Ammo choices,factory fresh,remanufactured or reload your own?

Discussion in 'Firearms' started by Oddcaliber, Jan 12, 2018.


  1. Oddcaliber

    Oddcaliber Monkey+++

    I was reading a reddit last night about don't buy remanufactured ammo. Some points were valid but for the most part it seemed he was just trashing most of it because he has a bad experience with some. Even factory ammo can have quality problems at times. Now if you roll your own you know what you are getting. I've run all types of ammo through my guns and rarely do I have a malfunction due to ammo. So,what's your take on this?
     
  2. DKR

    DKR Raconteur of the first stripe

    I would never trust my life to anything other than Factory ammo or hand-loads I've dome myself.

    I've used remanufactured ammo from Black Hills and never had an issue. My concern is with the used cases in remanufactured ammo ammo. Target shooting? No problem. Otherwise, nope,. YMMV.
     
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  3. Bandit99

    Bandit99 Monkey+++ Site Supporter+

    Ditto what DKR said. Remanufactured is okay for punching holes in paper but I would only use new factory ammo or stuff I have reloaded myself for anything serious. I don't reload cause currently don't have the room so all my ammo is new. I normally don't purchase remanufactured but probably would do so specifically for target practice if the price was right.
     
  4. Bishop

    Bishop Monkey+++

    I loaded 100 rounds of 357 with no power primer pushed the bullet just far enough to lock up my revolver tapped it back in to it out set aside next one did the same thing took a bullet puller all 100 rounds had no powder
     
  5. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    This is an issue with the question, Do you Trust the Quality Control of the ReManufacturer? As a past Ammunition OEM, I found that Reputation is everything... My customers were very exacting in the quality of the Ammunition that they were purchasing. They bought from me, because my Ammunition was the absolute BEST, they could find... Yes it cost considerably more than the Off the Shelf stuff, or even the Factory Match stuff.. but it won them Matches, because it was repeatable in the extreme... Some of those customers required that I use New Brass, some brought me their Brass, and some just required that the Brass be as exacting in dimensions as I could make, which I did no matter where the Brass came from... I have never had an issue with the 10s of thousands of rounds of Black Hills Ammunition I have shot, and Sold... They have a fantastic Rep for quality... So it really comes down to WHO, did the loading and manufacturing of the Ammo, and do you trust them, as much, or more, than you trust yourself....
     
  6. Alf60

    Alf60 Monkey+++

    I did that once with some 44/40. I missed one row of five rounds in the loading tray. When I got home I weighed the unfired rounds and determined all but four more had the powder in them.
     
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  7. Witch Doctor 01

    Witch Doctor 01 Mojo Maker

    All three... but my remanufactured comes from an individual I trust
     
  8. Ura-Ki

    Ura-Ki Grampa Monkey

    I would NEVER trust any ammo from some one I didn't know extremely well ( as to the quality and care, carefulness ) in loading! Besides, when it comes to stuff that may push to top end, what works in many guns may not work in mine! I hand load quite extensively, the amount of shooting the wife and I do makes this the only way we can afford to shoot this much. all my loads exceed factory performance by quite a bit ( depending on Cal.) so I am sure to get the very best. With ammo manufactures under performing so much these days, the only stuff I buy already rolled is Mil surp, as I know it's loaded to specs and not under loaded! Ever try handloading .30/06? You would be quite surprised at how well it performs compared to even the high end stuff from the factories, I can get mine to within a very few % of .300 W.M! and at that point, why bother with the big .300! Point is, at some point it was decided that .30/06 was too dangerous to shoot in older Mil rifles ( 1903 Springfields specifically) so the ammo manufactures agreed to down load it by at least 20%!!!!!! You wanna see pure performance, try handloading it!
     
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  9. Seawolf1090

    Seawolf1090 Retired Curmudgeonly IT Monkey Founding Member

    I had one vendor at the local gunshow years ago, before I began reloading and handloading (related but different).
    He sold his reloaded ammo. I bought two calibers I was shooting at the time - .22Hornet and .22-250. Both far surpassed available commetcial ammo in accuracy and consistency. I shot a few hundred of the Hornets, and several boxes of .22-250, and never had a problem. They were laser accurate in my rifles.
    Eventually, he disappeared. I sold my .22-250 rifle. But I still have the Hornet rifle, and still load for it. Never found a commercial load or a listed data load that came near that vendor's load. I broks a couple of his loads down, and tried to duplicate them. Same brass, same bullet, I believe I found his powder load (LilGun), but couldn't tell his primer of choice. So far, I am getting close to his load's performance, and still outshooting store-bought loads.
    The only other guy's reloads I trust are those of the friend who mentored me when I began loading my own. A few calibers I bought from him, paying him for components used. But soon I geared up to do those myself too.
    In my Navy daze, I did get some reloads from a coworker, but he was sloppy. Had to trim some lead away to get them to chamber in my revolver. That was what got me to try rolling my own.
     
  10. HK_User

    HK_User A Productive Monkey is a Happy Monkey

    I trust my reloads.
     
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  11. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    The thing to remember about Factory Ammunition, it is ALWAYS a compromise, between what works in each of the MANY different FireArms chambered for that particular Cartridge.. Then there are cartridges that need to have badly compromised loadings, so that they can be fired from both Pistols and Rifles... TWO Very Different, Set of REQUIREMENTS... Then for High Accuracy Ammunition, it needs to be custom Loaded for each SPECIFIC Barrel, that it is to be fired from... Oh, it will function, in any weapon, that will chamber it, but it will NOT Preform, nearly as well, as it will in the specific weapon it was loaded for...
     
  12. tacmotusn

    tacmotusn RIP 1/13/21

    When I started reloading .308win, the main reason was access to once fired military 7.62x51mm brass for free, and a conversation with the Winchester factory rep at the NRA annual convention. We started talking about recently removed "black talon" bullets from their product line, and drifted into reloading. I was asking about how they measure their powder in rifle loads. He asked for a specific and I said 150 grain 308win hunting loads. His statement was that the powder charge was a thrown charge like you would get from a manual lyman powder measure and their weight tolerance was .3 grain plus or minus of win 760 or 785?. Due to the fact I had a scale accurate to .1 grain it dawned on me I could measure all my handload charges and reduce this variance to 1/3 of what factory ammo allowed and possibly get tighter groups. Experimentation studies on the range showed me with one pretty accurate scoped bolt action rifle, at 100 yards, military ammo (new issue us gi) averaged 2-2.5 inch groups. Winchester commercial ammo 1-1.5 inch groups, and my handloads .7-1 inch groups. (note my handloads were based on Winchester factory 150 grain bullet hunting loads) thus I became a handloading fan.
     
  13. Gator 45/70

    Gator 45/70 Monkey+++

    I'm looking for some recipes for sub-sonic .308
    I have a bunch of 150/165 grain projectiles to play with, Anyone have a lead?
     
  14. tacmotusn

    tacmotusn RIP 1/13/21

    Sorry to say, I was going to work on a load for close quiet work, but never got around to it. My 308 hunting loads that were close to being compressed loads due to use of thicker wall military cases of lesser capacity than commercial cases. I do know I was advised to be damn careful so as to not leave a lot of open space in cartridge case as it could cause a range of possible dangerous problems. be advised be careful
     
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  15. Seacowboys

    Seacowboys Senior Member Founding Member

    If it goes bang, I shoot it. My defense weapons are loaded with my roll your owns, if I got into a fracas that involved sustained fire, I sort of bow to Justin Wilson's comment about what kind of wine do you serve with that? He said "Whatcha got?"
    I have not had any issues with any particular ammo and I shoot a bunch, clearing a miss-fire is a drill that should be auto-pilot. If I got money on a match, then I'll worry about the small stuff but in 62 years of shooting, bad mom has never been a problem.
     
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  16. Gator 45/70

    Gator 45/70 Monkey+++

    Rodger that! I have 2 dogs who regularly supply me with stuffing from stuffed toys, Figured I would use that to keep the powder on the correct end.
     
  17. AD1

    AD1 Monkey+++

    Imhave a X SpecOps/160th pilot/Alphabet agency guy who shoots 308 with a can. I have asked him if he would share his load. Cant promise...stand by.....
     
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  18. AD1

    AD1 Monkey+++

    He is playing with grandkids and will get back to me.

    8 grains of Tightgroup (yes its a pistol powder)
    150 grain projectile.

    I will get barrel length, twist and projectile brand later.
     
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  19. Gator 45/70

    Gator 45/70 Monkey+++

    Thanks, Somewhere to start with!
     
  20. AD1

    AD1 Monkey+++

    This is the load
    IMG_3661.JPG

    And this is the crazy bastard
    IMG_3660.JPG
     
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