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Best Long Range Ammo

Best Long Range Ammo for Those Not Reloading – What The Pros Use

I recently published a series of articles on the reloading equipment and process that the 200 top-ranked shooters in the Precision Rifle Series (PRS) use to handload their match ammo. But do you have to reload to compete at the highest levels? That used to be true, but not anymore! We know that for sure because several of the top 25 shooters don’t handload their match ammo.

So, who does load their ammo? That’s exactly what this article covers! If you’re looking for the best long range factory ammo, this is your definitive guide. We’ll look at who the top PRS shooters trusted when every shot mattered, even out to 1,000+ yards.

The chart below shows the best long range ammo options used by top-ranked PRS shooters who don’t reload their match ammo:

Best Long Range Factory Ammo

On the chart above, the various colors represent where a shooter landed in terms of season rank in the PRS. For example, black indicates shooters who finished in the top 10, the darkest blue is people who finished 11-25, and the lighter the blue, the further out they finished in overall standings. The chart legend itemizes the ranks each color represents, but basically, the darker the color, the higher the shooter’s overall ranking.

I reached out to the most popular companies and asked them a few questions about their products and services. Several of them will load ammo to your specifications, so I chose a few types of ammo that I thought my readers might be interested in and asked them to price those exact components as a type of standard to help my readers see a side-by-side comparison. Here are the 4 types of ammo I asked each company to price out:

  • 6mm Dasher loaded in Alpha brass with Berger 105 gr. Hybrid bullets
  • 6.5 Creedmoor loaded in Alpha or Lapua brass with Berger 153.5 gr. LRHT bullets
  • 6.5 PRC loaded in Lapua brass with Berger 156 gr. EOL bullets
  • 300 Norma Mag loaded in Lapua brass with Hornady 230 gr. A-Tip bullets

Clay’s Cartridge Company

Clay's Cartridge Company Custom Loaded Ammo

Clay’s Cartridge Company has 4 pros in the top 50 using their ammo, including #4 Clay Blackketter, #27 Dave Preston, #39 Jimmy Moore, and #48 Tate Streater. I know a couple of other pro shooters who have used ammo that Clay loaded in national-level, two-day PRS matches, but those were the 4 who said they were using it on my last “What The Pros Use” survey.

Clay Blackketter 2019 PRS Champion Season Golden Bullet Winner

Clay’s Cartridge Company is owned and operated by Clay Blackketter, who was the 2019 PRS Season Champion and is a perennial top-5 finisher in the PRS season standings. He was also a member of Team USA at the IPRF World Championships. Just a few weeks ago, Clay won the 2025 Koenig-Ruger Precision Rifle Competition – so he’s been competing at the very highest levels for several years.

The shooters using Clay’s Cartridge Company for their match ammo were running a 6mm BR, 6mm Dasher, and 25×47 Lapua. I asked each competitor what their average standard deviation (SD) was over a 10-shot string, and the average reported SD was 4.0 fps! Shooters reported average 5-shot group sizes ranging from 0.1 MOA to 0.4 MOA, with an average of 0.3 MOA.

What Is Standard Deviation (SD)?

Many veteran long-range shooters see SDs as a measuring stick for ammo quality and round-to-round consistency. SD is a statistic that represents how spread out a set of numbers are. A low SD indicates all velocities were close to the average, while a high SD indicates the velocities are spread out over a wider range. SD is similar to Extreme Spread (ES), but SD is usually a more reliable stat when it comes to quantifying the muzzle velocity variation. (Learn more here, and don’t worry – you don’t have to be a math nerd to understand it!)

What Is A “Good” SD?

It’s relatively easy for a reloader to produce ammo with an SD of 15 fps, but we typically have to be meticulous and use good components and equipment to wrestle that down into single digits. The table below is from Modern Advancements in Long Range Shooting Volume 2, and it provides a “summary of what kind of SDs are required to achieve certain long-range shooting goals in general terms”:

What is good SD for long range ammo

Virtually everyone reloading long-range rifle ammo has a goal of “single-digit SDs,” meaning they want it to be less than 10 fps. The overall average reported by this group of 200 top-ranked competitors was 5.6 fps, which represents truly world-class ammo.

Clay’s pricing is pretty simple: He currently only charges $1 per round + the cost of the components! If you are using one of the common PRS cartridges, Clay likely has a standard/factory load that he’s found to shoot well across multiple rifles that he can load up for you, or you could spec the brass and bullet you’d like him to use.

Clay also offers a custom loading service where he will load ammo for virtually any cartridge. You can send him your rifle, and he’ll develop a load that is specifically tuned to your rifle.

Clay Cartridge Company Ammo Summary

  • Website: ClaysCartridgeCompany.com
  • Cartridges Available: 6 Dasher, 6 GT, 25×47 Lapua, 6mm Creedmoor, 6.5 Creedmoor, and others upon request.
  • Example Prices(from the time this was published; see their website for current pricing):
    • 6mm Dasher with Alpha brass and Berger 105 Hybrid bullet: $3.25 per round
    • 6.5 Creedmoor with Alpha or Lapua brass and Berger 153.5 LRHT bullet: $3.00 per round
    • 6.5 PRC with Lapua brass and Berger 156 EOL bullet: Only available with his custom load development service
    • 300 Norma Mag with Lapua brass and Hornady 230 A-Tip: Only available with his custom load development service
  • Minimum Order: 50 Rounds
  • Full Custom Loading Service: Yes. You can send him your rifle, and Clay will work up a load that is specifically tuned to your rifle for virtually any cartridge.
  • Note: If you provide all the components (brass, powder, primer, bullets), then Clay will load it all for you for $1 per round.

Phalanx Arms

Phalanx Arms Ammo

Phalanx Arms also had 4 shooters in the top 200 using their ammo. One of those was #19 Matt Caruso, who is currently ranked 4th in the 2025 season standings. Phalanx Arms is owned and operated by Mike Burdis, who is a pro shooter who finished 76th in the Open Division last season, so clearly the guy making the ammo understands what it takes to compete at the highest levels. Mike has pulled off podium finishes in national-level matches in both PRS pro matches and NRL Hunter matches.

Mike Burdis PRS Ammo

The 4 competitors who said they used Phalanx Arms ammo were shooting a 6mm Dasher, 6mm BRA, 6mm GT, and 7mm SAW. Shooters using Phalanx Arms ammo reported 2.5 to 4.5 fps SDs! I know a couple of those shooters, and I’ve personally seen the summary of their shots over a Garmin Xero chronograph and can confirm they are typically in that sub 5 fps range for SD. They also reported that their average 5-shot group size was 0.3-0.4 MOA!

Phalanx Arms Ammo Summary

  • Website: Phalanx-Arms.com
  • Cartridges Available: 223 Rem, 22 GT, 22 Creedmoor, 6 Dasher, 6 GT, 6mm Creedmoor, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC, 308 Winchester, 300 PRC, 300 Win Mag, 338 Lapua Mag, plus others available upon request.
  • Example Prices (from the time this was published; see their website for current pricing):
    • 6mm Dasher with Alpha brass and Berger 105 Hybrid bullet: $2.89 per round
    • 6.5 Creedmoor with Alpha or Lapua brass and Berger 153.5 LRHT bullet: $2.89 per round
    • 6.5 PRC with Lapua brass and Berger 156 EOL bullet: $4.50 per round
    • 300 Norma Mag with Lapua brass and Hornady 230 A-Tip: $6.00 per round
  • Minimum Order: 50 Rounds
  • Full Custom Loading Service: Yes
  • Note: If you ship back your used brass, he’ll reload it and subtract the cost of brass from the order.

Trace Ammunition

Trace Ammunition Long Range Factory Ammo

There were 2 shooters in the top 200 running Trace Ammunition, which included #40 Justin Domaguin. Shooters using Trace ammo were shooting a 6mm Dasher and a 6.5 Creedmoor. The shooter running the 6mm Dasher was using a bolt-action rifle, and he reported an average 10-shot SD of 4 fps and an average 5-shot group of 0.3 MOA.

The 6.5 Creedmoor shooter was Chris Garcia, which was the top shooter in the 2024 Gas Gun Division, and he also had enough points to be ranked 128th in the Open Division, which is very impressive! Gas guns always have higher SDs and larger groups than the high-end bolt-action precision rifles this group is running. The gas gun shooter reported an SD of 7 fps and group sizes of 0.5 MOA, which is extremely good for a semi-auto.

Ammar Bazzaz PRS Rifle Shooter

Trace Ammunition is owned and operated by Ammar Bazzaz, who is classified as a Professional shooter in the PRS. Ammar typically competes with a gas gun and is currently ranked #3 overall for the 2025 standings in the Gas Gun Division.

Trace offers a special reloading service for 6 Dasher, 6 GT, 6.5 Creedmoor, and 308 Win ammo, where you can send them your brass, and they’ll reload it for you into one of their standard factory loads. You can find out more details about that service here: Trace Ammunition Reloading Service.

Trace offers a full custom load development service where customers can send in their rifle, and Trace will work up a load specifically for their rifle. The cost is $1500 + shipping fees and component costs (typically takes 100 rounds for load workup).

Trace Ammo Summary

  • Website: TraceAmmo.com
  • Cartridges Available: 223 Rem, 6 Dasher, 6 GT, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC, 308 Winchester, 300 Win Mag, 300 Norma Mag, 338 Lapua Mag, and other cartridges upon request
  • Example Prices(from the time this was published; see their website for current pricing):
    • 6mm Dasher with Alpha brass and Berger 105 Hybrid bullet: $3.25 per round
    • 6.5 Creedmoor with Alpha or Lapua brass and Berger 153.5 LRHT bullet: $4.25 per round
    • 6.5 PRC with Lapua brass and Berger 156 EOL bullet: $6.50 per round (with custom loading service)
    • 300 Norma Mag with Lapua brass and Hornady 230 A-Tip: $9.00 per round (with custom loading service)
  • Minimum Order: 20 round min for standard factory loads in 6.5 CM and 308, 50 round min for 223, and 100 round min for most other cartridges or customer-specified loads.
  • Full Custom Loading Service: Yes. Customers can specify the load details they want or send in their rifle, and they will work up a load specifically for their gun.

Eagle Eye Ammunition

Eagle Eye Ammunition Best Long Range Ammo

Eagle Eye Ammunition also had 2 shooters represented among this group. One was #92 Garrett Preece, and the other was #192 Morgun King. It was hard for me even to type #192 by Morgun’s name because he’s one of the best competitors in the world. Last year, Morgun had 295 points during the regular season but didn’t shoot in the PRS Season Finale, which accounts for 20% of your overall season score. Even with 0 points from the finale, Morgun had enough season points at 295 to be ranked at #192 overall in the 2024 season. For context, here are Morgun’s overall season ranks for prior years: 3rd in 2023, 4th in 2022, and 2nd in 2021. He was on the US Open Division team for the World Championship and is clearly one of the best riflemen in the world, which is why I had a hard time typing #192 by his name. 😉

Morgun King

Eagle Eye loads 6.5 Creedmoor ammo for both Morgun King and Garrett Preece with the Berger 156 EOL bullet or the Berger 153.5 LRHT bullet.

I reached out ot Eagle Eye Ammunition for details I wanted to share in this article, and Justin Brown (Eagle Eye CEO) gave me a lot of interesting information about their ammo performance. When it comes to the PRS, Morgun King has won over 10 national-level matches in the PRS and NRL using Eagle Eye ammo (typically using the Berger 156 EOL in a 6.5 Creedmoor and occasionally a 6 Dasher). Morgun recently won the 2025 King of Coal Canyon using 6.5 Creedmoor 153.5 LRHT ammo loaded by Eagle Eye Ammo.

Justin said the Eagle Eye 308 Win ammo won the US Army Special Operations Command International Sniper Competition at Fort Bragg for the 3rd time this year! In fact, he said over half the field at the USASOC International Sniper Competition were using ammo they made, including the top 4 teams! They manufacture ammo for the US Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU), US Army National Guard Marksmanship Training Center, and other military groups both domestically and internationally. Quite the resume!

US Army Special Operations Command International Sniper Competition USASOC Best Ammo

The CEO of Eagle Eye has a Ph. D. and brought a very heavy statistics background that he’d used in the medical field to ammo manufacturing:

“As a statistician, I’ve written some proprietary software packages and optimization algorithms we use internally for load development. We did design and engineer our loading machinery from a completely blank sheet of paper, specifically for manufacturing long-range precision ammunition, so we can hold tighter tolerances than is typical for mass-produced factory ammo (or most handloads for that matter) on automated machinery. That said, I think the mathematical optimization algorithms play a larger role in how our cartridges shoot and how they shoot across a variety of rifles. We do think our ammo will shoot quite well in most rifles.” – Justin Brown, Eagle Eye CEO

Here is a cool visual Justin shared with me from his load optimization software, which gives you an idea of how advanced his process is. I could 100% nerd out on stuff like this! 😉

Eagle Eye Ammunition Load Development Optimization Visual

Eagle Eye Ammo Summary

  • Website: EagleEyeAmmo.com
  • Cartridges Available: 6 Dasher, 6 GT, 6.5×47 Lapua, 260 Rem, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC, 308 Winchester, 300 Win Mag, 300 PRC, 338 Lapua Mag (300 Norma Mag and 375 CheyTac will be available late summer 2025)
  • Example Prices(from the time this was published; see their website for current pricing):
    • 6mm Dasher with Peterson brass and Berger 105 Hybrid bullet: $2.98 per round
    • 6.5 Creedmoor with Peterson brass and Berger 153.5 LRHT bullet: $2.89 per round
    • 6.5 PRC with Peterson brass and Berger 156 EOL bullet: $3.99 per round
    • 300 Norma Mag with Peterson brass and Hornady 230 A-Tip: $5.78 per round
  • Minimum Order: 100 Rounds for most (CheyTac minimum is 25 rounds)
  • Full Custom Loading Service: No. They do some custom OEM manufacturing for other ammo brands, the military, and other R&D projects, but they don’t offer custom loading or load development services like some of these other custom loading companies.

Note: I emphasized the Peterson brass above because that is what Justin said they use. I tried to standardize the example ammo across all of these custom loading companies to use Alpha or Lapua brass, since that is what most of the pro PRS shooters choose to load, so I wanted to call out these prices for Eagle Eye, which were based on different brass than the others. “Peterson is not quite as popular with the PRS crowd,” Justin explained, “but we have had excellent results with their products.”

Hornady Match Ammo

Hornady Match Ammo Best Long Range Ammo

Everyone knows Hornady! 😉Hornady had two shooters represented among these pros, one running a 6mm Creedmoor and the other a 308 Win in the Tactical Division (but he placed high enough to be ranked #94 in the Open Division).

Reported SDs for the Hornady ammo were 13-15 fps, and 5-shot groups were 0.4-0.6 MOA. Those SDs are representative of what you can expect from match-grade factory ammo, but clearly, they are still capable of being competitive in long-range rifle matches. In fact, I conducted a comprehensive, independent ammo test of all brands of 6.5 Creedmoor ammunition marketed as “match ammo.” I fired over 1,000 rounds in the test, with 120 of those being 3 different types of Hornady Match ammunition. The results recorded an SD of 12.7 fps for one type, 13.7 fps for another, and 15.0 fps for another. So I’d say that 13-15 fps SD range is very typical. Bryan Litz described 15 fps SDs as “good factory ammo” and 10 fps SDs as “exceptional factory ammo” – so Hornady’s “white box” match ammo is very good factory ammo. (See my field test of all 6.5 Creedmoor ammo that is marketed as “match ammo”)

6.5 Creedmoor Ammo Review

The street price for most of Hornady’s “white box” match ammo in 6mm Creedmoor, 6.5 Creedmoor, and 308 match ammo is $1.80 per round (at the time this was published).

Comparison Table: Best Factory Ammo For Long Range

Below is a summary table for a quick side-by-side comparison of the performance these top-ranked PRS shooters reported for each brand, along with their current pricing for 6mm Dasher or 6.5 Creedmoor class of ammo.

CompanyReported SD (fps)Reported Group Size (MOA)Price Per Round for PRS CartridgesCustom Load Service
Phalanx Arms2.5-4.50.3-0.4$2.89Yes
Clay’s Cartridge Co.4.00.1-0.4$3.00-$3.25Yes
Trace Ammo4-70.3-0.5$3.25-$4.25Yes
Eagle Eye5-80.3-0.4$2.89-$2.98*No
Hornady13-150.4-0.6$1.80*No

*Eagle Eye and Hornady prices weren’t based on using Alpha or Lapua brass like the others. Eagle Eye uses Peterson brass, and Hornady uses their own brass, both of which are less expensive than the Alpha or Lapua that I specified for the other companies. If you asked Phalanx Arms, Clay’s Cartridge Co., or Trace Ammo to use Peterson or Hornady brass, they would likely sell it for less than the amounts shown above.

Other Ammo Manufacturers The Pros Use

Here is the list of other ammo producers that 1 shooter in the top 200 said they used for their match ammo. Because these only have a sample size of 1, I won’t go into as much detail as the others above. However, I’ll share the details the shooter provided regarding performance.

  • US Army Marksmanship Unit (AMU): #2 Kahl Harmon (Avg 10-shot SD = 8 fps, Avg 5-shot group = 0.5 MOA)
  • Bootleg Bullet Company: #57 Jake Vibbert (6mm Dasher, Avg 10-shot SD = 5 fps, Avg 5-shot group = 0.5 MOA)
  • Dane Lentz: #74 Nik Blomquist (6mm Dasher, Avg 10-shot SD = 5 fps, Avg 5-shot group = 0.4 MOA)
  • Black Hills Ammunition: #168 Terry Gower (Terry was #168 in the Open Division, but was a top competitor in the Gas Gun Division. 6.5 Creedmoor, Avg 10-shot SD = 11 fps, Avg 5-shot group = 0.5 MOA)
  • Federal Premium Ammunition: #180 Christopher Frank (Christopher was #180 in the Open Division but was a top competitor in the Tactical Division. 308 Win, Avg 10-shot SD = 22X fps, Avg 5-shot group = “I’m not sure, because I never shoot groups.”)

But Shouldn’t I Reload?

So many friends ask me about this when they start getting into long-range shooting, so I want to give a thorough explanation to the question, so I can just send them a link to this article in the future! 😉

There are really two reasons I hear about why someone “has to reload if they’re shooting long range,” and I’ll try to address them in the most objective and logical way I know.

#1: You have to reload to get the best precision and consistency.

I’ve been shooting long range competitively since 2012. Back when I started, it was true that factory ammo was not consistent enough to compete at the highest levels of precision rifle matches. But, A LOT has changed since 2012!

It would be impossible for anyone to argue that ammo loaded by companies like Clay’s Cartridge Company or Phalanx Arms is going to hold anyone back in terms of performance. Their ammo produces velocity SDs of just 4 fps, and the largest 5-shot groups reported among the pros with either ammo were 0.4 MOA! I’d bet money that ammo from those two companies is objectively better than what many veteran reloaders are capable of producing.

In fact, some guys using ammo made by these companies are literally winning national-level, two-day rifle matches, so it’s 100% a myth that you have to reload to be competitive! That doesn’t mean you can use just any factory ammo to compete at the highest levels, but there are great options available for anyone who don’t have time, desire, or resources to reload.

#2: I need to reload to save money.

This is why I hear most people say they need to reload, but I’d bet the average shooter will end up spending MORE if they decide to reload ammo for precision rifle rather than if they’d just bought ammo from one of these companies.

Let me explain how I got there: If your goal is simply to load functional ammo (pistol, ARs, etc.), you can save money by reloading. But, if we are talking about reloading super-consistent ammo that is on the same level as what these top 200 ranked shooters in the PRS are using at matches – then we need to do our math based on the exact equipment and components that this group of shooters is using. Luckily, I collected the overwhelming majority of that data in my recent survey. Since I’m also one of those top-ranked shooters myself, and I’m friends with many other competitors, I can also fill in the few gaps in the data based on my personal experience, conversations, podcasts, and first-hand interviews.

Cost of Components

First, let’s break down the cost of match-grade components like bullets, brass, powder, and primers. Since the 6mm Dasher is by far the most common cartridge (see the data), let’s assume we’ll be loading 3,000 rounds of 6 Dasher ammo with the popular combo of Alpha brass, Berger 105 Hybrid bullets, CCI #450 primers, and Hodgdon Varget powder. 3,000 rounds may seem like a lot (and it is), but we need to get the economy of scale to maximize the potential savings. We’ll assume we bought 500 pieces of brass and reloaded those cases multiple times, because that is what most reloaders would do (pros might buy 1000 pieces from the same lot). The total cost of components and consumables for 3,000 rounds of 6 Dasher ammo added up to $3,125. (Note: All of that was based on actual street/bulk prices at the time this was published, not MSRP.)

I did similar math for the 6.5 Creedmoor for the popular combo of Lapua brass, Berger 153.5 gr LRHT bullets, CCI #450 primers, and H4350 powder. The total cost for 3,000 rounds of 6.5 Creedmoor ammo adds up to $3,741.

That means our cost per round for components alone was $1.04 for the 6mm Dasher, and $1.25 for the 6.5 Creedmoor. That range is representative of other cartridges these competitors might be using, like 6BR, 6mm Creedmoor, 25×47 Lapua, 25 Creedmoor, 308 Win, etc.

Cost of Reloading Equipment

However, components alone don’t represent the entire cost of reloading. When I surveyed these pro shooters, I asked numerous questions about the specific reloading equipment they use to make their match ammo. A typical reloading setup like these pro shooters use costs around $5,750 before tax and shipping. That price only includes a setup for 1 cartridge, and you could add $450 to $750 for each additional cartridge you want to reload, based on the dies and tools most of these pro shooters use. While some may spend less than that, most don’t – and many pro shooters have far more than that invested in their equipment.

Typical Pro Reloading Setup

While most pro shooters fire 4,000+ rounds per year, the average shooter reading this article fires less than 1,000 rounds from a bolt-action precision rifle each year. I’m trying to do this analysis for the overwhelming majority of those shooting long range, so let’s say that over 10 years, the average shooter will fire 10,000 rounds.

If we spread the cost of the reloading equipment and tools over 10,000 rounds (which I’d expect to be high for most readers), then it’d add another $0.58 per round.

Cost of Time/Labor

But, we shouldn’t assume our time is worth $0! I estimated the amount of time to load 3,000 rounds by clocking myself (and I move pretty quickly). Remember that we only bought 500 pieces of brass, and we’d have to do brass prep and resize multiple times. The total estimated reloading time was 77 hours. That is simply the time to physically resize brass and load ammo, and doesn’t count time you’d spend doing load development or driving to/from the range to tune a load, meaning that likely represents the minimum amount of time you could reasonably expect.

I know this part will be controversial, so let’s use a couple of different hourly rates:

Hourly RateTotal for 77 HoursLabor Cost Per RoundNotes
$15.00$1,155$0.39Average hourly rate for an entry-level, full-time worker in the fast-food industry (US Bureau of Labor Statistics). The average entry-level position in the US across all industries is around $25/hour, so $15 is the minimum rate that is reasonable.
$30.00$2,310$0.77Most people reading this are men ages 25 to 50 in the USA, and the average hourly wage for that group is $28-35 (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, ZipRecruiter, and Payscale), so this is the most realistic hourly rate.

So here is our total cost to reload our own ammo to match-grade standards with pro-level reloading equipment:

  • $1.04 -1.25 per round for components
  • $0.58 per round for amortized reloading equipment cost
  • $0.39-0.77 per round for labor (depending on how much you value your time)
  • $2.01-2.60 total (before tax and shipping)

Loaded 6 Dasher ammo from these top-tier companies costs $2.89 to $3.25, and that includes new Alpha 6 Dasher brass. I know some of the top 10 PRS shooters who tell me they regularly sell their once-fired Alpha brass for $1 per piece, but let’s say you only get $0.75/piece when you sell the once-fired brass. That brings their total cost of ownership down to that same exact price as it’d cost us to load it! In fact, some of these manufacturers will reduce their cost if you mail them back your fired brass.

From a cash perspective, you also didn’t have to pay $5,500 upfront in reloading equipment and tools before you produce your first round of ammo.

Hornady’s white box “match” ammo has a current street price of $1.80/round, which is 10% to 30% less than our all-in cost to load our own ammo! While the Hornady match ammo may not be up to the same standard as what most of these pro shooters want from their competition ammo, it’s unlikely that it would be the weakest link in the chain for most shooters. In other words, it’s unlikely to be what is holding back your performance or causing a significant number of your misses.

So, does reloading really save a precision rifle shooter money? For the majority of shooters, any savings are theoretical at best! You might tell your wife you’re buying all this reloading equipment to save money, but unless you become a serious pro-level shooter, I doubt you realize any savings.

Now, if you are one of the rare people who shoot 2,000+ rounds per year out of a precision rifle, then you might realize some of the savings. If you have already shot out a pile of barrels, then:

  1. I bet you are a really good shooter, and
  2. You might benefit from reloading

If nothing else, I hope this helps give new shooters perspective on some of the outstanding ammo options that are available and require no compromise in terms of long-range performance, even at the highest levels of competition. And maybe it also helps a few gain perspective on how much value these companies offer compared to buying all the equipment to reload themselves.

Each person can decide for themselves what is best, but hopefully this helps fellow shooters make a more informed decision.

The Long-Range Reloading Series

This article is part of a series on long range reloading, including equipment, load development, and reloading components. Here are other related articles that I’ve recently published:

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About Cal

Cal Zant is the shooter/author behind PrecisionRifleBlog.com. Cal is a life-long learner, and loves to help others get into this sport he's so passionate about. Cal has an engineering background, unique data-driven approach, and the ability to present technical information in an unbiased and straight-forward fashion. For more info, check out PrecisionRifleBlog.com/About.

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2 comments

  1. Alexander Tellez

    Well written article, and for someone that doesn’t have the time or knowledge, these companies are great.

    I know for me personally, getting the reloading gear and developing, then shooting my ammo is part of the fun. Plus, I like not being limited to what bullet they are using. Trying new bullets is also part of the hobby.

    • Thanks for sharing, Alex. I 100% understand. Lots of people have two hobbies: shooting and reloading. If you enjoy them both, that is awesome. I was listening to a podcast yesterday where someone said, “Some people reload to shoot and some shoot to reload.” I was just trying to make sure those who don’t enjoy reloading or just want to shoot know there are top competitors out there who don’t reload their own ammo. That simply wasn’t the case 10 years ago, but really over the past 5 years or so this new option has come up.

      I always say, “Don’t fix happy!” I’m sure there are a lot of people who will read this and think, “But I love reloading!” Well, don’t fix happy! But, most of the friends that come to me asking about reloading would probably be better served (in terms of money and time) to simply buy ammo from one of these companies. Honestly, I get those kinds of questions so often that I partly wrote this article to save myself time! 😉 I feel like I’m always telling people about Clay’s Cartridge Company and Phalanx Arms, and trying to tell them how expensive good reloading equipment is to be able to duplicate what those guys are selling … and now I can just send them a link to this article. 😉

      Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
      Cal

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