Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Zero for two different loads

What do you guys do for zero when you have a plinking load that you shoot a lot of and a carry load that you want dead-on? I am getting more revolvers that I carry in the woods with a heavier "duty" load and also have a lighter and slower load that I plink with. Do you change the sights when you change loads? Zero for one and apply Kentucky windage for the other? Or something else?

I reload and try to get the two to match. If that's not an option, I'll sight it on with the the load for the most serious situation. E.g. the hunting or self defense load and Kentucky windage it for the practice load.

Some years back I managed to get a plinking load for my SBH which came close to the 250 SWC full power load for short range work. Plinking load was a 208 Lee Wadcutter at very slow velocity. I haven't tried for any other round.

This. I've usually found that I can get a heavy fast bullet to hit the same point as a lighter slower bullet in revolvers, with some careful load development. Usually for me that means developing the hotter load to be whatever it wants to be, and then adjusting a lighter bullet target load until it matches POI. A common example I used in 45 Colt was a 330gr WFN @ ~1250 fps, and a 250gr FP @ 1000 fps; both could be made to hit at the same point at normal practice ranges although each gun took a bit of tweaking to suit it's peculiarities.

At longer ranges of course I really had to just practice with the hot load to be proficient, as the trajectory of the two loads wasn't identical.

As long as your carry load shoots to the sights who cares where the practice load shoots as long as it is reasonably close? Lets say your practice load is off 3 inches at 25 yards. That is only roughly half of that at 12.5 yards. It is just a "practice" load for goodness sake. Why would you care? If it groups well just shoot for groups and you know if you are doing well.
Then load up your carry load and sally forth. Good grief.

I can't believe no one stated the obvious solution- buy a second pistol of the same type and sight each for their respective load!:)

I had the same question as others have stated, I was able to work up a lighter load to shoot close enough to the heavy load for me.

Thanks for most of the answers, that's about what I expected to hear. I am new to the revolver game and really liking the 44 SPCL and 45 LC, just wanted to see what you guys were doing. With the Special, I can hit a jackrabbit to about 25 yards before I have to adjust my hold, which is god enough.

This is exactly why I don’t have a carry load and a plinking load. I’m a firm believer pick one good load and shoot it exclusively and their is never any doubt where the bullet will hit.

I've found that if I stay with one bullet weight for a gun, like 210s for a S&W Model 57 .41 Magnum, then the target load going 950 fps and the full load at 1180 fps are not far enough off to matter at normal handgun shooting ranges..

Get two identical guns. Zero one for the practice load and zero the other for the carry load.


Okie John