Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Shooting othe people’s handloads.

I reload for my son occasionally, for my son-in-law, and a couple of grandkids. I don’t shoot any reloads other than my son’s or my own. Mostly my own.

Just 3 people....me, myself, and I

Depends. Reloads from a stranger without data never. A very select few who I know and trust, without question. Do you have the load data and can verify it by breaking down a sample of rounds? It all depends on the situation. If you ever shot the "white box" ammo you're shooting someone's reloads.

Hypotjhetical question for all you guys who say you'd never shoot someone else's handloads. Say you're up in Montana on a prairie dog shoot, using your .223 bolt action and you run out of ammo. You turn to your buddy and say "out of ammo, gotta go into town and buy some more."

So your buddy says, "I have plenty of .223, it's a mild load I worked up, well below max, works well in every rifle I've tried it in so you should be OK." Do you then say, "nope, sorry John Barsnees, I never shoot other people's handloads??"

It’s pretty easy to ask a few questions to see if the other person knows what they are talking about, or how much knowledge they have about reloading. If the answers to those questions don’t give me a warm fuzzy feeling then no, I won’t shoot them.

Todd

My late brother was an avid reloader. When he died, my sister-in-law asked me to help her sell all his collection of powder, bullets, and the like. He had a lot of reloaded ammo......308 and 223 mostly in the rifle category, and 9mm, 40, 45 ACP and 45 LC, 44 SPC pistol ammo. I sold a lot of the components, but wouldn't sell anyone the reloaded ammo. I kept it, and have shot some of it. He was a person who loaded more on the mild side than on the hot side, so I wasn't worried about that. But, I found that a lot of his ammo wouldn't chamber in my rifles, with the 308 being a prime example. He had a Remington 700, just as I did, but either he didn't full length resize, or something, but I ended up pulling the bullets and resizing all the cases. The pistol ammo all works just fine.

Had it not been his stuff, and I knew how careful and meticulous he was, I'd never have fired any of it. As for myself, I reload for sons rifles, and have also given a nephew some reloaded 270 rounds.

Never. Though I have reloaded for several friends provided they sit with me and participate.

I won't nor do I let others shoot my loads, with rare exceptions, mostly my sons.

With regard to liability, I often hear "I won't sue you if anything happens." You might not, but your insurance company sure as hell will and they won't ask for your permission. In case of an injury requiring medical treatment, for example.

Folks' naivete regarding legal matters never ceases to amaze me. I'm not a lawyer, never played one on TV, but I have had a fair amount of experience, including being sued in my professional capacity, and they also filed on me personally. You can bet a plaintiff's attorney will take a shotgun approach, no holds barred.

Paul

I have loaded for a lot of people. SOP for that practice is they bring me the rifle, I work up the loads for that rifle. They are provided the ammo, the data, written description of the rifle it is loaded for and explicit instruction not to shoot it in any other rifle or to share that ammo with anyone else. I do not shoot other people's hand loads. Not even shotgun reloads.

The things that scare some people never cease to amaze me. I've loaded for a few people who asked me to. If something happens to them, it won't be because I loaded the ammo improperly.