How much effort for plinking ammo?

5

5whiskey

New member
The question is just that. I tend to crank pistol ammo out pretty well. I do spend some time on .357 mag, but otherwise I spend as little time as possible.

Plinking .223 ammo out of my AR is different though. I don't hand measure each charge or anything (I use a Lee autodisk), but I do spend time working loads up, I always trim and debur brass, I lube by hand so I can inspect cases... so by the time I finish up I have over a minute in each round of .223.

I don't want to spend too much time on plinking ammo, but I also want it to be able to serve as accurate (enough) ammo for varmints in a pinch. Plus it's to double as my SHTF stash. So... I spend a good bit of time on my .223 "plinking" ammo. What do you do, and what would you do different if you were me?
 
Eh, 223 is rather labor intensive compared to pistol. I follow the same protocol as you, not much else I would do differently.

In my case I use a Hand Press and watch Lost to pass the time.:p
 
I have been thinking about a hand press for the exact same reason... but I don't want to charge cases while distracted. only case prep.

anyway, for my plinking rifle ammo, I will work up a load, it would be negligent not to. (though I admit, I have run a few quick low range loads when I just needed to get out and test a gun) but you only have to work up a load once, consumables permitting. The steps I cut from my target ammo is that I only trim if the case is out of spec, I do not weigh each charge, I just check every 10th to be sure my powder measure is not drifting. I set my caliper to my OAL, then use that as a go/no go after seating. In a groove I can go pretty quick, though I have never timed myself.

also, I use Oneshot lube. I know it's like miracle whip, and you either love it or hate it, but It has never let me down and it is very fast.
 
With good equipment, and the same proven components, running large amounts of short range plinking ammo shouldn't be very tedious.
For any other purpose, the time and effort will naturally increase according to expected use.
There's no real reason to stick with just one method.
 
SARuger, I agree with 100%. I want to hit the target every time. Barrel life is another subject. Make every shot count.
 
I like reloading. If I wanted to, I could prolly buy most of my ammo (very good retirement plan!), but I enjoy all the aspects of reloading and shootin' my own ammo. I too treat all my reloads like they were match ammo, but as I said I enjoy reloading and have the time. Besides, .22 LR is the only caliber I have "blasted away" with and I started reloading in '69...
 
I load it all the same: handgun, rifle, shotgun...no point in spending the cost of the primer (0.03), Powder (0.02 to 0.20 per shot), bullets (0.15 to 0.50 per shot) plus time and effort if the accuracy just isn't there. I load all handgun plus .223 ammunition on a pair of Dillon 550B's. All other rifle ammunition is loaded on a Harrell turret or Herters #3 press.

I cast my own handgun and most rifle bullets, and cull the rejects as I find them. For true load workup, I may weigh them to discover hidden voids. With rifle loads, I expect to see <2" at 100 yds from improvised rest as a goal with all loads. For match purposes, 1-1/2 MOA is the target.

When I buy bullets, I don't buy any that are 2nds, nor described as 'good enough for blasting' as that's not what I'm shooting.

I sort my brass by head stamp (rifle and pistol), and number of times reloaded. When I get a neck crack, that batch gets thrown in the re-cycle tub. I do anneal some of my rifle brass, (.222 Magnum because it's virtually impossible to find new any more). I also make .35 Whelen out of .30-06 military brass to feed my 25 yo elk rifle.

The .223 is a bit different as I buy only match bullets for it. (HBAR Colt of about 1980 vintage). I expect MOA ammunition using Sierra 77's or Hornadys for Over the Course Nat'l Match work at 200, 300 & 600 yds. It's the only match shooting I do any more and that's only a cpl times per season. I load in L-C brass sorted by weight and head stamp year, use WSR caps and RE-15 for the most part.

I do trim all rifle brass on a regular basis as needed, but do not inside nor outside neck ream. For rifle I uniform the primer pockets and flash holes...that's it. And from the majority of my rifles (with certain exceptions in the lever guns), I have a load for each that will do an honest MOA off the bags. For handgun loads I have never trimmed, but do sort by head stamp..

I guess it's all about what you shoot for. If you're a defensive handgun or one of the alphabet handgun games shooter, 'blasting' ammunition is good enough from the 5-15 yd lines. No offense is meant, but I'm not into much of that and none of the games shooting sports.

In a single sentence: I load quality ammunition that'll give me all I'm capable of holding for on paper, game, or whatever.

YMMV Rod
 
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Yeah I know load workup is a must... In my case its two different settings on the auto disk (one is at the starting load, the next is one size up. Best average 5 round groups out of 4 wins).

I do weigh about every third powder drop to make sure. I just feel like Im spending a bunch of time on case prep, but as others have said I will watch TV to pass time during soms steps like lubing/inspecting and trimming (I have a hand trimmer that horns well). It just feels like I spend a lot of time when I could probably get by with less... But as others have claimed, I am ocd and if I can't shoot under about 1.5 (really about one) moa I'm not gonna be happy. I was just curious how others felt.
 
A few suggestions;

1. Process your brass and store it. I have 2 plastic kitty litter containers of 9mm cases that are ready when needed. Since I don't shoot a great deal of 38/357, I use much smaller containers to store but they are always full and ready to go. I'm just now building an inventory of 223. If you commit your time up front, your back-end work is easy, relatively fast and more enjoyable. (I covet the time at my bench, even case restoration and prep.)

2. Stop working up loads. Determine a set inventory of powder type/grains and bullet type/weight for your given purposes. Example: I only shoot 115 grain lead cast bullets for 9mm practice rounds, Longshot, 5.5 grains. No playing around, I lock in the grains on my scale, adjust my Lee Perfect Powder dispenser to the right balance and start cranking out cases (primer, powder then bullet, measure with a caliper and plunk test). I log notes in the data section of my reloading manual, on the appropriate caliber page, so that I have immediate reference points. Each loading manual has a notes section in the back, you can use that for your inventory as well.

I don't want to neglect safety since were talking about speed here. Inspecting your cases as you sort through them after a trip to the range, when prepping and prior to and after loading is obviously mission critical to the endeavor.

Be safe. Enjoy.
 
I also prep brass ahead of time. The only thing i do different is use hornady one shot. It really saves me time. Once you get a decent load just stick with it.
 
"Plinking ammo" is the stuff i sort off while loading that appears/feels different for any number of reasons(blemish on the case/bullet, different seating effort, case base didn't fit shellholder just right, crimp didn't look right).
I don't waste time or effort purposely building substandard (plinking) ammo.
 
I spend a good bit of time on my .223 "plinking" ammo
Click to expand...

I've heard a good number of rounds go "ping", "pang", "boom", "bang", "zing", "zap" and "kerchunk" (those are the ones you need to worry about) but never one that went "plink". Those must be the ones you get from Walmart in the white boxes. (LOL)


Stay safe.
Jim
 
"Plinking" is pop cans and Daisy when you were 10. :D

I am with rodfac, and MoBuck, I don't hand load "plinking" ammunition.
 
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"Plinking ammo" is the stuff i sort off while loading that appears/feels different for any number of reasons(blemish on the case/bullet, different seating effort, case base didn't fit shellholder just right, crimp didn't look right).
I don't waste time or effort purposely building substandard (plinking) ammo.
Click to expand...
Good comments here, especially that last sentence..Rod
 
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