Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Multi-use rifle loads for one rifle

In my 275Rigby I have used 120gr NBTs for deer and 160gr NPs for moose. Minor scope tweak for the transition.

For many years my BDL in 270 was my only rifle. I hunted everything from varmints to javelina, deer, elk and bears with it. I had only two loads

Varmints: 90g Sierra HPBTs at 3400 fps (mild load)

Big Game: 150g Partitions at 3000 fps (not mild)

Worked on everything I was hunting. Some years would put over a 1000 rounds through it. It's on it's 3rd barrel and my younger son has it now

Thanks for posting this. I was unaware of Patrick's method, but it is very similar to the approach I've used for years. Though my "Big Game" load is a dedicated LR bullet, and my motivation for a load that penetrates deep is more for the ability to crush bone on close-range shots and non-broadside angles (and keep lead fragments out of my meat whilst doing so), and isn't necessarily for self-defence, but very similar approach and reasoning.

I will often develop a load with a premium and then see if I can get a cheaper bullet to hit to the same POI. Lucked out and my .358 Norma I have been playing with shoots the 250 Speer and 250 PT to a nearly identical POI…close enough anything deer or larger would not require a scope adjustment- even out there a ways.

I also have a couple rifles with the open sights regulated for a different load than the scope that sits in QD rings. Pretty easy to switch back and forth with just a shot or two to confirm zero didn’t shift.

I use similar weight bullets in my match rifles, because I occasionally hunt with a match rifle. For example, 105 gr Berger Hybrids for shooting PRS matches with my heavy 243, and 100 grain Sierra Game Kings for deer. Having tested the trajectories it wasn't necessary to change my 100 yard zero from the match loads and the hunting load followed the same data close enough out to the 400 yard limit I impose on using a 243 on deer.

First load development for the 338 RPM is the 160 grain Barnes bullet. Case is shown next to the 284.