Talk:Hand Loader

Perk-only recipies?
I can't seem to find a definitive answer on this yet. But in order to be able to craft ammo like the JSP .308 and SWC 45-70 does the handloader perk have to be taken? Or are they unlocked in a different way as well? Rhomb 04:33, November 18, 2010 (UTC)
 * From what the Perk's description says, I suppose it's the only way.
 * What's annoying (to me anyway) is that I took this perk in hope of handloading 5.56mm AP which is scarce on NPC vendors, but the Perk doesn't offer that option.
 * Is anyone on the same boat with me? MoroQ 09:37, October 26, 2010 (UTC)
 * I came to this page to figure out what this does. From the description, I thought you could learn the recipes in another way, since it says you learn them right from the start (as opposed to...slowly, through some other method).  But I also thought you could make the existing custom ammo types like AP or HP.  I like this idea of ammo that combines the advantages of both, that's great, but not that it's only for a few calibers.  I'm also concerned that, by calling it Hand Loaded, does that mean that I have to hand load each bullet in my gun, one at a time, before firing it?  I think I'll hold off on this perk until a mod comes along that makes it more useful.  Servius 00:25, October 27, 2010 (UTC)
 * No need to be concerned; "[|hand loading" refers to loading the powder and bullet into the cartridge by hand (cf. factory-loaded) --- NOT to loading the resulting round into a firearm.

I just took the perk, it would seem it is the only way to get some of the handload recipes. But again, totally worth it. For instance it pretty much adds an extra 50 percent damage to any weapon that uses .308 all you really have to do is add more powder (easily attained by breaking down 5.56 and 5mm rounds). Overall, an excellent perk.

If you were to use this with a character with 10% critical chance, finesse, better criticals, a first recon beret, and a sniper rifle you can have 150% extra damage. Really, an absurdly powerful combo. Rhomb 04:33, November 18, 2010 (UTC)


 * i would agree with the above sentiment, except take Built to Destroy trait and wear a real helmet instead of the beret. its to the point i just use the gobi sniper as the only weapon i bother to carry with me, i just hip-shot anything that gets too close to scope. its basically guaranteed criticals for ridiculous damage, and with fast shot trait and the gobi being semi-auto... its better than any sidearm i can take along.

Coin Shot?
The description for the 12 gauge coin shot is a little vague. Does it only increase the sell value of the rounds? --Wallach 00:29, November 1, 2010 (UTC)

I think the idea is to save on lead. But typically you'll have enough lead from breaking down unused ammo types. Right now I have enough where it starts to add up to serious weight in the inventory (several pounds). Rhomb 04:30, November 18, 2010 (UTC)

Now that I actually checked in-game, it doesn't look like Hand Loader even grants any kind of shotgun recipes. My character has all of the variants without Hand Loader, including Coin Shot. If someone else would confirm (to make sure it is not a bug on my end) I'm going to pull that ammo variant off this page. --Wallach 15:11, November 1, 2010 (UTC)

Yeah, all the shotgun ammo is unlocked right from the very beginning. I think handloader only unlocks the recipes specifically called "handload swc/jsp/mg/etc". And even the I think you've still got to do a quest for .44SWC. You're not saying that you have these recipes without taking the handloader perk, are you? Or just the shotgun shells? Because that would mitigate a lot of the usefulness of the perk. Rhomb 04:30, November 18, 2010 (UTC)

No, I'm only referring to the Coin Shot (and other shotgun ammo types). Currently Coin Shot is listed for this perk, I'm going to remove it now. Thanks. --Wallach 11:01, November 2, 2010 (UTC)

I'm not sure if you get shotgun shells from the perk, but I noticed 12guage Magnum Buckshot and 20guage Magnum Buckshot on the list after taking this perk, although they could have been there from the start and I just didn't notice them. Wolf-usar 12:27, February 4, 2011 (EST)


 * No shotgun ammo from this perk, only the ammo listed on the page. The ones you listed are on a reloading bench without the perk. 206.251.10.14 06:39, February 16, 2011 (UTC)

Nomenclature
The "MG" in ".50 MG" does not mean "Match Grade" as the article implies, it means "Machine Gun". I've edited the article to be less misleading.

The "JHP" in "10mm JHP Hand Load" stands for "Jacketed Hollow Point", not sure if this is actually worth adding to the article itself. It does explain the x2 Target DT though. InsanePacoTaco 12:22, November 4, 2010 (UTC)

Are you serious about the MG? I mean really. It's obvious .50 rounds are for machine guns, and Match Grade fits. I'd think the extra "match" is a typo. --68.100.64.165 03:56, November 6, 2010 (UTC)

I guess you mean "aren't" as in you think the MG doesn't stand for Machine Gun. Well it does, though the real world name for the round is actually ".50 BMG". The round is originally for the .50 Calibre Browning Machine Gun, the B is dropped from the acronym, I'm guessing, to avoid brand/patent/trademark references for which Bethesda could otherwise be liable for royalties or worse. Same as calling the CAR15/M16's in New Vegas "Service Rifles". The round has been used in a variety of applications, including sniper rifles, it's also the round which a Canadian sniper has set the record for furthest confirmed kill at over 2600 yards (or at least was now that I'm reading Wikipedia). .50_BMG --60.234.217.233 16:56, November 6, 2010 (UTC)


 * it does seem silly that it would be labeled machine gun ammo when the only weapon to use it is the anti-material rifle. im not arguing about it, just saying it seems a little silly.


 * It's not that silly. Rifles like the "Anti-Materiel Rifle" (somewhat analogous to guns like the Barrett M82) were designed to use these rounds, but originally the cartridge was designed for the Browning MG way back in WW1. They're just trying to have the analogous weapon technology be somewhat consistent. Wallach 06:10, November 11, 2010 (UTC)

I have updated the descriptions for JHP, JSP, and JFP, so as to make them more informative for non-gun people. Not really necessary, but I figured a little more explanation as to what the bullets actually do, couldn't hurt.32.97.110.55 00:54, November 19, 2010 (UTC)Pulsar

Effect on cartridge reclamation?
What is the exact percentage increase of retaining cartridges (hulls/cases) from taking this perk? Personally, I have noticed about a huge increase in cases that I retain after taking this perk, but the actual percentage would be helpful to include in the article. This combined with the additional recipes makes this an amazing perk - both for the effectiveness of any Guns build and for the fun factor of making use of the game's crafting options.

I think it was up there at some point but then edited out. If I remember correctly ~20% recovery before the perk and ~40% after. Rhomb 04:55, December 2, 2010 (UTC)

Can someone who knows what it is please edit it back in!!! I agree totally it would a) be useful to know, and b) needs to be here as additional accurate information to what is provided in game is pretty much the point of the wiki!!!! FSBDavy 04:35, May 13, 2011 (UTC)

JFP Hand-load?
I know what JSP and JHP mean, but whats JFP?

the .357 Hand-load is called JFP.

Lead is not weightless
This has already been covered on the page about lead but I think that it needs to be mentioned here as well because this problem will mostly affect hand loaders who spend a lot of time at the bench.

The game lists lead as a weightless item but each unit does infact weigh roughly 0.0014 lbs. This means that approximately 715 units of lead weighs 1 pound. This might not seem as much at first glance but hand loaders can easily accumulate tens of thousands of units of lead in a relatively short period of time.

1.000 units = 1.4 lbs

10.000 units = 14 lbs

Since the lead builds up slowly, you won't necessarily notice the change until you are carrying loads of it.


 * So I guess you should leave the lead in weightless bullets, until you need it? Rather than busting open a bunch of bullets and then carrying the lead around for months. Snooldex 01:10, January 29, 2011 (UTC)


 * Yes, for non-hardcore mode at least. In hardcore mode I had 10's of thousands of lead in my chest at the Lucky 38. 206.251.11.85 00:01, February 4, 2011 (UTC)

I moved the note about lead weight from the Bugs to the Notes section. It's not a bug. --ZappaFan 11:08, August 12, 2011 (UTC)

Gun condition?
"Although custom hand-loaded ammunition greatly deteriorates gun condition" The only type listed on the page that increases gun condition is the .45-70 Gov SWC. Is this just from a lack of listing it on all ammo types or is it really just that one type? And if so, why the quoted line? 206.251.11.85 00:08, February 4, 2011 (UTC)

I added a mention of using Weapon Repair Kits to repair guns. As easy as those are to make, keeping your guns in top notch shape is a snap. Cleaned up the wording a little bit. ZappaFan 19:00, February 24, 2011 (UTC)ZappaFan

I don't understand the "Although custom hand-loaded ammunition greatly deteriorates gun condition" either...is it only the .45-70 Gov SWC that damages condition or is it all hand load ammo?

Don't know if it's ONLY .45-70 or not, that's why the wording is "Certain custom hand-loaded ammunition...". That means not all of them, only certain ones - i.e. any that have rapid deterioration listed. Pretty sure it's only the .45-70 but not positive. The .45-70 is the only one listed on the page tho. ZappaFan 20:30, March 7, 2011 (UTC)

It probably wouldn't hurt to mention the ludicrous rewards that can be obtained by completing the Dead Money DLC - that is, access to an unlimited supply of Weapon Repair Kits and 1100 Sierra Madre chips to purchase them with every three days. Pretty much eliminates weapon condition as being any sort of concern, really. 86.175.46.213 19:24, August 11, 2011 (UTC)

Deleted note about Scrounger Perk
I deleted the following:

"Those who take the Scrounger perk can ignore this perk as plenty of Ammo can be found in containers and on dead corpses. However, this perk does make it easier to get casings for ammo that is rare even with Scrounger."

The primary benefit of taking the Hand Loader perk is to unlock all the special ammo recipes. Scrounger doesn't help you with that, so just because you've taken Scrounger doesn't mean you should ignore Hand Loader. --ZappaFan 10:57, August 12, 2011 (UTC)