If you are just getting started shooting, this basic information on match grade ammo will certainly help you out.

One of the things I find most interesting about shooting sports, is how much you can tell about a person by their equipment. Just by examining a person’s shooting gear you can sometimes tell what they like, their priorities, how they operate, maybe even their perspective on life. For example, imagine you see two guys sitting around a shooting range. One has a modern Browning 6.5 Creedmoor in hand; the other has a Pennsylvania flintlock smoothbore. Don’t tell me you can’t deduce a few ideas about either of the two men. The same can be said for ammo choices. Imagine you show up at a shooting range, and again you see two guys sitting around a shooting bench. This time one has a box of standard factory ammunition, and the other has his favorite box of match grade ammo in front of him. If you have a keen eye, you can tell a few things about those two people.

Before being able to infer anything about the two men though, you first need to understand a few things about match grade ammo. Knowing what it is, how to choose it, and is match ammo worth it, are all key to understanding what ammunition you should buy in the future.

What is Match Grade Ammo?

Before you can determine if you need match grade ammo, you first need to know what it is. Match grade ammunition is simply ammunition that has been produced by a manufacturer to meet more stringent requirements in the production process. You see, how ammunition is prepared has a significant impact on the precision of the bullet.

Think about all the variables ammunition has during the shot. Initially, you might begin to think about powder, and that is a good place to start. The amount of powder in the cartridge will vary slightly from round to round. Since more powder causes the bullet to go faster, this can have a noticeable impact on downrange accuracy. As you might imagine, the further out your target, the bigger the differences become. Even small powder variations will impact where the bullet strikes the intended target. In match grade ammunition, the amount of powder is more consistent, thus more precise downrange.

Another factor that comes into play is the weight of the bullet. Let’s say you are buying 165-grain bullets for your deer-hunting rifle. In reality, not all of those bullets are 165 grains. Some may weigh 163.5 grains, while others may weight 166.2 grains. In standard factory ammunition, the range of bullet weights will have a wider range than match grade ammo will. Again, the smaller the variance of bullet weight, the more consistent the bullet will strike downrange.

Choosing Match Ammo

So now you may be thinking, “ammunition has to undergo rigorous testing, and meet specific requirements to be considered match grade ammo.” Well, I hate to break it to you, but you are kind of right, and kind of wrong.

You are right in the sense that match ammo undergoes more rigorous quality control. The trick is, that each company creates their own specifications for what “match grade” ammunition is. The Hornady process is different from the Winchester process, which is different from the process at Federal. You can only tell if Remington match grade is superior to Weatherby match grade by shooting the two cartridges and comparing the results. Also, by researching different ammunition producers, you can probably determine which match grade ammunition is the best based on the company’s consumer reviews.

In the end, if you are buying a company’s match grade ammo, you are buying the product they monitor most closely to ensure the most consistency through their products. Do your research on specific companies and specific cartridges to make the best purchasing choice.

Is it Worth It?

Finally, before choosing match grade ammunition, you need to determine if it is worth it. Because companies invest more time and control into their match grade ammunition, it is simply going to be more expensive. Is the extra cost worth it to you? Well, this is where we can retrace our steps to the beginning of this article, where we imagined the two old boys sitting at the shooting bench; one with match ammunition, and the other with standard factory loads.

At first you might guess the guy with the factory loads is a cheapo, and just doesn’t want to cough up the money for quality ammunition. In all honesty, you might be right, but there is also a good chance you are wrong as well. It could be just as true, the guy is sighting in his old deer-hunting rifle so his daughter can shoot her first deer this season. The guy thinks the shot will be under 100 yards, and he knows the standard factory loads can get the job done without any worries. He doesn’t have to shoot sub MOA to kill a deer.

On the other hand, the fella with the match grade ammunition might just have buckets of money to spend, and wants the best of the best. While that might be true, he could also be getting ready to shoot in a national precision shooting tournament. In that case, he’ll be shooting targets at distances of over 500 yards, and precision means everything to him. You see, the decision of whether to buy match grade ammunition or not depends chiefly on the purpose it is being purchased for.

Should you buy match grade ammunition? Honestly, this article wouldn’t be able to tell you if you should, or if you shouldn’t. And really, no article can. It all depends on the level of precision you absolutely need from your cartridge. If you can justify the added cost, and need the increased consistency, then by all means buy match grade. On the other hand, if you need a simple hunting cartridge, you can probably get away with standard factory loads. Like I said at the beginning, you can tell a lot about a person just by the gear they choose to use. By choosing match grade ammunition, you are choosing to use the highest quality product of a particular company, in order to get the absolute best performance they offer. So, next time you see someone shooting match grade at the range, that is all you will know about them.

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