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

I guess I'm no longer reloading for anything other than 300 Savage. I'm running out of primers so I have to prioritize

I've been reloading ammunition since I was ten years old. I can't recall ever having purchased a single box of factory ammunition. Ever. I got a free box of .30-06 ammunition when I bought a M70 Classic SS Featherweight. Other than that, I don't think I've ever chambered a factory round in any of my rifles.

I've been reloading since 1973, all of the big game that I've taken since then have been taken with handloads.

Mostly reload. 45/70 isn't something I'm buying as loaded ammunition.

I started shotgun reloading when I was 14 and rifle when I was 16. These days I don't shoot enough shotgun shells to justify reloading for them but rifle is another story. I have not bought a rifle round in 40 plus years.

I use both depending on the particular rifle chambering. I've lucked out a few times where I have gotten into a clearance situation where I could buy factory ammo substantially cheaper than I could reload it. In such cases I bought all I could get. I might not get quarter inch groups with it but 1" or so will kill deer just fine at woods distances.

I also had opportunities to buy "seconds" from Federal. These were great deals for cheaper than one could reload. Sometimes overruns were available where one could get specialty loads made for a specific entity. I picked up a few cases of 270, 30/06, and 300 Win mag ammo loaded with Speer Grand Slam bullets for half blue box went for. That was about the cost of the bullets alone at that time. Some were distributed for retail but not on a wide spread scale.

I reload almost all my pistol ammo these days, it is just too expensive otherwise. Gone are the days of $3 boxes of 9mm or 38 Spl for $4 on sale. I'll buy aluminum or steel case ammo for classes as reclaiming empties is a pain therefore I have no qualms leaving it lay.

I reload all my shotshells unless required by match rules. I'll reload some non-toxics but I'm well stocked with factory loads having bought them when on clearance. With the dearth of 410 shells reloading is the only way to go and it is the only means to reliably find 7/8 oz loads for the 12 ga.

Wasn't a doubt in my mind that most guys reload, I have never seen factory ammo compete with handloads, well actually not exactly, 22-250 vmax hornady ammo is darn close to my 55sierra loads but that's it, have been rolling my own for 15 years or so 308, 243,270, 357,38sp, 22-250, its a no Brainer , easy to do and very satisfying

Factory loads for me. Haven't reloaded at least 10 years. Whitetails are plentiful in my area and factory loads are more than sufficient.

Mixed bag. I reload for 7mm Weatherby, 7x57, .300 Bee, .300 Savage, 250-3000 Savage, .257 Roberts, .358 Win, and .35 Whelen exclusively. I don’t reload for my .30-06 or .308 often because I have some good factory loads and don’t shoot either very often. I don’t bother with 5.56 or handgun cartridges since I have ample supply and seldom shoot them.

I reload for everything I own. I don't trust factory ammo. I will shoot it on occasion, like when I get it given to me when I buy a new/used rifle. Just recently I had to use some factory ammo in a 30-30 I bought. I'll burn it up for the brass.

I use factory and always have. Toyed with the idea of reloading about 10 years ago but never acted on the whim. At 60 I probably got about enough factory ammo to pretty much see me thru to the end. I’m not a shooter just a hunter so I don't run thru much. I might need some 7mm08 in a few years if I keep on with that rifle.

Hanco: I have been Hunting for Deer for MANY decades now and that has been done exclusively with my trusted, tried and true handloads.
Years ago I bought one of my VarmintSons a new Remington 700 BDL-SS-DBM Rifle in 25/06 Remington caliber - it was his first Rifle and I decided to break him in" with some factory ammo. And then use that once fired brass to show him the ropes on reloading.
That Remington 100 grain PSP ammo we tried was/is SO accurate in that Rifle that to this day that is all we use in said amazing Rifle. That Rifle has a Leupold 4.5x14 A/O variable scope on it. He has taken both Whitetail Deer and Mule Deer with that set-up along with a dandy Buck Antelope. As best I can remember all animals harvested with that factory ammo and Rifle were one shot kills.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I have always bought factory rifle ammo. Where I hunt 75 - 100 yards is a long shot.

I do a lot of hand loading for Spreader and low pressure shotgun shells for my older shotguns though, in 10, 12, and 16 gauge.

I also load brass cases with black for the 10 gauge, and 2 7/8 inch specialty loads.

I don't load for my 9mm because I don't like messing with the small brass, but I do keep components for loading 9mm on hand in case of a shortage. My 10mm hard cast 220 grain loads come from one of the small boutique companies, but I load other 10mm loads. Other then that I roll my own.

Other than my Marlin carbine in 44 mag, all of my stuff is hard to find factory. Even my 358 Win.
The original TD carbine and Sharp's carbine require reloading. My 350 Rem mag and 358 Win are so expensive if you find factory ammo that I just started reloading as soon as I got the gun

I had two boxes of factory 350 Rem mag but I sold them.off to a guy that didn't reload.
At least components are becoming more available although Reloader 7 powder has still evaded me.

Load them. Since 1987.

Both.

-Jake

Factory. That's the best thing about the creedmoor's (excluding the 22 creed). Great factory ammunition.

Factory, I've found that in a hunting situation, it's seldom the gun or the ammunition, usually operator error.

I reload 375hh, .257wby, 7wsm and will be adding 6.5prc to the list

I shoot factory .45/70, 6.8spc, 308

Had a progressive 12 ga loader that I sold