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handloading vs commercial |
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tejas
Optics Journeyman Joined: March/08/2010 Location: Lone Star State Status: Offline Points: 575 |
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Haven’t posted anything a while, still read the threads though. I don’t “plink” either, with .338 or otherwise. If I’m not trying to hit a specific target, I’m trying to get a perfect shot at a biological. I reload because once I’ve established the most accurate reload data I can get for a given firearm, there is no way a factory load can compete. I’m surprised that the factory load your referring to is even close to your handloads. I don’t have a .338 LM either though. Frequently, factory stuff does achieve higher velocity than my loads because they have access to proprietary powder, but I don’t really care as long as mine is accurate and powerful enough to do what I want it to. That accuracy does come at a cost, in time and in cash. Lapua brass and Berger or Barnes bullets for example, are expensive. I also “match grade” every brass case. That includes trimming them all to the same length, uniforming the primer pockets and deburring the flash holes. I weigh every powder charge, but I use a Redding beam scale, not digital. I also measure the overall length of each round.The bottom line is, I don’t save much by reloading rifle ammo. If you count the time I spend, it’s not even close. I don’t neck turn and I don’t weigh brass or bullets. Pistol bullets is whole other ballgame. I only own .45 ACP and that’s all I reload. I do save money by reloading those and I don’t get carried away. I weigh every fifth powder charge. I don’t trim the brass or do anything except the minimum. Obviously, I have lots of free time.
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Kickboxer
MODERATOR Moderator Joined: February/13/2008 Status: Offline Points: 23679 |
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Good comments, tejas. Thank you. The point, I think, is that the variety of hand loading outweighs the convenience of commercial and certainly I can create loads that the commercial market just doesn't.
I fully agree with your objective. I've still got to get my bench set up and get everything off my dining table... as it is, I pretty much have to move and reset for every load session. Doesn't help the learning/re-learning processes. |
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Opinion,untempered by fact,is ignorance.
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JGRaider
Optics Master Joined: February/06/2008 Status: Offline Points: 1540 |
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Quite obviously, and much more accurately as well.
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tejas
Optics Journeyman Joined: March/08/2010 Location: Lone Star State Status: Offline Points: 575 |
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One other thing: You might take a look at Peterson brass. I haven’t tried any yet but I’m going to. Most people think it’s as good or better than Lapua. It’s also less expensive and made in the U.S.
Graf’s handles it.
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Kickboxer
MODERATOR Moderator Joined: February/13/2008 Status: Offline Points: 23679 |
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I appreciate the head's up.
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Opinion,untempered by fact,is ignorance.
There are some who do not fear death... for they are more afraid of not really living |
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Kickboxer
MODERATOR Moderator Joined: February/13/2008 Status: Offline Points: 23679 |
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It will be an interesting exploration...
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Opinion,untempered by fact,is ignorance.
There are some who do not fear death... for they are more afraid of not really living |
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8shots
Optics Jedi Knight Lord Of The Flies Joined: March/14/2007 Location: South Africa Status: Offline Points: 6253 |
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In South Africa reloading is a lot cheaper then buying. Most hunters load to save costs. Most target shooters load for both accuracy and cost saving.
Most of our benchrest shooters load by volume. They work out a load on each day and time of time. I personally have never tried loading by volume. I have deliberately added or taken away a few granules from a batch of loads. That made no difference to my shooting on a target. So I guess a .05 grein more or less is mostly irrelevant in the bigger scheme of things. I have not used factory loaded ammo in the past 25 years, so I have no comment on factory loads being accurate or not.
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Kickboxer
MODERATOR Moderator Joined: February/13/2008 Status: Offline Points: 23679 |
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Wouter, what would the price of a 20 round box of something like .300 Winchester Magnum Barnes VOR TX 180 grain TTSX be in your neck of the woods? I can get it regularly for about $45.00 and on sale as low as $35.00. I've not hand loaded any yet, so don't really have a feel for that cost. I've just recently (actually in the last 2 weeks) acquired all the components for loading .300 Winchester Magnum. I've had some custom loading done for my .300WMs... I KNOW I can beat that price.
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Opinion,untempered by fact,is ignorance.
There are some who do not fear death... for they are more afraid of not really living |
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Kickboxer
MODERATOR Moderator Joined: February/13/2008 Status: Offline Points: 23679 |
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Actually, just did a Q&D calculation and reusing factory brass, not amortizing equipment cost, cost of my time and not searching for best available deals, I can load .300WM for about $1.05/round, a little less than half the cost of factory. Time has always been the biggest factor for me.
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Opinion,untempered by fact,is ignorance.
There are some who do not fear death... for they are more afraid of not really living |
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8shots
Optics Jedi Knight Lord Of The Flies Joined: March/14/2007 Location: South Africa Status: Offline Points: 6253 |
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Just got off the phone with a gunshop. At R15 to the $ we are paying $86 for 20.
My calculations also comes out at about 50% of factory loaded price. |
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Kickboxer
MODERATOR Moderator Joined: February/13/2008 Status: Offline Points: 23679 |
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That is a pretty heavy hit. Wow.
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Opinion,untempered by fact,is ignorance.
There are some who do not fear death... for they are more afraid of not really living |
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Kickboxer
MODERATOR Moderator Joined: February/13/2008 Status: Offline Points: 23679 |
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I ordered the Peterson brass in .308, 50 cases to try out. Arrived today. Measured all cases... most measured at 2.006, all within + 0.003, -0.002.
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Opinion,untempered by fact,is ignorance.
There are some who do not fear death... for they are more afraid of not really living |
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Bigdaddy0381
MODERATOR Georgia peach Joined: February/27/2007 Location: Georgia Status: Offline Points: 13682 |
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Peterson's has good brass. I have won a few 100 at the matches.
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P&Z Firearms , Pro gun cleanings and gun repair and wood refinishing.
Ecclesiastes 10:2 |
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Kickboxer
MODERATOR Moderator Joined: February/13/2008 Status: Offline Points: 23679 |
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I weighed all 50 cases... all within +- 0.09 grains. Certainly looking good so far.
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Opinion,untempered by fact,is ignorance.
There are some who do not fear death... for they are more afraid of not really living |
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Bigdaddy0381
MODERATOR Georgia peach Joined: February/27/2007 Location: Georgia Status: Offline Points: 13682 |
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Yeah, I would hate to have a heavy case. Might not shoot correctly
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P&Z Firearms , Pro gun cleanings and gun repair and wood refinishing.
Ecclesiastes 10:2 |
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Kickboxer
MODERATOR Moderator Joined: February/13/2008 Status: Offline Points: 23679 |
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I did not expect a big enough difference to make a difference. A significant variance COULD indicate an inconsistency in case thickness... I was just checking... it's an ingrained quality from my T&E background. From an article I copied from somewhere a couple of years ago. 7.62 NATO vs .308 Win – Case thicknessMeasuring the thickness of cartridge cases is kind of a pain, especially since I tend to mash them all up when trying to cut them in half with my Dremel tool. So, I took the shortcut to illustrate the difference. From my big bucket of .308 / 7.62 brass, I selected some representative samples of both commercial .308 Winchester and 7.62x51mm NATO brass and weighed them. I picked several of each and averaged the weights. I didn’t measure the cases because they’ve been fired, so that won’t tell me much other than the general size of the chamber from which they went bang.
That’s a significant difference! Thicker walls combined with similar exterior dimensions means less powder capacity and a lower “top end” and all else the same, lower pressure and velocity.
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Opinion,untempered by fact,is ignorance.
There are some who do not fear death... for they are more afraid of not really living |
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Bigdaddy0381
MODERATOR Georgia peach Joined: February/27/2007 Location: Georgia Status: Offline Points: 13682 |
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So I'm guessing you will clean primer pockets too? Do you weigh each bullet?
I just don't see it making much different to my shooting out to 1500 yards
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P&Z Firearms , Pro gun cleanings and gun repair and wood refinishing.
Ecclesiastes 10:2 |
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Kickboxer
MODERATOR Moderator Joined: February/13/2008 Status: Offline Points: 23679 |
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I do clean primer pockets... always did. IF I am competition shooting, I will weigh bullets.. I've weighed all the ones I've loaded recently... just to get some background. For this brass, I was performing a Q&D check on QC. 50 cases is not "all telling", but does provide some indicators. Eliminating as many sources of error as possible makes it easier to work on "me"...
Checking out the numbers...
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Opinion,untempered by fact,is ignorance.
There are some who do not fear death... for they are more afraid of not really living |
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budperm
Optics Retard show me your sheep!! Joined: January/01/2009 Location: Pennsylvania Status: Offline Points: 31710 |
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So all this is a preface to telling us that you've changed your mind late in the game and have decided to forgo the lengthy process of reloading and just spend all the saved time on another pursuit...
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"Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading".
--Thomas Jefferson |
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budperm
Optics Retard show me your sheep!! Joined: January/01/2009 Location: Pennsylvania Status: Offline Points: 31710 |
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I mean it's not like you sleep or anything....
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"Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading".
--Thomas Jefferson |
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