Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Factory ammo accuracy vs handloads

Just a temp check on handgun accuracy with current factory ammo vs handloads. We have seen great accuracy in rifle ammo.......

Yet I seem to see some great targets by folks with handloads, so wonder if loaded to top performance, do you handloaders see a significant improvement in say 9mm, 40 and 10mm? 357, 41, etc? I know some rounds are not loaded to potential for modern arms like 45 L.C.

What's been your experience handloaders?

With rifles, it is still possible to tune a handload for the 308 - a cartridge well understood. Especially nice to be able to customize loads, e.g. 125gr @2650 for new shooters.

For handgun, well most ammo is used at blasting distance so who cares? I might fiddle with 44mag load but I don't hunt with it so again, who cares? I don't care if my 9mm load prints 2" at 25yds or 1".

There are factory loads for handguns that are very accurate

Handgun ammo has to be really bad to be seen "inaccurate" at normal handgun distances for normal handgun use. Bullseye shooting might be an exception to that, handgun silhouette another. The usual games, IDPA, USPSA, Cowboy, don't require accuracy beyond what is easily obtainable. In most cases the focus is on economy and reliability. The stuff that really makes a difference with regard to accurate ammunition, primarily bullet quality, isn't going to rear its ugly head at the slow speeds, slow twists and short distances involved in most handgun use.

For me, my handgun loading is primarily focused on my hunting revolvers. If I can obtain accuracy sufficient for 100 yard shots on deer with my N-frame .41's and .44's I'm happy, and that's pretty easy to do IME. (I don't have any plans to shoot at deer at that distance, but I'm perfectly confident should the need arise.)

Do you mean just accuracy? Handloading can absolutely produce specific results. Cast and handload.

Good feedback folks. Over the years, I handloaded thousands of rounds for 357. 41, and 44 sixguns and in TCs 357 max, 41, 44, 30-30, 6/6.5 and 7TCU. For a long time, I never thought I would have an interest in 9s, 40s, etc, but I suppose I got my fill of R&D and punching plenty paper and steel with those. It seems the quality of ammo...and arms have been across the board in semi-auto.

In reviewing many tests on various guns and ammo, no doubt, the higher quality factory ammo does seem to show a better trend in accuracy. I just wondered if on average, your out of the box pistol, is not going to shoot as tight as a say Ruger or Smith Revolver.

I do recall selling a case of 45 Federal match ammo I no longer needed to a local custom gunsmith, before buying they tested it in a 50 yd tunnel and their guarantee was 1" at 50 yds IIRC, so they were satisfied with the lot I sold them. Their custom guns were top shelf. BUT I am interested in what is realistic in typical OEM handguns in 9s and 40s like Glock, Smith, FN, HK, etc. with factory vs handloads.

No doubt a 1" 25yd group would not disappoint me, but it's likely not realistic, but is asking for 2-3" consistently - 'Realistic?' Or is it more likely that factory ammo will print say 3-4? I have not done enough testing at a bench with the semi-auto offerings to answer that....

Thanks folks.

It depends on the handgun and the ammo. I started out with an older K-38 S&W about 1963. Could never come up with any loads that would match Western 148 gr. Match ammo. That ammo would put all six into .67 of an inch at 25 yds...... The best I could do with handloads was about 1.7 inches for 6. That was, BTW, when I first started handloading handgun ammo.
My pistol experiences have occurred much later. For instance, I bought one of the Colt Series 70's in .45 ACP. Found that with swagged SWC bullets, and the right powder charge, it would shoot 1.5-2 inches at 25 yds. Many years later, I tried some Federal 230 gr. HydraShok ammo. 1.5 inches at 25 yds.
I've got a no dash S&W Model 29, four inch. With Remington soft point, 240 gr. loads, I've shot groups as small as 1.2 inches at 35 yds., not 25 yds. The best any of my handloads do is about 2.2 inches at 25 yds. So, it just depends on what one can find that works best.
My biggest surprises have been my stock, simple, untuned semi auto pistols. E

There is absolutely a difference in handholds vs. factory handgun ammo. A competent handloader tailors the rounds to the gun. Whether or not the difference matters to you is a different question.

I can hold a 1.5" group at 9 yards standing with most factory handgun ammo out of most factory barrels. I can bring that down to 1" with a handholds. Again does it matter? For long range (pistol) hunting where a shot might be 50 or 75 yards, yes. 1.5" at 9 yards translates to 12.5 inches at 75 yards. That could be out of the vitals of some animals. 1" group at 9 yards is 8" group at 75 yards. If you're shooting the A zone on USPSA targets at 7 yards, 1.5" is more than accurate enough.

This is interesting. One can learn a lot from it. Can it actually come full circle in the form of ammo and firearm versus firearm, ammo and shooter?
With the shooter being the weak link
Especially in the field.

Also depends on the gun. For instance, my 10mm Match Champion usually likes a .402, but most (maybe all?) factory loads are .401. So my .402 handloads are easily more accurate than most of the factory loads I've tried - except.....for whatever reason, the Doubletap 230gr load is the most accurate load I've tried yet - including my best handloads so far.

I load a batch of bulk 45 ACP about twice a year in Heinz 57 brass with 231 powder, 230 grain flat point, firm taper crimp. Charges are thrown from an old Hornady Deluxe powder measure. With all those variables it holds about 6 MOA from a good accurate pistol in careful, rested shooting.

Factory loaded Match ammo would certainly beat it and if I sorted cases and used Sierra bullets, so could I. But the vast majority of my bulk load is fired standing unsupported, often with one hand, at 50 yards or less. Under those conditions I can't hold any closer than my bulk load will shoot, so there's no reason to change it.

Ammo for handguns is the main reason I started handloading. I couldn't bring myself to pay the price for factory ammo. I also wanted ammo with less recoil, muzzle blast, and made with lead bullets without guilding metal jackets.

Some of the ammo I've assembled is as accurate as any that can be had. Some of it is mediocre.

One thing I've learned is that some bullets are very accurate. Seemingly impervious to velocity preference or my ham handed loading.

Also some factory ammo is very accurate. So much so that improving on it would be hard. But duplication of the performance economically is well with in reach.

Handloads for most everything including pistol. Some factory for carry loads.

Great feedback folks, enjoyed reading all replies, thanks. I must admit with all the shooting I have done, and handloading, the only experience I have with semi-auto reloading, was in college I used a lee loader for 380 for a Manurhin Walther PPKS. I did get some decent results, but looking for accuracy in that platform was a challenge........a quality gun, but not built for accuracy, beyond it's purpose.

I may have to get some dies and do some experimenting.

My experience is very narrow. I’ve zero’d a lot of M&Ps with Speer Lawman FMJ and Speer Gold Dot.

At 25 yards some guns shoot the Lawman into 3” groups at 25 yards and some shoot it into 5-6”. The Gold Dot always shoots 2.5-3.5”.

It often shoots both within a 6” group. Sometimes the POI difference is 18”. Rarely it will shoot both within a 4” group.

10 shot groups off a rest.

This is generally the true facts of life, if the shooter & the gun are capable.........most are not.

When I was shooting competitively, I would always use handloads for 25 yd, timed & rapid fire, & factory match ammo at 50 yd; either Federal Match or Win Super Match. Virtually every other single serious shooter did the same, no matter where I went.

My softball (45 ACP) gun would do just over an inch for 10 shots from a Ransom Rest at 50 yd with the very best lots of Win Super Match factory ammo, & around 2"+ with the best handloads.

At blasting distances & not in a rest, it's hard to see a lot of difference, but the 50 yd line separates the men from the boys & the contenders from the pretenders, both regarding the shooter, the ammo & the gun.

JME, YMMV

MM

my thoughts are that both factory and hand loads can be awfully accurate. Not ever handgun though likes every brand, or every load. My hand loads are more for supplying a particular need, such as bullet weight or velocity, than a quest for increased accuracy.

Good posts guys, thanks. ]

IF Only ALL Handguns had the accuracy potential that my TC's did back when I was in college - I had a 10" 30-30 that I still have a target - 50 yds, 2x EER off sandbags. 3 shots that cloverleaved and C-T-C was so small I would be called a liar, it was like under .2 IIRC. Oh, to top that off, can you believe it was using 150 RP CL Factory ammo? True....Never shot it at 100 but often shot 1.5" groups for 3 shots in that bbl as well as my 7mm TCU.

MM it amazes me how accurized 45s can shoot that tight at 50.....quite impressive.

So last question on this, you guys who load for auto rounds like 9, 40 and 10, what are you using for your bulk loading/practice rounds?

Hard cast, jacketed, or plated like Berry? Wondering what the current cost of components/savings are to be had. Thanks! I know when i loaded 357, 41 and 44s alot long ago, lead bullets often fouled the barrels a good bit, but at the auto round speeds, assume this is less of an issue. Yes/no? Thanks everyone!

Brazos bullets USED to be the cheapest. 13bhn Hitek coated.

Missouri bullet company - same price now as Brazos. 18bhn Hitek coated.

I never spend the extra for jacketed or plated.