Re: At What Time Is ReLoading The Only Way To Go???
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: BallCoeff.606</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
Secondly, I would assume that the manufactures of 'match grade' ammo are aware enough of the effects of powder chemistry and volume variation that they would tend to use consistent charges across a particular batch. Is that a wrong assumption? Are you stating that commercial match grade ammo is inconsistent from one round to the next, or that you would never know what it's POI is for one reason or another, or what?</div></div>
It's a $$ vs. return thing.
No matter how you look at it, commercial "match" ammo comes from a factory. They're not paying someone to weigh every charge before the bullet is seated. They are not inspecting every piece of brass.
I make my ammo by hand. Every round is as consistent as my equipment will allow. There's little question that if they had this level of dedication, commercial manufacturers would make better ammo than I could ever make (although it would not be fitted to my rifle like my ammo is).
If they did this, we'd be paying $5-6 per round of .308 for this type of service. They'd be unable to deliver such quality much cheaper than that.
I can get that same quality for 50 cents a round or so. My ammo is better because, if for no other reason, I'm able to make more consistent ammo.
Load development is another story and yes, there are gains to be had there, but the first step is reducing the variance. The last time I chronoed my .308 loads, the standard deviation was a single digit number. How many factory loads are capable of that level of consistency?
I've never observed that level of performance from any factory load. Perhaps I'm measuring the wrong samples, but for me, load development is a two step process--reducing variation and maximizing velocity, and then hunting for accuracy.
No factory can do that for me, and even if all I did was the former (make safe, consistent ammo), I'd still be dollars ahead. Nevermind the fact that my ammo is cheaper still.
So, even if all I did was put the same amount of powder in every case and worked up a load with minimal variance, I'd be ahead of anything that I can buy at any price. That's before I even mess with seating depth and build a load that is precisely what I want.
Shooting factory ammo in anything you expect accuracy from is a waste of time in my opinion. The only way I'd ever do it is if I was trying to maximize the accuracy of a rimfire cartridge, and even then, I'd view the ammo as the biggest challenge for finding accuracy.
The fact of the matter is that we're not reinventing the wheel here. Pick a bullet that fits your twist rate, pick one of a half dozen or more powders that will give you the velocity you want, work up a load and then fit it to the rifle. Chances are, you'll find that it's more accurate than anything on any shelf anywhere...simply because your quality control is much better when you're not paying yourself anything and your time, within reason, is free.
