The decade after World War II ushered in the golden age of hand-loaded centerfire rifle cartridges, as bullets from Speer, Sierra, Nosler, Hornady, and other fresh companies became available. Reloading presses, dies, and other tools also became available, and tons of military surplus gunpowder were sold in smaller canisters for handloaders.
While the main purpose of handloading may have been to save money, it also allowed shooters to tailor loads to their rifle, which would maximize accuracy, enhance speed, and improve terminal efficiency. Many substantial game hunters switched to handloading so they could apply premium bullets that were not available in factory ammunition.
However, those who focused on diminutive bugs and predators largely turned to handloading due to the huge amount of ammunition burned during the weekend in areas with high bug populations. Worm hunters from east of the Mississippi regularly travel to the Dakotas, Montana, Wyoming and other western states in the spring to assist reduce prairie dog populations on ranches, where their dens can cause injuries to cattle and horses and damage machinery.
Each shooter can fire hundreds of shots a day at these and other bugs, including rocks, hares, and various ground squirrels.
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Economic benefits
It wasn’t that long ago that a guy could apply the same components as premium brand ammo and hand load his own ammo for much cheaper than he would if he bought it. Slowly but surely, this price difference decreased as the prices of bullets, powder, primers and brass increased, while the performance of factory ammunition improved significantly.
However, manual loading can still save you money while offering other benefits. It’s complex to pinpoint standard savings with handloading because different cartridges deliver different amounts, but on average you should cut your costs in half. By recycling brass, you only need to buy it once every four to as many as 10 reloads, depending on how “hot” you reload.
Handloaders can produce more exact ammunition than factory loads by tailoring it to specific rifles. Factory ammunition must be built to universal standards to fit each rifle.
However, any rifle and cartridge/load shoots best with the proper combination of primer, powder, bullet, and bullet seating depth. Place the ball a fraction of an inch deeper or longer and the group size can decrease dramatically. Fitting shells to the rifle, weighing and sorting, neck turning, and other “tricks of the trade” also enhance accuracy
The best varmint rounds
Suitable varmint cartridges range in caliber from .17 to .24. The .17 Hornet (with a .22 Hornet case) is really economical to load, burning less than 15 grains of powder. At 0.243 Win. you will need to load over 40 grains of powder.
The Ruger .22-250 and .204 (necked .222 Rem. Magnum) are excellent worm cartridges, but .204 ammunition may not be widely distributed. This is also a problem with some other, older cartridges such as the .222 Rem. and 6 mm Rem. For newer cartridges such as .22 Nosler, .224 Valkyrie, and .22 ARC, you may also find a narrow selection of ammunition.
Cartridges in the .22-250 Remington to .243 Winchester class can be unnecessarily powerful for most bug shooting, where the immense majority of shots are fired from 150 to 250 yards.
Standout .223
Without a doubt, the .223/5.56 is the most competent and affordable varmint cartridge, whether you are reloading or shooting factory ammunition. The differences between them are diminutive but essential. The 5.56 is loaded with higher pressure and has a longer throat. It is unthreatening to fire a .223 cartridge in a 5.56 chamber, but firing a 5.56 cartridge in a .223 can cause safety issues.
The affordability of the .223 depends on its status as the U.S. military’s cartridge of choice, as well as the proliferation of civilian AR-15s. Once fired, military grade brass is available in immense quantities and is inexpensive, sometimes costing nothing, and AR enthusiasts deposit plenty of freebies at many popular shooting spots.
An 18- to 24-inch precision semi-automatic or bolt gun is a very solid option. Appropriate Varmint bullets range in weight from 35 to 77 grains and, with a zero length of 225 yards, provide a very flat shot out to 300 yards.
Save on generic bullets
Crutches usually offer the greatest savings. Popular brands like Sierra’s BlitzKing, Nosler’s Ballistic Tip, Hornady’s V-Max, and Barnes Varmint Grenades are excellent for worm control. However, you can get significant savings on standard supple and hollow point bullets from stores like Midway USA and others.
Foundations and powder are usually suggested retail prices, although deals can be found by looking through sales brochures, especially at the end of the year during periods of stock reduction. Sporting goods stores prefer to keep fresh products in stock, so they often discount last year’s goods to make room for improved packaging or simply change the assortment.
Reloading tools
Anyone fresh to reloading will need a few tools, starting with a press for resizing cases and seating bullets. Special die sets are needed for each cartridge to press the brass cases back to the correct size so that fresh bullets can be seated.
The scale is indispensable for accurately measuring powder doses. Powder dispenser, various cartridge holders, case drum/polisher, case grease, priming tool, case trays, powder funnel, case trimmer, chamfer and deburring tool will assist with reloading.
Probably the most essential reloading tool is the reloading manual. Printed versions are available from bullet manufacturers, gunpowder companies, and reloading equipment companies. These manuals contain complete instructions and thousands of recipes. In fact, buy one of these first and study it to better understand what’s coming. Top-up details are also available online.
Is reloading for you?
If you meet the following criteria, you will probably enjoy reloading your own ammunition:
• Are you detail-oriented?
For unthreatening reloading, close attention to detail is necessary.
• Are you interested in mechanics and like to wonder how things work?
You need to be patient because the work is quite tedious in some respects. You will also need to have enough free time to reload correctly and safely.
Top-up is a great way to continue your interest in the shooting sport during the off-season. Even if the weather is bad or it’s not hunting season, reloading is a second hobby that allows you to stay at home.
For many reloaders, experimenting with different loads and custom cartridges is as enjoyable and rewarding as a day at the shooting range or in the field. Additionally, being able to work with your hands while customizing your own ammunition can also be therapeutic.
Perhaps the least discussed advantage of loading your own rifle ammunition is that most reloaders become better shooters. This is because ammo is cheaper, so you can shoot more without going broke. But there is also an incentive to shoot more to see what your custom ammo can do on the range and in the field.
