THE OPTIMUM BULLET FOR CARTRIDGE USED

bullet

Handloader
Dec 26, 2007
4,975
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I remember when I was a young man, reading any hunting, reloading or shooting article or magazine, so as to know what bullet weight and construction was best for the cartridge I was going to use for a certain hunt and game to be taken during the hunt. I made a lot of mistakes, choosing the wrong bullet construction or weight bullet and sometimes both.

I remember one time as I was in the mountains in east Oklahoma, hunting whitetail deer and I found a place that looked great and only had about a 50yd shot to the trail the deer were using. I was there about an hour and here he came a fine eight point indeed. I lifted my rifle and in doing so with my gloves I had to much pressure on the trigger when I shouldered the rifle and the rifle discharged and the bullet hit the dirt right under his stomach and he leaped in the air and was gone. It is the only time I found myself weeping like a child for about ten minutes. Fortunately I even embarrassed myself and promised I would never cry like that again.

I have had a bunch of failures through the years but many more successes. I remember using a bullet that was not constructed properly for a shoulder shot and lost a big one in the delta area of Mississippi. I lost a fine buck on a gas line when I used to heavy of a bullet for the distance I needed that day and did not compensate correctly for the shot and the bullet hit under the deer. I did not cry over this one.

I think that the optimum bullet in weight and construction should be used with a cartridge for best results and less disappointments in the field. Now I know if you only have an 06 or 270 or just one rifle to use because of budget or that is how you prefer it, then the optimum bullet weight for the specific cartridge is not always possible. You might use a 165gr on whitetail deer and a 220gr on a brown bear and these will do the job but you would probably not want to use these two bullet weights in reverse. I understand that and that’s certainly reasonable to use different bullet weights for a given cartridge and it not be the optimum bullet that gives the best velocities, energy or momentum.

What I am getting at is that every cartridge has a bullet weight that is it’s optimum weight. Like the 165gr in the 06 for velocity and energy or the 180gr for the 300Wby or the 225gr for the 358win and every cartridge has one bullet weight that performs the best for the cartridge. If a person has more than one rifle then he has the luxury to choose a rifle for the specific hunt he is going on and can use the optimum bullet weight for that cartridge and get the most out of his rifle on that certain hunt.

By choosing a specific cartridge for your hunt with the optimum bullet weight for that cartridge you minimize the failure in drop, bullet placement, energy, momentum and terminal results. If my 22-250 will not do the job due to bullet weight or any other factor for the game I am hunting, then it is time to step up to a more powerful cartridge instead of adding bullet weight and then minimizing your down range capability. Now if the 22-250 is all I have I would have to step up in bullet weight. I all so might need to forget the hunt considering the fact that the game might be just to big for my 22-250.

Everyone over the years develops a battery of rifles to do specific jobs. Mine is now limited to the 22-250, 30-06, 300Wby and 358Win. This satisfies me at the present and I could hunt anything in North America using these rifles to fit my game and hunting conditions. I could use each cartridge’s optimum weight bullet using the right construction and get the job done with less opportunity for failure.

If one would discipline their self to use a cartridge and it’s optimum bullet weight and good bullet construction to meet the hunting situation, I believe the experience will be a positive one, many more times than it would be a negative experience. This is something I have over the years learned to do and my hunting success has been for the last 15yrs, about 98 percent success rate. This involved reloading, practice and good hunting techniques, but more than anything, when all these have been put together, the optimum bullet weight and construction has been the key to my success in taking game at various distances, conditions and game size. Yes, the optimum bullet weight and construction for a given cartridge and game hunted does increase the chance of success.
 
Nice write up Bullet, and I agree with you. Maybe that's why I have so many rifles right now.
 
I a firm believer in 1 load for each rifle. Simplifies things.
 
I use to have four different bullet loads developed for my 270WSM. None of them shot to the same POI and I tired of sighting in the scope all the time. I now have two loads for it the 140AB and 130ET, as I'm required to shoot unleaded stuff here in Kondor range of Kalifornia.
 
I've been known to have a "varmint load" and a "deer load" for the same rifle - or a target load and a game load.

In general though, I do like to standardize one load per rifle - no fooling around trying to remember which load it's sighted with etc... I'm not sure there's an "optimum" bullet weight for each cartridge though - am thinking that for me, it's more an optimum bullet for the usage.

Sometimes a lighter, more frangible bullet is best.

Sometimes a very accurate bullet is best.

Sometimes a deep penetrating bullet is best.

I'll fuss around and use the one I want, for the results I want.

Regards, Guy
 
I have shot a lot of different calibers wiith different weight bullets. I too have come to the conclusion if using one bullet. For the most part, heavier bullets too. They just plain work.

JD338
 
bullet,

I agree with your theory about one bullet for one caliber.
I won't go into boring detail but (there's always a but) hunting is not like
fishing where the lightest line provides the greatest challenge. A rifle and bullet combination you have faith in and know where it will hit at yardage will allow you to shoot your best with confidence and the target deserves that, I think.
Oh yeah! Guy, buy more guns this is the perfect excuse :lol: :lol: :lol:
Good Hunting
Elkhunt :grin:
 
As much as I wish I could use one load for everything, I found in real life experience that a lot of times not one bullet in one rifle is optimal for all applicatiions. Some guns shoot one bullet only but a lot of them I have two different bullets/loads depending what game they will be used for and if I want to blow something up or try to save a hide. Below are the 7 different guns I load for, the bullets, and the 6 powders I use for everything. Varget works for both my 308 and 223. IMR 4350 works for my 243, 06 and 7 mag with 140s. RL-22 works for the 7 mag with 160s and the 6.5 swede. H4895, W748, and H322 is what I use on the smaller calibers.


204 Ruger 32 V-Max for prairie dogs, 35 Berger HP for coyotes
223 Rem 50 B-Tip for Prairie dogs, 55 Sierra BTSP for coyotes
243 Win 85 GameKing BTHP for coyote, 85 TSX for deer/antelope
6.5x55 129 Interlock SP for deer
7Rem Mag 160 Partition for everything to Moose, 140 AccuBond for deer
308 Win 155 MatchKing for Target (sucks on prairie dogs, no expansion)
30-06 165 AccuBond for deer-elk

I only use 4 primers: Fed205M, Fed210M, Fed215M and WLR for 06 and 6.5
 
I am being compelled toward the concept of one bullet for one rifle, which means effectively that I use each rifle for a different purpose. Perhaps it is only because I am growing utterly neglectful in my dotage, but I find it too easy to grab the wrong load if there is more than one load available. This happened to me on one occasion when I had two loads for two different 356 rifles, each hitting at a different POI. A friend had to administer the coup d'grace to a wounded deer. I decided that would never happen again.
 
When I started reloading some 40 years ago I decided that if I did my homework I could determine the one bullet weight that would be the best performer for each of the calibers I was shooting. When I bought my 7mm Rem Mag., Ruger #1 some 30 years ago I decided that the bullet of choice would be the 160 NP. I have never deviated from this bullet, except when the 160 AB came along, & results over the years with this bullet have been wonderful, very predictable, almost boring, they are so consistant :grin:
 
Richracer1":3ahuuc4b said:
I use to have four different bullet loads developed for my 270WSM. None of them shot to the same POI and I tired of sighting in the scope all the time. I now have two loads for it the 140AB and 130ET, as I'm required to shoot unleaded stuff here in Kondor range of Kalifornia.

I need to re-phrase my thoughts on this. I do develope several loads for different bullets for each rifle, but I only load up one specific bullet for that rifle, so I don't grab the wrong one. For instance, here's the list for my RUMs: (* = primary loaded bullet)
7MM - 150ET* & 160AB
300 - 180AB & 200AB*
338 - 225AB & 250AB* (225 TSX for use in CA)
375 - 260AB, 270 TSX(CA use), and 300AB* (may work up a 300PT load as well)
 
Gotcha, Rich :grin:

I used the same procedure with my Tikka T3 Lite, .22-250. I settled on the 55 gr. Horn. Vmax. I can cloverleaf 3 (all touching) at 100 yards. The 50 gr. Vmax is very close & so is the Sierra 55 Blitzking.
 
Funny this should come up. A few days ago a friends dad and I were talking about hunting and reloading. He said that he has some friends that reload and they are always fumbling around trying to tind the right color coded round for the situation at hand. I told him that I just use one round for everything from 25 yards to 500 yards, and he couldn't believe how or why I would do this. I told him it was simple, I just shoot that one load alot and get good with it, and while his buddies were fumbling around trying to find the "right" load I would be filling their tags.

50 gr. V-max .223 AR
55 gr. NBT 22-250
55 gr. NBT .243 Win.
140 gr. AB 270 WSM
120 gr. BT, TSX, and 140 Gr. AB 7mm-08 (still in development)
225 gr. tsx .338 WM
260 gr. AB 375 Ruger

All shoot 1 in. or less and are pretty dang quick for what they are.
 
jdmad_81, try right around and real close to 46 grains IMR4350 with that 140 AB and I'll bet your development will soon be over. Just a suggestion...worked well in 3 different 7mm08s in my experience.
 
Thanks YoteSmoker I'll get some loaded up in the next week or two and let ya know.
 
I really don't like messing with a scope once I get it zeroed, so I'm on board with this idea. I now have enough rifles that they can be dedicated to one purpose, and therefor one bullet.

.221 FB 40 BT
.223 50 BT/BK/VMax (haven't made up my mind yet)
.220 Swift 55 BT
6mm 70 BT
.25-06 here's the exception that proves the rule: I have so many 85 BT loaded that I have two bullets; that, plus 115 Old School Barnes X (further development with 115/120 NPT and 110 AB is upcoming)
7mm RM 160 NPT
.300 WM 180 NPT
.300 Wby when I get around to getting it scoped 180 or 200 AB or NPT
.35 Whelen 250 Speer GS until I shoot them all up, the probably 225 AB or NPT
 
Right on, Jmad, then you know exactly how that bullet is going to perform for you; no guessing :grin:

Just before last hunting season I finished working up the load for my Ruger #1 which I rebarreled from 7mm Rem. Mag. to 7mm RUM. Still using the 160 AB. 100 yard groups are under an inch (if I don't let my age get in the way :lol: ) & the best was .477". Took a small buck for my bro.-in-law late season, 324 yards 8) Makes you feel good when it all comes together :wink:
 
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