Factory Loads

[Bucksnort1]

Reloaders, I was in an email discussion with one of the Firing Line's members about shooting other peoples' loads when it dawned on me, we shoot someone else's loads when we shoot factory loads.

Any comments?

[jmr40]

I'd shoot handloads loaded by someone who I trusted to know what they are doing. Not from just anyone who may, or may not be reputable. Factory loads are not perfect, you find defective ammo from time to time, but they have too much at stake to not try very hard to prevent this.

And if a defective factory load causes damage or injury it is a lot easier to see that the situation is made right.

[TailGator]

Factory loads also have a history of people using them successfully. Most of them you don't know, probably, but the product and the manufacturer each has a track record. Bubba selling ammo from a card table at the local gun show has no track record.

[DaleA]

Well I don't know what goes on at Federal here in the Twin Cities but I'm pretty sure who ever is loading up my .270 Winchester ammo isn't watching American Idol on the TV while he reloads or stops the run to go get another beer or has a room mate that 'pulls the handle a couple of times to see what it does' while the real reloader is going to the bathroom.

Also Federal probably has a team that checks the bullets, cases and powder (all the components actually) before they assemble them and they are probably NOT going to say 'close enough' and they probably have a team that checks the finished product too.

That said there still are ammo glitches from even the biggest and best ammo manufacturers but I like my odds better with them than an individual I don't know.

[745SW]

Generally you should not use someone elses handloads. Just a matter of whom you trust.

[Oysterboy]

I'm sure the factory lines have electronic eyes to watch for abnormalities.

[Bucksnort1]

All, thanks for the replies. I agree the U.S. mfgs have very tight quality controls.

Jmr40 brings up a good point about trusting other re-loaders.

[Will-j]

Years ago, I loaded for a couple friends/fellow shooters for pistol which I knew to be able to handle the loads.

Then, I found that one of them was giving some of the loads to someone else to shoot in a gun which was not rated for +P (I followed strict loading data from the manual for +P loads).

Since my info was on the boxes, should the SHTF and damage the other gun, It would have been my @ss on the line.........Rude awakening, but very clear. No more loading for anyone else's guns. One - PI$$ED-off buddy.....until someone else started loading for him and ended up damaging his gun.
25+yrs. later...still don't load for anyone else. I'll give 'em my data for my guns, but they load for theirs at their own risk.

WILL

[Gunplummer]

I had an experience like TailGator described. I was at a large Gun show and one shop had table full of handloaded new component hard to get ammo. I bought a box of .22 HiPower and it was loaded so hot the lever stuck on my 99. Never again. Since then I have heard no end to reloading horror stories, and believe most of them.

[Brotherbadger]

Bubba selling ammo from a card table at the local gun show has no track record.

Not to mention that if something goes wrong, bubba won't be around to replace your gun. Licensed manufacturers will.

[TimSr]

There are also companies that make and sell remanufactured ammo.

[Gunplummer]

The heck with them too!

[Oysterboy]

I have a value box of 100 40sw 165s reloaded by Parabellum Research (pbrammo.com) and they are charged less than standard.

I never shot them before but I think they'll be ok.

[44 AMP]

LICENSED ammo makers (new and remanufactured) are in business. They have standards, and they have INSURANCE.

They make some pretty good ammo. They don't make the best ammo possible for YOUR GUN, but they try hard to make the best ammo practical for all guns in each caliber.

I was at a large Gun show and one shop had table full of handloaded new component hard to get ammo. I bought a box of .22 HiPower and it was loaded so hot the lever stuck on my 99. Never again.

In cases like this, the safe route is buy the ammo, and pull it down for the brass and bullets. It may have been "safe" in their test gun (assuming they have one, or even do that step) or it may have been a listed load somewhere that they just assembled without any testing. WE can't know.

And, yes, every horror story you have heard of probably has happened to someone. At a gun show one time, I found 6 boxes of "factory" .45 Win Mag ammo. I checked, 2 of them were. The other 4 were reloads in factory boxes. The seller thought they were all factory, that's what he was told when he got them. Actually opening the boxes and looking at the brass would have shown him otherwise, but who does that, right???

I do. Pointed out to him (once I found the first one) how the cases had clear signs of resizing. He was embarrassed, and a little ticked at the guy he got them from, by way of apology, he gave the 4 boxes of reloads at a cut rate price, for reloads.

AS a caution, if you find "factory" ammo at a gun show, and the factory box looks a little old, or shows more than just a bit of handling, check the rounds inside carefully. I put reloads back in factory boxes, myself, and usually labels of what it really I put on the inside.

So someone else doing that, or even not including a new label (cause they know what it is) can happen, and some of that could easily wind up a show. I've gotten ammo like that from estate sales. One time I found 8mm Mauser reloads neatly packed inside Marlboro cigarette boxes....

literally anything is possible...

[Catfish King]

My brother loads his own ammo, and his loads are the only non-factory made ammo I'll shoot. I also use after market barrels made for higher pressures, so I am not worried about kabooms more so than accurate and consistent performance.