Anyone here who does handloading?

[roweno_]

I’ve noticed that my rifle seems to have a 'favorite' recipe that hasn’t been picked up by any major brands yet. I’m excited to start experimenting with handloads.

Is there anyone else who enjoys fine-tuning their rounds?

 

[E.Shell]

I've been handloading since 1972. Started with a 12 ga Lee Loader about a month before dove season. Soon added a .22-250 Lee Loader, Then a MEC 600, then an RCBS Jr, then a MEC 650, then an RCBS Rockchucker, then a Redding UltraMag, then...for 50 years...

I used to load ALL of my own ammo, but slowly tapered off and only load match ammo anymore. The relatively cheap 'blasting ammo' available in 9mm and .223, plus cheap 'target load' shotgun shells vs inflated component costs make loading those calibers illogical anymore unless it's some sort of specialty ammo. If you value your time at all, it is very hard to save anything loading calibers/gauges like that.

Experimenting with loads can be enjoyable for it's own sake, so costs are not the only consideration.

Wildcats are another reason to load. When I had my first .35 Whelen, there were no factory rifles or factory ammo. Same when I had the 6.5-300WWH (1kBR rifle)-no factory guns or ammo.

Rifle match/competition ammo is still worth handloading unless it's something like a .308 or .223, where Federal Gold Medal Match ammo is available. If a precision .223 or .308 won't shoot 69 FGMM or 168 FGMM into one hole at 100 yards, there is something wrong with it.

Hunting ammo can still be worth loading, especially if one uses premium bullets or offbeat cartridges. Factory ammo loaded with good bullets is amazingly expensive anymore.

One thing I learned when I bought my first custom rifle is that a rifle that is picky and only shoots certain loads well has something wrong with it, most often a non-concentric chamber. Once I realized that, I stopped trying to make defective rifles shoot well and started being more selective with my rifles.

As an example, I bought a .22-250 Varmint Special in 1980. Nice rifle, expensive, pretty, high hopes...2 or 3 shots into 1/2", then fliers a half inch out, no matter what... Floated the barrel, bedded it, lapped it, trigger work, recrowned, swapped scopes - basically polishing a turd. Just about burned up the barrel and $1,000 worth of components with no progress. If I had a borescope back then, I probably would have seen a crooked throat. Jack Bart sold me a retired Hart benchrest rifle in .22-250 when the PPC's began dominating the BR matches. That rifle was a laser. Any handload the VS failed to shoot well went into one hole when shot from the Hart rifle. Federal 40 Blitz-one hole, Remington 55s-one hole. That rifle shot EVERYTHING so well, I settled on Federal 55 BTHPs, bought a case and stopped handloading .22-250s.

 

[Greyworm]

You're right, there are choices in between. The .32 revolver cartridges and .327 Federal are good for that. Also, those are not as strong as people think.

 

[John Balazek]

I usually prefer my "dialed in" loads to off the shelf.

 

[Alan]

I've been handloading since 1972. Started with a 12 ga Lee Loader about a month before dove season. Soon added a .22-250 Lee Loader, Then a MEC 600, then an RCBS Jr, then a MEC 650, then an RCBS Rockchucker, then a Redding UltraMag, then...for 50 years...

I used to load ALL of my own ammo, but slowly tapered off and only load match ammo anymore. The relatively cheap 'blasting ammo' available in 9mm and .223, plus cheap 'target load' shotgun shells vs inflated component costs make loading those calibers illogical anymore unless it's some sort of specialty ammo. If you value your time at all, it is very hard to save anything loading calibers/gauges like that.

Experimenting with loads can be enjoyable for it's own sake, so costs are not the only consideration.

Wildcats are another reason to load. When I had my first .35 Whelen, there were no factory rifles or factory ammo. Same when I had the 6.5-300WWH (1kBR rifle)-no factory guns or ammo.

Rifle match/competition ammo is still worth handloading unless it's something like a .308 or .223, where Federal Gold Medal Match ammo is available. If a precision .223 or .308 won't shoot 69 FGMM or 168 FGMM into one hole at 100 yards, there is something wrong with it.

Hunting ammo can still be worth loading, especially if one uses premium bullets or offbeat cartridges. Factory ammo loaded with good bullets is amazingly expensive anymore.

One thing I learned when I bought my first custom rifle is that a rifle that is picky and only shoots certain loads well has something wrong with it, most often a non-concentric chamber. Once I realized that, I stopped trying to make defective rifles shoot well and started being more selective with my rifles.

As an example, I bought a .22-250 Varmint Special in 1980. Nice rifle, expensive, pretty, high hopes...2 or 3 shots into 1/2", then fliers a half inch out, no matter what... Floated the barrel, bedded it, lapped it, trigger work, recrowned, swapped scopes - basically polishing a turd. Just about burned up the barrel and $1,000 worth of components with no progress. If I had a borescope back then, I probably would have seen a crooked throat. Jack Bart sold me a retired Hart benchrest rifle in .22-250 when the PPC's began dominating the BR matches. That rifle was a laser. Any handload the VS failed to shoot well went into one hole when shot from the Hart rifle. Federal 40 Blitz-one hole, Remington 55s-one hole. That rifle shot EVERYTHING so well, I settled on Federal 55 BTHPs, bought a case and stopped handloading .22-250s.

That’s decades of wisdom, sometimes the lesson isn’t the load, it’s knowing when the rifle’s the problem.