Lots of good wisdom there. I'm of the same mind, and I even try to work up good serviceable loads using a powder that works well across a variety of calibers. For example, I am using IMR 4064 in my .30-06, .243, and .22-250. If you get a versatile powder, it just makes things even simpler. Not that I don't occasionally try something new, like my .30-06 loads this year with IMR 4166. But...that powder is very similar to the above-mentioned 4064. At my age, the KISS principle is more important than ever.
Good Grief
- Thread starter Guy Miner
- Start date
Great points mentioned, and good thread.
Keep It Simple!
I have been using the one load/rifle concept for many years, and it works. No opportunity to grab the wrong load that the rifle is sighted in for as you head afield.
Still fun to have several rifles for variety and accumulation of experience...but there is much truth in the old saying "beware the man with one gun, as he knows how to use it!"
And to paraphrase Forrest Gump; "accuracy is as accuracy does".
How many deer have been harvested with a '94 30-30? Or moose with a 303 British? Cartridges and rifles that are not known as sub-MOA rifles today (although some can be quite accurate).
As much as I also get caught up in wanting my rifle/load combination to produce MOA groups or better (the only interesting gun is an accurate gun), I do like and respect the practicality and historical proven performance of "minute-of-deer" or "minute-of-moose" rifles that have harvested game over time and during the settling of this continent. All of those pioneers and those that participate in shooting the various older firearms in competition or hunting today, and are still successful, can not be wrong!
Again, Keep It Simple, and have fun!
Keep It Simple!
I have been using the one load/rifle concept for many years, and it works. No opportunity to grab the wrong load that the rifle is sighted in for as you head afield.
Still fun to have several rifles for variety and accumulation of experience...but there is much truth in the old saying "beware the man with one gun, as he knows how to use it!"
And to paraphrase Forrest Gump; "accuracy is as accuracy does".
How many deer have been harvested with a '94 30-30? Or moose with a 303 British? Cartridges and rifles that are not known as sub-MOA rifles today (although some can be quite accurate).
As much as I also get caught up in wanting my rifle/load combination to produce MOA groups or better (the only interesting gun is an accurate gun), I do like and respect the practicality and historical proven performance of "minute-of-deer" or "minute-of-moose" rifles that have harvested game over time and during the settling of this continent. All of those pioneers and those that participate in shooting the various older firearms in competition or hunting today, and are still successful, can not be wrong!
Again, Keep It Simple, and have fun!
brikwhitt
Beginner
- Oct 9, 2016
- 129
- 0
My 30-06 is less than MOA gun
Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk
Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk
My hunting rifles yes, one load with a good bullet for whitetails and the occaisional hog.
They all sit in the safe with an elastic gizmo on the rear stock that holds 9 rounds of ammo.
Grab it and go hunt, no searching for ammo
ARs, all get fed the same load
Benchmark and a 75 gr Hornady BTHP.
The guns I target shoot off a bench with are a different ball game. Always tinkering with them in search of that one hole group.
They all sit in the safe with an elastic gizmo on the rear stock that holds 9 rounds of ammo.
Grab it and go hunt, no searching for ammo
ARs, all get fed the same load
Benchmark and a 75 gr Hornady BTHP.
The guns I target shoot off a bench with are a different ball game. Always tinkering with them in search of that one hole group.
RiverRider
Handloader
- Dec 9, 2008
- 1,436
- 71
I'll throw in a somewhat different viewpoint...
I think there are as many different perspectives on all this as there are shooters, really. While I do adhere to the "one bullet" per rifle philosophy, I cannot resist trying new powders and an occasional new-to-me technique.
I DO enjoy hunting, and I'd suggest there are many different takes on that as well but that's a whole nuther thread. My own interest in shooting is centered on handloading, for the most part. I like to try and figure out how things work and WHY things work. I'm inquisitive by nature, and that's why I handload...which is why I own as many rifles as I do and why I choose the calibers that I do.
Don't get me wrong: when I get a chance to go out and shoot something, I'm on it. It's just not something I can do at the drop of a hat but I go when I can. In the meantime, if I can only spare a half day on a Saturday or Sunday, I'm happy taking a rifle or six out to the range to see how my latest reloading idea will pan out.
Because of my approach to the game, the level of my preparedness tends to vary year to year BUT I always have at least ONE rifle ready to hunt varmints or predators and one rifle ready to hunt deer or hogs.
I guess what I'm saying is that pulling the trigger on an living target is the culmination of a lot of effort---at least for me. I think I'm often a bit "disappointed," for lack of a better term, when I DO get to pull the trigger. That moment is so fleeting...it's almost amorphous in an odd kind of way, like it's always over way too soon. Maybe I'm pretty much alone in that, but that's perfectly okay.
To sum it up, I'd say that for me, pulling the trigger is the destination. All the stuff that leads up to it is the journey, and my way of enjoying this endeavor is focused a lot more on the journey than the destination.
On the other hand, I'll be the last guy you'll ever see digging a rangefinder out of his pack. I danged sure don't believe you have to be able to shoot half-inch groups at 200 yards to hunt effectively and I definitely do not even begin to think about things like BC anywhere along the way.
But the hunt itself...I've had waaaaay more hunts that yielded nothing at all than hunts that were successful. If it was all about the moment you pull the trigger, I'd probably just give it up. At least for me it's about being out in the countryside or wilderness with a rifle I like, the chill in the air (or not, LOL), the smell of the air, the look of the vegetation, the sounds, the quiet, the friendship and comradery, and every other thing I can perceive or feel while I'm out there.
Everyone has their own perspective. This one is mine.
I think there are as many different perspectives on all this as there are shooters, really. While I do adhere to the "one bullet" per rifle philosophy, I cannot resist trying new powders and an occasional new-to-me technique.
I DO enjoy hunting, and I'd suggest there are many different takes on that as well but that's a whole nuther thread. My own interest in shooting is centered on handloading, for the most part. I like to try and figure out how things work and WHY things work. I'm inquisitive by nature, and that's why I handload...which is why I own as many rifles as I do and why I choose the calibers that I do.
Don't get me wrong: when I get a chance to go out and shoot something, I'm on it. It's just not something I can do at the drop of a hat but I go when I can. In the meantime, if I can only spare a half day on a Saturday or Sunday, I'm happy taking a rifle or six out to the range to see how my latest reloading idea will pan out.
Because of my approach to the game, the level of my preparedness tends to vary year to year BUT I always have at least ONE rifle ready to hunt varmints or predators and one rifle ready to hunt deer or hogs.
I guess what I'm saying is that pulling the trigger on an living target is the culmination of a lot of effort---at least for me. I think I'm often a bit "disappointed," for lack of a better term, when I DO get to pull the trigger. That moment is so fleeting...it's almost amorphous in an odd kind of way, like it's always over way too soon. Maybe I'm pretty much alone in that, but that's perfectly okay.
To sum it up, I'd say that for me, pulling the trigger is the destination. All the stuff that leads up to it is the journey, and my way of enjoying this endeavor is focused a lot more on the journey than the destination.
On the other hand, I'll be the last guy you'll ever see digging a rangefinder out of his pack. I danged sure don't believe you have to be able to shoot half-inch groups at 200 yards to hunt effectively and I definitely do not even begin to think about things like BC anywhere along the way.
But the hunt itself...I've had waaaaay more hunts that yielded nothing at all than hunts that were successful. If it was all about the moment you pull the trigger, I'd probably just give it up. At least for me it's about being out in the countryside or wilderness with a rifle I like, the chill in the air (or not, LOL), the smell of the air, the look of the vegetation, the sounds, the quiet, the friendship and comradery, and every other thing I can perceive or feel while I'm out there.
Everyone has their own perspective. This one is mine.
River Rider,
As hand loaders many of us feel much as you do, and I do not think anyone here is trying to say that there is anything wrong with having fun in the journey to finding the best load for any particular rifle. I think what most in this thread are saying is that sometimes we get too caught up in the need to make every rifle a one hole shooter, and this can distract us from the enjoyment of having firearms that may never be able to achieve this "Holy Grail", but are still wonderful firearms that are a joy to own, shoot and hunt with!
I believe many here appreciate that you are enjoying the journey, as we are, and it is my sincere hope that you find your personal journey in this pastime both rewarding and fulfilling.
As to your last statement regarding hunting and enjoying the experience of just being out in the beautiful wild, and not needing to harvest anything while still having a very successful hunt; I, and many others on this site share your sentiment, and continue to go out, day after day and year after year to share in the exact same experience as you! It is the comaraderie, or the alone time with our thoughts, the escape from the everyday worries of life, the quiet enjoyment of the wilds and the wonderment of Nature in its own raw beauty, and the adventure of each outing that will stand out unique in our memories for that day and time when we can not get out there for whatever reason. Thanks for your perspective!
Have fun, and may all your shots fly true!
As hand loaders many of us feel much as you do, and I do not think anyone here is trying to say that there is anything wrong with having fun in the journey to finding the best load for any particular rifle. I think what most in this thread are saying is that sometimes we get too caught up in the need to make every rifle a one hole shooter, and this can distract us from the enjoyment of having firearms that may never be able to achieve this "Holy Grail", but are still wonderful firearms that are a joy to own, shoot and hunt with!
I believe many here appreciate that you are enjoying the journey, as we are, and it is my sincere hope that you find your personal journey in this pastime both rewarding and fulfilling.
As to your last statement regarding hunting and enjoying the experience of just being out in the beautiful wild, and not needing to harvest anything while still having a very successful hunt; I, and many others on this site share your sentiment, and continue to go out, day after day and year after year to share in the exact same experience as you! It is the comaraderie, or the alone time with our thoughts, the escape from the everyday worries of life, the quiet enjoyment of the wilds and the wonderment of Nature in its own raw beauty, and the adventure of each outing that will stand out unique in our memories for that day and time when we can not get out there for whatever reason. Thanks for your perspective!
Have fun, and may all your shots fly true!
KISS, one the most important concepts for a successful hunter. Here is some more reinforcement. I bought a 300 WM in 1970 because I found my 06 lacking at long distances for elk. Remember, range finders, bipods and high powered scopes with turrets were not common in the field in those days. I developed a full power load with a 180 gr PT that shot 1/2 inch MOA consistently. I have never changed that load. In October, shooting pron, I killed a bull trotting at 460 yards, it wasn't textbook shooting, but the 300 got it done. In November I killed a second bull standing at 360 and 400 yards, a second shot was required. Same load same bullet. I am anal about "never" touching or changing that load in any way. I check the sight settings every year at 300, 425 and 600 yards to insure nothing has changed. I have upgraded the components of that rifle over the years, but the basic components have never been altered. I practice with other rifles, shooting several times a month weather permitting. I have other frequently used rifles, all using only one bullet and one load. These also will never be changed, as long as I don't mess with them they will do the job I ask them to. Consistency is a blessing and it's not obtained by fiddling with ones equipment. Just my . 02 on one of my favorite topics.
cloverleaf
Handloader
- Sep 10, 2006
- 4,367
- 983
250-3000 Savage
Bigger than coyote (ANY deer or antelope that walks within distances I can hit 'em)
38 gr 4350 100 Gr BT
Smaller than or coyote size
40 Gr 4350 and a 75 Gr V-max
DRT
Anything else is operator error. Hard medicine occ. when I miss, but likely true. I'm a "shooter" these days more than a hunter. That sucks but I enjoy the camaraderie and the outdoors to much to quit just yet.
That said I enjoy the reloading experience and experimenting as therapy in and of itself (as most of you do- I expect).
CL
Bigger than coyote (ANY deer or antelope that walks within distances I can hit 'em)
38 gr 4350 100 Gr BT
Smaller than or coyote size
40 Gr 4350 and a 75 Gr V-max
DRT
Anything else is operator error. Hard medicine occ. when I miss, but likely true. I'm a "shooter" these days more than a hunter. That sucks but I enjoy the camaraderie and the outdoors to much to quit just yet.
That said I enjoy the reloading experience and experimenting as therapy in and of itself (as most of you do- I expect).
CL
