Sellier & Bellot Reloading Components

There is no denying that Sellier & Bellot ammunition is top quality stuff but, just like all factory ammo, it’s not cheap. I tested their primers last year and they certainly proved to be on a par with the more well-known brands available here in the UK. So, with this in mind, I decided to take a look at some of their other reloading components, to see how they measure up against the competition.

Cases

On test were both .308 Winchester and .357 Magnum cases. They all appeared well finished, with no sign of any defects, machining marks or burrs, so definitely off to a good start. The weight consistency of cases is always a good indication of the uniformity of their internal volume, a vital factor in making consistent ammunition. Weighing a large sample showed that in both calibres, the weights varied by around 1%, which is well within acceptable tolerances. The external dimensions were also very uniform, with no significant variations at all in either calibre.

The .308 cases were put through full-length sizing and, with only minor resistance, they all sized without any issues. The cases all reloaded without any problems, the primer pockets took primers easily and every bullet seated straight and true. Neck Tension on the .308 ammunition was really good, with minimum crimp required and the bullets would not rotate or push back.

Bullets

Supplied in decent boxes, none of the bullets were damaged and the counts were all spot on. Consistency was again really good and there were no bullets that showed any signs of defects or significant differences in weight. For example, the maximum deviation in a box of 180-grain bullets was just 1.4-grains. .308 Winchester bullets in both 150-grain and 180-grain configurations were tested and the quality of both was easily as good as the better known and more expensive brands.

A real blast from the past were the 148-grain, hollowbased wadcutter bullets in .38 calibre. The design closely resembles a Speer bullet from the good old pistolshooting days. The Speer bullets were undoubtedly the most accurate wadcutters of the day and the S&B versions perform just as well. A sample was weighed and the maximum deviation from the average weight was 0.5-grains, which is truly impressive consistency for a lead bullet. For anyone shooting a long-barrelled revolver, you definitely need to give these bullets a go, they shoot great.

Conclusion

The quality and consistency of the S&B components certainly match their factory ammunition, which should not be a surprise as presumably all of their components are made in the one factory. This means that you can make your own high-quality ammunition at a fraction of the cost of the factory version and get very similar results.