[AsSeenOnTV]

Originally Posted by JonM

handloads are typically much higher quality consistancy wise than factory ammo.

.......if you keep them in the same lot numbers. If you reload and then mix all your brass together, the consistency in accuracy kinda falls off.

[robocop10mm]

Huh? Have you actually reloaded ammo? With a little case prep like uniforming the primer pockets and deburring the flash holes you can exceed the accuracy of factory ammo quite easily. "Lot" numbers have little or nothing to do with it. If you use one brand of brass you will have excellent accuracy potential.

[tri70]

Bench rest shooters will weigh the brass, trim the necks inside and out, check volume capacity, ect. I hunt with low end rifles, bolts and mini 14, I trim to size, load by book loads, test bullet performance redneck style, look for stuff on sale.

[Shade]

Originally Posted by kymike

Can I reload factory ammo? I have been keeping the spent casings from my rifle.

Boxer primed brass casing can be reloaded.

[Shade]

Originally Posted by jjfuller1

nickel plated, steel, and berdan primed are not reloadable.

JJ,

Nickle plated brass can be reloaded.

[c3shooter]

Go over to Amazon or Alibris website- look for a copy of The ABCs of Reloading. Fairly cheap book. Should be the first thing you buy for reloading. Once you have read the book, THEN you can shop for equipment. Suggest a single stage press for starters. You can also shop on line auctions for used reloading dies. Will cut the price sharply.

[cottontop]

I agree with C3, but will add: find an RCBS Rockchucker press on the bay. I got mine for less than half of what they cost new. Nothing wrong with buying a used quality press. They never wear out and will last forever. You will not be disappointed with the Rockchucker. You can perform any reloading task you can dream up on it. I form brass from other brass with it. Some single stage presses just don't have the camming action to do it.
cotton top

[gunnut07]

Originally Posted by tri70

Bench rest shooters will weigh the brass, trim the necks inside and out, check volume capacity, ect. I hunt with low end rifles, bolts and mini 14, I trim to size, load by book loads, test bullet performance redneck style, look for stuff on sale.

For my bench guns I group all my cases by .1 gr incraments (Buying Laupa brass helps me in this). I also will buy primers by the 10k and call my order in to make sure I can get that many in the same lot. Never had a problem. I have my dies cut by the rifle's smith from barrel stock with the exact same tools used to cut my chamber. I use a $370 Harrell Culver powder measure and Load one at a time on my arbor press. I also buy custom bullets by small time makers I also weigh each powder charge 2 times on 2 different scales. My reloading bench has a granite top because it is less prone to environmental conditions, my reloading bench is supported by 8x8 legs and the framing is all 2x10 construction and it is bolted to my 12" concrete floor and I check level of the bench every time I load on it. I have one press I use to load plinking and varmint hunting ammo and it is mounted with 3/4" hardened steel plate custom designed and built press stand. I don't use digital scales and I lock the door when I load for my bench guns. I trim meplats and spend hours on case prep trimming, turning case necks, measuring, and annealing with my Ballistic edge case annealing machine. I also spend plenty of time checking case run out bullet run out OAL and I take notes on everything when shooting. I record wind speed direction, humidity, temp, cloud cover sun position, time of day, time of year, and in many cases the tide as well. I try to remove all variables from my bench loads except for me the shooter. I don't drink any caffeine with in 3 days of a shoot I only eat specific food the day of a match I make sure and only drink water and make sure I am well hydrated. That is nothing, I know some crazy cookie bunch rest shooters. We tend to be an odd bunch. .01" increase in group size warrants a new barrel. I have many times only loaded brass 1 time then tossed it because I didn't like the way it performed.

Shoot I tried turning my own cases out of brass bar stock and forming them myself once. Took too long and didn't yield the results I was looking for.

[AsSeenOnTV]

.................

[gunnut07]

Originally Posted by AsSeenOnTV

Huh? Have you actually shot what you have reloaded? Every munitions factory sets their machines to a 'universal tolerance to make said brass. There is slight differences to these 'universal tolerances' in each of these different casings. Some have thicker walls near the bottom, some are more uniform all the way up, but each of them are measurable differences. This even can be between lot numbers. Although they may seem of little or no significance to you, they do have affect on chamber pressures, which 'greatly' changes the path the bullet takes, down wind.

Been reloading a LONG dang time. Does it make a difference in some of my guns sure when you are talking about a $5k custom built bench rifle that has a tight chamber and a tight neck that requires turning. Sure it does.

For a factory deer rifle that is cranked out by the millions from Remington, Savage, Hoaw, Ect.... no not really. They have more tolerance built into them.

I'm with robo on this one. Plus if you are talking about pistol ammo. Please I get great accuracy out of my 45acp reloads I crank out by the thousand with a Dillon 1050. I reload 2k 45acps at a time by just yanking the lever on that sucker for a little over an hour. I use what ever brass I can pick up from the range. I have shoot everything from federal to starline to stuff I don't even know the name of in my 1911 and it feeds shoots and acts fine.