Long range competitive reloading

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IDPA publishes survey data regarding the gear, ammo, even the bullet MFGs and powder used by competitors. The majority of people load their own ammo. At least in that game.

USPSA does a survey at Nationals and publishes the results by division. (It's here, but it may be behind a membership wall: https://uspsa.org/magazine/view//2020-00#page=39 ) Open division shooters were 92% handload, 8% factory. Limited division was 76% handload. Production division was 57% handload. PCC was 66% handload. Carry Optics was 69% handload. Single Stack was 70% handload. Revolver was 94% handload. The majority of competitors in every division shot handloads, and overall it's more than 2/3rds.

Bear in mind, these are numbers that are likely lower because (IIRC) there was factory-available (Federal) syntec "match ammo" available at those matches, which is ammo that is guaranteed to make power factor (even if it doesn't chrono as PF in your individual gun) and doesn't require traveling/flying with the 500+ rounds of ammo that people bring to major matches. So there are a non-trivial number of people in those responses who ordinarily shoot their own handloads but opted for factory ammo for that particular match. In other words, those percentages likely understate the percentage of people who usually shoot handloads. It also includes a number of shooters who have some kind of sponsorship/endorsement deal with a factory ammo maker and more or less have to shoot factory ammo (or at least get it free).

I know Yager's dumb comment was about precision shooters, and USPSA isn't a precision rifle game, but his overall topic was pistols. The percentages in those surveys are pretty representative of the overall likelihood of even a moderately-committed competitive shooter (i.e., regular participant in local matches) loading their own ammo.
 
IDPA publishes survey data regarding the gear, ammo, even the bullet MFGs and powder used by competitors. The majority of people load their own ammo. At least in that game.
Exactly, to lower it down to a 135 PF.
 
In a nutshell I've seen a lot of his videos where he bashes reloading ammo. He just does not believe we are "qualified" even though he don't know any of us. He don't know that when I load I weigh every charge and examine each case through the procedure, then visibly look at my tray with the powder in it to make sure everything is ok. Basically, he says factory made ammo done blindly by machinery is more careful. Even if it's done in some sweat shop in Mexico or something.
 
In a nutshell I've seen a lot of his videos where he bashes reloading ammo. He just does not believe we are "qualified" even though he don't know any of us.

I haven’t seen much from him, other than a few which have been pointed out on forums like this over the years. I tend to agree with the premise that a vast majority of the American population has no business reloading. Alternatively, some of us have worked in munitions development, and process safety and risk management, as such, for some of us, choices made when reloading or handloading are far less dangerous than the average choice we make any given hour at our day jobs. But he does take a very one sided approach, which seems to be his way of stroking his own ego to suggest that only professional experts can be experts, or even have a rudimentary understanding. As a professional instructor, he has to live and breathe that mentality - Instructors always know more, that’s why they exist. Which we all know generally doesn’t really pan out.
 
I haven’t seen much from him, other than a few which have been pointed out on forums like this over the years. I tend to agree with the premise that a vast majority of the American population has no business reloading. Alternatively, some of us have worked in munitions development, and process safety and risk management, as such, for some of us, choices made when reloading or handloading are far less dangerous than the average choice we make any given hour at our day jobs. But he does take a very one sided approach, which seems to be his way of stroking his own ego to suggest that only professional experts can be experts, or even have a rudimentary understanding. As a professional instructor, he has to live and breathe that mentality - Instructors always know more, that’s why they exist. Which we all know generally doesn’t really pan out.
I don't think the vast majority do reload, and it's certainly not for everyone. I for one don't believe in seeing how many rounds I can crank out in an hour and sacrificing quality and safety. You have to be a bit OCD to do this, at least it helps to keep from overlooking mistakes. I don't dislike everything the guy says, I admire his stance on the 2A and applaud him for taking the stand he did years ago against the threat of gun confiscation. Plus he was there at the Bundy ranch standoff.
 
Is there a difference between a reloader and someone who reloads ?
I wonder because I’ve never considered myself a reloader but I do reload , mostly out of necessity.
J
 
His regard for himself more than compensates for the opinions of a few detractors.
His high regard for himself has even allowed him to rise above the humiliation he brought upon himself in years past...although my local range recently banned him from holding classes there , based on the behavior of their instructors
 
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