Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game How many shoot one load, one bullet?

Of all the rifles I have & all the loads I've worked up for each, once I begin to hunt with them I always stick with one load, one bullet.

Do you?

243 and below I generally have more than one load I use.

Couple examples .........

22-250 I use 40gr v-max and 45gr TSX.
243 I use 75gr v-max and 85gr Partition.

I try to, but then I always want to experiment with some other bullet...

I have one rifle that was built around a dummy cartridge I gave the 'smith.
338-06 with a 210 Nosler. The rifle has never fired anything else.

I do in the majority of cases; however once in awhile I make a change for a special need. For example, I almost always use 165 gr TSX in a 30-06. When making a trip to Newfoundland for woodland caribou I decided that the TSX might be too hard a bullet and worked up a load using Partitions. Used this one successfully and then returned to the TSX.

I do this with the 7mm-08 and below. There is generally a fun/varmint load and a big game load.

Winchester Model 70 Featherweight with Hornady 190 gr. BTSP and 56.5 grs. H4350. Only load I shoot in that rifle. If I want a different bullet I switch rifles.

I'm more than happy when I can find one broad brushed loading to work year round in all the situations I may hunt a particular rifle. Sure does keep things simple. Sometimes though, a particular rifle/chambering is so broad brushed, it is necessary to have more than one loading to cover all the different things hunted and shot.

Best

I'll also add that I will sometimes try out a new bullet for "real world testing", even if I haven't shot it a lot at various ranges. I'll note where it hits at 100yds, relative to my primary load, and then bring along a round or two to test when I'm hunting medium-short range spots where POI differences aren't that critical. The first time I ever killed anything with a Barnes was on a buck at roughly 100yds, using a 130gr .30cal version that I slipped in the chamber atop a magazine full of Noslers. It turned out that it killed just fine.....

I found that the more rifles I owned, the less need there was for multiple loads for any one rifle.
At the moment, I only use one load for most of my rifles, nearly all use either a Barnes TSX or a Nosler Accubond bullet.
Simplifies life somewhat.....

I am down to 40gr for .223, 140 Bergers in the .270 and 250 Hornady in the .35 Whelen. Makes things pretty simple.

For a while I matched the 75gr .223 loads to the 150gr .308 and that made it real simple with similiar BC and speeds.

223 just 55 grain sp
30-06 150 grain tsx
300 wby mag 180 grain tsx

Right now I am trying to find the elusive "cheap bullet/premo bullet" combo. In the 06' I am starting w/ 165 BTSP & 165 TTSX. Hoping for same POI and velocity to keep things simple and such a lot.

7STW crankin @ 3450 with a 150grn Nosler BT
I do

currently have 1 308 and use the 130 TTSX

I find a good load and use it for everything.

Yes, once I find a load that I'm happy and pleased with, I stick to it. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

My rifles are load specific. I work up the load that is most accurate with modest to fast muzzle velocity. Accuracy is the end game. This way I employ the cartridge size for the specific game that I hunt. It has been a bit of work over the yrs., but it has worked for this hunter/shooter. MTG

Who needs more than one? For over 25 years, I used a 270 with 150 gr. Speer Hotcores & never had a deer or elk survive them. Then I switched to a 300 WSM about 8 years ago. I used 180 gr. AB's for the last 6 or 7 years but I'm done with that crap. Now I need to decide which will be my one and only bullet. I'd like to try 180 gr Deep Curls but they're too hard to find yet.

Once I get a rifle to perform well, I stick with that formula. Each rifle though has a specific use.