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

Factory ammo = source of brass for me.

I never shot a game animal with a factory load. Have shot some varmints 17 Hornet, and 222 Rem because I was given the 222 ammo and I needed the brass for both.

I bought a box of 257 ammo in early 60’s because not enough 257 ammo. I had lent the 257 to a friend, but he never shot anything that trip.

Almost always reload. I killed a few deer and antelope about 10 years ago with some factory 7.62X39 ammo, but the last one I killed before that with any factory rounds was when I was 12 years old. At 12 I got my 1st reloading equipment.

Well over 1/2 a century ago.

All my kills with my dad's 300 Savage, from the time I was about 7 until I was 12 were shot with factory ammo.

1 deer was killed with a factory 130 grain Silvertip from my 1st 270 at the age of 12.

Also my 1st elk with dad's 300 Sav in Utah back in the 60s. Also 2 deer shot with factory 30-30 ammo when I was in my 20s

Other then those I can't remember any other big game killed in the USA with factory ammo, from handguns or rifles.
I have never killed any big game with a factory round from any hand gun. All were handloads

I have not use factory loads in probably 30 years and based on the quality I see in current mas produced ammo, I never will.

Same here. I got into reloading in 1983 and have used reloads for ~99% of my hunting ever since. I started reloading for accuracy, but now mainly for personal satisfaction.

another thought from me ,i have loaded my own ammo for around 45 years since then have never purchased any big-game ammo . so i would feel kinda bad/guilty if i didn`t load my own ammo for my family and myself , i guess for me its a pride thing maybe even a little braggin right thing. if you learned to reload someday you would understand what i am talking about , its even a little addicting too. have a great hunting season and be safe,Pete53

Been over 50 yrs since I've hunted with factory ammo other than 22 LR and 22Mag. Add 20ga too, don't have a 20ga press or a 410 press.

Have loaded rifle , shotgun , and revolver cartridges, never messed with the pistol cartridges.
Back at the time they were cheap enough and accurate enough didn’t see any need for it .
Don’t see anything wrong with factory rifle or revolver loads , have had some rifles and revolver’s that shot it pretty damned well .
Espeacially blue box federal and power points , once upon a time they were competitive price wise too .
Have seen factory stuff kill just as well also
My shotgun days were when I was slaying doves and bushy tails , loaded them to the max and had a ball shooting them .
Seldom use a shotgun these days , got an 18” over under stage coach gun I carry in vehicle for emergencies , whish I hadn’t let that beretta O&U get away , was a good looking scatter gun .
Belonged to the NYC swat team and was inscribed as such on the receiver .
Just thought it was a cool piece
20” barrels if I remember right
I like hand loading cause it gives me opurtunity to try loads you don’t encounter out of the box .
And love seeing how accurate I can get them
Every now and then I get lucky and get .5” groups from the get go , when I get something like that going on , I’ll load up nine rds of it , mark it and set it aside for hunting season . Get it out , try three rds and see if temp change has any bearing on it , If not , Chuck the other six ln my pocket and hunt
Kenneth

Reload .30-30 Win. and .30-30 A.I. for Contender pistols, .270 Win. for rifles

Reload for all big game hunting. 243ai, 6.5 prc, 270win, 6.5 rpm, 7mm-08, 280ai, 300wsm, 338-06 deer is mainly what I chase, but elk on occasion as well.

My parents gifted me a reloading press when I graduated from the 8th grade. I received a Lyman Tmag press and dies for a 44 magnum. A friend of my Grandfather's taught me to load 38 specials on a pacific turret press, and I moved to lead swc's from 44 mag brass for my Grandfather's model 29. Handloading was a beloved pass time for me, and would still be, but so many other things have filled my time. All these many years later, my handgun ammunition is more than adequately filled by factory ammunition. My hunting rifle ammunition is likewise supplanted by readily available loads for the 270 Winchester, and 308 Winchester. In my part of the United States, game animals can be readily taken with either of these cartridges. I do maintain dies and presses to handload for my other rifle, a 375 H&H. It is not that I cannot handload my ammunition, just that I choose to spend my time differently at this stage of my life.

Started reloading with my dad in the early 70's (he let me seat the bullets for his 222 Rem. & 308 WCF). I bought a Lee Loader in 1975 for my new Rem. 700 BDL in 30-06 and I was off and running.

I usually bought factory ammunition to get the brass for a new chambering that I didn't have existing components. Pre-COVID in purchased a Sako 85 in 7x64 and picked up a case of PPU ammo to get the brass.

I have mostly hunted with my handloads; there have been times where I've used factory stuff (like coming home on leave to hunt w/ no handloads available or coming in from the rig buy a new rifle then go hunting).

I always enjoyed the experimentation with working up the right combination for a particular rifle and game to be hunted.

That changed a little bit recently, I was starting to play around with the 6.5 Creedmoor before COVID in two different Tikka T3X's (one is a CTR and the other is Stainless Lightweight). I had purchased some factory Hornady ELD-X Hunter 143 grain and 140 grain ELD - Match to test the rifles and build up some brass. Then COVID showed up and I started working long days and six-day work weeks, there were several times I was doing 15 to 17 days straight at the hosptals. With that madness I didn't spend much time at the reloading bench or the range; I killed two deer for the freezer with my Tikka T3X and the factory Hornady143 grain ELD-X during that time.

My last five deer and three pig's prior was with handloads (6.5x55 w/ 120 Gr. BT, 7mm-08 w/ 140 gr. Sierra and 308 WCF w/ 150 Gr. AB).

Since I have recently retired, I will be spending more time at the bench and the local range to see what we'll be doing this fall.

StarchedCover

Reload - Haven't bought any factory loads in over 35 yrs.

I reload for my Ruger 77 .280 Remington for the last 20 or so seasons.

I don't reload so, factory ammo for me.

NYH1.

Reload. Haven't bought a factory round in a good twenty years.

I prefer to start with factory ammo, then start reloading once fired brass.

Reload. Mostly 270 Win, 308 Win and 300 WM.

Started reloading shorting after college after picking up 3 hard to find ammo for guns (257 roberts, 25/06, and 280). No one carried ammo for them. Some guns I own have never seen a factory round. Last gun I bought and used factory ammo for was a 280AI i picked up here mostly due to the lack of components available the last 3 years.

Reload mostly but still buy some factory ammo for a few calibers

I started reloading shotgun ammo when I was about 14-15. Rifle and handgun came a few years later. Shot my first whitetail around 1975 with ammo I reloaded. I have never shot a big game animal with a factory round. Neither has my son or wife. My reloads only.