factory ammo vs. handloads

[motg9_6]

heres alittle info i found yesterday while playing in the man shack.
Remington Core-Lokt factory ammo 175 grn
pulled 8 bullets and weighed powder and bullets to see exactly what i was getting and to determine if i wanted to just pull bullets and save the powder and bullets for later date plinking.
results:   bullet weight grains              powder weightgrains
#1              174.6                                             64.7
#2              174.5                                             65.9
#3              175.7                                             66.1
#4              175.5                                             66.4
#5              175.2                                             66.2
#6              175.2                                             64.9
#7              175.5                                             66.2
#8              175.7                                             66.2
  and this is why i reload.    its not really that much cheaper these days but reults are everything. I figures i would save the powder and bullets in case some day im unalbe to get my regular stuff!!

[jackelope]

It would be interesting to see what your bullets of choice weigh individually.

Those core-lokts are on the inexpensive end of the spectrum so I'd expect inconsistent results I guess.

[carpsniperg2]

Sometimes it really amazes me. It gets better with better brands but the remington has always been crazy. I pulled 5 in the 270 winchester and there was a 3 grain spread. I would toss the powder since you don't know what brand it is for reloading data. The bullets would be fine and cases of course.

[NW-GSP]

Reloading is still cheaper. You are creating a far superior cartridge when reloading.

You can't compare the cheapest stuff in the stores to your reloads when your reloads are a much better quality product.

[motg9_6]

plan on averaging the power at 66 grn for a factory load 175 grn bullet (will be keeping powders seperate and labled when dumping)
 ive been weighing our berger 168 grn vlds they have been within .02 of 168 grns. havent checked my noslers yet.  always thought core-lokt to be ok cheaper ammo but it explains the occassional flyer.

[Taco280AI]

Anyone try pulling Nosler ammo? Curious how it compares since I get great accuracy from it.

[motg9_6]

agreed

[C-Money]

  Glad I reload! Its a good feeling knowing the powder goes from my scale into the case, all the same weight.

[jackelope]

 Not a reloader so don't call me a dummy but how much difference does .5-1 grain weight difference really make? Big difference or a "you have to be OCD to notice" difference??

[kentrek]

start sending some of those core locks threw a chrono...these results explain why you shouldn't be shooting over 300 yards with some factory ammo 

[Feanix]

Not a reloader so don't call me a dummy but how much difference does .5-1 grain weight difference really make? Big difference or a "you have to be OCD to notice" difference??

When I was tuning my current load for my .270, the difference on average group size of the load that was 1gr difference from my final load was almost 3". Half a grain was over an inch larger average group.

[snowpack]

Not a reloader so don't call me a dummy but how much difference does .5-1 grain weight difference really make? Big difference or a "you have to be OCD to notice" difference??

Could be huge, especially with smaller cartridges where a 1 grain gain is a much larger change in percentage of powder.  Also, the geometries of certain powders will give more of a change.  Some will be light flakes and you are adding a lot of small flakes to make up that extra grain, some will be cylindrical and could only be a few pieces.

[Three_Oh_Eight]

The best part about reloading is being to pick the bullet YOU want at the weight YOU want and find a load that shoots well in YOUR rifle.  You might be able to find factory ammo with the bullets you want, but you can't change any other variables. 

[6x6in6]

Anyone try pulling Nosler ammo? Curious how it compares since I get great accuracy from it.

From a reloading and not a pulling assessment, I have yet to find a weight variance greater than .03.  The .03 was in a box of 180 gr ballistic tips for .30 cal.
In spot checks over the 30+ years, the norm in weight variance is .02.   Partitions primarily are what I use.
This is for .25, 270, 280, 284, .30 and 338.
I used to be really anal early on and weigh every 175gr Partition for my 7mmRM.  I quit trying to find a problem and just check 6-8 in each new box I buy now.

[Fl0und3rz]

Not a reloader so don't call me a dummy but how much difference does .5-1 grain weight difference really make? Big difference or a "you have to be OCD to notice" difference??

Could be huge, especially with smaller cartridges where a 1 grain gain is a much larger change in percentage of powder.  Also, the geometries of certain powders will give more of a change.  Some will be light flakes and you are adding a lot of small flakes to make up that extra grain, some will be cylindrical and could only be a few pieces.

To expound on what one said regarding a load "tuned" to your barrel, if the factory load happens to be "tuned" to the barrel, small variations in powder charge may not make much of a difference, for a hunting load over moderate hunting distances. If not, then such small changes could be quite a difference.  See discussions of ladder tests and determining the node(s) of particular load combinations.  The adverse results should be magnified with smaller powder charges of smaller cartridges.

As far as bullet weight variations go, I would expect that the same could be said for bullet weight variations, but with a somewhat dampened effect (1 grain of 178 grains is about .5%, whereas 1 grain of 66 grains is 1.5%, even though you probably cannot make a straight comparison due to the different effects that such variations bring about in the delivery of the bullet out of the bore). 

Consistency is the key to accuracy. 

[jaymark6655]

Not that suprised.  I found about the same thing when I ripped apart some Fusions, and I thought that was a pretty high end round considering what they cost.  I just took the average and loaded the powder back in, improved the grouping I was getting with that round, but convinced me that I never need to shoot a factory load again unless I want some brass.

[BULLBLASTER]

Google and look at images of peoples ladder testing groups. Sometimes a 1 grain difference won't make any.difference at 300+ yards and other times it could be multiple moa. Think of it like a bell curve. If you are toward the center of what the barrel likes it will be real close but get too far off and things change.drastically.

[Bean Counter]

Major John Plaster noted in his book "The Ultimate Sniper" that Federal has the most consistent ranges. I would be curious about your experiment results if you pulled apart what I shoot: the cheap blue box Power Shoks. I get 1" moa out of my gun and for keeping it to 300 yards or less I don't see any reason to invest in a reloading setup when I can buy the stuff for <$1 a round. 

[grundy53]

Glad I started reloading.

[kentrek]

Major John Plaster noted in his book "The Ultimate Sniper" that Federal has the most consistent ranges. I would be curious about your experiment results if you pulled apart what I shoot: the cheap blue box Power Shoks. I get 1" moa out of my gun and for keeping it to 300 yards or less I don't see any reason to invest in a reloading setup when I can buy the stuff for <$1 a round.

i played with the cheap blue box before..i got moa groups but constancy from box to box was no good...i was shooting 6 inch groups at 500 pretty easy (i was very happy at the time with that)..bear seeason came around,went a bought a fresh box,found bear at 476...easy shot...miss.. took same box bake to range an was 10-15 inches high at 500..
but like you said your going 300 or less..pretty hard to have serous deviations with in 300

[Bean Counter]

Yep, I bought my rifle used, so I have no idea how worn the rifling inside the barrel is. I have no idea what the twist is. I could probably stand to do a trigger job to make it nicer and more smooth. Until I do all those things it doesn't make sense to up the ante with more precise ammo. Still though, after stalking animals with a bow to within 40 yards I like to make myself get to at most 300 yards for a shot. Just my  More power to ya if you like shooting 'em at 475 

[motg9_6]

i dont think there are many on here that would disagree that reloaded ammo is better than factory especially for long range stuff, but it seems i always here the question when talking reloading of just how accurate and precise is my factory ammo is. i could make the factory core-lokt ammo better just by dumping the powder out and actually putting a consistant charge of the same powder back in. i have a box of federal 150 grn im going to pull next. i will post the results from all 20 on here when i do.

[BULLBLASTER]

There can also be significant differences in the same product between different production lots. Even in reloading components such as brass spowder and bullets. The factory ammo you buy today most likely won't be the exact same as the same brand and model a year from now.