Why shoot diffrent weight bullets in same rifle

I've often pondered people proclaiming one caliber/cartridge is better than another because you can switch between bullet weights, or somehow a particular caliber has a ‘huge’ range to chose from. This is especially true of the guys who are infatuated with the 30-06 and or 30 cals in general. I own one 30 cal, (30-06) hunted with it a few years and put it back in the closet and haven’t touched it since. That was nearly 15 years ago…I much prefer the 06 case in every caliber around it, especially the 338. Of the 15 different cartridges I currently own and in the past, I can only think of ONE that I switched bullet weights. That was a 243, which I used to shoot p-dogs, gophers, coyotes and deer/lope. I'd load up 55gr BT's and 85gr Sierra's. Towards the end of its barrel life and once I wised up, I shoot 87gr V-max exclusively for everything. I swapped out barrels for a 260rem and now shoot 120gr BT in it for everything.

I personally can't find a reason to switch between bullet weights to match to the game you're hunting. For the 30 cal club there seems to be the theory that going with a 150 for antelope, 165gr bullet for deer and then moving up to a 180-200 for elk/moose is how it should be done. Is a 180gr overkill for a deer/lope? Maybe shooting 130’s for varmints and 180’s for elk? Heck might as well get used to lobbing those 180’s and be prepared for elk season.

For me I chose a bullet weight I feel matches the case capacity and sticking to it allows me to get familiar the rifles performance, both close and long range. I couldn't imagine switching up weights on a regular basis and having the same confidence in the field.

Some cases don’t hold quite enough powder to make some weights of bullets practical, but they usually work fine if you are familiar with the rifles performance. A .308 Win comes to mind. 180’s are not ideal but knowing how they perform and knowing your rifle intimately will put an elk in the ground as far as I have the capability to shoot.

I’m not one to promote magnum cartridges, I think they have their place, but for me I find no reason to own a big supper sonic boomer for anything or anywhere I hunt. Heck I think I only own one rifle that will break 3000fps, and it just barely makes it there.

Should I sell all my rifles and bust out the 30-06 and just swap around bullet weights? I think I would rather quit hunting than be forced to hunt with a 30-06.

I'm in the same choir.

Had the same struggles. I shoot 180 grains out of my .300 Win Mag and have pretty much resolved to use it for anything anywhere. A bit harsh on antelope, but not too bad.

Have an old .270 that I feel the same about. Love the hell out of that and shoot 140 grains for everything.

I have more confidence in those two rifles than any of the others in the pile of rifles I have. Always the same bullet, the same zero, the same wind drift.

But, it sure is fun to have lots of other rifles and loads to mess around with.

When the shot is on the line, give me my .300 or .270. Probably the same as you descrbe of your 'Ought-six.

I personally don't do it. I think some do it simply to beat themselves up with re-zeroing and the chirp about this bullet does this and this bullet does that. All adds up to the overall lack of confidence....I think. Kinda like shooting duplex shotshells rather than establishing which shotsize performs most efficiently thru a given choke in a shotgun!
WD

I'm with everybody else, each gun gets what it likes and that's it. Although I do have the stuff to make some powder puff loads for my lever actions to mess around with.

I shoot a 270 Win. for just about everything. I also own a 30-06 but don't hunt with it often. I just have it as a back up rifle. I don't change bullet weights for different animals. But I will switch bullets just for the heck of it, to try something different, 130, 140, or 150- doesn't really make much difference. Personally, I like heavy for caliber bullets, so I mostly use 150's for everything. The exception to that is with the Barnes bullets, I think it's good to go a little lighter for the extra velocity which I think will help to make sure that 100% copper bullet will open up.

I shoot a 30-06 and shoot 165's for anything from antelope to elk. This what my rifle shoots well so why mess with it!

I'm with you guys. 1 bullet/load per rifle. Numbers are punched into JBM, and a drop chart is taped to the side of the stock. Done.

If I want a different bullet or bullet weight, I get another rifle.

Calvin said:

If I want a different bullet or bullet weight, I get another rifle.

Click to expand...

I like the way you think!

If I want a different bullet or bullet weight,

Click to expand...

...I can justify another rifle. I like the way Calvin thinks too.

Some folks are of the opinion that shooting an Elk with a 180 grain 30 cal and a deer with a 165 grain 30 cal and an antelope with a 150 grain 30 cal is the way to go. On one hand, they have a logical point. You will probably have to shoot farther away for the antelope so a lighter, faster, flatter shooting cartridge is preferrable. I think that is pretty much the basis for that kind of decision.

Hunting situations change, depending on what your hunting, and where. A Pig hunt in FL is alot different than an antelope hunt in NM, or a whitetail in NC. Each dictates a different deamnd on the bullets performance ant terminal impact. No single bullet can "do it all' reliably.

Let's just take my Rem 600, .308 Win for example. Hunted with it for 15 years. She Loved 180 gr semi-spitzer Winchesters. Great load for anything up to Elk inside 200yds, but beyond that it dropped like the stock market during the Depression ! Would you want that load for a western antelope/ Mule deer hunt ? When I went to Hawaii for Axis Deer I switched to a 150 and it was needed ! I would have never made that shot lobing the 180 that far. ( Most eastern hunters can only access a 100 yd range, so a 300 + shot cannot be practiced)

Buying a different rifle for every new situation is just not an option for all too many, so switching bullets is the only option.

My humble opinion and $0.02.

Gunner you prove my point...

Pick a 150 and a 180 of like constuction and compare ballisics at say 400 yards an I think you'll be quite surprised at how little difference there is and may see that the heavier bullet is actually the better choice. Looking at my Nosler load book and picking an average velocity the diffrence is 2" of drop at 400 yards. Not really the drop you're talking about. Knowing and having confidance in the trajectory is a heck of a lot better to me than swapping up bullets because we think it's needed. I've hunted a lot of places in all sorts of siuations and have yet to find a single reason to change weights. An example was my first trip to Africa, I wasn't sweating a shot at a kudu at 350 yards with a 375 h&h with 300 gr bullets because I was confidant that I knew the drop at that range. The drop was nearly 36"

Well I have to Disagree [ its my nature]

I shoot 7mag and 30-06

I like the 30-06 for MULE deer and cow ELK...180 grains

I prefer 7mag 110 grain... for coyotes and coues and antelope.

7mag 180 grain for BULL elk... .. There is a big difference in 110s to 180s

I'd rather have a 7mm with 160 gr bullets for everything than waste my time with a 30-06. Hence the reason I haven't used mine in 15 years and many elk later . The oly thing I would shoot 110s in would be a 25 cal

I agree with Bambister above and now I shoot the heaviest pointed bullet I can stabilize, if the goal is longer range.I built a 600 YD range in my back yard to check my work. In 223 the 50 gr ballistic tip and 60 v-max were within an inch to 400 yds then the advantage went to the 60. The bigger benefit of the 60 was considerable less wind drift. Same results with my 7mm mag. I went from 140 bt to the 162 A-Max. The nod went to the 140 for trajectory within 450 yd. but only by about an inch. The wind drift was at least 30% less for the A-max though, and does this bullet ever perform on deer and antelope. No regrets Cal

I usually have one bullet and load for each rifle, and a rifle for one type of hunting. When the .300 mag was my only rifle, I used 180 gr Hornady spitzers or Partitions for everything. My .30-06 was always "just" a deer and antelope rifle and I use the same load - 52 gr of IMR-4064 with a 150 gr bullet - that my Dad taught me. I use a Ballistic Tip now instead of a Sierra, though. I shoot 75 gr V-Maxs over Varget in my .243, although I am starting to play with 85 gr TSXs now for CA deer in the Condor Zone. My .257 gets a 110 gr Accubond or for CA, a 115 gr TSX. For most of my hunting, I like being able to take the rifle out of the safe, check the zero and go hunting.

Calf hunter, we've never met but I'm pals with both guys in your avatar... weird.

Why not switch it up if you're bored with one bullet? I only shoot 200 accubonds at everything, antelope to moose, with my 300. Have never noticed too big a hole or too dead with the results compared to anything else. The 200 AB has a bc of almost .6 which is super for a 30 cal.. flat as a pancake and cuts the wind better than most anything.

I've got a .270 w/ 130 gr bullets that I use on everything, coyotes-deer/hogs, and have hit every shot out to 490 yds on a coyote. You just have to know what your rifle will do and be confident in your ability to make the shot.

I shoot most calibers but now have sold off the stable and am down to two, a 270 and an 06. I use a variety (as variety is the spice of life) of bullets in the 06 and the 270. The reasons are many and varied, as for instance I usually go with a premium bullet for hunting while practice with cheaper fodder that happens to have a similar or at least close BC and velocity. I like heavy for caliber bullets for Elk, all around semi flat shooting but hard hitting ones for Mulies, lighter yet and fast, flat shooters for Antelope. I dislke recoil during practice especially as heavy recoil does no one any good and can be quite detrimental to accuracy so again I vary the bullets depending on the job. With the bullet charts on the web, and lots of shooting, I find that all this adds fun and proficiency in the long run for me. I load a bunch of bullets, print the drop charts and head to the range--if they work and are suitable for hunting I carry the chart and go.