Factory load adjustment

[powderburnz]

I apologize in advance if this question has been asked. I realize factory loads are "expensive" to the reloaders, of which I'm not. I've always wondered if you took apart a box of lets say FGGM ammo and blueprinted ever cartriges/round, powder grains, trim the brass, bullet seating depth etc. would you end up with a significantly better product? I know this is not cost effective, my primary reason for the question is is a higher quality factory round that far off from a custom reload?

[pepper savage 111]

The only thing you get from a "higher quality factory round" is consistency. There's alot more to precision loading than just consistency.

Precision reloading cosists of tayloring a load to your rifle. Seating depth, charge weight, case prep, neck tension, specific primers, etc. are all taken into account.

There's no guarantee of accuracy with "higher quality factory" ammo. Will most high-end factory ammo perform well in any given rifle? That depends on your definition of acceptable performance. MOA? Sub MOA? 1/4MOA?

I've had/built rifles that loved Black Hills and Federal Gold Medal Match and hated factory hunting loads. But I've also had/built rifles that did not do well with high-end match-grade ammo but loved Remington Corelokt ($16 per box of 20).

So, to answer your question, you'll only get a significantly better product if your rifle liked the higher end ammo that you're blueprinting to begin with. But even then you'll only have a starting point. You'll still have to determine precise seating depth, case length, and charge weight (assuming you use the same cases and primers). At that point you're practically "reloading" anyway.

[pepper savage 111]

And yes. Factory loads are very different from custom loads. Mass produced ammo can't meet the demands of true precision loading. At least not yet.

[Robinhood]

FGMM has cases that are weighed withing .2 of a grain, uses a superior primer and above average match bullet with closely weighed powder of a 4064 variety. As good as mass production can get.

[FW Conch]

FGMM can be considered an OCW loading. It will shoot well in most rifles. If one wants to know how a new 308 will shoot, a box of FGMM will tell the story, assuming the shooter can shoot as good as the rifle! :-)