Buying Reloaded ammo

[F4E Phantom]

I want to practice Bullseye shooting with my S&W M-14. I don’t reload at the moment.
Looking over at Gunbroker for some wadcutter ammo, I see people selling unknown reloads. I KNOW that you shouldn’t buy these. BUT if I was to weigh them, I should be safe NO? Opinions please

 

[Infidel99]

Not at all. Variations in brass and projectile weight won't allow accurate measurement of charge weight

 

[Infidel99]

MAYBE if MATCH brass and projectiles all from the same lot were used but thats highly unlikely

 

[Baddog 0302]

You list Florida as your location , thats a big area !
If you have any friends that reload maybe you could talk them into showing you how to reload, you buy some powder,primers cases and projectiles , all or part from your friend and they show you how to reload for pistol

 

[Daezee]

If you know someone who reloads, offer to buy them all the components required plus some extra to give and ask them to reload for you. YOU buy the components. You go through the hassle of finding and ordering. Don’t ask them to go through the hassle of buying and simply giving them the money. With you doing the background work, a friend may do that physical aspect of reloading for you. 38 special wadcutters are easy to reload.

I see my post was a variation of Baddog’s, but a similar idea.

 

[ABlaster]

I've seen problems with reloaded ammo even from big companies. I've seen .38 specials out of the same box chrono 350fps different from each other, I've seen an AR-15 blow out because of what was probably a double charge, I've seen ammo that won't go into revolver cylinders, and a bunch more sketchy stuff.

That being said, I have had great success with Atlanta Arms and Ammo reloads as well as LAX Ammo reloads. I agree with Baddog that it would probably be best to get set up yourself or get a friend who already reloads to assemble your components for you. I have done that in the past for friends and it's not a hassle when you have great equipment.

Edit: Daezee and I were typing at the same time!

 

[War-Buff]

I agree with having a trusted friend help you load and/or loading some for you. I personally would never use 'unknown' reloads under any circumstances.

 

[Jdcujo]

I want to practice Bullseye shooting with my S&W M-14. I don’t reload at the moment.
Looking over at Gunbroker for some wadcutter ammo, I see people selling unknown reloads. I KNOW that you shouldn’t buy these. BUT if I was to weigh them, I should be safe NO? Opinions please

You can get 4 rounds all weigh the same and have one end up loaded with rifle powder, one end up safe and 2 end up drastically overloaded.
And that's with the same bullets and brass.
Only thing unknown reloads would be good for is to break down for brass/primer and bullets if you reload.

 

[Jester896]

kinda hard to double charge a rifle load in most cases....it will overflow the case. double charging a pistol load is much easier.

 

[Snake-Eyes]

I want to practice Bullseye shooting with my S&W M-14. I don’t reload at the moment.
Looking over at Gunbroker for some wadcutter ammo, I see people selling unknown reloads. I KNOW that you shouldn’t buy these. BUT if I was to weigh them, I should be safe NO? Opinions please

You won’t know the components. You would be playing Russian Roulette.

Imagine four rounds with identical brass, primers, and projectiles. Outward appearance is identical. Similar weights of powder, but the powders are rifle, pistol, double load, and black powder. Wanna fire that with your finger on the trigger, or a string from behind a tree?

No lawsuit will grow back your mangled body parts.

People are idiots, and/or purposefully jerks and swindlers. Not worth the risk, to me.

 

[Jevaughn]

I started reloading on 38 wadcutters when I was 13. If I wanted to shoot something other than .22lr at the range with my dad, I had to help with the ammo. Started with sizing and cleaning, then later learned how to charge and seat. With carbide dies, reloading .38 or any straight-walled pistol cartridge is super easy to do. My teenage kids help with the reloading these days as well. It's time consuming, especially on a single-stage press, but for me it's a very zen like thing, and honestly relaxing. It's also a helluva lot cheaper than buying ammo when it comes to shit like .38/357, .44, .45 Colt, etc.

As for buying reloaded ammo? Unless they're a licensed ammo manufacturer and are therefore liable for any damage caused by their ammo, meaning their quality control should be on point, avoid at all cost. You don't know what primers they used, what powder they used, if they accidentally mixed powders when cleaning out their powder drop), too much crimp can cause pressure spike, used brass cracked during the loading process, etc. Unless you trust the person very well, it's just a bad idea. I have one friend I reload for, and that's only because his rifle likes the same exact hunting load as mine that I can set up once and reload a hundred rounds to split between the two of us, and those rounds will last us a couple years before we just shoot whatever is left over and start with a fresh load. If I'm going to the range with them, I'll let people shoot my reloads out of MY guns, but I wouldn't sell them simply because I'm human, and therefore I am not perfect.

 

[Bowhntr6pt]

OP, I think you already know the risks associated with shooting reloads made by other people.

 

[boatbum101]

Check with Roze Distributing ( retail arm of Zero Ammo / Bullets ) & Precision Delta . Both are commercial mfgr's & have a number of options for 38 special wadcutter ammo much cheaper & as good / better quality . Many PPC & BE folks buy from them . I use Zero bullets in all my match ammo in 45acp & 38 .

 

[Tige]

BOTTOM LINE
Don’t do it. Don’t ever shoot anyone else’s reloads.
Learn to reload. Lots of help here.

 

[Longtooth]

My dad had a quote for this: "Who do you trust to mix a mini explosive with potential shrapnel that will go off next to your hand/ face?"

 

[Flounder Hounder]

I have bought reloaded 5.56, 2k rounds. By the time I used them the reloading company was gone and I found that the rounds were blowing the base off of the cases.
Took them to the Sheriff's office to be destroyed.

Never again.

 

[F4E Phantom]

Excellent comments guys

 

[ABlaster]

Check with Roze Distributing ( retail arm of Zero Ammo / Bullets ) & Precision Delta . Both are commercial mfgr's & have a number of options for 38 special wadcutter ammo much cheaper & as good / better quality . Many PPC & BE folks buy from them . I use Zero bullets in all my match ammo in 45acp & 38 .

I had forgotten about them! They are some old-school companies right there! I even have a case of Zero .38 spcl SWC's running around somewhere.