50 BMG Hornady Match 750 facotry ammo equal to handloads?

[slm9s]

You don't NEED high-dollar reloading equipment for a fifty. I make pretty straight ammo on my Lee classic 50bmg setup. $250 shipped at amazon.

 

[davidjoe]

The Bulletin article - http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/2018/06/half-moa-with-a-50-bmg-yes-its-possible/#comments

Given 12 years of AR50 experience, seems you've been pretty happy with "factory" ammo. [BTW, there are a lot of "factory ammo" options - see http://www.elr-resources.com/page4.html]

The article did not mention what ammo was used - "factory" or reloads. Which were they? I'm guessing they were reloads, tuned to your rifle.

Were I in your shoes, I'd have the guy that made the ammo used in the article continue to load for you. Known quality/results in your own rifle. Why get into the reloading Pandora's box?

Hornady loaded it . I’ve never tried handloads in either of my 50 BMG rifles. Not opposed to th concept, though. In other calibers I shoot matches with, I only shoot handloaded ammo, such as RSAUM and .284.

The 50 is a different question, because the ammo components I might end up loading for myself, are the actually already in the most readily available factory load out there that represents itself as match grade ammo.

Hornady seems to have lowered the price of 50 AMax loaded ammo, over the years. I’ve gotten it recently for $5.50 a round. And so I’m wondering, if I can’t really beat Hornady’s offering loading my own, can I even beat the product in performance with handloads?

Clearly not if I shoot “their” bullets, as that’s a wash, but possibly if either my brass was better than theirs, or their loads are less than uniform, or if they are uniform, but are cold loaded for safety reasons in semiautos.

And then the broader question is whether other handload combinations (bullets choices, powder and Lapua brass) meaningfully surpass the factory option.

If it’s close to a performance wash, for example Lapua 105 grain 6BR factory loads versus one’s own (handloads are much cheaper though), and a price wash, then that pandora’s Box you mention might not need to be opened.

 

[ELR Researcher]

$5.50 is really high - see https://ammoseek.com/ammo/50bmg/Hornady

Some of the other ammo sellers I have listed on my site will be less - or possibly more with different (superior) bullets.