Why reload if you mainly hunt?

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phil mcwilliam

New member
I've hunted regularly for over 30 years & have never reloaded. Sure reloading is cheaper & loads can be tailor made, but I have never felt dissadvantaged when correctly matching premium factory ammunition with the intended game. I use 55 grain Winchester in my 22-250 & 150 grain Winchester in my 308 with sub MOA results. I hunted plains game in Africa last christmas & the 308 Musgrave rifle I was provided with dropped plains game up to the size of Eland with one shot kills used 180 grain factory ammo.
Last weekend I took my brother his mate, & my nephews to a friends 2,000 acre property to hunt. My brother & his mate had previously been into shooting & had brought with them a 40 year old Sako 222 vixen & a 40 year old sako 243. Neither rifle had been fired in over 15 years so as soon as we got to the property we headed down to the range which is permanently set up with bench, chair & sandbags. We posted fresh targets at 100 yards & I was amazed when they both pulled out sako factory ammo that must have been made in the 1970's. Both rifles proved to be out- the 222 by 6 ft. Each shooter fired 3 shot groups before making scope adjustments & I was surprised that in checking the groups, the 222 was almost always leaving just 1 ragged hole between adjustments,& the 243 was not far behind. With both their rifles sighted in & shooting half MOA with old "premium" factory ammunition we accounted for 4 pigs,9 goats, 2 foxes, 3 rabbits ,& 6 ducks together with catching a few fish which proved a great introduction for my nephews to the sport of hunting.
 
It's a hobby. Some folks simply like the sense of satisfaction they get from seeing something they assembled, or 'built' perform as good or better than they expected. Why on earth would someone buy a blackpowder kit when they buy a bp rifle already put together? Because as hobbies go- different strokes for different folks. And, there is the argument that they can save $$, or build ammo that performs better than any factory ammo they have access to. Benchrest shooters measure their groups in much finer detail than most critter shooters. Sorry if someone has been pressuring you into reloading or giving you a hard time for not reloading.
 
Yea, it's a hobby that's very rewarding. It also gets the loader out to the range more often which would lend a hand at keeping ones shooting shills much more in tune. Like above post suggested we measure a little finer in detail then most to include the use of a crono for need information to do this.
 
It really allows me to shoot more for the same amount of money. I like to shoot prairie dogs when I'm not hunting big game and to buy that much .223 would bankrupt my total hunting budget. I have as well some calibers that are not commonly found (.358 Win and .35 Whelen) or have to be custom ordered from premium manufactures (.338-06 and 8mm-06) so hand loading pays for me. If all you are going to do is shoot a few boxes of ammunition a year then you probably don't need to hand load.
 
Reloading

If you can afford to shoot a lot without hand-loading, then there is no need for you to take up the hobby. Nevertheless, collect your once-fired spent brass and give it to those who hand-load, it will make you very popular with them.
 
If all my shooting was done on game, I probably would not re-load either. But I am one of those guys that likes to hear the gun go bang, at the range, so I re-load so I can shoot more for the money I spend. I can buy a box of factory stuff for about 3 boxes of reloads.
 
Cause I like it....

No seriously,

It is and has become a very rewarding hobby to go with my interest in guns. I shoot more, enjoy the time at the reloading bench, and just like my Jeep habit, when the wife wants to know where I am, it's only one of two places. The garage or my man cave as my girls term it.
I just find it fun. As I have gotten older and slightly less physical w/ my time off, I find it a great thing to do, especially in the winter.
elkman06
 
I save a lot of money reloading for my pistols(44 mag and 45 auto).

I save ZERO money reloading for hunting. It usually costs me $60 to $80 to develop a rifle load that is tuned to my satisfaction.

Sure I could go buy a box of factory ammo that would be fine for hunting, but its not about time or money for me, it's about a feeling of accomplishment and the confidence of knowing my equipment is top notch.
 
I reload JUST FOR hunting; I can tailor the ammo for the game I'm after, and I can load a box of 20 cartridges with premium big game bullets for 1/3 the cost of the equivalent ammo at Gander. Have you priced Federal Premium with Nosler Partition bullets lately? I KNOW that when I pull the trigger that the bullet is going right where I send it, and that it will do just what is needed to put that animal in a heap in a hurry. I'm disabled and have very limited means now, and every cent I save on my ammo can go to a pair of good boots so my feet don't fall off in the middle of a hunt. If you are happy with factory ammo and can afford what the retailers are charging, good on you. 22 LR ammo has gone up 50% in the past 2 years alone, from $10 a box to $15 at Wally World. I can't reload them, so I have to bite the bullet of sorts and buy them. If 17HMR ammo was cheaper than a dime apiece, I'd still have to purchase them because they aren't reloadable either. Reloading is a hobby and one of the few pleasures I can indulge in; it will be for the rest of my days. When I climb that last ridge and head for the happy hunting grounds, my kid will be able to use my eqipment to load his own.
 
my father did alot of reloading many years ago. .38 spl. target loads,.357 mag, .35 rem., 8mm mauser,30-06 hunting loads. still has the dies,powder scale,etc. the powder and primers are in a cool dry place, but i'm not really sure if either are still good anymore. my rifle in .35 rem. will not shoot reloads unless the brass was fired in my rifle. so unless i use factory. which shoots about the same as the reloads i won't have much. untill hornady started making it, remington and federal only made it. his rifle and grandads function fine, shoot just as good with reloads regardless which one of the 3 rifles the brass was fired in.
 
For most hunters guess that reloading is a waste of time.

But I have trouble finding ammo for my 585 Nyati, my 470/460 Wby, and my 14-221 Walker.

.
 
Shot my first Mule deer ever this season, with a reload and a homecast bullet. That was extremely satisfying, I think I've set a precedant for myself...:-)

It was a 400 gr 45/70 @ 1699fps so it wasn't really tailored to the game I think :eek: but I had an elk tag too so whatever...I didn't have to chase him!

I've carried factory ammo BG hunting before, but it sems to be easier and cheaper to tailor loads for a given rifle/purpose by reloading for it.
 
For me its a passion and always a challange. There is nothing better than producing that perfect load, well perfect many loads for the desired firearm.

Whether its getting sub MOA or getting that perfect one shot kill, i made it.
Its not the money just pure enjoyment.

I also make some fishing lures and when i hook up its a far greater joy than when i buy one from the local tackle shop:)
 
ammo

As stated before a 130 grain silver tip in .270 Winchester here is $15.00-$20.00 a box in the off season, but come hunting season that same ammo jumps to $30.00-$40.00 a box :eek: thats why I reload, plus I enjoy spending time with my boys teaching them how when we reload. Even the 5 year old gets in on it.
 
I'm sorry, but IMO this has to be just about the silliest questions I've seen on a board.

Yes, factory ammo works to kill game. A friend of mine killed a buffalo with an old 1917 enfield, using ammo that was bought back in the early 1950's.

I used a 7mm mag with handloads using 145 grain Speer Grand Slam bullets. Both buffalo went down well enough, although he ended up shooting his a second time (I doubt it was really needed).

But, the cost is a major factor, especially these days. Consistency is another. Various lots of factory ammo, even by the same maker, are seldom loaded the same. They mix and match their powder to reach a certain goal, and then they load lots of ammo with it. The next batch may or may not be the same, and the accuracy and POI can change.

I have a .17 Rem that shoots factory ammo into about 3 inches at 100 yards. My handloads go into little tiny bug hole groups of about 3/8ths of an inch. There's almost NO selection in factory ammo in this cartridge, and the bullets are seated too deeply for good accuracy in my rifle.

The .32 H&R mag suffers from a lack of ammo choices too, as well as those choices being loaded to anemic pressures due to the weak design of the original H&R firearms that the cartridge was designed for. Hand loading solves that, as well as being FAR cheaper to shoot.

If someone is comfortable and happy shooting factory ammo, I won't be the one to burst their bubble. That factory ammo obviously works for them and their needs, or they either wouldn't use it, or would complain about it until they learned to handload.

For me, I trust my hand loads. They work for me, and that's all that matters.

Daryl
 
"This has to be the most silliest question I've seen posted"- Thanks for your input Daryl- I'd better warn all those companies that specialise in manufacturing premium hunting ammunition that they are in danger of financial ruin:D. I was simply stating that in 30 years of hunting I have never used reloads, however I have accounted for many hundreds of game animals using premium factory ammunition. If you have a premium rifle & scope in the common calibers that I listed, try a variety of factory ammunition until you find a cartridge that shoots under half MOA, & then prove the cartridge in the field by taking a variety of game with one shot kills - I can't see the need for reloading. I acknowledge the fact that benchrest target shooters & wildcat owners reload, & some rifles will only shoot under 1 MOA with reloads - but It's never been essential for me to reload as a hunter. If you can regularly shoot 3 shot groups at 100 yards that are touching with factory ammunition, well I'm not after better accuracy than that. Cost is definately reduced in reloading, but in my case I shoot maybe 200 rounds per year costing around $250. Spreading this cost over each hunt equates to about $25 per hunt for ammunition. My main hunting area is 4 hours drive away I usually go for a minimum of 3 days & would spend a minimum of $250 per trip on fuel,food & refreshments. Since ammunition is an essential part of a hunting trip, I don't mind if 10% of the total trips cost goes towards premium factory ammunition.
 
A hunter can get by without hand loading, most assuredly. However....

thallub said:
Because i can make ammo better than the commercial companys can.
Click to expand...

I always used to feel that way, not only were my hand loads less expensive, but better and also I have the ability to specifically tailor a load to an individual rifle and get the utmost accuracy out of it. Today the first part is not as accurate, because the ammo manufacturers have come along way in terms of consistency and quality. My hand loads are however still less expensive and tailored specifically for my rifles.
 
It's a matter of pride, I guess

lt's sure not merely a matter of economics. Conisdering all the other costs of going hunting, a box of ammunition is almost insignificant. Figure the cost of the firearm and accessories, the hunting license, the cost of the lease or rental or day hunt, fuel to get there, food in transit and on site, specialized clothing, and all the rest. Even two-buck-a-round ammunition doesn't amount to a lot. No, in my mind, hand crafting my own ammunition just makes the hunt, and taking the game, just slightly more personal.

Sure, I've used factory ammo from time to time. I've been invited on a hunt when I didn't have enough of my pet loads to both check sights AND carry ten rounds into the field. Also, I once packed the wrong ammo - - It was .30'06, but it was FMJ target loads, not soft nose game loads.

Hunting involves a lot of personal choices. My reasons may signify nothing for others, but this is my thinking. And, having written the above, I'll readily admit that I've never started loading shot shells - - I've never shot a game bird with a handload.

Best,
Johnny
 
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