How come nobody makes/ sells .308 MATCH spec reloads ?

[Electric Factory]

Given the shortages and high ammo prices everywhere, I wonder why some enterprising reloading establishment doesn't make .308 168gr MATCH ammo, or any 308 reloads for that matter ?
At gun shows for instance, plenty of pistol caliber reloads, and even plenty of 223 reloads. .
Seems to me there's a robust market there, certainly I for one would be very interested to find .308 ammo loaded to Federal MATCH specs.

[Fjold]

These are 308 reloads but I don't think that any load to match specs (Whatever that is). Most serious match shooters reload their own so there's just not enough of a market for reloaded match ammunition.

http://www.cabelas.com/link-12/product/0003715212964a.shtml

http://www.loadxammo.com/retailcat.pdf

http://www.advancedtactical.com/ammunition.htm

http://www.accuswage.com/prod06.htm

[Electric Factory]

[QUOTE=Fjold;2215306]These are 308 reloads but I don't think that any load to match specs (Whatever that is).

I meant specifically reloads of the Federal Gold Medal MATCH .308 168gr BTHP ammo. There are still plenty of guys who shoot seriously but don't have either the room or inclination to reload.
Maybe I'm wrong

[6079Winston]

Blue Box Black Hills ammo is reloaded, but I don't think they make it in .308. If you don't want most of the trouble of reloading you can buy primed brass, load it, shoot it and sell it as once fired brass.

[SDJim]

I was going to suggest Hunting Shack Ammunition http://www.thehuntingshack.com/catal...ail/retail.pdf but it looks like the aren't selling reloads right now.

[ocabj]

If you shoot competitively, 9 out of 10 times, you handload your own ammunition.

I've met very, very few people on the firing line at a match that didn't reload their own ammo. Those that didn't were new shooters.

As far as commercial ammo of 'match' grade you have either (1) Federal Gold Medal Match, (2) Black Hills Red Box, or (3) Hunting Shack Ammo aka HSM.

There are probably a few other smaller outfits, but those are pretty much it.

As far as a market for it, there really isn't one in the sense that it's not very cost effective for manufacturers to sell commercial reloads for .308. With .223, there is a lot of surplus once-fired brass since .223 (5.56 NATO) is the cartridge for our Nation's Service Rifle. Whereas quality once-fired .308 brass is harder to come by for remanufacturers.

Reloading for personal shooting reduces costs by way of negating the cost of brass through reuse (among other factors). But since commercial remanufacturers don't benefit from these savings (since they acquire the brass and essentially load it once before it's sold), the cost to manufacture using once-fired 308 is almost as expensive to them as making it with brand new brass.

[Electric Factory]

Thanks Ocabj, I knew one of you guys would have the complete story. As it happens I'm circling an all-in entry level reloading set right now, the whole shebang [ w/o dies of course] is something like 299.99, even includes a tumbler.
My rifle likes the Federal Match 168gr BTHP round A LOT, the problem being the over the counter Federal stuff has gotten SO expensive I can't believe it.

Does anyone know where to find the bottom line best deal on Federal Gold Medal MATCH .308 ?

[Jicko]

HSM stuff... I think they sell thru SniperCentral