Ever see handloads outdone by factory loads?

[juk]

When I started reloading for my 308, I picked a single bullet that I wanted to use (165 Sierra Gameking), a single powder (4064), and a single case (Hornady). I just wanted to get my feet wet and felt that sticking with the same components would keep things consistent. I worked up a favorable load with adequate performance and accuracy( 1 MOA), and let it be.

I had tried various factory offerings in all sorts of bullet weights. Even had someone let me load a few generic reloads using 150 ballistic tips. Nothing I tried did any better than 1.5" at 100, so I was pleased with being able to work up my own loads and get better accuracy than any factory loads that I had tried.

Almost all of my Hornady cases are showing their age, many on their 5th loadings, and I figured I would just buy a few boxes of Hornady Superformance 308. This stuff claims 3000 fps out of a 24" barrel and uses a 150 SST. I figured I would try a few at the range and see how well they grouped.

The dang things bugholed at 100 yards. I'm not talking about the holes being 1/2 inch from each other. They literally just enlarged the previous hole. And to make matters worse, they shoot like a laser compared to my mid-level handloads. And insult to injury, they hit the 350 yard steel target with more authority than I had ever seen my loads do. There was absolutely no doubt about a hit. You could hear the bullet impact even with other people firing right beside of me.

I guess the whole thing just has me slightly ruffled. I had been thinking about working up a load with a 150 grain bullet and a different powder for a few months now, just to see what it would do. I guess I will shoot what I have loaded, prep all of the brass, and start working up a new load. Sure, my existing load will work absolutely fine, but...the whole reason I justified reloading to myself was for better accuracy. And now that my pride is on the line, I at least have to try. Lol So much for shooting the factory stuff just to get the brass.

Anyone else have a similar experience? Sorry for the long post. I just can't let this one slide. In fact, I am planning on going back soon just to make sure it wasn't a fluke.

 

[BP44]

I have seen some pretty shoddy reloads and even produced my share of them I would suggest copy the load that you are interested in and experiment with powder,primers, and OAL's as that is the real reason for handloading. Also be sure to listen to what your gun is telling ya, if it favors a bullet weight or powder, load some up and see what they will do.

 

[Powderman]

Yep!

I'm still trying to find a load that will equal the performance in my rifles of the 175 grain Gold Medal Match in .308.

 

[Striker Fired]

When a person doesn't really try too hard to find a load that their rifle likes,then it is easy to see how a factory load can shoot better,especialy nowadays when the factories are putting out some really good ammo.When I started in the late eighties,the factory choices were not that great.They just got the job done thats it , so handloading was the best option for good groups and being able to use any bullet you wanted. Now it is more for saving money as the benifit,with some good loads that may/may not beat some of the factory offerings.

 

[David Wile]

Hey folks,

When it comes to regular off the shelf "hunting" cartridges sold at the local sporting goods store, I have never found one that I could not improve group size just by accurately weighing each charge. If you are talking about buying Match ammo somewhere, that is a different story. Match ammo will also have weighed charges and Match bullets that are closer in weight than regular factory ammo as well as regular factory bullets. If you want to beat Match ammo, then you are going to have to go further and use Match bullets. As a reloader, you can also go further by tweaking your cases and other special treatments commonly done by bench rest shooters who can go to great lengths to make ultimate ammo.

If you are talking about regular store bought ammo, it still isn't as consistant as what you can do at home. If you want to talk about factory Match ammo, that can be a whole lot better, but where do you get it, and how much do you pay for it?

Reloading on a progressive press can contribute to less accurate loads than when you use a balance beam scale to weigh each charge. Progressive press load are more likely to be comparable to the regular factory ammo. Nothing wrong with progressive press loads just like there is nothing wrong with regular factory ammo. It all depends on what results you want as to how far you are willing to go to get a smaller shot group.

Best wishes,
Dave Wile

 

[helotaxi]

Reloading on a progressive press can contribute to less accurate loads than when you use a balance beam scale to weigh each charge. Progressive press load are more likely to be comparable to the regular factory ammo. Nothing wrong with progressive press loads just like there is nothing wrong with regular factory ammo. It all depends on what results you want as to how far you are willing to go to get a smaller shot group.

And lots of high level competition shooters load on a progressive with thrown charges. It all depends on how the press is set up. Bullet runout and neck tension have proven more important to consistent loads than making sure every powder charge is exactly the same weight.

 

[41 Mag]

I have a little Ruger in .308 that for the life of me, I haven't been able to beat standard ol Remington Green label CL factory loads. It doesn't really hurt my feeleing or at least it didn't until the prices went through the roof. I used to get them for around $10 per box and after deer season would catch them on sale and buy up a dozen or so boxes which were all stockpiled for hog hunting. Now that they are close to $20, I have worked up a similar load but the factory still shoots great.

I have seen the Hornady shoot great in several other folks rifles as well. One friend in particular simply gave up on loading for two of his rifles as it shot so well he said it simply wasn't worth it to load for them only shooting a hand full of rounds per season.

So yes I think some of the newer factory stuff has come a LONG way compared to what it was 10 or so years back. Also like mentioned, most serious handloaders can work up just as accurate or even more so in a lot of cases than factory loaded rounds. Sometimes however, the intended use, or cost of components, or time to do so, can dictate just how much effort they actually want to put forth.

 

[kelbro]

Yes, I have found some factory ammo that makes load development seem like a waste of time. One example is 30-30 ammo. You may be able to improve on factory but is it enough to worry about?

Load development is fun for me. Challenging. More practice. Cheaper. But for a rifle that you might only shoot 5 rounds per year, factory ammo that shoots well may be the answer. Especially if it shoots like what was described in the OP.

 

[Jasper1573]

Yep, the factory ammo, especially the Federal Gold Medal Match variety, shoot really well. I have a friend who can shoot the FGMM in the 168 grain configuration and achieve sub-MOA all day long out to 300 yards from his DPMS AR-10 in .308 Win.

But he does better with reloads.

 

[243winxb]

Factory can be more accurate than a handload, if the components you choose to load are not compatible. Different powder burn rates may make a big difference with a given bullet weight. I suggest staying within the same brand/make of powder when going up or down in burn rate.

 

[jcwit]

I do a lot of reloading and non competition bench shooting. Over the years I've had many loads that could easily been surpassed with just about any factory ammo. But in the end I've developed loads that far surpass any factory loads.

If you're still in doubt, ask any benchrest shooter how many matches he's won with factory ammo!

 

[gamestalker]

Ditto, I have not found a factory I can't out perform with my reloads, which by the way is the primary reason I began relaoding 30+ years ago!

 

[Muttt]

First thing is to figure out what you rifle likes to eat. It may prefer 168 gr or 175 gr over the 150's. That's pretty much up to your rifle and there's not much you can do about it. But, once you do find a factory load that your rifle likes, then you can break down that load and use the same bullets. Then it's just a matter of finding the right powder and figuring out what load and what FPS your rifle likes. Then ...... factory loads won't be able to touch your handloads.

Besides, by trying different kinds and weights of factory ammo you can build yourself up a nice batch of once fired cases.

 

[James2]

Hard to say since I haven't shot any factory rifle ammo in many years. I use my rifles for hunting and shoot just enough paper to work up satisfactory loads. When I get the load I want, who cares what factory loads can do? I know what my reloads can do.

 

[ranger335v]

"Ever see handloads outdone by factory loads? "

Yeah, in fact it happens more often than not; highly precise loads that are wrong for the firearm won't do very good.

Many of us obsess with precision weighing of charges (and OAL) as precise as we can get them. In fact, some guys pay hundreds for scales that weigh to .01 gr. as if it matters but it's well documented that a properly developed charge is quite tolerant of modest differences in powder weight. (And OAL too.)

 

[juk]

I was just really surprised to see results like that from a gun that pretty much won't do much better than 2 MOA with most factory ammo. Like I said, if it keeps shooting like that, I will start building up a new load. Probably just use the 150 SST, go with a more temperature stable powder than 4064, and start tinkering.

 

[RustyFN]

Ever see handloads outdone by factory loads?

Good question, I don't have an answer. I bought three boxes of WWB 9mm when I bought my first gun. I started reloading after that and haven't bought factory ammo since. Every pistol and rifle I have bought since then has never seen factory ammo.