Factory Ammunition

Factory ammunition is a complete cartridge built on a production line, with case, primer, powder, and bullet assembled to the maker’s published specification and sold ready to fire. It spans a wide range, from inexpensive bulk plinking loads to carefully assembled precision offerings, and it is what most shooters feed their rifles. The appeal is convenience and consistency within a given product, since the buyer skips every step of building the round.

For the precision shooter, factory ammunition sets the reference point that handloading is measured against. A good factory load establishes how well a rifle can shoot before any reloading effort begins, and many rifles are perfectly served by quality ammunition off the shelf. When a shooter does decide to load their own, the goal is usually to match or exceed the accuracy of the best factory option, whether that is bulk ammunition or a tighter match-grade line.