Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Hornady Factory Ammo

I don't know if it's just me but a seldom get any Hornady factory ammo that shoots well. I've had a .300 H&H on order for a while and picked up a couple of boxes of 180 gr Interbonds to try before I load my own. Got the rifle mounted scope, bore sighted go to range fire first shot 3" from dead center. Fire second shot its 4" from first but I had cleaned and oiled bore beforehand so don't much of it, next 2 give me a 3 shot 3 1/2" group.

I'm thinking the new scope might be bad or maybe I screwed up with mounts or I hope hell not its the rifle. I do have a box of Federal 180 gr Trophy Coppers, fire 4 shots 3/4" group.

I'll reload for this rifle so it's not a case of which factory load is the best but in thinking back I can only think one time (.22-250) when Hornady had acceptable accuracy. I used to shoot a lot of factory and would try several to get the best performer.

Notable exception is 6.5 Creedmore, I bought one just because Hornady A-Max factory ammo was so good and relatively inexpensive. If they can do such a great job with the Creedmore why such poor performance with other rounds. Or maybe it just my experience.

My Browning Abolt 25-06 shot both the Whitetail and SST sub MOA. That's the only Hornady rifle ammo I've used.

I can't remember ever having shot any Hornady factory ammo that wasn't quite accurate.

Luck of the draw?

I very seldom shoot factory and the only Hornady I've shot has been one box of 35gr .22 Hornet (which my very accurate Browning didn't like), but I would think that it would take a lot of testing of a lot of ammo for different cartridges to draw a conclusion. Certainly, the folks here seem to like Hornady, at least the CM stuff and Whitetail loads.

I do have a few hundred of their .243 cases, and like them very much.

Every rifle is a rule unto itself, and just because it doesn't shoot a particular brand well doesn't necessarily mean it's the fault of the ammo. You can take two rifles of the same caliber, same model and same specs -- made on the same day and in the same plant -- and one may love Hornady while the other may be mediocre with it.

+1

Can't help with the ammo problem but i was wondering who made the rifle?

Have had exactly the opposite results with Hornady ammo. If I must shoot factory that's what I use. Have a Ruger 77 Varmint in 220 Swift that I bought some Hornady Custom 55gr. SP's for when I first got it. Would shoot 1/2" 5 shot groups all day. Also chronographed at 3950. Haven't been able to beat it much by handloading.

Guess it is just luck of the draw and frankly I don't use much factory ammo anymore.

It's a Dakota 76.

My best luck with factory ammo has always been Federal. I find Hornady hit and miss.

I've run into some crap Federal too, 308 deer rounds loaded with Sierras that shot poorly in every rifle tried. It's pretty hard to mess up a 308 loaded with a Sierra, but it happened.

Agree with Bobby, every rifle is different.

My .204 PacNor/Rem 700 does so well with factory ammo (3/4"), I bought a good supply and have yet to reload that round. I did get dies, etc., just haven't used them.

My 6.5 Creedmoor shoots factory 140's inch or better. I've reloaded ammo that will group half inch or better, but this Hornady factory fodder is good stuff, at least in these two guns.

DF

I have experienced really fine accuracy with both factory loads and hand loaded bullets from Hornady, with the exception of Interbonds. My experience is limited to .270W, .30-06Spr, and .308W. We have killed lots of deer and some really big hogs with SST without any performance issues. I have hunted with a friend who thinks SST performance on game is erratic but agrees it is very accurate. I have shot big hogs with the 178gr. Hornady BTHP Match bullet( very accurate), all ended up DRT or within a few steps of DRT.

Didn't you have a Creedmoor, loaned it to a young lady in your community, she killed a deer, loved it and her dad talked you out of it..

IIRC, that CM was very accurate, don't remember if you used factory fodder, know you hand loaded for it.

DF

She was an old woman (early 40s). Her husband talked me out of it. He is my tractor mechanic, have to keep him happy. It was really accurate. I loaded it with Barnes and Scenar. I believe the Barnes was 120 and the Scenar 123 over Varget. It was accurate enough with other weight bullets and other powders but the lighter bullets and Varget really would dot an i for you. It was a good rifle, Savage 16 WW, with Accu trigger and stock, but it's kinda hard to turn down a pretty girl. By the way, she killed a 150 plus WT buck the first time she ever fired a rifle in her life with my former rifle and the proceeded to kill the next 3 she shot at.

My CM loves 123 gr. Scenars over Varget, shoots one hole groups. I save 120 gr. TTSX's for my 26 Nosler.

Well, I messed up the story somewhat, got the gist of it. Under those circumstances, you had no choice. She had to have that rifle...

To me, the CM is about the least finicky gun I have. Very few guns, at least in my experience, shoot as many diverse loads as accurately as this one.

DF