Premium Ammunition Consumers

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blarby

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Good day, first and foremost !

As luck would have it, my plans towards not only home and land ownership,
but business ownership, are proceeding ahead at full tilt.

Its the latter portion that has lead me to create this thread, as my business
in a nutshell, would be directed at a select few of you; Those who use,
and purchase, premium centerfire ammunition.

Both in long-gun, and pistol/ revolver cartridges.

And to those of you who do, I certainly have a few questions if you'd be so inclined to let me "pick your brain" as it were !

Without further adieu.....

#1. Why do you choose "premium" ammunition types/brands over run-of-the mill factory wares ?

#2. What qualities in premium ammunition set those cartridges apart in your eyes from the more mundane or mass-produced offerings ?

#3. What process of evaluation did you use to arrive at the current offerings you do use ?

#4. How often, and in what amounts, do you purchase your respective types of ammunition ?

#5 How much does cost actually factor in to your choices ?
Do you need or want the absolute best regardless of price,
or at some point does a factor of diminisihing returns come into play ?
( ties in to #3 above)


If you'd be interested, after posting ( or instead of- your choice) in answering a few more questions related to your particular needs or cartridge particulars,
I'd be thrilled to chat outside of the public postings- drop me a PM !


Lastly,

Your input here REALLY matters to me, and will have some significant basis as to the direction this half of the business is going to proceed in. With that said, your candor and truthfulness is greatly appreciated.
However, if you aren't a consumer of premium ammunition, or happen to be a manufacturer or distributor of it, I would appreciate leaving the discussion floor for those who do.

Thanks again !
 
I fall in between somewhere, I don't shoot the cheapest around, and usually not the most expensive. With .223 for example I almost always shot Black Hills reloads in 52-75 gr., high quality but with reprocessed brass keeps the price within reason. For pistols I almost always shoot WWB or Fiochhi when I can get it, for plinking that is. I generally use slightly higher priced ammo for competition, and I don't care what the self defense ammo costs.

Honestly the cost of ammo doesn't effect me financially, but deep down I have to feel some value is there for the money spent.

I primarily buy high quality ammo for the quality of the bullet, for example SMK's in rifle match loads, and for the consistency.
 
Although it's been a very long time ago, as in over 30 yrs., when I bought ammunition, hunting, self defense, or for target, I always preferred shooting the best available regardless of it's cost. And this mentality bled into my reloading world, in that I don't load or shoot anything that doesn't qualify as top shelf offerings, but I think you knew that already. So if I weren't a reloader, I would certainly buy the better stuff.

Best of luck with your business venture!

GS
 
*takes more notes *

Thanks for the kind words !

Ok, I need to get to "real work" this friday, and just daydream about this, not monitor the thread, lol.

Ya'll have a great day !
 
Fits under " long guns" to me, yes ?

I'm very interested in hearing what you are using in a smoothbore- for certain :cool:
 
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I prefer the very best loads for when it absolutely positively has to go bang. WWB and Federal are fine for training and plinking, but when I carry its strictly top shelf. I want to know that when I need it, its there to do just what I expect. Just like when you take your first buck you want that bullet to land right where you aimed it.
I pay the premium price because more often than not when things go south they really hit bottom. Eliminating one of the potential problems seems prudent to me.
I am not avid in my consumption of premium ammo but I do update it every yr and use last years for training. I only consume aproximately 200 premium rounds a yr. If I could afford more I probably would, but as it stands what I am doing right now is working.
I don't think I would pay exhorbitant amounts for premium ammo, but a fair price for quality is hard to beat. Just like my Milt-Sparks holster, paid a little more but well worth it.
 
As a consumer, I feel that your prices have to be competitive. If the best is $2 a round and you offer it for $3 a round, you need to justify the difference. If you price it in the same area as the competition and want the business, you need to tell them why yours is better. If you are a little cheaper than the "best" then you need to show you are equal in quality but at a better price. It really boils down to what you want your image to be. What is your catch phrase that will capture some of the market? Why would someone pick up your brand without spending tens of thousands of dollars advertising to your target market. Will you be sponsoring any shooting events where serious shooters get to try your product? Word of mouth in a tight community is probably the best, and cheapest, form of advertising. Nothing beats happy customers who tell others.
 
Well I am similar to the above fellow who had purchased quality ammo years ago. What turned me off of them was that they decided that folks would rather buy 25rds of handgun ammo over 50 that had been the norm for so long. That would have been fine, but just like Nosler did with their bullet, they kep the prices up darned near what they were or raised them even higher simply due to a different bullet being offered.

I DO have quite a bit of premium factory ammo on the shelf, some foreign some domestic. I don't necessarily feel that simply because it cost $50 per box however it is premium. I have some $11 per box Privi on the shelf for our 6.5x55 that has shot group after group less than 3/4" at 100yds. To me that is premium ammo. It drops deer like Thor's hammer hit them. Great stuff for a great price. It beat the pants off of anything else I had tried and trust me I picked up everything from Rem through some $50 per box Norma, and believe me price doesn't matter if it don't shoot within a baseball sized group.

Same with some touch higher per box PMC handgun ammo loaded with their Starfire bullets. While they only came in 25or 20rd boxes, they darned sure put things down right now. Everything I have shot with them while hunting with calibers ranging from .357 through 45 ACP has had the carpet jerked right out from under it. In one case I managed two 150'ish pound hogs with one shot using their 10mm version.

That is how I rate if custom or factory ammo is worth a hoot. It also has to be able to preform better than I can do myself as does the lowly Winchester 45gr .223 loads in their 40rd Varmint packs. Those shoot so tight I haven't ever been able to equal them and decided not to even try anymore. Whats even better is I am shooting them in an AI chambered Contender barrel.

I don't know if this has helped or not, but you asked what or why I would consider purchasing premium ammo, well that about sums it up. I enjoy tweaking my own loads, but in some cases I would just as soon not. You asked about amounts I might purchase, well in the case of the 6.5x55 I picked up 12 boxes, with my 7mm SWT which I didn't mention the Federal loads for it, I picked up 18 boxes all they had. With the Starline fodder I have "enough" in several calibers, I think you can see where this is going, and with the .223 Win stuff I picked up 15 boxes of 40. So if it shoots, and performs well enough to make me happy, for the price I am paying, I don't mind having a bit of a splurge once in a while.

Hope that gives you a bit more to chew on.
 
I buy at the upper end nearly always.

None of my regular use firearms are crap guns.

My time is wasted in spray & pray volume orgies.

Where every bullet goes and why is important to me.

Consistency is everything to me.
 
It depends on what you want. I'll answer from the perspective of a hunter and rifle shooter. The traditional, cheaper bullets work fine, most of the time. As long as a hunter is using a caliber traditionally suited for the game hunted and at normal ranges there isn't much need for premium ammo.

It is when you start pushing the envelope that the premium stuff makes sense. For a once in a lifetime elk hunt, with a rifle that might be considered perfect for whitetails but borderline on elk, I'd say it is wise to move up to better ammo. While a few boxes of the premium stuff is expensive, it makes more sense than buying an unfamiliar rifle to be only used once, or be way more than needed for your normal hunting.

When you reach the point where you want to start shooting at longer ranges the same applies.

If you're the type of guy who wants to shoot 100 rounds of 308 ammo at every range trip the premium stuff can get expensive. As a hunter I'm starting to drift more toward the premium stuff even though I know 90% of the time I don't need it. I don't shoot 100 rounds every range trip, at least not centerfire. I'd rather take my time and carefully fire 20 rounds and hit small targets. The cost difference between 200 Hornady Interlokts or 200 premium bullets is about $60. $60 won't even fill the tank on my truck with gas once. 200 bullets will last me 3-4 years for load development, practice and hunting. The cost of one tank of gas every 3-4 years is pretty cheap insurance for a bullet that might make a difference.
 
I only choose more expensive or "flashier" ammunition for hunting or self defense purposes. I try to pick practice ammo in the same grain weight whenever I can. Giving it a ratio I probably have 80/20 practice/premium ammunition choices.

However I do have light brand loyalties in both categories. For example my practice ammo is WWB, USA Ammo etc. I do not shoot Herters, Tula, Wolf or brands like that. For premium ammo I use Hornady, Speer, and Federal far and wide above any other brand. Availability go hand and hand with price for me. I would love to shoot Federal HST or Hydrashok in everything, but often resort to Critical Defense, Gold Dots, or Golden Sabres because those are easier to find and often cheaper.
 
For shotguns, when it comes to shooting tournaments, I use factory ammo of a moderate premium price. I want consistent performance, both from a velocity standpoint as well as from a pattern standpoint.
That means equal powder and shot drops, wads inserted correctly, and consistent crimps.

I lose way too many shoots in my class by one or two targets, so if ammo can be an edge, I want it.
 
Here is when and why I use premium ammo:

Handguns: I use premium nickel cased handgun ammo loaded with proven JHP bullets for carry (speer, federal) cause it absolutely has to work. If my life is on the line that's no time for cheap or gimmicky ammo. Couple hundred rounds for reliability testing and for shooting off old carry ammo every few months to reverify it functions ok.

Rifle: The only time I could justify premium rifle ammo would be for hunting, when you might only have one shot and you want that premium loaded powder and bullet to be accurate and work right. A couple boxes for sighting and a couple more of the same lot for field use.

Shotgun: I only use special low pressure shells (RST) for my vintage shotguns. It costs twice as much as the budget target shells, but the consistency, better patterns and lower pressures are easier on my shotguns.

.22's: I ditched the value pack .22 ammo years ago. I only use CCI standard/minimags for the accuracy and no misfires. When the ammo market recovers I may stock up on some top shelf target .22 ammo.
 
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I shoot only the best and to be honest it's not even something you will find on the stores of a local shop. I used to think Hornady was topnotch stuff until I started shooting comps. They have good brass and fairly good quality control but their loads seem to be too inconsistent for my likings.

I will pay for a premium. For example, I pay $31 per box of 20 for my .243, 6creed and 6.5creedmoor. For .308 I usually buy at the same place for about $26 a box. These are very reasonable prices for much better than off the shelf ammo. I haven't gotten into reloading yet but when I do I may still purchase my long range ammo from this place simply for the same of saving time. In some cases, it may be more feasible for me to pay $26 a box than to spend hours reloading especially when I know this persons load to be right.

A good example is that I can take some of the best Hornady has to offer and shoot it in one of the finest rifles money can buy or build and I get ok groups but they are not consistent. It seems to be this way for multiple shooters. I can take the custom ammo I am referring to and get less than 1/4 groups out to 100-200 yds. I am talking holes within holes basically and I can repeat it with this persons loads despite being different lots. That says something. Let me know if I can offer up anymore info.
 
The only "premium" ammo I've ever bought was handgun ammo intended for use in my EDC. Self-defense ammo, as it were. I chose it over "generic" JHPs because I couldn't find generic JHPs, for one thing. For two, the premium stuff came very highly recommended from just about everyone with related experience. The ammo in question is Speer Gold Dots, by the way. About as "premium" as a person could need.

For hunting, I would probably use something premium under certain circumstances (elk maybe, certainly if I were making a special, once-in-a-lifetime hunt like a Kodiak bear); but for deer, I really don't see the reason when ammo like the Rem Core-Lokt has such an impressive, long-term reputation. Even slightly more expensive Nosler offerings up the ante a bit for a very minor price increase.
 
My Premium SD ammo is Winchester Ranger T's 9MM 127GR +P+. I bought 200 rounds, tested in my G-19 for accuracy, functionality, reliability (all 200 went bang). Bought 2000 more of the same. I also have just packed up my "Social Ammo" to move into temporary quarters until my new home is completed in Q1 of 2015. I have large quantities of Ranger T in 9, 40, 45 along with medium quantities of Cor-Bon DPX in the same calibers. I reload 9, 40, 45 and load to just below max for them so they all shoot to the same point as the Social Version. I have paid for Premium and will do so in the future, if it measures up to previously tested other versions already on the market. I do not do Beta testing of anybody's ammo or anything that just popped up on the market as the newest Hottest, Best!
Good Luck with your venture.
 
I purchase premium ammo for self-defense. I'm not a high volume buyer.

I depend on ammo brands with good reputations and recommendations and user reviews by those with good reputations.

When I buy any gun stuff, I'll look at my trusted local gun store, Midway, SG Ammo or a couple of other suppliers that I have existing relationships with. I would have to hear some incredible reviews of a new ammo to go outside my list of suppliers, but good reviews would tempt me to try out a new brand that I don't have a current need for if I'm aware of its positive reputation and find it at one of my favorite sources.

I once asked a millionaire how he built an unlikely business into a success. He said, "I was too dumb to know it couldn't be done."

Good luck to you.
 
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