How to test your handloads against factory ammunition
A box of good factory ammunition is a useful yardstick. It shows whether your load is better than what you could simply buy, and what the difference costs.
Published November 2, 2026
Why use factory ammo as a baseline
A small group from your handload says little by itself, because it could reflect the rifle, the day or the shooter. Shooting factory ammunition in the same session gives you something to measure against under the same conditions. If the factory load groups well and your load doesn’t, look at the load. If nothing groups well, look at the rifle, the mount or the rest.
Set up a fair test
Change as little as you can between the two:
- Same rifle, same session. Shoot both on the same day from the same rest, at the same distance.
- Same shot count. Compare five-shot groups with five-shot groups, since group size grows with the number of shots.
- Several groups of each. Three or more groups of each will tell you more than one, and alternating between loads helps even out wind changes and a heating barrel.
- Note the lot. Record the factory lot number as well as the load name. Factory lots can vary, especially in rimfire, where a rifle may prefer one lot to another of the same brand.
- Log the conditions. Note the temperature, wind and place, so that you can make sense of the result later.
Keep your handload within published load data throughout. This is a comparison of accuracy, not a reason to go chasing a charge weight beyond the published range.
Read the result
Average the groups of each load rather than picking the best one. A small difference between averages may just be chance, especially with only a few groups, so if your load and the factory load come out close, treat them as even until more shooting says otherwise.
Make sure the difference matters for your use, too. A gap of 0.1 MOA can matter in a match and mean little on a hunt.
Then look at the cost
Accuracy is half the picture. A factory box at $45 for 20 rounds costs $2.25 per round. If your handload costs $1.07 per round and shoots as well, you save $1.18 on each one. Here’s how that compares across three made-up results:
| Your load compared with factory | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Tighter and cheaper | Your load is doing its job, so keep it. |
| About the same and cheaper | You’re saving money for equal accuracy, so the choice comes down to whether the time at the bench is worth it to you. |
| Wider and cheaper | You can decide whether the savings are worth it for this use, or keep working within published data. |
Recording it
AmmoLoader’s range day lets you shoot a box of factory ammo as a baseline next to your recipes, and shows which load groups tightest in each rifle, with the place, temperature and wind for each session.
The figures here are made-up examples for the arithmetic, not prices or load data. AmmoLoader doesn't recommend charge weights. Always follow published load data from the powder and bullet makers.