There are people who spend years working to master the alchemy of turning cartridge, powder and bullet into ammunition. They want that ammunition to perform perfectly for its intended purpose once fired down range, during various weather conditions, and from different firearms. It makes sense then, in our harried, too-busy culture that long-time shooters and reloaders have begun to wonder if reloading is worth the time and effort.

While it is true that factory-manufactured ammunition is more uniform and performs better with more consistency than it used to, many who still reload recall the days when no one was surprised if a factory round failed to fire at all. When factory rounds did go bang, sometimes the groups on targets bloomed into a pattern that was too large for serious competitors or hunters to believe the ammo could be trusted. Because the rounds now seem to perform better, it is not uncommon to hear shooters say they have stopped reloading their own rifle ammunition to save time.

We listen more carefully, however, to people who point out that factory ammunition can never match the performance and consistency of true-to-purpose rounds that are made by hand. There is a lot of value to be had from boxes of rounds that are carefully loaded by hand and tested in rifles using different powders, bullet weights, and in various weather conditions. To know precisely the ballistics of ones’ ammunition because it WAS hand-loaded is a pinnacle of accuracy, dependability and value that factory ammunition will never achieve.

For example: Velocity falls off when a bullet is fired in cold weather. Humidity can affect the rate of powder burn. Heat will increase velocity, and if not figured properly in the mix of travel distance and muzzle velocity, a higher speed bullet might sail right over your target. Reloading, we believe, means you could go on a big game hunt where the conditions may vary in some other way from what is predicted, and you would be able to count on your ammunition to perform as tested. Why is that? Because when you finally master reloading, you not only know what is in your round when you rack it into your chamber, you know what it will do once you fire it. You have been able to load specific rounds to fit your rifle for specific conditions and have tested those loads. This is important if you are shooting at something that can run away when you miss; taking with it all the money and time you invested in hopes of bagging that animal.

Factory ammo, no matter how consistent it proves to be in a target shooting or competition environment, simply doesn’t measure up for the big hunting trip. It is the trip in which we have typically invested thousands of dollars in time off from work, airfare, and the cost of a guide. It is a situation where one malfunction can end your hunt, and is akin to throwing all that money and time down a black hole. Better to spend your time taking all the steps to reload.