I am going to a gun show this weekend and am wondering if its a good idea to buy some reloaded ammo just like for target shooting with my AR? It always seems like the booth that sells it is always busy so im hoping that is a good sign.

IMO and many others the answer to your question is NO. If you want to know why just Google "gun show reloads".

BTW, if you want to blow up an AR15 like a small nuclear explosion all you have to do is make the mistake of using 24 grains of a fast handgun powder such as Titegroup instead of a much slower powder such as CFE223. Now suppose your reloader has a bad habit of keeping multiple bottles of powder on his reloading bench. In addition suppose your reloader enjoys a beer or three while he is reloading. So, do you really want to purchase reloads at a gun show from someone operating out of a basement or garage? If you want cheap ammo for target shooting just look for Wolf Gold at that gun show. It probably won't cost any more than those reloads and it's a commercially produced ammunition made in a factory with real quality control personel.

I would have to say ^^^this^^^. And, oh yeah, ^^^this^^^.

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The Penetration Channel

you could try asking some of the folks you see buy from them, if they have purchased from the re-loader before, how were they etc..

And perhaps holler at some folks at other tables/area's,. seems most often folks all know each other (sellers) at most shows, and will know who to avoid, who is new etc..

Eagle Ammo near me sells re-loads, and has a GREAT reputation..
They are not exactly a single guy doing it in his basement either though..

see if he/they? have a company card, that you can do a quick google search on?

All that said, if it were just some random dude selling re loads he did out of his house solo, I'd be VERY hesitant, if it were me..

these cats sell re loads.. but like i say, were not talking about some dude setting in his basement possibly throwing back a few cold ones while doing the work..
American Eagle Consulting, Inc.!!

General rule of thumb is to never shoot somebody else's reloads. Too many ways to screw up and make unsafe loads for me to ever trust a load from an unknown source. When I shoot handloads (which is all the time) they are my own and I know exactly what's in them and how they were assembled.

I think there's a difference between a company that sells "remanufactured" (informal term - but if used - it implies to me a more structured/formal loading process). That might be ok. I've seen and bought - many years ago - rounds from outfits like this.

But if it's some Bubba who has a Dillon or something and cranks out a bunch in his basement so he can make some dough at a show: No way.

I know a number of people who reload. I'll only shoot rounds made by one of them. All others I pass.

The only reloaded ammo I have purchased that I have faith in and trust is from Georgia Arms.

Almost every kaboom I've ever heard of was traced back to gun show reloads or gun show powder deals. I load my own, but only with powder bought at brick and mortar stores.

Remanufactured - Yes
Reloaded - No

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They are the biggest vendor of reman ammo in the south

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an actual conservative

If its remanufactured do they have to put it back in the original manufacture packaging?

Remanufactured ammo is just commercially reloaded ammo... They use once fired brass and reload it on a commercial scale, with more automated equipment and more QC than a guy at his reloading bench.

Remanufactured ammo would not be packaged in factory new packaging.

Remanufactured maybe. Reloaded by a individual only if I know them personally and can vouch for their ability. Way to many wingnuts out there to take that risk.

While at my local indoor range yesterday I noticed a green piece of duct tape on the plexiglass(?) that separates the firing lane from the next one.The hole under the the tape was about an inch in dia and went clear through.There were also several chips in the glass around the hole.It was far back in the station and about shoulder high.I asked the range officer what had happened since it was not there when I visited last week.

I was told it was from an AR that blew out from the right side while using the shooter's own reloaded .223 ammo.He said part of the bolt made the hole.

That's all the info I know.I don't know which upper and lower or how the reloads were made.

The shooter was not injured since the blowout went to the right away from his face.

It was the shooters weapon,not a range rental that would have required the use of factory ammo sold by the range.

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NEVER GIVE UP YOUR GUN

Amen.

I am a forensic engineer (which means I know accidents and how they happen) and an accountant (which means I like procedures and keeping records). I reload using a 21-step checklist (with a quality check at the conclusion of each step) where every step is verified and documented and the documents retained with the reloaded ammunition. I have faith in the quality of my reloads, but I don't extend that faith to others.

I don't sell my reloads. I don't give them away. And if someone comes to visit me, I will let then use my reloads, but only after they sign a release of liability.

I only know one other person whose reloads I would trust. We learned reloading together and developed the system of checks and safeguards that has allowed us to load thousands of rounds with (so far) zero failures, but every other reloader I personally know does things (like drink while reloading) or takes shortcuts (having more than one type of powder or primer on the bench at a time) that scare me so I don't think the small savings of gun show reloads would be worth the risk.

That's why every range I know of in my area refuses to allow reloaded ammunition.

And since I only shoot what I load myself (excepting the first magazine on a new gun so in case there's a problem the manufacturer can't blame my reloads), that means I have to drive 9 hours to my retirement property where I have set up a private range to do my shooting.

I refuse to use ammo reloaded by anyone but myself. I'm the only one I really trust.

The Gun Control Act of 1964 made it illegal to sell reloaded or remanufactured ammunition without the appropriate federal license. Gone are the days when you could reload for your buddies and earn a bit of pin money. To get the license, you would also need a place of business, insurance, together with the local licenses. Ain't worth it unless you plan to do it commercially. So, those gun show bubbas could be in for some serious legal issues should anyone start nosing around.

What ranges don't allow reloads in our area? I don't know of any that have restrictions against reloads... only ammo restriction that I have seen is no FMJ.

Seriously? There are ranges that don't allow the most common ammo on the planet? Did you mean steel core?

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No, I mean FMJ... outside ranges that have been in existence for years and home developers decided to build houses behind the range... progress!

That's insane. What are they afraid of? I mean, I understand the potential over penetration of steel core stuff, but what can FMJ do that's so bad? Any backstop I've ever heard of will stop it.

So what do you shoot? Hard cast? What about these?:

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Have to shoot soft points or hollow points. They are afraid that the FMJ can ricochet outside of the range, potentially skip off the berm and carry over it.

At the range I shoot at most often, there is a dump behind the range, and then houses beyond that. A couple of years ago, a man was hit with a .22lr round while mowing his yard and he claimed it came from the range... it would be a heroic shot for this to happen, as it is a mile from the bench to his yard, and the range is lower than the dump. Kids shooting rats in the dump is more likely...

The media also claimed rounds were coming from the range and hitting houses in the neighborhood. They even showed the brass from a round that hit a house... yep, that AK must have thrown that brass a mile!

Seriously? This is going to be harsh, but it is what it is. Just because you see the table is busy is not an indicator that reloaded ammunition is safe. You could just be observing a gaggle of numb nuts all doing the same stupid thing. There's something called critical thinking skills. USE THEM. THINK THIS STUFF THROUGH.

There are three types of reloaded ammo.

1. Reloaded ammo that you loaded yourself. Since you have a personal vested interest in not only keeping your firearm intact, but also your hands, eyes, face, and anything else shrapnel can tear up, you have incentive to be OCD about the quality of ammo produced. You produce an out of spec round, it's your darn fault for not paying attention to every step of the reloading process and implementing quality control steps. I know this first hand.

2. Commercially remanufactured ammo. A Federally Licensed, registered business, that is bonded and insured, uses commercial machinery to load ammunition. They also have automated quality control and human quality control inspections. Ammunition is sold with production lot codes printed on the box/container just like factory new ammo. If you experience firearms catastrophic failure and/or physical injury and the root cause is determined to be faulty out of spec ammunition, you have legal recourse for financial remediation.

3. Ammunition made by some stranger who purchased a table at a gun show. He doesn't have a registered business. He just cranks out rounds on his home reloading equipment to make a few bucks. If you experience catastrophic firearms failure and/or physical injury and the root cause is determined to be faulty out of spec ammunition, good luck finding that guy and proving he made/sold you anything. You just trusted your safety to some unknown stranger out to make a buck.


The only reloads I shoot are reloads I made myself. I will shoot commercially remanufactured ammunition from established, well-known businesses such as Freedom Munitions. I will never shoot some ammunition cranked out by some dude who bought a table at a gun show.

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-John

Here is the result of a causal chain of screw ups from a round of .357 Magnum I hand loaded.

This beautiful Taurus M66:



Became this nightmare that I was lucky to have walked away from with a scratch on my hand.

• Was not paying 100% attention.
• Chasing max charge / max power.
• Not enough QC checks integrated into my reloading process.

Blew the top strap off. Halved the cylinder. Shrapnel blew mostly upward. Shrapnel lodged itself into the lane ceiling. Lane dividers caught shrapnel that blew sideways. My safey glasses took a hit that would have made me blind. I was lucky to walk away. I was even more fortunate not to have injured anyone else on the firing line.

Reloaded ammo is no joke. If I can let this happen to me with my own reloaded ammo, what vested interest could some stranger have in my own safety and well being? Absolutely none.

This was first and hopefully only time I make this series of mistakes.

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-John

Thanks for those pics and the story Japes. It is good for us to check ourselves from time to time.

Guns are dangerous. This is a simple fact. Using a gun, for any purpose, is a series of accepted risks. Those risks include trust in many sources. Trust in the ammo manufacturer. Trust in the gun manufacturer. Trust in the target. Trust in the back stop. Trust in the skill of the shooter. The list goes on and on. Most of us never think of all the risk associated with shooting a gun.

Reloads just add to the risk.


One thing that bothers me is this:

• Chasing max charge / max power.

Why do we do this? What's the advantage of trying to get the last millibar of pressure out of a load?

My father-in-law told me once, "Yeah, I was reloading back in the day. I had a [insert gun brand] that I reloaded for. I pushed those loads as hard as I could and that thing would really bark!" I will never shoot a round that he's reloaded.

I've known a few people to bleed from their reloads. Fortunately I don't personally know anyone who was seriously dismembered or died. Still, the statistics are in, max loads don't give us any advantage. Even factory +P is a mystery to me, but they sell it by the millions of rounds. +P+ is just ludicrous.

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