Road to PRS - Load Development Part 3 - Comparing Handloads to Factory Ammo
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- čas přidán 30. 07. 2024
- #NotaProShooter
If load development actually does what it should, does a load developed in a different barrel have merit in mine?
Visit us on Patreon: / winninginthewind - Sport
Also to consider reloading gear will last you through several barrels and many thousands of reloads, and can reload other types of ammo. I don’t have any but I’ve heard some folk have “friends” I understand from historical analysis that some have enjoyed success splitting costs for things like reloading gear.
Man I wish you made more videos. Id love to see your 100yd PRS load strategy. Not everyone has a 600yd range to do load development.
Keep the info coming!
If I had money to spare and you offered a class/course. I would learn so much! Love your no BS method of showing us how to learn ourselves
I agree! When it comes to hand loading and precision shooting, the most valuable information I have found has been right here on this guys channel! It has caused me to completely Change the way I gather information and the way I interpret it! I have found answers that i had been searching for for years! I finally get good results at the range! Load development used to agonizing! It no longer creates more questions than answers!
I enjoy the handloading process.
Absolutely!
I started hand loading in 2017, and at the time I justified getting into it for "cost". I was fortunate enough to buy primers by the 1000s every month. Cut to "The Shortage" and it all paid off. I am able to keep getting in range time and hunt. I didn't have to pay the crazy over inflated prices on ammo or components. I didn't have to miss a hunt because of no ammo. Comparison, Hornady Match ammo was $25 a box and I have seen it Ballon to $60 a box. Primers going from .04 to .10 per round. Brass going from about .50-80 a piece to 3.00 a round. This won't be the last Shortage. Hand loads for the win
I've only been reloading for a little over a decade, but I used to be able to get primers for about 2¢ and a pound of premium powder (Hodgdon extreme extruded or Vihtavuori) for about 30 bucks. I recently had to buy pretty much everything again, powders primers bullets and brass, and was absolutely shocked 😂. I live in CA so buying loaded ammo isn't a normal process and has extra cost involved, but it was crazy to see how much components had gone up
Always enjoy your videos. Sounds like Eagle Eye has a pretty good product out there. I love your objectivity and no BS approach to shooting in general and your ability to illustrate what works, and what doesn't. Great Video Keith!!
Good stuff , as usual,,👍
Great video. I know these are some of the best match factory rounds you can get, but this really makes you wonder about tuning!
Thnx 4 info
Nice to meet you today at Rock Lake! I wish I could’ve got your name. Anyway, thanks again for the uploads and knowledge you shared with me today. Hope to see you on the next one 😊
Thanks, you too!
…the trough those bills were falling into was too small.
Great videos. Answers a lot of questions. I have a question. I am building a 6.5-284 , defiance action with Brook’s barrel. Building my own stock and can’t find the adjustable but plate you use . Can you help with where to get one? Thank you
This video really addresses a bigger question. If factory ammo in this case is as accurate as handholds then in what other cases is that true? I would love to see someone do a full comparison of handholds vs factory considering absolute accuracy rather than "for PRS" because "For PRS" doesn't really mean anything. So my question is can you now having equalled the factory ammo, produce hand loads that are consistently and measurably better? and as a supplement, if so, at what cost?
You know, on my 6.5 Creed. The factory ammo Federal Premium Sierra Match King shoots excellent groups at 600 yards. The group size is slighty larger than my reloads. I'm impress with that factory ammo but since I love reloading I will keep reloading 🙂
That Federal Premium is some good stuff.
....not sure if you mentioned it....what about the 2000 empty factory vs only the 300 new empties you initially bought.......
Psst! Wanna buy some once-fired?!?
I'm retired so time loading is not as big of an issue and the bottom line. I've only had one rifle that would shoot factory ammo as good and my handloads, but the city was was buying the ammo for that rifle anyway. Way back when I was shooting IHMSA we had one guy that shot factory stuff, but he was a medical doc. I don't charge myself for time like I would someone else. If I did, I couldn't afford to shoot.
Keith, since you are using Alpha Brass for your Dasher, was the chamber reamer used for your barrel the Alpha Legacy reamer since it is specific for their brass due to the subtle differences in the chamber dimensions?
Inquiring minds want to know...
KW Precision keeps an Alpha- brass reamer on hand. Keith uses that one for my rifle.
Ok, that is what I figured but just wanted to confirm. I have been shooting F Class FTR for awhile now and am now in the process of building a PRS rifle and will be shooting the 6 Dasher as well. I just ordered my reamer from JGS that is specifically for the Alpha brass so I was glad to hear you confirm my thoughts. Thank you for the information and keep the videos coming, good stuff! 👍
Hi! What do you use to show that digital target and impacts? Is that some tech on the range with you, or do you make the visual after the fact? thanks!
It's an electronic target on the range.
Did you compare seating depth and powder charge?
Given same bullet and powder...
I don't know which powder Eagle Eye uses. The difference in seating depth was .037" with the Eagle Eye ammo being shorter OAL.
What is the difference between your seating depth and the factory rounds? Hard to believe they are the same.
0.037"
Is there a more ordinary compition for classic sport hunting rifles?
Yes, several. NRL hunter series is one. Another is silhouette. Last, but not least is sporting rifle highpower.
I keep seeing vids showing factory match ammo gives basically the same performance (group sizes) as handloads. Makes me think the entire "tuning" process could potentially be a waste of time, effort, and money.
This ammo I tested is a different animal. It is absolutely a handload, made by a company with the attention to detail a good handloader would use. Typical "match" ammo off the shelf can be a completely different story.
Also consider the context of use. If you only need 1/2 MOA, like PRS, it's good. If you need everything you can get out of a barrel, the tuning process can yield additional rewards.
Can you prove that? It would be a very compelling video if done even handedly!@@winninginthewind
Hmmm…. 2 hours at work or 2 hours Handloading? Is this a trick question?
I'm shooting 308W and 223R in my centerfire rifles. These are not what you would call great choices for PRS. Since they meet my needs Its what I shoot.
My calculous was pretty simple. With my budget, I can afford to buy milsurp M80 Ball and M855 in quantities that meet my needs. Neither of these will meet my performance/accuracy needs. If I pull the handle myself, and choose my components wisely, I can shoot Federal GMM quality ammo for Milsurp ammo prices (per shot).
🙂
ever since these new creedmoor and prc rounds I have been really 2nd guessing reloading. i see so many post from hand loaders bragging about their secret recipe and posting pics of 1moa groups when alllll of my 6.5cm rifles shoot .5moa or better with a $28 box of hornady. i would hate to spend all that time and money to end up with something less accurate than cheap factory ammo. now with the "old school" rounds for example .308 i used to buy 10 different boxes of ammo to find one that shoots good and then need to remember which rifle likes which ammo. with creed and prc they all like the same ammo. which is another downside to tuning ammo to your specific rifle... now if you have several you need to work up a load for all of them. i guess if i wanted to save money i would just take load data from factory ammo and try to copy it so i could load factory spec ammo that all my guns like. my first 6.5 was a 5k custom and then i got a 2k waypoint that shot .25 moa and wasnt as picky as my custom. had 2 300wm rifles that liked different ammo and now i have one prc that puts them to shame so much i got rid of 300wm. i would like the ability to shoot stuff like nosler and berger for less than 5 bucks a round but i dont know that i need that ability enough to justify setting up a reloading station just to feel slightly more confident in bullet performance. inside 200y 308 does amazing outside of that even the match ammo destroys everything out of the 300prc so kinda feel reloading would just make me the guy doing 55 on the highway in his lambo. it doesnt serve any point other than it would be cool lol
That is the challenge - making ammunition that will out perform factory ammo. It is easy in some cartridges, and far more difficult in others.
Reloading to save money is a myth. I reload because I enjoy it as a hobby, and I shoot more because theres no "dipping into my ammo stash guilt"
You can provide your sources, I can't even come close to such a low price on components.
I second this. I've hand loaded for over a decade and can't come anywhere near a dollar a loaded round for precision cartridges. Do you have a local source that's cheaper? Do they ship to California? 😂
My experience with factory ammo disagrees with your shown experience. Never heard of the ammo you bought for one, not offered in this area. A lot of these boutique ammos are like that, area specific. A lot can be cost prohibitive to buy, because of the freight factor, depending on where you live. And with the shooting I've done with on the shelf factory ammo, I found the quality to be pretty inconsistent, finding a good lot can be an expensive proposition, if you can even get more of the same lot. Some of the worst stuff I tested, was some of the higher end match stuff, some of the cheap ammo shot 2 to 3 times better.. How easily you can sell brass, is dependent on how much you have, and what brand and cartridge it is. In a lot of situations, many won't buy a box here and there, they want 100pcs or so. And as you well kmow, a person doesn't really need all the higher end stuff the F Class shooters use in tooling, to make their ammo, good enough to shoot PRS and be at least somewhat competetive.
The “factory “ ammo he is shooting is essentially handloads, eagle eye ammo uses the best components possible and I believe their assembly method is a lot more meticulous than the big name manufacturers
All I heard was money and more money and wife leaving me and dog starving. Seriously it's an expensive sport even plinking nowadays handl loading . Components just keep going up in price .
You are a very intelligent engineer and a world class F class competitor. But for crying out loud take your 1/2 min loads, learn your dope and shoot some matches. This is more of a marksmanship sport rather than a a data driven f class / bench rest sport.
You may have missed the first post in this series (The road to PRS). It was stated there would be multiple videos in the series starting with requirements, then on tuning and leading into matches. And you may not have intended to offend F Class and Benchrest shooters but they would disagree there is less marksmanship involved in those disciplines. And really? Marksmanship is hitting unusually large targets with whatever load you throw together because in your mind position shooting is more demanding? You obviously haven't done any F Class or Benchrest.
One thing at a time, my friend.