I got me a tack driver

[mookster79]

I just wanted to thank everyone for the info on ammo on my post last week.  This sight again has proven to be a great resource.  The first ammo everyone told me to buy was the Winchester WhiteBox 45 gr jhp.  I was only able to find one box and it does shoot well.  I would use that but I can't.  My issue with it is that I can't find it anywhere and a good source has told me that as of right now there is no more in production and he wasn't sure if they were going to start back up again.  Is this true?

I looked all over for ammo and I just want to say that Walmart Sucks.

Now for the good news.  I bought a box of the 52 gr. blackhills v-max match ammo. Thanks for that recommendation quick.  I put 5 rounds in a target literally made by circling a quarter. All the holes are touching at 100 yds. Fantastic   This ammo may be a little expensive by some standards, but I am willing to pay the money for those results.  It will be worth it when the little critters are just poking their heads out of the whole, they'll never know what hit em.

Remington Power lokdt jhp shot really well, price wise I will just stay with the bhills.  The ultramax rounds that you mentioned quick are on the way.  For a target round my handi shot great on the fmj rounds and it is very reasonable. $11.00 up the road from me for 50 rds. If the 40 gr nosler bt rounds shoot as well I will probably give them a run. They are about 10 bucks a box cheaper than the blackhills.  My only other option would be to start loading my own, but I only know the basics and am still unsure if it is worth it.  I think I would really like it as a hobby though.  I got a handi for Christmas, maybe a reloader for my B-day

I guess sometimes you do get what you pay for, but I have to say that bang for your buck you just can't beat the handi.  It is just a really neat gun for the price, my scope was way more than the gun, but like I said it is a tack driver with the right bullet.

Thanks again for all the great advice that I got from everyone here. I am already looking at maybe getting another one in the .204 just because.

[cascadedad]

Mookster,  I found Remington UMC 45 gr HP's at Sportsman's WH.  Was $68 or $69 for 200 round box.  I shot some yesterday and out of my HB and it shot very well.  You might give it a try if you can find it.  My guess is it is VERY similar to the WWB.

[quickdtoo]

Congrats, it's always nice to see a happy Handiholic with a great range report!!

Tim

[mookster79]

I will have to try that out cascade.  Since my range is basically out on my front deck, I do like to shoot just for targets and the hell of it.  If I have to I will re-zero my gun on a cheap fmj round, and the just resight it with a few rounds before I go looking for them little varmints.  I also shoot at muskrats in my pond which is about a 80 yard shot off my deck.  I kind of want to see what my handi does to one of them with a 50 gr vmax. (the 52 gr was a misprint earlier).

I have no problem testing rounds and re sighting for different rounds.  With the range so close I almost have nothing better to do. Thanks again guys.

[hunterwinco]

the .223 white box varmint is out of production?  so that's what's up, I was going to post and see if anyone knew since I have been unable to find any of it in several stores.  I also bought the Rem equivalent and good success with it.  After I tweaked my scope, I put 3 rounds down range at 100y that I could cover with a nickel.  It does seem to be a function equivalent of the winchester...and apparently the only game in town.

[McLernon]

A good replacement for the 45 WWB .223 is the following recipe:

40 gr. Nosler BT
27.5 Gr. H335

Mc

[FLNT4EVR]

Mookster, the ultra max are a good shooting bullet out of the Handi's. If ther is a Dicks sporting goods near you they sell them for under $6 per box. Another good source of WW white box ammo is Sports Authority, which is another big chain store getting into the  super store competition.And don't forget mail order sources like our sponsers , or Cabelas or Mid South, well you get the picture. As far as getting into loading your own ... the inital cost for your set up will be made up in short order if your like most of us, and get to the range every chance you get.It is a great addition to your shooting hobby and can actually save you up to 60 % of what you pay for commercial premium  ammo in the long run. Me,  I do it for fun , relaxation , and the satisfaction of seeing what the loads I made myself can actualy do "down range". Whatever your reasons   Welcome to the wonderful world of the Handiholics. You'll have a great time here.

[cascadedad]

I sure can't wait for some nice weather.  It was 19 degrees out yesterday when I was shooting.  My hands were frozen by the time I was finished, but I HAD to get out and shoot. 

[mookster79]

FLNT I am always looking around for ammo.  I found the fmj ultramx I have at a Dick's fairly close to me, but they don't seem to carry the nosler tips.  There is also a cabelas outlet store about an hour from me so I am thinking about taking a ride up there to check out the prices and selection.  My uncle has been doing a lot of reloading and hunting for years and is usually my first source for any of my shooting questions.  He has stopped there several times and said that the prices are not to bad.  I will avoid ordering a bulk amount of rounds by mail just because of shipping costs.  I am going to try the ultramax.  I can also get the blackhills reloads for about 4 dollars difference from the ultramax.  The main difference is one uses v-max and one uses the nosler bt.  That is splitting hairs when I am looking at ordering 300 plus rounds.  I figure either round would be great, if anyone has any experience there I would sure like to here it.

As for loading I have really talked my self into it, it is just figuring out when I can spend the money for the initial investment.  The money is not really the object, I am in to the satisfaction I will get from the work and results with loading.

[Wolfgang]

I doubt that the WWB 223 is out of production.  I work a part time gig for a small ammution manufacturer and since there is a war time demand, certain calibers get put on the back burner so to speak.  Also in dealing with lots of manufacturers be that for components or to broker loaded ammo, I learned that the large companies, Federal, Winchester, Remigton and so on, make very large production runs of a certain type of ammo and then shut down the line and start on another type and so forth.  Since the .223 is a military round a lot of their production efforts go to that end as opposed to commercial/retail sales.  The small company that I work for had a real devil of a time getting ANY .223 ammo or even component parts to make it with for a long time when the action was hot and heavy over in the sand box.  That is probably the reason that a lot of the 7.62x39 ammo that was everywhere for next to nothing dried up.  I would suggest that you not worry about WWB being gone.  Winchester is a big company and they will not drop a profitable product line like that.  It just may take them a little longer to run up production on it.  To any of you that have not ever seen what commercial manufacturers do to make ammo it is a real eye opener!   Camdex machines running and pumping out rounds like you wouldn't believe.  The real fun begins when something goes just a little bit wrong and a whole tube of primers, 300 plus of them, goes up.  First time that happened I hit the floor and was looking for cover!   Keep your eyes open I'll bet you see WWB back on the shelves soon.

Best,

Wolfgang

[quickdtoo]

FWIW, Midway is out of stock, no backorder on the WWB 45gr JHP, they have an expected in stock date of 1/20/2007. When they do NO BACKORDER, it's a bad sign, they usually don't get the item in stock on the expected date, they just move it another month back.

Tim

[mookster79]

Wollfgang, that is what my local guy was leaning towards as well.  I didn't mean to tell anyone it would never be available again.  That is a really good point about the war though.  I can't wait for it to end because the surplus will be a great thing for me and my AR.  That stuff isn't very good for target/varmints, but it will be cheap and I really just want to see our boys home anyway.  That is as close to political I will get.  Just for an update though I just ordered 250 rds of ultramax 50gr. nosler bt from sportsmansguide.com for 105 bucks.  Anyone who frequents or is a member to that sight may want this coupon code: spgk380.  It will get you free shipping and if you are not a member they give you free shipping and coupons that are worth more than the membership for signing up.  I am thinking I get fantastic results with the fmj rounds and hopefully won't have too much adjusting between those and the nolser bt rounds.  The fmj rounds are available for 115 bucks for 500 on the same sight. 

[knight0334]

That Black Hills 52gr ammo is what I shoot in my .223.  It convinced me NOT to ream it out to .220 swift because it shot so good.