After talking with a friend about his 7mm Mag and how he loves the Fusion Bullets Elk in his back yard in Montana, I thought this was agood topic.

He said that he thought a few loads he had for everything were just a little too much for deer and Antelope.

What do you do? One load for everything or one load per game species in your rifle?

I have one good, accurate load for each rifle. Multiple loads are just to much trouble.

With a decent bullet there is no such thing as "to much" gun on lighter critters. A premium bullet will not blow up and trash a lighter animal.

So beyond killing them "too dead" I don't see the point in changing a good thing. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

For the right caliber (e.g. .270 Win) I would have 2 loads, a 'varmint' load and a 'game' load. Fortunately a 'hot' 130 grain bullet load for the .270 covers a lot of ground. Then you just need a lighter bullet for varmint and target shooting.

Ideally, for a big game rifle one load for everything. Cuts down on the need to develop loads (wear and tear, cost of components), and perhaps more importantly ensures the rifle is always ready to go and you don't need to think about one trajectory on Monday and another on Tuesday.

That said, I often violate my own principles in search for the "optimal tool for the job". Silly, but there it is....

- mike

A 180gr Accubond in my 300win will do just fine on all the animals I hunt, deer, antelope and elk.

Being able to develop multiple loads is what handloading is all about. Especially in your case with moose as a dream hunt. The optimum bullet for moose can be quite different than other game. Developing multiple loads will allow you to control bullet weight, bullet construction, and impact velocity which will lead to cleaner kills.

I enjoy playing with different bullets and powders. I have mabye 5 deer loads for my little Roberts. For open country I have a load with the 100 grain TSX or the 100 grain balistic tip. at 3100.
get me in to the brush and I might be carying a 120 grain partition.
But For my 45/70 I will likly be packing the 350 grain Hornady flat point ...tj3006

If it's a hunt out of state for one species, I load a particular bullet for that species. If for two species, I load for the tougher animal and use it for both.


I do like to have one load for each rifle for simplicity. For instance I have 3 7RMs one is zeroed with NABs, one with NBTs, and the other with Match bullets. Same with all of my other rifles, Most of them are zeroed at 200 for a given load.

Reloader

I don't hand load, but I do use different bullets and weights for different game in a given caliber. I also have several different rifles/calibers I like to use just to mix it up and justify my collection to the wife, ha ha. (Man-Law..?)
Actually, I just like to use different rifles depending on what mood I'm in at the time, from a couple lever actions w/iron sights, to the scoped bolt actions I have for fun I guess; although none are 7mm Mags. Did I mention Handguns and Bows too....ha ha.
My best freind has a 7mm mag A-bolt SS and he hand loads though. I know he has two different loads he uses in his 7mm. One for Elk, bigger Mulies and up, and one for smaller Whitetail, Antelope, etc. and down. I'd have to ask him exactly what those are, not remembering at the moment. I know he also has that BOSS system on his rifle, and has settings(?) for each. Pretty much amazes me on his groupings I must admit...
Take care.

Years ago, when all I had was a 30-06, I'd load 150 gr. Sierras for deer and 180 gr. Sierras for elk. Kind of got disgusted with having to resight in when I changed loads for one hunt to do the other. Finally, I settles on two 180 gr. loads using th same charge. The 180 gr. Sierra for deer and the 180 gr. Nosler Partition for elk. Luckily, the same charges worked for both loads.
I tried the same principle with my .300 Win. mag. and got the same results.
Guess you could call it he K.I.S.S. principle.
Paul B.

I would say 160gr bullet for the 7mmRM for your 1 bullet-all big game. Accubonds would be my first choice. maybe a 140gr then if its more for deer and antelope. If larger sized game is in the mix (moose/elk/bear) I'd stay with the 160's.

For my 300WM its 180gr Accubonds for everything.

I enjoy working up different loads for each of my rifles, but sometimes the rifle tells you what it likes best. In 1999 I had a Moose hunt to Alaska and worked up a super accurate load for my .340 Wby, a 250 grain Nosler Combined Technology bullet (this was before I discovered North Fork bullets) going 2950 fps. I took my Moose with that load with one shot kill that really pleased me and my guide. When I got home I was pressed for time before my annual Elk hunt so I took the same load to Colorado. The first day a fine 5X5 Mule Deer buck parked himself in my shooting lane for Elk and starred me down for 30 minutes and didn't seem like he was going to move anytime soon with prime Elk movement approaching so I lowered the boom on him practically eviserating him with the big bullet and a 150 yard frontal shot. That afternoon within 50 yards of where I downed the Deer I took a good 5X5 Bull Elk, again with the same load and a one shot dead in his tracks kill. To say that load was good to me would be an understatement. I always remember a load that was that good to me, and keep a few around for good times. Good shooting.

quote:

Originally posted by surestrike:
I have one good, accurate load for each rifle. Multiple loads are just to much trouble.

With a decent bullet there is no such thing as "to much" gun on lighter critters. A premium bullet will not blow up and trash a lighter animal.

So beyond killing them "too dead" I don't see the point in changing a good thing. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

I follow this belief as well. I've found myself always going back to Partitions. They just work!

quote:

What do you do? One load for everything or one load per game species in your rifle?

Great question that is getting some excellent answers.

Staying with the 7mmRemMag, I have at least five different Bullets that I know for sure work well Killing things. If I was going for something tough, I'd go with the Partition. But right now it is set-up and Zeroed for the 145gr Hot-Cor.

Come to think of it, I've got multiple Loads for all my rifles. But, I generally Zero the rifle for whatever I consider to be the Main Hunting Bullet. And I'll loosen the Set Screws and adjust the Horizontal and Vertical Dial Indicators to "0 & 0" for that Load.

Then the other Loads are simply a matter of finding where the Adjustments need to be set for them to be Zeroed and write those Settings on their Box. If I go to the Secondary Load, I go 2-3 clicks past where I want to be and then back it up to the correct Setting. This may not be needed on most newer scopes, but some old habits are hard to break.

It depends on the rifle, like some of the other guys, I like to load tinker so having diff. loads is no big deal. When traveling for multi species like deer & elk, I use an elk load (ie 160grNP in my 280). If just going for say antelope, I have another load using 140-145gr bullets. I zero before I travel anyway so it's no big deal.

quote:

Originally posted by .366torque:

quote:

Originally posted by surestrike:
I have one good, accurate load for each rifle. Multiple loads are just to much trouble.

With a decent bullet there is no such thing as "to much" gun on lighter critters. A premium bullet will not blow up and trash a lighter animal.

So beyond killing them "too dead" I don't see the point in changing a good thing. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

I follow this belief as well. I've found myself always going back to Partitions. They just work!

+3 Each rifle is zeroed with it's best shooter and I carry the rifle appropriate for the game. The crossover rifle is the 280AI shooting the 160 Accubond at 3000 fps that can be carried for anything from Antelope to Elk.

With the exception of a 94 win, a drilling and my new double, I hunt with one rifle in several calibers, all old style model 77s. With one exception (257 robt, which has two loads, 75 and 120) everything is a single load for hunting. All set for +2 inches at one hundred, 0 at two, and app -9 at three hundred (209 like the primer). the big game load in the Robts is set for 209, as well. I play around all year with other loads, but when it comes to hunting... it's keep it simple, simple simple, 'cause I get excited.
Blfy

I shoot small deer near home so my local rifles are all set up for half inch high at 100 and good to 250yards.

The bigger ones are set for inch high at 100 which gives the same trajectory to all intents and purposes.

I do play but as the rifle gets time under it's belt it generaly picks up a load which is stuck with until compononents run out.

I do have a couple that have multiple loads to the same point of aim. From bitter experience if you change a thing (eg have it out the stock) you must check all the loads - just because one is not affected doesn't mean another won't be.

Me, personally, I say one load for each rifle. A 130gr load in the 270 will kill anything you'd ever want to kill with a 270, so why take the time to have three or more loads for the same gun that effectively do the same thing? Like phurley5 said, if the 250 grain bullet in the 340 does everything, why would you want to load anything different?

This is not to say don't experiment with handloads. After all, how do you really know which is the best load until you've tried most or all of them? I dunno, I'm more of a pragmatist when it comes to handloading. I figure leave the bullet testing to the manufacturers and just give me what works.

Both.

quote:

Originally posted by Magnum61:
.....

What do you do? One load for everything or one load per game species in your rifle?

I work up one hunting load per rifle - For two rifles I've also work up a target load. Switching from deer to hogs to elk to bear - I'll just pick out the rifle that best fits the hunting situation.

quote:

I have one good, accurate load for each rifle. Multiple loads are just to much trouble.

With a decent bullet there is no such thing as "to much" gun on lighter critters. A premium bullet will not blow up and trash a lighter animal.

So beyond killing them "too dead" I don't see the point in changing a good thing. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

I agree totally. I find a good accurate premium bullet loading big enough to kill the biggest thing I want to hunt and shoot everything I shoot with that rifle with that load.

one gun, one load.
but i don`t bother to reload, norma factory ammunition is good enough for me

.222Rem: 50grs norma softpoint-3199fps
.30-06: 180grs norma oryx-2700fps

works very well for my hunting, everything from mouse to moose

i typically stick with one load per rifle, except that i have a 117 and a 100 grain load for my 25-06. do have multiple loads for a 38 super pistol, but that is a whole nother can of worms.

Depends. I normally develop one load for each game rifle (Hornady Interlocks) however I have developed a "hard" and a "soft" for two rifles (using the same weight of bullet). The soft is a Hornady Interlock, the hard being a Nosler Partition. The ones I load 2fers for are 7mm RM (175gr) and 375 H&H (300gr). Until I win the lottery or inherent mucho $$$s to afford an African safari, the Partition will serve as the "hard" and is quite well suited for the toughest in North America with the cartridges I have. The "softs" are relegated for game up to deer and targets.

Only my 22-250 gets plastic-tipped bullets (varmints).

One gun (30-06) one load (180gr partitions) for everything from tiny hogs and wild dogs to deer, elk, and moose. I used to tinker with loads, bullets, etc., but not anymore. For the sake of simplicity and familiarity, I want one load for everything.

Years ago I only had one rifle. So it was a do all. Worked up light varmint loads all the way to heavy hitters.

Now that I have multiple rifles I pretty much have one load for each. If that doesn't match what I'm hunting I grab a different rifle. I try and keep the fit and feel of my normal hunting rifles as close as possible.

My calling rifles have a few loads. Lucky for me both have the same POI. One load fur friendly and one splat load for non-furbearers.

I have one load for my 280 140AB. I was going to work up a 160, I just built a 338-06 instead. I have not settled yet but it will either be 225 or 250. Once I settle that will be it. Probably will work up a 160load for the 280. It is alot more pleasant to carry and handles a bit better than the 338-06. The 338-06 is real nice just not as nice as the 280

I've generally prefered to have just one load for any rifle. Then again I rarely have more than 2 or 3 rifles at any one time. For my 270 I've settled on 150gr Nosler Partitions, fiddled around A LOT with other bullets and these work fine from antelope to elk, don't have to think about it and never have the "wrong" ammo in my pack.

I have two loads for my 9.3x62. Not intentionally though. I just happened that the 232gr Norma Oryx prints dead on at 200 yards when the rifle is set for the 286gr NP's dead on at 100. Makes the 9.3 more useful as a back up for antelope and deer out in eastern Montana and I'll bring some along for springbok in africa in Sept.

I'd say 2 different bullet weights or types would be fine for any rifle as long as I didn't have to fiddle with the scope when I change loads. That's just a invitstion to a total screw-up for me personaly since I'd NEVER keep which was which straight!

I'm in the one load per rifle group. Basically I find a bullet design and weight the rifle and I both like and stick with it. Either too conservative or too lazy to keep experimenting once I'm satisfied. The .375 H&H is the exception. I seem to ask mine to do a lot of stuff, so it looks like it'll end up with 3 loads.

Dean

It's like golf. You need a bag full of guns, all set for one purpose. One load, caliber and scope set for one type of hunting. You feel a little bad sometimes when you look at the "sandwedge" gun that you hardly ever use, but it's only money and you can't take it with you. BTW if you're poor you can always start off with 3 clubs and work up to a full set from there.