Welcome! Iām east of you, in upper Bucks County. Iām not new to hunting, but new to hunting PA. What cartridges do you like to hand load?
Rifles nearly all.
I started handloading for my .308 soon after I got it. My first buck was killed with one of my own handloads.
.308, .30-06, 7mm Mauser, 7mm Rem Mag, .25-06, .243, .22/250, and.223.
Thatās what I have dies for.
When I buy a new rifle, I buy dies, powder, and bullets in one shot. Most of my guns havenāt seen a factory load since Iāve had them.
Do you load yourself?
Itās not a money saver by any stretch. Youāll spend more on components and such. But you get better ammo, and itās Taylor made to your own gun.
And $ per round is lower, so you can afford to shoot more.
OTOH, if youāre only hunting, youāre probably further ahead to buy a box or two of factory each year.
Different rifles, even in the same model and caliber can be finicky. Barrel harmonics, fit of chamber, and throat length make a difference.
Heck, even rimfires are different.
Just for fun, I borrowed a couple.22 magnums, and rung them out trying different factory loads.
My own M25 Marlin loves Winchester supreme ammo. At 50 yards itāll put 5 in a quarter.
Dads gun, same model shot Federals better.
My cousinās gun, same model, did better with CCI Maxi Mags!
You can drive yourself crazy down those rabbit holes.

But if recreational gun fire is your thing, what the heck?
Shoot as much as you can afford! And itās still cheaper than going to a shrink for therapy!

PTRN