced before you left, and once you're there you shouldn't miss that many shots.

    DG

  8. #8
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    The only thing similar was a hunting place a buddy went to a few times.

    They didn't care what ammo you had, but before you went out on their property-
    They inspect your gun, and you'd have to fire at a 12" gong approx. 200 yards away.
    Out there, that was about the average shot on deer.

    Do whatever you needed to do to get the zero- spend all day if ya needed to;
    but if you couldn't hit it with a final 3 out of 3 shots, from their bench, you didn't hunt there at all.
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  9. #9
    Boolit Buddy
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    Not an uncommon attitude if you are several hundred miles from a store and part of your journey involves a day riding or walking out to your road transport!
    West of Beaver Dick's Ferry.

  10. #10
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    I have always had a back up rifle at least a 30-30 I have been on hunts when some one misplaced there ammo and used another persons factory ammo . I do end up with factory ammo but all hunting ammo is what I load .

  11. #11
    Boolit Master


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    Yes, I've heard similar statements several times in my life. Rubbish. All of my deer rifles have been "tuned up" with specific loads and j-bullets. Even the same calibers use different loads, but maybe the same j-bullet. There's a world of difference between one size fits all factory loads and developed loads for a specific rifle IMHO. I've seen all sorts of weird things with factory ammunition. Won't fire, hit low, hit high, etc. This off a lead sled. My buddy took his brand new 22-250 to the range with a brand new box of factory ammo. Fired one shot, couldn't open the bolt. No one could open it. Sent back to the manufacturer. They never gave a good reason or whatever. Fixed it and sent it back with a store credit for a new box of ammo. Run out of ammo when hunting? What planet do these beings come from?
    One of my father's favorite statements: "If I say a chicken dips snuff, look under his wing for the snuffbox" How I was raised, who I am.

  12. #12
    Boolit Grand Master
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    Some people should not reload. They may not wish to admit they are either too ignorant or too lazy to reload and shoot factory. And if a guy is smart, he will not shoot someone else's reloads.
    Don Verna


  13. #13
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by cwtebay View Post
    Many guides / outfitters will not allow handloaded ammunition while you are hunting with them. It really only makes sense for those fellas - they always assume the worst (and should if you've ever listened to some guiding horror stories). As for the gentleman that you spoke of - maybe he doesn't trust himself enough to load for those situations? And bully on him for realizing and correcting for his shortcomings - most of us refuse to do that.

    Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk
    I would not hire such a guide. He/she has no authority over what ammo I use, so long as it is legal. If I am paying for their service, they are my employee.
    NRA Endowment Life Member

  14. #14
    Boolit Master BJK's Avatar
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    Sounds screwy to me. If he runs out of reloads he didn't plan very well. Take what you think you need, then take much more. How expensive is it to reload more ammo? I just can't see his logic as being sound. My handloads work just fine in my firearms and if they didn't maybe then I'd buy factory ammo, but that's just not the case. My handloads are tailored to my guns.

  15. #15
    Boolit Grand Master

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    My brother in law is one who has no problems telling anyone who will listen, That reloads are unsafe inaccurate and is inferior to any and all factory ammo.

    The years I hunted I used my hand loads exclusively. at that point in time I could use a better constructed bullet, had better accuracy in my rifle, and knew they worked.

    For match shooting it was also mostly hand loads in my M1As but I did have some LC 852 and federal gold medal match on hand just in case. when I stared to switch to the AR 15 it was hand loads only as no one loaded the 75 and 80 grain bullets used

  16. #16
    Boolit Grand Master
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    When I used to hunt, I always hunted with what I practiced with.
    Same with shooting matches, shoot what you practice with.
    It just doesn't make sense not to.

  17. #17
    Boolit Master
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    well, in some ways it makes sense.
    I'm currently baffled by some 9mm ammo I reloaded at least 1/2 dozen years ago, stored in a 50 cal ammo can along with some factory Remington stuff all in 9mm
    I still don't know why but there are al least 200 rounds I reloaded in that box that just will not go bang, none of the reloads will fire. but all the Remington stuff is perfect.
    The best guess I can make is defective Winchester primers.
    but when traveling for a hunting trip that may have cost a whole bunch of money for travel, and not having place to check ammo and zero on scope before hunt I can understand it. and oh by the way I've looked into going out west on hunting trip, just the cost of an out of state license and tag for white tail, elk, bear, moose, etc. sure as heck aint cheap. costs for guide, lodging and more.
    an I have only bought a handful of factory ammo boxes in the past 20 or so year. I reload everything. but these 9mm's sure do have me stumped would not want to bet my life on them that's for sure, never mind a very expensive hunting trip.

  18. #18
    Boolit Grand Master
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    If I have a handload of mine fail who do I blame, why myself of course
    So who do I blame when factory ammo fails?
    I have had that happen with Remington factory ammo the first time in 20 years I had bought a box of 30-06 factory ammo because I just bought a new rifle and had no components for this gun and wanted to shoot it
    misfires and fail to fires in 2 separate boxes firing pin strikes on all primers no boom though
    As far as guides go they work for me if I don't get a shot because of my ammo that is on me they did their job
    Hit em'hard
    hit em'often

  19. #19
    Boolit Master
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    I had 2 FTF in a brand new box of Hornady Black last year. Those are supposed to be good, quality rounds, but the primers were seated too deep and wouldn't fire when struck.

    That's a $40 box of ammo before the 2020 price hike and they still don't always go bang. I've never had a hand load fail to fire.

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  20. #20
    Boolit Master

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    Hunting on my own land I use, as Burt Lancaster said in "Valdez is Coming" "My own load". If I were investing thousands of dollars in airfare, hotels and guides, to put me onto that life long memory. You bet I'd have some Winchester Fail-Safe stuffed in the old 300WM. and a few boxes on hand "just in case" Guides work hard to get you that shot. They want to take out as many variables as possible for your sake NOT theirs.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check