Asking the question was a kind of off the wall thought. I literally wore out 7 25-06s when it was still a Wildcat. And other calibers too with surplus 4831. I shot one or two deer and an antelope or so with handloads...oh and one Dall ram. otherwise for the most part I have used factory. And to be honest I shoot very few critters any longer. Just working up true hunting loads costs more than the benefit... for me that is. Varmint loads ARE a different story however. Have shot hundreds of deer but mostly with a shotgun or muzzle loaders. From the Eastern Shore of Md. Not much rifle shooting in my neck 'o the woods. I do work up loads with rifle and handgun. Most of it is for punching holes in paper. Asking the question on a reloading forum may have skewed the numbers a bit...LOL. As far as a large savings over factory ammo to shoot our annual deer or whatever sounds good but I doubt we save ALL that much. I am surprised that the numbers using reloaded ammo are so high. Thanks for the replies y'all. Keep 'em coming
This is a question I have on hunting with reloads
- Thread starter Skeet 028
- Start date
Cdog
Member
Economy wasn't what brought me into handloading. Accuracy is my number one priority.
As stated above, a good selection of factory fodder for calibers like the .257 Roberts and it's parent, the 7X57 weren't run of the mill offerings when I began loading.
No, saving money never was my objective. A better cartridge for my application is my reason to handload.
As stated above, a good selection of factory fodder for calibers like the .257 Roberts and it's parent, the 7X57 weren't run of the mill offerings when I began loading.
No, saving money never was my objective. A better cartridge for my application is my reason to handload.
AveragEd
Member
In my centerfire rifles, I shoot nothing but handloads with the exception of seasoning a new barrel - for that I use a box of factory loads so as not to waste my ammo. I shot an 8-point Whitetail last December with my .280 Ackley Improved using my handloads with a 140-grain Berger VLD.
I handload for accuracy first but started loading shotshells for the cost savings as I used to shoot 12,000 rounds per year. However, I realized that even with them it is possible to generate better ammo for my guns than factory loads, which work well in any gun but are not the best in any particular gun.
Ed
I handload for accuracy first but started loading shotshells for the cost savings as I used to shoot 12,000 rounds per year. However, I realized that even with them it is possible to generate better ammo for my guns than factory loads, which work well in any gun but are not the best in any particular gun.
Ed
Nemo288
Member
You ask this in a handloading forum? 
Only factory ammo I have bought in 30 years is a few self defense 44 special loads (that I immediately cloned) and the aforementioned .22LR.
I can't remember ever shooting anything with factory ammo (except those .22's).
I hope never to have to because that would be with the SD stuff I mentioned.
Only factory ammo I have bought in 30 years is a few self defense 44 special loads (that I immediately cloned) and the aforementioned .22LR.
I can't remember ever shooting anything with factory ammo (except those .22's).
I hope never to have to because that would be with the SD stuff I mentioned.
ArchAngelCD
Moderator, SWCA Member, Absent Comrade
Actually asking on the reloading forum is where you want to ask this question. You are asking how many of us use our reloads for hunting instead if just killing paper. If you asked elsewhere those who don't reload would have skewed the results. You did it right IMO.
Seriously, seven 25/06 barrels before 1969? Whose barrels were you using and how many rounds per barrel?
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Rpg
Member
I've used 270, 308 or 350 Remington mag hand loads for big game for the last 50+ years.
Qc Pistolero
Member
Same here....and for deer hunting in dense woods,I only shoot my own cast bullets in my 45-70!
Qc
Reloads
I have hunted almost every critter on the North American continent and almost all my ammo was reloads from Grizz in Alaska with a .375 H&H Hyem rifle to whitetail with a .243. Did the Alps with a 25-06 Tikki for Gams and Heirsch (red stag) and roebucks with the .243 Sako, shot a great mulie in WY with the 25-06. Attention to detail is a "MUST", not good to be 500 miles from the nearest WalMart or Cabelas because the round or rounds were not sized right. Reloads can be worked up to fit your rifle, but takes good records and lots of shooting. Reloading is a great part of our sport ! Enjoy!!!
I have hunted almost every critter on the North American continent and almost all my ammo was reloads from Grizz in Alaska with a .375 H&H Hyem rifle to whitetail with a .243. Did the Alps with a 25-06 Tikki for Gams and Heirsch (red stag) and roebucks with the .243 Sako, shot a great mulie in WY with the 25-06. Attention to detail is a "MUST", not good to be 500 miles from the nearest WalMart or Cabelas because the round or rounds were not sized right. Reloads can be worked up to fit your rifle, but takes good records and lots of shooting. Reloading is a great part of our sport ! Enjoy!!!
Hunting loads
Big game, small game, varmints, birds: hand loads. Only exception is rifled slugs for shotgun ( buy them five in a box and normally each slug = 1 deer), so one box of slugs will suffice for 2-3 seasons.
Big game, small game, varmints, birds: hand loads. Only exception is rifled slugs for shotgun ( buy them five in a box and normally each slug = 1 deer), so one box of slugs will suffice for 2-3 seasons.
Various barrel brands. And various actions. Bought my first 100 lb keg of 4831 for 70 dollars delivered railway express. Bought another a year later. I spent so much money on shooting stuff. To load a 25-06 with 87 gr bullets..size deprime..clean the case..re-prime dip into the powder fill the case to the base of the neck and seat a bullet. You can fill it half way up the neck and still be ok. loaded 220 243 25-06 270 and 06 with that powder. Perfect for all??...no but worked just fine in all. 25 and 270 were probably about optimal with 4831. I had a Ruger 77 in 25-06 that had almost 5000 rounds through it...Accuracy had kinda degraded a bit by then. guy that bought it loaded a "bit hotter" than me and really wore it out in another 800-900 rounds. I learned much rifle smithing doing those guns. I had 4 of them stocked by Herter's believe it or not. They did fair work on stocks at a very fair price. Still have one of those ol 03 actions laying on the shelf downstairs in the vault...still have a lathe..ought to fix me up another rifle..Heck also have a set of Redding 250 Sav Ackley Imp dies...now I might just have the juices flowing
daniel lawecki
Member
My guns don't see factory ammo ever! And all but two guns get cast .22K hornet and my 30/06 all big game get my cast bullets and my reloads.
Well the above is why I kinda wanted to keep this in rifle and handgun stuff. lots of people load for shotgun hunting. Doves quail even waterfowl..pigeons. You can make shotgun shells that are almost comparable to factory ammo for many types of hunting....and also some you can't or no longer are able to get. I must say I feel factory shotshell ammo is regressing in quality and utility. A shotshell is a bit less precision piece of equipment than rifle and pistol ammo. And we shoot much more shotshells and more birds(most of us also miss more). Because we had a business shooting pigeons I reloaded shotshells constantly... good ones
USSR
Member
I use reloads for everything. Plus, all my handgun loads use bullets I cast.
Don
Don
I just got a shock I would never have foreseen. Someone forwarded an advertisement from a company that sells much shotshell reloading items. I do shoot a duck or two so looked at their non-toxic shot.. Some of that shot costs a bit more than 20 dollars a pound!! 20 dollars a pound!!?? And people actually buy that stuff?? . Even loading an ounce of shot per shell it will cost more than a dollar and a quarter per shell. Just for the shot. plus shipping to get it to you. After guiding waterfowl hunters all those years..holy cow..each duck would be costing 6 dollars or more each just for the shot used today! Kept kinda sketchy records for a couple of years and it averaged about 4 shells per bird...on good days. plus shells for cripples. I loaded steel 6's for cripples. or we bought steel trap loads for the purpose. Wow..and I though premium bullets like Accubonds were expensive!
Frank237
Absent Comrade
The only factory ammo I can recall hunting with was some Federal 300 gr .375 H&H I took to RSA years ago. It shot great from my M-70 and I simply did not have time to work up loads before we left. The .280 rem I took DID have my own loads.
Next trip over my .338-06 and the same .280 also came along, both with my hand loads.
Other than that....Always use my own loads. DO shoot a few wildcats though ; .280 AI, .338-06, .257 Robt's AI ..... so I must load for those.
Next trip over my .338-06 and the same .280 also came along, both with my hand loads.
Other than that....Always use my own loads. DO shoot a few wildcats though ; .280 AI, .338-06, .257 Robt's AI ..... so I must load for those.
AveragEd
Member
Actually, factory ammo as well as new brass in .280AI has been available from Nosler since 2010. But your point is well-made.
Ed
Ed
Reloads in all, including shotguns. Shot shell for dove to geese, 20, 12 and 10 guage. Rifle from 460 Weatherby, 340 Weatherby, 300 Weatherby, 257 Weatherby, 06, 308, 264 Win, 22-250, 284 Win, 348 Win. All handgun from 44 to 22 Jet. Never hunted with a factory round.
