If you had to choose one bullet manufacturer for hand/reloading, which one would it be?

^^^ I would like to get to that stage in my reloading.

I own RMR and I still use other companies all the time. Reloading is too fun to stick with one source. I like to try different things for different applications. Granted, that is mostly just with rifle stuff. I don't really need pistol stuff from anywhere else. Especially now that we make a true SD bullet.

RMR for shopping variety, bullet quality and service.

I choose RMR for 9mm and sometimes 38spl. I asked a simple question about some RMR bullets and they went way above and beyond to help me out so I stick with them. I would also rather support them for the sake of being a small business. Rifle ammo is always Hornady.

Hadn't really thought about it much, but I'm not that brand loyal, as long as what I get is quality. I use a Hornady single stage press and powder measure, but my case trimmer is Lee, my hand primer is Lee, and my dies are spread among Hornady, RCBS and Lee.

As for the bullet materials, when I buy new brass I prefer Hornady; but I buy a lot of once-fired brass and get Hornady, Federal, Winchester and Remington, and for my M1A I'll only use Lake City. I use Hornady bullets for all my pistols, and a mix of Hornady, Sierra, and Speer for my rifles.

I do have a bunch of Rainier .40/10mm gilded (think thin-wall FMJ) for range loads, but the Hornady stuff is all XTP JHP's.

FWIW, I load for .38/.357 Magnum, 9x19mm, 10mm/.40S&W, .45ACP, 6.5 Grendel, 300BLK, .308, and 7.62/51 . I load by the Hornady manual mostly, but also refer to the Sierra manual.

Looks like I might have to check out RMR.

Starting out I would suggest using a bullet that is listed in a load book. Hornady is a good choice. After some experience you you will be more comfortable interpolating the data for bullets not listed.

It depends on what type of cartridge(s) you're reloading for and for what purpose.

There's really two main types of cartridges: handgun and rifle. The manufacturers for each are often distinct. For example, Sierra is one of the premier rifle bullet makers, but they're not popular at all for handgun bullets. Vista (Federal/Speer) is at the top of the game for defensive handgun bullets, but really sort of mediocre for rifle bullets. If it has to be one manufacturer, Hornady probably covers the gamut. Then again, your purpose really determines whether you need outstanding performance from the best bullets or just sufficient performance at the lowest cost.

You are probably reloading for fun and perhaps to allow yourself to shoot more, rather than to craft for competition or personal protection the highest performance cartridges possible. With that in mind, you might not care for the highest performance bullets, but rather be looking for something you can shoot more of. For this purpose, I recommend RMR bullets. Their plated handgun bullets are very affordable and of high-quality. They also frequently have bullets of other manufacturers, sometimes pulled bullets, that are at very affordable prices in bulk. Hopefully you shoot a lot and can buy bullets by the 1000 or 2000. I also have good results with Berry's plated handgun bullets.

You may also have a different purpose for rifle cartridges in particular. Maybe a high volume isn't so important but you want good performance for hunting. I won't eat anything shot with a lead bullet. For hunting, I load Barnes monolithic bullets like the TSX and TTSX. They're too costly to shoot for general marksmanship training, but Barnes has affordable bullets in varmint calibers. For my rifle, for which Barnes does not, I use Speer TNT's. Again, Hornady would have the bases covered with Monoflex and GMX bullets for hunting, and FMJ or SX (spire point) bullets for target practice.

Generally speaking, you can substitute bullets of the same weight and similar construction (jacketed for jacketed, plated for plated, cast for cast, solid copper for solid copper) but different manufacture using the published load data so long as you use good practice to start on the low-end of the data and work up carefully looking for signs of excess pressure.

I don't recommend using data for one type of bullet, such as a plated bullet when loading another type such as jacketed (FMJ or JHP). The pressures can vary substantially. They can do so because the start pressure of bullets of different hardness vary and because bullets of the same mass but different construction can be different lengths. A 125 grain cast flat point is much shorter than a 125 grain copper monolithic hollowpoint. Since published data uses the cartridge overall length to specify how far down into the case the bullet base is set, the bullet's length very significantly affects this. Generally, plated and cast data are very close if they have similar nose shapes and styles. Also keep in mind that cast bullet data is often limited so as not to exceed something around 1100 fps because at higher velocities soft cast lead will foul the barrel. If you use data that shows the pressure, you can see it's not near the limit, but the velocity is low enough not to foul. I mention this because cast and plated bullets are typically the most affordable to shoot for handguns. If I couldn't shoot plated bullets, my ammunition expense would be 50% higher except when I could find pulled jacketed bullets or other deep discounts.

BullHeadedGideon said:

He says, which makes sense to me, to generally stick to one bullet manufacturer for a few different reasons.

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I think you will be better off listening to the people here. If you let us know what you want to accomplish with your reloading, you will get some (lots) of good advice.

What round do you plan to start with and what do you want it to do?

I've got a CZ that has a very short lead. I did some research and found a company that has a newer designed bullet for short lead pistols. The name of the company is SNS castings out of ILL. I can reload these bullets to 1.150 and 100% pass the plunk test. These are their 9mm 135 gr. bullet that's hi tec coated. They sell all kinds of bullets and their shipping fast. They are my go to bullet company.

I only load 2 calibers, .308 and 6.5mm. I can do everything I need with Hornady, but I do use other brands.

Wherever I can find the cheapest LRN.

Most of what I load is Hornady, so I guess it would have to be them. My favorite is Nosler, however.

Assuming you already have the gun for .38/.357, that is where I would start. With .38s. It really is the most butt simple round to load of your list, with a huge safety margin shooting in modern handguns, especially .38s in .357. HS-6 with a (pick your weight) Hornady XTP will get you started. This is a fine and easy cartridge to get your feet wet with. This powder is also excellent for 9mm. Unique would be another top pick.

The other 3, while not difficult per-se, are a little touchier for a beginner, particularly 9mm.

I shoot mostly lead (98%) .45ACP, .45Colt, 9MM, .38SP/ 357Mag. Georgia Arms is my go to. Wide variety of projectiles and good prices.

Mn Fats said:

Looks like I might have to check out RMR.

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Check out their THR discount too.

I'm a diehard Sierra user. But there are a lot of good choices. In handguns, I shoot my own cast more than any others.

I could never narrow it down to one BULLET manufacturer. Two yes. Hornady and Nosler. As far as primers, powders and cases the world is your oyster.

If I could choose only one for some reason,
it would probably be Hornady, best selection of all calibers and styles from one company.
Maybe not the best for any one bullet but a big selection.

Having said that I buy very few Hornady bullets, 99.x% of my handgun bullets come from RMR, most of the .223 and other bullets I use come from them as well,
Flip the question and say what one bullet company would you hate to loose the most and the answer is RMR! (might be a fun new thread)

Definitely Sierra!

Sierra, or Hornady

zero bullet company.

Nosler for rifles and Hornady or MBC for pistols.