Didn't want to hijack another thread on POI with different bullets. I have had a couple of rifles that did this with no load juggling at all. But when I try to adjust two loads it is mostly trial and error or luck. Different charge weights, different seating depth or a different powder/bullet combination will work sometimes. Is there a more systematic or efficient way to do this?

The same velocity helps a good deal.

Heavier-contour barrels and full-length forend bedding both tend to help--though in my experience full-contact forend bedding can even help lighter-contour barrels.

My Forbes and Colt/NULA both will shoot a variety of bullets to roughly the same point of impact. One rifle was a stock Rem. 700 that still had the speed bump and this 7RM would put 140s-175 grain bullets in the same group at 100. Others were free floated. Seemed the cartridge was the main factor, the 375 H&H is another that can do this on a routine basis. My 300 WM has a bedding block and won't shoot 150s & 180s the same point of impact.

DBoston: I have NO suggestions for you and am puzzled WHY you are trying to do this?
I have been handloading for my Rifles for 61 years now and never had (or seen!) a need to try to do what you are trying to do.
I have changed bullets many times in the past for my Big Game, Varminting and target Rifles but again have never had a need to try to shoot two different bullets to the same point of impact in one Rifle at one time.
Best of luck to you in your endeavor though.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

How about a reliable scope that allows you to adjust when changing loads, then go back? Might not cover every situation, like mixing solids and softs, but should work for some.

It would allow every bullet to be used with its best load, not a compromise one.

Changing the scope is a viable option. But then the scopes repeatability comes into question, I have a number of Leupolds and not sure if they will repeat reliably, I think I will test a couple.

I am loading two seemingly identical bullets that have different POIs.

Older Hornady 55 grain soft points and older Sierra 55 grain spitzers. They look identical. Loading them over 27 grains Varget. Velocities are close, but the sierras impact 2.5' to the right and 1" high. The hornady have the same POI as other 55 grain bullets I am loading. I keep the info handy and adjust the scope based on what I am shooting.

A few years back, I wanted an economical practice load for my son’s 7mm Rem Mag instead of the Federal Premium 160 gr Trophy Bonded Bear Claw. I chose the Speer 160 gr Magtip and loaded it to the same velocity as the factory loads. It shot to within 1/4” of the factory loads. Worked fine.

Calibres with large case capacities for the bore size like 243, 270, 300 Winchester. Smaller case capacities for the bore like 308. 30/06, 375 and in good barrels will shoot different weights to different elevations. Calibres like the 458 and 458 Lott will show a huge difference in elevation.

A slower twist also seems to help. Actually something like a 22/250 with a 14 twist is about as good as it gets. That 14 twist is real slow. The pitch is like 1 in 19 in 30 calibre.

I think the full length bedding helps a lot, out to 200 yards (+/-), with sporter and lighter barrels. I've seen it with NULA's and Fieldcrafts.

This^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I've got three off the top of my head that will do that consistently - doesn't seem to be much in common with mine. A 700LA medium barreled 338-08, a 700LA 375 H&H and a Steyr 308 mountain rifle. Conversely I've got a .260 that will move almost off the target between 140 to 129 grain loads.

Sure is handy to have a deer load and a mild cheap bullet pig load that shoot to the same POI here in TX.

Try a .270 WCF.

I have done what you are discussing. I had a Big7 and wanted to use the 175 Nosler partition semi spritzer for close shots and a 140 BT for long shots. This was my plan pre LRF and multipoint reticle.
So, I developed the long range load with 140’s sighted at 300 and then fiddled until I got something the put the 175’s on at around 150.
I had to sacrifice velocity and grouping to get the 175’s to hit where I wanted. However because my plan was to use the 175’s on elk in heavy cover I wasn’t too picky about getting highest velocity or tightest groups.
My hunting plan was to load the rifle with the magazine full of BT’s and the chamber with the 175 partitions.
Eventually I decided it was way too complicated and cumbersome.
You just have to fiddle with lots of loads and you never find one that works.

I do this often enough and but it’s usually shooting a Bitterroot Bonded with either a Nosler Partition or similar. So far I’ve gotten pretty lucky just matching the speed. Seems like if I match the speed as close to possible I can keep them in the same group at 300 yards.

I know that probably wasn’t exactly what you’re after, but that’s my experience. I’ve gotten pretty lucky with the 250 Speer matching up with the 250 Partition in my Whelen, same for the 225 Sierra and a 225 Nosler.

Hunting deer or antelope and elk is one scenario where I might want two different loads. Mixing softs and solids is another. And practice loads with bargain bullets then hunting with the premium bullet. Or coyotes while deer hunting. Usually I just use a single load that will cover multiple bases but it is nice to have other options. I can usually get ballistic tips to match up with a Barnes X or TTSX. The Sierra 180 BT matches the Barnes 180 in my 300WM.

It’s quite high risk in that I’ve had rifles that had interchangeable loads or same POI for different bullets but they never reliably stayed that way. Taking the barrelled action out the stock and putting it back changed it or they just diverged for no discernible reason. I now much prefer adjusting the scope

As I hinted at earlier, unless you use temperature-resistant powder the POI of a certain load may very well change at different temps.

Might also add that I have several rifles that will consistently shoot all the bullet weights I might use in them close enough to the same POI at 100 yards that I can switch loads without any problem--and have for years, even when taking the barreled action out of the stock, which I do frequently when I fly somewhere to hunt, in order to use a take-down case.

These rifles include all of my varmint rifles from .17 Hornet up to a heavy-barreled .243, regardless of bedding. Others are my New Ultra Light Arms .30-06 (full-bedded forend, which shoots 150-200 grain loads to the same POI; my custom FN Mauser .338 Winchester Magnum (free-floated barrel) with bullets from 200-250 grainsl; my 9.3x62 CZ 550 (full-bedded barrel) with loads from 250-300 grains; and my .375 H&H Mark X Mauser (free-floated barrel) with 260-300 grain bullets. When I get to where I'm hunting, I put the rifle together again and take a test-shot. Sometimes it lands maybe 1-1/2 inches away from where it was zeroed back home, but a second shot always lands in the right place. All of these rifles are epoxy-bedded, but only one is pillar-bedded--with only one pillar. NULAs only have one pillar, as I recall for the rear action screw, because the bedding for the front of the action is solid epoxy.

However, I used to travel a lot with a custom 7x57 bolt rifle, and because I like to field-test different bullets I tried to get it to shoot various weights to the same place. No go--but it would shoot any bullet from 156-162 grains to the same 100-yard POI, so I used those. On one cull safari in Africa I tested 4 different bullets, the 156 Norma Oryx, 160 Barnes TSX, 160 North Fork and 160 Sierra GameKing on a bunch of animals without readjusting the scope.

They aren't supposed to, that's why they are









Different.