Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Do you reload or buy factory for your deer hunting??

Depends on the gun. Loading is a chore to me, so I have no issues with factory. Some of the sh*t I shoot I have to load for.

.223 is a mix because before I had dies I bought a lot of factory match ammo. Now I hand load for varmints and use factory black hills 62 TSX for my son to use on deer.

6mm Creed I started buying ammo before I had the gun. Bought all kinds and hunted with Hornady Precision Hunter this year. Have 50 left of that and about another 50 of HSM and Gold Medal 107 Matchkings. I have powder dies and bullets.

7 Rem Mag, .30-06, and .300 are all reloads.

.25-06 is using Hornady American Whitetail I bought for my son to practice. Gun shot so well I bought 3 more boxes as soon as I could find them. This was also during Covid when you couldn’t find anything. Got lots of brass and planning on loading the Barnes 101 LRX for him this year.

Have not shot a a factory load on a animal since 1993. Enjoy the load development and field testing of bullets.

GreggH

Only rifle I have that I don't have any plans to reload for is my 30-30. Tried several handloads and nothing shot that well. Had a couple of boxes of factory stuff loaded with Barnes bullets that I'd traded into. Decided to try them and got a perfect 3/4 inch triangle at 100yds. Caught a few more boxes on clearance and bought enough to last me at least the rest of my life, considering how little I use that rifle.

Got a couple of others that came with some factory ammo when I bought them. The factory stuff shoots so well in those two that I plan to hunt with it until it's gone, then reload at that point.

Everything else I load for.

Factory, not fu.cking around loading 308 or 30-06 to shoot a whitetail under 200 yards (likely under 75)...laid into a lifetime supply of Leverevolution for the 35 Rem. before things went full retard on that front.

Both

With rifles and handguns I use mostly handloads. I do try to carry factory for CCW but duplicate them with handloads for practice.

I tend to try to match a factory loading at first. Then I load a cup and core(usually Hornady) bullet for practice and deer. then a quality premium bullet if hunting sheep, elk and antelope with the rifle.

For example with my '06 load I use 180 Hornadys for practice and deer, Partitions for everything else. It copies the 180 C/L PSP for trajectory. It is used in all my families '06 rifles.

In .338 I use 225 Hornadys for most things but factory TBBC's for bulls (I have a stash).

I haven't loaded shotshells for a while. I still have the Sizemaster but I don't shoot enough shotgun to bother. I have never loaded slugs but I would like to learn.

Handload everything centerfire. Ever try to buy a box of 40-90 2 5/8" sbn or 50-140 Sharps?.sure would hate to ever rely on American ammo production for the loads I use. Boy that sure would be pissing in the wind.lol lol . I am sure left to the left reloading would be done away with...mb

I reload all my centerfire rifle for the last 25+ years but shoot factory shot shells and pistol ammo....Hb

Both for all three.

All of my deer rifles shoot hand loads. When it comes to accuracy, "good enough" is not good enough for me.

Plus, for a couple (7X57 and 6.5X55, both "modern" rifles produced since 1980), I'm not willing to give up the 200+ fps MV that factory loads would limit me to.

Years ago, I even fired some Federal Premium ammunition through a 7mm08 Rem that chronographed over 200 fps slower than advertised. AND it was nowhere near as accurate, in my rifle, as what I can put together at home.

Both

Reload for myself and two of my hunting parners. Some view it as a chore, I enjoy it. Been at it for 50 years.

I haven't shot anything but my handloads at deer since I started loading in 2000.

Prefer handloads but component availability is about as bad as the ammo availability.
I use what is "at hand". Handload or factory.

reloads for all hunting and general shooting. I do buy ammo for pistol carry and for 20ga and 22rf

Handloads.
Like most here, I enjoy crafting and tuning the best possible ammo for optimal accuracy and performance, in specific rifles. Also, the satisfaction is akin to fooling a 26" brown or rainbow on a dry that I tied.

Both although most of the factory ammo has been slugs.

I thoroughly enjoy loading my own hunting ammunition for deer, antelope, elk, bear, coyotes and varmints as well.

Mostly I load for 6mm Remington, 25-06, 7mm Rem Mag, 30-30, 308, 30-06, 375 H&H & 45-70. Haven't used the 375 on deer yet, only bear. I have used those other cartridges for deer hunting.

Someone else stated that it was like catching a fish on a fly they'd tied themselves. Yes it does. At times I've also made my own bowstrings and arrows. There's a certain satisfaction in all that.

Regards, Guy

What is this "factory ammo" you guys speak of?