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Custom load development business?

VAspeedgoat

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Timberville, VA
I did a search but I didn't really find anything on this subject. I was curious if anyone out there knew of a business or outfit that would take a gun and do a load development on a rifle. I can reload but I find I don't, A have the time to reload a bunch of different bullet and powder combos. And, B don't have time to do all the shooting required. It seems to take all my time now a days working with my kids with their rifles that all I do is check zero on my guns and go. I would make the time necessary to reload if I knew a recipe like I do for a couple other guns. I got that done in a bygone era before kids.

What the hell did I do with all my money and free time back then may be another question that would be great to have answered.
 
I googled it for your convenience:





But from my perspective if you have a decent rifle and pick a bullet known to be easy reloaders (TTSX, Acubond, Hammers) that is sufficient for your intended usage and you are willing to call 0.75-0.85 MOA good enough, you don't need to do much more than one good velocity ladder with the most common powder for that bullet weight/cartridge to get something that works 85% of the time.
 
Thanks guys

I don't know if I didn't enter the right keywords or if it's just my search engine but I did try looking believe it or not. I found places that sold high end ammo but no development for a specific rifle.

Sounds like Hammer is a place that some on here are very familiar with. Are some of the others mentioned have first hand knowledge!
 
I think Unkown Munitions does custom load work as well.
 
If you follow the gun writer Phil Massarro, he has a company Massaro Ballistic Laboratories that might be worth looking into.
 
Yeah, check out Hammer Bullets, they charge $500 but they apparently get great results. I was in the shop there talking to Steve not long ago and it really sounds like he has a solid process ironed out. I bought a couple boxes of their bullets and am excited to give them a try. They’re CNC lathe turned and are super precise, consistent and as a bonus they’re monolithic. I stumbled upon them because I was looking for a great bullet for my 28 Nosler and they’re the ONLY company making a high BC mono bullet in 7mm.

This really makes me wonder what I’d need to do something like that. It certainly seems like even if I did what would be a gun a month or so I’d be making pretty decent money just shooting someone else’s rifle and passing them along some data.
 
Superior ammunition.
They used to be out west but moved to Soith Carolina a few years back... I think they are still in business.

I have had some off his hand loads but never sent a rifle to him for load development... but it is a service they offered...similar to what they will do at Hammer Bullets..was a similar price point a few years back when I looked at it.
I’m not sure how Covid has affected their business.
 
Yeah, check out Hammer Bullets, they charge $500 but they apparently get great results. I was in the shop there talking to Steve not long ago and it really sounds like he has a solid process ironed out. I bought a couple boxes of their bullets and am excited to give them a try. They’re CNC lathe turned and are super precise, consistent and as a bonus they’re monolithic. I stumbled upon them because I was looking for a great bullet for my 28 Nosler and they’re the ONLY company making a high BC mono bullet in 7mm.

This really makes me wonder what I’d need to do something like that. It certainly seems like even if I did what would be a gun a month or so I’d be making pretty decent money just shooting someone else’s rifle and passing them along some data.
"The ONLY company making high BC mono bullets",eh?

You know when you make definitive statements like that, there's always someone out there to verify..

So i plugged the 143gr 7mm Hammer Hunter, and the 145gr 7mm Cutting Edge MTH into Strelok Pro.
Gave both the same muzzle velocity, atmospheric conditions. Zero wind deflection.
At 800 yards, the Cutting Edge needed 171".
The Hammer needed 169".
Not too shabby, considering that Hammer lists their BC "by drop, or estimated".
Cutting Edge verified by Ladradar.

Also notice i didn't use Cutting Edge's ER Raptor or single feed bullets, which have better BCs.

I'm NOT saying Hammer's aren't good bullets, just that there are other options out there.
 
Last edited:
"The ONLY company making high BC mono bullets",eh?

You know when you make definitive statements like that, there's always someone out there to verify..

So i plugged the 143gr 7mm Hammer Hunter, and the 145gr 7mm Cutting Edge MTH into Strelok Pro.
Gave both the same muzzle velocity, atmospheric conditions. Zero wind deflection.
At 800 yards, the Cutting Edge needed 171".
The Hammer needed 169".
Not too shabby, considering that Hammer lists their BC "by drop, or estimated".
Cutting Edge verified by Ladradar.

Also notice i didn't use Cutting Edge's ER Raptor or single feed bullets, which have better BCs.

I'm NOT saying Hammer's aren't good bullets, just that there are other options out there.
Nice I’d never heard of them. Hammers are the definitely the only ones I had seen. I ended up with 177gr HH to shoot out of my 28 Nosler, I have those and some 195 Bergers that I’m going to give a go.
 
Yeah, check out Hammer Bullets, they charge $500 but they apparently get great results. I was in the shop there talking to Steve not long ago and it really sounds like he has a solid process ironed out. I bought a couple boxes of their bullets and am excited to give them a try. They’re CNC lathe turned and are super precise, consistent and as a bonus they’re monolithic. I stumbled upon them because I was looking for a great bullet for my 28 Nosler and they’re the ONLY company making a high BC mono bullet in 7mm.

This really makes me wonder what I’d need to do something like that. It certainly seems like even if I did what would be a gun a month or so I’d be making pretty decent money just shooting someone else’s rifle and passing them along some data.
Better have some good insurance! There's a litigation lawyer living under every rock. For something like that I'm guessing you'd have to go with a specialty insurer like Loyds of London. Not cheap!
 
I googled it for your convenience:





But from my perspective if you have a decent rifle and pick a bullet known to be easy reloaders (TTSX, Acubond, Hammers) that is sufficient for your intended usage and you are willing to call 0.75-0.85 MOA good enough, you don't need to do much more than one good velocity ladder with the most common powder for that bullet weight/cartridge to get something that works 85% of the time.
That method will get you closer to .25MOA if you have a custom barrel that was chambered by a good smith, use good dies, use good brass, are capable of good gun handling, and use better bullets than Accubonds. If you aren’t using good stuff, and .75MOA is all it’s capable of then load development isn’t going to net you much anyway.

The whole shoot a million different combos till you find what your gun likes method is just a way by which you can often stumble into what a ladder test will show you in minutes.
 
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