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Looks like you have 150 rounds to pull !

FWIW I was given a bunch of old .30-30 and .32 WS ammo a while back and although they were in factory boxes they appeared to have a 'reloaded' appearance to them so I went about pulling them.

Well while looking at several of the .30-30s I thought the bullets looked a little different so I 'miked' them and they were .32 caliber ! - apparently the person had used .30-30 brass to load some of the .32 WS rounds.
The factory ammo that I got with the rifle is genuine. I checked all the cases. All Remington ammo has Remington 30-06 engraved on the cases while all Federal ammo has F.C. 30-06 on the cases.
 
I was referencing the 150 rounds you were told were reloads that need to be pulled.

Also just because the headstamps say Remington or Federal does not necessarily mean they are 'genuine' or factory - people reload using factory cases routinely.
 
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I have always dialed powder charge into 0.1gn accuracy or less per throw. Once it's at 0.1gn I throw 10 charges and weigh it just to be sure it's averaging a difference of less than 1.0gn per 10 charges. I check weigh powder charges every 100 rds or so. I use RCBS digital and a 3 beam scale and load on Dillon 550 and 1050 presses.
 
All of my .308 Win cases are Lapua, but I've never bought a single round of factory ammunition made by them.

In similar fashion, all my hundreds of 7.5x55 cases are PPU, but again, I've never bought any of their ammunition...

Trust ONLY sealed boxes of ammunition if getting a used deal.

You've already seen the dangers in one lot of ammunition you got. I'd pull the whole darn lot, but that's me. I survived thirty-three years in the Army and I'm sure as heck I wouldn't be be taking any chances on dodgy ammo.
 
The factory ammo is genuine factory ammo. I just came back from a range (Issaquah Shooting Range) and I shot few rounds of Federal 168gr match-grade and Rem 150 gr. core-lokt. After first few shots I inspected the spent cartridges and did not see any signs of over-pressure. Moreover, the rifle was super accurate (under 1in groups at 100 yards). I could not be happier with it.
 
The factory ammo is genuine factory ammo. I just came back from a range (Issaquah Shooting Range) and I shot few rounds of Federal 168gr match-grade and Rem 150 gr. core-lokt. After first few shots I inspected the spent cartridges and did not see any signs of over-pressure. Moreover, the rifle was super accurate (under 1in groups at 100 yards). I could not be happier with it.
Nice. You got a good one. Handloading will tighten it up some. If you find the magic combo, who knows how tight.
 
Just to throw my 2c worth in, and agree with everyone else regarding the reloaded ammo; it's easy enough to get a bullet puller and use that reloaded ammo for components (minus the powder).

You just never know what someone else was thinking with unknown reloads. I wouldn't even want to shoot some of my own early reloads. I started loading back in the late '80s, and didn't have a chronograph or anyone to mentor me. I read some books and magazine articles and worked up my rifle loads with a limited understanding of how to do it. The books all explained how to look for pressure signs, but that's not the whole picture. Sometimes you can work up a load that is way too hot, without any obvious signs.

For example, I had a "good load" worked up for a Mini-14. It was right at the very top edge of the book data in an old manual, or maybe over (don't remember). I felt like I was getting away with something because it shot fine with no obvious pressure signs. Then one day a buddy was over with his rifle, on a hot day, and the rifle jammed up due to popped primers down in the trigger mechanism. It was around that time that I got my first chronograph. A 55gr FMJ bullet should not be doing 3400 fps from an 18" Mini-14 barrel!

My point is just that I was a beginning reloader, still a bit obsessed with velocity, and I turned out some edgy ammo that I just happened to get away with shooting in my particular rifle. While it may not be quite enough to blow up a gun, it will sure put a lot of unnecessary rapid wear on it, and in a different rifle it could very well cause catastrophic failure.
 
Just to throw my 2c worth in, and agree with everyone else regarding the reloaded ammo; it's easy enough to get a bullet puller and use that reloaded ammo for components (minus the powder).

You just never know what someone else was thinking with unknown reloads. I wouldn't even want to shoot some of my own early reloads. I started loading back in the late '80s, and didn't have a chronograph or anyone to mentor me. I read some books and magazine articles and worked up my rifle loads with a limited understanding of how to do it. The books all explained how to look for pressure signs, but that's not the whole picture. Sometimes you can work up a load that is way too hot, without any obvious signs.

For example, I had a "good load" worked up for a Mini-14. It was right at the very top edge of the book data in an old manual, or maybe over (don't remember). I felt like I was getting away with something because it shot fine with no obvious pressure signs. Then one day a buddy was over with his rifle, on a hot day, and the rifle jammed up due to popped primers down in the trigger mechanism. It was around that time that I got my first chronograph. A 55gr FMJ bullet should not be doing 3400 fps from an 18" Mini-14 barrel!

My point is just that I was a beginning reloader, still a bit obsessed with velocity, and I turned out some edgy ammo that I just happened to get away with shooting in my particular rifle. While it may not be quite enough to blow up a gun, it will sure put a lot of unnecessary rapid wear on it, and in a different rifle it could very well cause catastrophic failure.
At the beginning I will start with lower charge and won't go near maxim loads. I just got new Lyman 50th Edition Reloading Handbook and will keep buying supply (bullets, powder, etc) that is listed in this book.
 
Another major point to remember is that velocity is dependent on the length of the barrel - as noted a couple of posts back with 3400 fps and an 18" barrel.

Most, if not all, reloading data is derived from a standard barrel length of 26". Longer, for a given load, and the bullet will go faster. The practicalities make around 32" the longest barrels used in F-Class competition. The rule is VERY roughly 100fps per inch loss or gain.

I've never understood the drive for velocity, though. The cartridge does what it does within its physical limitations - like trying to drive a cement truck at Indie velocities - it can be downright dangerous.

The word 'maximum' means just that, and assumes [yeah, right] that the gun is in perfect working order.
 
For me the most important aspect of a cartridge is its accuracy. I could care less for its muzzle velocity. I do target shooting 100-300 yards range.
 
For me the most important aspect of a cartridge is its accuracy. I could care less for its muzzle velocity. I do target shooting 100-300 yards range.

Currently that's my limit too. I have hopes and dreams though lol.

Like you I am more of a accuracy fan than speedster. I have learned that 'Speed Kills' barrels. So I stay away from barrel burning cartridges. 6.5 C is probably the worst offender we have in that regard, and why we have so many 308s.

Soon we'll be putting a 6.5 PRC and hopefully a 6.8 Western or 2 to the test. Those are mostly for hunting though.
 
Currently that's my limit too. I have hopes and dreams though lol.

Like you I am more of a accuracy fan than speedster. I have learned that 'Speed Kills' barrels. So I stay away from barrel burning cartridges. 6.5 C is probably the worst offender we have in that regard, and why we have so many 308s.

Soon we'll be putting a 6.5 PRC and hopefully a 6.8 Western or 2 to the test. Those are mostly for hunting though.
I usually bring 2 or 3 rifles to the range and keep rotating them, so I give enough time to each barrel to cool down. The worst offender when it comes to barrel heat is my Tikka T3x 300 Win Mag (True Timber Strata Version with SS fluted barrel). That one gets very hot after 8-10 rounds (depends on cartridges). I am slow shooter and most of the time I do not even use magazines. I feed one by one cartridge. It is interesting that not many accuracy people talk about how much target itself affect accuracy. For me, what target I use will have a big impact on my accuracy. Since my vision is not as it used to be (I am nearsighted), I always need targets with high contrast and very strong bright colors.
 
Here is a tip for finding the true accuracy of a load/rifle. Rather that shoot at a bullseye (round aiming point) shoot at one of the sight in targets with squares. On the squares line up the cross hairs with the x and y axis and fire your 3,5, 10 or whatever group. Remember you are shooting for a group not to hit the mark. once you get a group you can move over to the bullseye and adjust the scope to hit the mark every time. Aim small, miss small.
 
I usually bring 2 or 3 rifles to the range and keep rotating them, so I give enough time to each barrel to cool down. The worst offender when it comes to barrel heat is my Tikka T3x 300 Win Mag (True Timber Strata Version with SS fluted barrel). That one gets very hot after 8-10 rounds (depends on cartridges). I am slow shooter and most of the time I do not even use magazines. I feed one by one cartridge. It is interesting that not many accuracy people talk about how much target itself affect accuracy. For me, what target I use will have a big impact on my accuracy. Since my vision is not as it used to be (I am nearsighted), I always need targets with high contrast and very strong bright colors.

I always bring at least 2. Often 3 or 4 and I always have the P-09 to shoot. So I am always alternating for cooling. On the Savage I use a a wet towel to chill it quicker. It's in an aluminum chassis so no wood to worry about. I usually shoot groups of 3 in our bolts and levers, semi autos groups of 5.

On another forum somebody suggested this with tubing and an old bore guide.

 
It is interesting that not many accuracy people talk about how much target itself affect accuracy. For me, what target I use will have a big impact on my accuracy. Since my vision is not as it used to be (I am nearsighted), I always need targets with high contrast and very strong bright colors.
I swear that the target, as bright as I can get it, get's smaller when looking over the sites!
Here is a tip for finding the true accuracy of a load/rifle. Rather that shoot at a bullseye (round aiming point) shoot at one of the sight in targets with squares. On the squares line up the cross hairs with the x and y axis and fire your 3,5, 10 or whatever group. Remember you are shooting for a group not to hit the mark. once you get a group you can move over to the bullseye and adjust the scope to hit the mark every time. Aim small, miss small.
Scope? There's no scope on the Garand or Swede Mauser. Wouldn't that be cheating? :)
 
When buying the reloading equipment such as press and dies, is it a good idea to buy everything from one manufacturer? I am soon ordering the equipment and I do not want to buy kits because with kits we often buy things that we might never use and kits usually do not include things that are needed, and those have to be ordered separately. I would rather keep buying individual items, and as I go if I need something I can always order it.
 
All the best brands, RCBS, Hornady, Redding, Dillon and others, do everything, and often it is a good idea to get a complete kit of one brand - it keeps the colours the same, for one thing. However, there is nothing wrong with mix-and-match - providing you know what you are looking for. Some brands have items of equipment that are decidedly better than those of another brands, for instance. Some precision Redding dies cost four time as much as their RCBS counterparts, and unless you know why, you are farting in the thunder.

I would earnestly suggest that when you DO go a'buying, that you go along with a buddy who already reloads - I'd go with you except I live in the East of England. Ordering is NOT a good idea for a noobie, but going and SEEING is much better, since you probably have little real idea about the things you are looking for. Seeing and even handling new equipment is a vital part of the purchasing process, when you are talking about something as important as loading equipment.

No doubt the good folks here will recommend a place to you, however, bearing in mind that all we know about you is that you live somewhere in Metro-Seattle, that might be difficult. If you were down in MY part of the PNW it would be easy....we have a plethora of good places to go in Oregon. Washington? Who knows?
 

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