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Handloading enables you to experiment with the brass, the powder and the bullet, for maximum accuracy...assuming you are a target shooter...probably pointless if you just shoot a few animals...

Mike95

Hand loading can produce very accurate loads.
It can be cheaper in the long run - I shoot reduced pistol calibre loads for gallery target shooting so my powder stretches quite a decent way. Also I cast my own bullets as I have a large stock of lead that was donated to me. So thus far it's much cheaper in this respect.

There aren't many gun dealers near me so ammunition purchases tend to be in bulk and involve a few hours driving. So you could argue reloading is cheaper because it cuts out fuel and large expenses at a time. Mainly I do it because I enjoy it, it's more convenient, and more accurate - for the military calibres I reload for. I'm a bit of a geek and like playing around with tools and powders.

I don't shoot very much .22 ammo. This is because my centrefire hand loads cost less. This may not be the case for long, when I run out of Murom primers which are Russian and cost a lot less than others.
Fred

Dark Skies wrote:...and more accurate - for the military calibres I reload for.

It's why I have started. Mosin with chinese surplus was 2-3 foot groups at 200 yards.... Handloading has brought that down to around 3 inch groups at 200 yards. Just a shame it's with H4895 that we can't get anymore so I'll need to develop another load with a REACH compliant powder.

TRG-22 wrote:

dromia wrote:<Stuff which all makes perfect sense.>

*Twoddle about marmalade*
Unless people screwing up their face saying "(*£^$^'#@ me that's bitter" counts as "harm"

Mate, I don't think you get it. Your post comparison to marmalade either proves you don't get it or proves you are trolling.

I tend to lack the motivation to reload after work and find that I only tend to do it when I have time booked off work or a weekend when I'm not up at the range. Which when I am doing it is nice and relaxing. But when I shoot on the rare occasion using factory ammo, such as a calibre I dont own on a club rifle etc, I realise why I reload and wish I could reload for said calibre, so tend to quickly swap back to using my own rifle and its developed reloads.

RDC wrote:

TRG-22 wrote:

dromia wrote:<Stuff which all makes perfect sense.>

*Twoddle about marmalade*
Unless people screwing up their face saying "(*£^$^'#@ me that's bitter" counts as "harm"

Mate, I don't think you get it. Your post comparison to marmalade either proves you don't get it or proves you are trolling.

Mate, I don't think you get it. My post comparison to marmlade proves that I exactly get the difference between doing something where you enjoy the doing, and where you find the doing tedious but put up with the doing because you want the results. And that with the latter you risk becoming careless and starting to take shortcuts, and thereby ending up with a less than perfect result. Or you flout the "rules" because you want something different to what you get when you follow them.

And that whilst that doesn't matter with a fruit preserve, it sure as hell does with ammunition.


As for trolling, it's not me trying to pick a fight by misinterpreting what someone else has written.

I can't reload the calibres I reload, 7.62x54r and 7.62x39, cheaper than the price of milsurp ammunition (that said the price of milsurp has risen a lot) but it gives me more consistent and accurate ammunition and it means I'm not limited to the currently hit and miss availability of milsurp.

It is also very satisfying to reload and I find it rather therapeutic as well but a cost saving exercise it isn't.

RDC wrote:
It's why I have started. Mosin with chinese surplus was 2-3 foot groups at 200 yards.... Handloading has brought that down to around 3 inch groups at 200 yards

[/quote]

2-3ft at 200 yards!!!.......was it shot out? . Have you tried shimming the action?.

snayperskaya wrote:

RDC wrote:
It's why I have started. Mosin with chinese surplus was 2-3 foot groups at 200 yards.... Handloading has brought that down to around 3 inch groups at 200 yards

2-3ft at 200 yards!!!.......was it shot out? . Have you tried shimming the action?.[/quote]

It was a lot better with PPU than the Chinese surplus, but I struggled to get it for a while. That said, the PPU still doesn't group anywhere near as good as the handloads with 150gr Sierra pro hunters.