Ammoseek for non-handloaders

[Hornedfrogbbq]

I guess I always assume I am the last to know things (and as pattern recognition goes, I usually am). I use Ammoseek constantly as I am not a handloader yet.

I know, I know, how can I even feel good in the outdoors or hunt if I don't handload. Maybe I will at some point but I decided long ago after trying to tie my own flies that I don't have the time or patience or find any enjoyment in it. I hazard handloading might be the same for me and as long as I can FIND factory loads that are "hunting accurate" in my rifles, I probably won't try it. I don't shoot odd enough calibers to make it too expensive for me to shoot factory amd while I do shoot quite a bit of volume, the bank account can withstand the pressure for now.

Kudos to those who do but for those of us not that into handloading (or making our own arrows or milling our own gunpowder or keeping a fresking sourdough starter alive), Ammoseek is an indispensable tool.

I will also say Ammoseek has put me in touch with some amazing gun stores. Midway is great, but you can do better in pricing usually and sometimes massively better. Plus finding the odd cartridge that Midway doesn't carry or a bullet that is factory loaded that they don't carry.

 

[BonUm16]

Ammoseek is an invaluable tool. As to Midway, I was a very loyal customer for decades but they’re one of the last places I buy from now.

 

[Hooked Now]

Midway does well for me because they have a huge inventory and fast shipping. But truth be told I also try to spread my support to other sites that are also great but dont have a huge marketing budget. Grafs is one I like alot. And Targetsportsusa for ammo.

 

[coreydb]

I learned not to discount any place that sells ammo. Price gouging or not, over time, I collected quite an index of ammo retailers. Over the last two decades we experienced periods of feast and famine regarding ammo and primer availability. I'm glad I had the list on hand because there was always one of those retailers who had what I needed.

 

[Rare Breed]

I guess I always assume I am the last to know things (and as pattern recognition goes, I usually am). I use Ammoseek constantly as I am not a handloader yet.

I know, I know, how can I even feel good in the outdoors or hunt if I don't handload. Maybe I will at some point but I decided long ago after trying to tie my own flies that I don't have the time or patience or find any enjoyment in it. I hazard handloading might be the same for me and as long as I can FIND factory loads that are "hunting accurate" in my rifles, I probably won't try it. I don't shoot odd enough calibers to make it too expensive for me to shoot factory amd while I do shoot quite a bit of volume, the bank account can withstand the pressure for now.

Kudos to those who do but for those of us not that into handloading (or making our own arrows or milling our own gunpowder or keeping a fresking sourdough starter alive), Ammoseek is an indispensable tool.

I will also say Ammoseek has put me in touch with some amazing gun stores. Midway is great, but you can do better in pricing usually and sometimes massively better. Plus finding the odd cartridge that Midway doesn't carry or a bullet that is factory loaded that they don't carry.

While they are good for non reloaders the best I have seen is cheap ammo.com which can provide you quality names at the best prices. just my experience

 

[Philip Glass]

I guess I always assume I am the last to know things (and as pattern recognition goes, I usually am). I use Ammoseek constantly as I am not a handloader yet.

I know, I know, how can I even feel good in the outdoors or hunt if I don't handload. Maybe I will at some point but I decided long ago after trying to tie my own flies that I don't have the time or patience or find any enjoyment in it. I hazard handloading might be the same for me and as long as I can FIND factory loads that are "hunting accurate" in my rifles, I probably won't try it. I don't shoot odd enough calibers to make it too expensive for me to shoot factory amd while I do shoot quite a bit of volume, the bank account can withstand the pressure for now.

Kudos to those who do but for those of us not that into handloading (or making our own arrows or milling our own gunpowder or keeping a fresking sourdough starter alive), Ammoseek is an indispensable tool.

I will also say Ammoseek has put me in touch with some amazing gun stores. Midway is great, but you can do better in pricing usually and sometimes massively better. Plus finding the odd cartridge that Midway doesn't carry or a bullet that is factory loaded that they don't carry.

I also like AmmoSeek and have no interest in hand loading. I'd rather shoot bullets than fiddle around with them.

 

[Datchew]

nothing wrong at all with not doing hand-loading.
Some of us like to tinker, fiddle with stuff, and develop and probably smoke a pipe because we're always messing with it.
Some of us just want to buy it and use it and probably smoke cigars.

I have a buddy that's a regional sales leader for a major tool maker and he gets frustrated if i ever talk about hand-loading. In his thick Lubbock accent he says "Aw sell tools. Aw buy bullets and kill stuff. Why do you have to make it complicated?!"

I forgot about ammo seek. Appreciate you jogging my memory.

 

[rookhawk]

I find handloading to be monotonous, boring, expensive, and a horrific waste of my time. I avoid it at all costs.

Unfortunately, I enjoy shooting traditional and vintage calibers that absolutely require handloading so I'm stuck with it.

I don't think there is anything wrong with factory ammunition and you don't need to apologize for it whatsoever. I've seen factory ammo produce groups as good as 1/3 MOA at 300 yards. When possible, outsource your load development!

 

[deewayne2003]

I guess I always assume I am the last to know things (and as pattern recognition goes, I usually am). I use Ammoseek constantly as I am not a handloader yet.

I know, I know, how can I even feel good in the outdoors or hunt if I don't handload. Maybe I will at some point but I decided long ago after trying to tie my own flies that I don't have the time or patience or find any enjoyment in it. I hazard handloading might be the same for me and as long as I can FIND factory loads that are "hunting accurate" in my rifles, I probably won't try it. I don't shoot odd enough calibers to make it too expensive for me to shoot factory amd while I do shoot quite a bit of volume, the bank account can withstand the pressure for now.

Kudos to those who do but for those of us not that into handloading (or making our own arrows or milling our own gunpowder or keeping a fresking sourdough starter alive), Ammoseek is an indispensable tool.

I will also say Ammoseek has put me in touch with some amazing gun stores. Midway is great, but you can do better in pricing usually and sometimes massively better. Plus finding the odd cartridge that Midway doesn't carry or a bullet that is factory loaded that they don't carry.

Ammo seek is a great tool, it surprises me the number of people who both don't reload and don't know about ammoseek.com.

As someone that has been loading their own ammo for 25+ years now, I fully support anyone's decision to not load their own ammo; for some people it just doesn't fit their personality, abilities or especially their needs.

 

[roverandbrew]

Like @roohawk mentioned as to why he reloads, I am the same. If i could find premium loaded 7x57 ammo in 160 grain or larger I would not never reload a single round again. I have started outsourcing to Hendershots to save time.

 

[Dirtdart]

I find myself shooting factory ammunition in common calibers anymore because factory ammunition loaded with a quality bullet is usually easy to come by.
I don't think twice about shooting my 9.3x64, 10.75x68, or .404J until I am tired. I find it nice to be able to have any caliber of ammunition loaded with any bullet I want and have it faster than it could be shipped overnight.

For me running a progressive press for handgun or shotgun ammunition is bordering on torture.

 

[Franco]

nothing wrong at all with not doing hand-loading.
Some of us like to tinker, fiddle with stuff, and develop and probably smoke a pipe because we're always messing with it.
Some of us just want to buy it and use it and probably smoke cigars.

I have a buddy that's a regional sales leader for a major tool maker and he gets frustrated if i ever talk about hand-loading. In his thick Lubbock accent he says "Aw sell tools. Aw buy bullets and kill stuff. Why do you have to make it complicated?!"

I forgot about ammo seek. Appreciate you jogging my memory.

Interesting analogy; I have no desire to reload, I shoot factory ammo in practice and custom reloads for hunting, and smoke cigars.

To take it a step or two further:

I use Ammoseek, and have found some good deals on OnlineHuntingAuctions.com.

My Heyms like Hornady, which I shoot for practice and to reclaim the brass. I use Safari Arms for hunting.

It's a mixed bag with my Hill Country Rifles, CCI, Lapua, Federal, Choice, and Hornady all produce good results.

A couple months ago I entered a 1000 yd competition at a local range - my first time. I used my Hill Country 300 PRC, shooting Hornady TAP 225 grn ammo. The targets were 36" round, 24" rectangle, 18" silhouette, 10" disc, and 5" disc. I placed second by 1 point. All the other shooters were using their own reloads, I was the only one with factory ammo - which led to an interesting discussion.

I have an AM-180 22LR, and a Thompson - Ammoseek and Cheaper-Than-Dirt have proven to be a reliable source for bulk ammo for both.

Without incurring the the wrath of reloaders (hopefully), please enlighten me; is it cost, accuracy, rarity, personal satisfaction, all of those, or something else which motivates someone to reload?

I am not opposed to reloading, in fact, the more I learn about it the more interesting it becomes, and I admire those who do. But, I have to agree with @rookhawk, @deewayne2003, and @Dirtdart, with respect to me - I am satisfied with the results of the factory ammo I shoot, Safari Arms supplies any hunting caliber I need, I don't think I have the patience or personnality to sit there pressing out ammo one at a time, and I sure-as-hell don't need a bunch of gun powder laying around.

As to the pipe vs cigar reference - while I favor hand-rolled cigars, I have no desire or need to roll my own.

 

[Datchew]

Good on you for jumping into the long range competition.

As to hand-loading, I can speak for me. I'm a tinkerer. Mech. eng. by degree. Used to run a global applied process development section for a company you've probably heard of founded by Thomas Edison.
Dirty fingernails type of engineer with old motorcycles in my garage.

For me, it was curiosity initially. I just wanted to open the black box and understand the cartridge, the chamber, the dimensional stack-up and all the variables that went into it.
Besides having fun and learning a lot, I discovered another excellent example of the law of diminishing returns. (I also found that no matter how well I loaded ammo, the results were still limited by my shooting ability.)

I initially was of the mindset that I'd hand-load everything, save a bunch of money, be self-reliant in case of a SHTF situation and other silly musings. But in the end, I really wanted to chase accuracy and precision in hunting cartridges. To some extent, you can still save a good amount of money once you reload bottleneck cartridges, but it's still mostly a labor of love.

Also, it gives you autonomy do make them to your own demand, assuming you keep the materials on hand and you don't have to re-zero if your favorite brand of ammo disappears. However... sometimes a specific preferred bullet (a-frames anyone?) or powder (RL-15) will go away and you start over.

Anymore, I work on a boiled down development process. I work with 3 variables. bullet type (including grain), powder type (including varying charge), and seating depth. Everything else doesn't seem to hold a significant enough affect on performance to bother with. At least at my level of shooting ability.

If you ever wanna get into it, feel free to drop me a PM or ask around here. Lots of folks were very helpful on initial powder choices and bullets when i first ventured into the 375h&h.
So helpful in fact, that it took me only 4 samples to achieve the load I locked in and took to Africa.
And it's putting a 3/4" group consistently at 200 yards.
Here's the cheat sheet below.

 

[deewayne2003]

Without incurring the the wrath of reloaders (hopefully), please enlighten me; is it cost, accuracy, rarity, personal satisfaction, all of those, or something else which motivates someone to reload?

@Franco - It's a combination of what you listed plus others.

I started reloading at 14/15 because the local gun store owner would not sell me ammo, but he knew me and said powder, primers and projectiles were a "grey area"... Much different time back in 90's!

I bought a Lee kit, dies, calipers, components and loaded 100rnds of .270win and it paid for everything I spent, with money left to spare when compared to buying factory ammo and I never looked back.

So I got to shoot more often for less money and saved me the pain of dragging my mother to the gun store; in adulthood I like it because I can load superior quality ammo compared to what I can buy and for lower cost for my centerfire rifles.

Example - When I got my .470ne it came with the regulation load and I found a boat load of the old Hornady non bonded bullets on closeout, so for practice I could load .470ne for $1.86ea compared to $7-9ea for Hornady factory ammo...... and I put 300+ rounds through it before I went to Zim last year.

I do have my limits though and consider the time opportunity cost - I agree with @Dirtdart, standing at a progressive press and loading pistol or shotgun rounds is torture and I absolutely refuse to do it.

Like yourself - If you've got a Thompson & AM-180; you've done well for your self and loading .45acp to save money when shooting your Thompson would be a fools errand.

P.S.

I have both a pipe & cigar collection.

 

[Dirtdart]

Without incurring the the wrath of reloaders (hopefully), please enlighten me; is it cost, accuracy, rarity, personal satisfaction, all of those, or something else which motivates someone to reload?

Different strokes for different folks. I will share a few examples.
I would say for me it is being able to walk no farther than the back room and walk out with ammunition for damn near anything but if I didn't get a certain amount of personal satisfaction I would not do it.

I knew a man that was an accomplished shooter in many different disciplines. I had the honor of seeing his loading room once. He had two completely separate set ups. One for up to 600 meters and another for long range.

I had a customer years ago that was a bench rest competitor. If memory serves it was a 200 yard game with a rifle under a certain weight and some sort of restriction on scope magnification. He was so anal when it came to loading ammunition that it would take all of the fun out of it for me. I will say that the groups on those targets he had hanging on his office walls would impress anybody.

I have a friend that is a retired DG PH in Namibia that I helped set up to hand load. His situation is more about availability but the high cost of factory ammo where he lives is also a factor.

I can not recall which custom manufacturer a good friend has used over the years but he did say now that he has put all of that guys children through college he is ready to "roll his own". I have thoroughly enjoyed having a part in helping him assemble "dummy" cartridges for a bespoke rifle.

I have an occasional pipe but also enjoy a cigar now and then. I have no desire to roll my own cigar but I did enjoy smoking a cigar rolled by a professional as I watched attending a really cool party in Tampa.

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

AmmoSeek has been around a good while along with a couple other similar type websites. Unfortunately they don’t truly account for shipping costs so they can be a little deceptive.

I handload a little but shoot WAY more factory ammo and strive to find a 1/2 MOA Factory Load for the modern rifles I own. For me it’s a time constraint but with some of the older calibers and vintage guns I shoot handloading is absolutely necessary due to limited factory options (250 Sav, 275 Rigby, 280AI, 300 Sav, 303 Sav, 303 Brit, 300H&H, 416 Taylor, 450NE, 470NE, 500NE) It’s also allowed me to really push the envelope on a couple of calibers like .257wby and 280AI.

 

[Cotton King]

I have used AmmoSeek multiple times and it’s worked well for me as I prefer to purchase rather than reload. I also agree that you must account for shipping costs when determining the overall price of the ammo.

 

[Andrew62]

I guess I always assume I am the last to know things (and as pattern recognition goes, I usually am). I use Ammoseek constantly as I am not a handloader yet.

I know, I know, how can I even feel good in the outdoors or hunt if I don't handload. Maybe I will at some point but I decided long ago after trying to tie my own flies that I don't have the time or patience or find any enjoyment in it. I hazard handloading might be the same for me and as long as I can FIND factory loads that are "hunting accurate" in my rifles, I probably won't try it. I don't shoot odd enough calibers to make it too expensive for me to shoot factory amd while I do shoot quite a bit of volume, the bank account can withstand the pressure for now.

Kudos to those who do but for those of us not that into handloading (or making our own arrows or milling our own gunpowder or keeping a fresking sourdough starter alive), Ammoseek is an indispensable tool.

I will also say Ammoseek has put me in touch with some amazing gun stores. Midway is great, but you can do better in pricing usually and sometimes massively better. Plus finding the odd cartridge that Midway doesn't carry or a bullet that is factory loaded that they don't carry.

I don’t hand load either, Ammoseek is my go-to place to buy ammo, sometimes guns as well.

 

[Franco]

@Datchew, @deewayne2003, @Dirtdart, thank you all for taking time to not only respond - but to enlighten me rather than criticize my thoughts.

I can certainly see the attraction, and understand the satisfaction one might get from doing something yourself - either because you can or because you have to.

While I did my share of shooting when I was young, I did only the occasional bird hunt until age 65.

Since then I have attended both Safari and Long-range Precision courses at FTW Ranch, and made 4 trips to Africa. My understanding of the technical aspects of bullet trajectory, flight path, etc is growing; but to be honest, my focus has been on proper technique for hitting what I'm aiming at.

The instructors at FTW found which ammo worked best for my Heyms and developed Range Cards. My Hill Country rifles came with specific ammo noted, and Range Cards were developed at FTW.
The Hill Country 300 PRC involved a Kestrel and a ballistics program on my IPhone. We zeroed at 100 yds, selected ammo from a dropdown menu on the IPhone which bluetoothed to the Kestrel, and the next thing I knew, I was taking aim at a target 1400 yds down range. "Dial for elevation, hold for wind", reduce reticle movement, control breathing, and squeeze. I heard the word, "Impact" and I was hooked. Over the next few days we worked out to 2200 yds. That's 6,600 feet, 1.25 miles, HOLY CRAP. The program at FTW is amazing and the instructors are fantastic; both my wife and son have attended. In four days, they had my wife shooting her 224 Valkyrie 1000 yds, and my son shooting my 7 PRC 1400 yds.

I understand the relationship between rifle, ammo, and shooter, and can see where fine tuning ammo to achieve the smallest group possible would factor in. So far, John at Safari Arms has been able to provide that quality ammo.

That 1000 yd competition was fun, I will definitely enter again. Next time I'll shoot Choice ammo in place of the Hornady TAP.

For now, I'm rather limited - ankle surgery has me in a cast for another 3 weeks with a walking boot to follow for an additional 4. I can drive my RTV to my barn where I have a shooting range. I have a trap, 8' X 8' X 8' constructed of 1/4" armor plate, with the back 1/3 doubled - so it's 1/2" armor plate. My shooting "lane" is 18' wide by 42' deep enclosed, there's an additional 20' of covered awning, and the potential for 150 yds if I use the driveway.

There's a shooting bench inside, and a Bog Pod affixed to my RTV to make use of the driveway. I have been experimenting with ammo and distances with my 22 Voodoo, to build a Range card and get a better mental picture of the ballistic curve.

Here's some pictures:

The trap

The bench

The damn cast

22 Voodoo, Lapua Ammo - 5 shots at 50 yds, the 3 holes to the left were to determine elevation

The RTV with Bog Pod and 22 Voodoo

This is keeping me entertained for now, and there's a cigar lounge in the main part of the shop.

 

[1972RedNeck]

Ammoseek is great.

My brother recently bought several lots of handgun ammo for much cheaper off GunBroker though. I didn't even realize that there was ammo on GB.