How many of you have two loads for a particular gun?

[Scott Tschirhart]

I’ve settled on two loads for my .45 Colt chambered handguns and leverguns.

An everyday load of a 250 gr RNFP over 6 gr RedDot.

A more powerful load of a 270 SAA over 9 gr of Unique.

Both seem to shoot equally well in all of my revolvers and leverguns, though the 270 SAA won’t feed through my Winchester 66 or 73. Keeps me from pushing them too hard.

I used to do something similar with my old .45 1911 loads.

How many of you do something similar?

[samsi]

Nope, although I aspire to it. I generally have a range load and a field load for a given gun, but about the time I think I've settled on something I'll discover something "better". The perils of handloading I guess.

[JBowen]

I’m about like Samsi on most of my guns and keep trying for better. My .357 loads of 15.5 gr. of H110 under a 158 gr. XTP for my power load and 6.3 gr. Unique under a 125 gr. FP plated for plinking is working good in my 2 Ruger Blackhawks and Winchester 94AE trapper and Rossi 92.
No such luck with my .45 Colts and .44 mags.

JBowen

[wolfdog]

For my various 41 mags I shoot 215 cast over 8 grains of Unique for general duty and 210 grain xtps over 21 grains of w296 for serious work.

[Shasta]

While I primarily shoot target velocity cast lead bullets in both rifle and handgun, I do have jacketed bullet loads for a few of my rifles when I want to speed things up a bit, and I keep a box or two of jacketed hollow points for each of my handguns. Don't shoot 'em much though. I can't even remember when I last loaded a jacketed bullet.

Shasta

[Bronco]

For my two revolvers I have two loads. a cat sneeze and a full house load!

[geobru]

Yes for two reasons.
1. 44 mag pistol, full house load with 2400 for serious shooting, and a plinking load with Unique.
2.40-82 WCF, I developed a load with with 5744 for one cast bullet, and had to switch to RL7 when I switched cast bullets to get an accurate load.

[Malamute]

Variety of loads in many guns, most have some type of ultra-light load for dispatching varmints up close, like rattlesnakes, pack rats, skunks, or grouse or other small game in the mts.

45-70- 30-30, 348, 357, 45 colt all have some sort of ultra-light loads, and generally a medium and full power load.

45 colt Rugers had Linebaugh suggested loads with 23 1/2 grs h-110 w/ 300-325 gr bullets for bear loads in the mts, 8.5 grs Unique for general use with cheap cast 250 gr for plinking/practice, or Lyman 452424 for carry. Recently loaded sone .454 round balls for yard use on skunks. Worked very well on the one Ive encountered since loading them and didnt scare the moderately gun-shy dog when fired in the rifle. That last part is a significant part of why I keep ultra-light loads on hand besides not wanting to ruin any more of my hearing than absolutely need to in unexpected situations where they will work. If they arent appropriate they get ejected, and the rest of the loads in the gun are full power. the Cimarron/Uberti SAA copy guns are getting the 8 1/2 gr Unique/universal lyman 452424 loads as carry loads. I dont hang around up in the mountains much any more so can enjoy the lighter guns.

Ive been keeping a 38 short colt load in the chamber of the 357 1873 carbine for yard and non-bear area dog walks. Havent refined the load yet, it will be 2 or 2 1/2 gr red dot with 125 gr tcfp cast bullet. I loaded some of each, then mistakenly mixed them up, so need to re-do the loads to be sure they will come out the barrel in the carbine. 3 grs was louder than I wanted. Should be fun in a pistol also. In the back of my mind im keeping some for pocket gun use if/when I cant use regular 38 wadcutters in the colt agent as geezerhood advances.

30-30 is one of the best examples of flexibility with various loads. 3 grs Unique with .310 or .315" round ball, tiny tuft of dacron pillow stuffing to keep powder by the primer, its about as loud as a 22 std vel in a rifle, meaning not hard on the hearing. They work very well on snakes, grouse, bunnies or whatever at moderately close range, like 40 yards and in. Next step up is a 115 gr cast with 6 1/2 grs Unique, pretty well duplicates the std 32-20 load at 1200 fps, the magazine is always loaded with full power 170 or 150 gr loads, the light ones are single loaded and ejected, very easy in the winchester 94 action. If the carrier raises the next rd, you just push it back down with the little finger and close the action.

[jeepnik]

Only if I have both long and short guns in the same caliber. I think all could be used in either (I don't try to invent things not in manuals) but accuracy potential ( potential because I am the limiting factor) is better in one gun or the other.

[Lastmohecken]

I have pretty much always done that, had two loads, I used. In the 44 mag Ruger Super Blackhawk, or Bisley, I loaded 20 grains of 2400 behind a 210 Jacketed Hollowpoint, and a lighter cast lead load of Unique behind a 240 grain cast semi-Wadcutter, Keith style.

In the Smith L-frame, I shot some factory 357's from time to time, but I mainly I shot 38 special cases exclusively and used 3.5 grains of Bullseye behind a 158 grain semi-Wadcutter, and my heavy load was 5.4 grains of W231 behind a cast 175 grain lead flat point for making major back in the day, shooting IPSC. I never shot those heavy 175 grain cast bullet loads in a regular 38 special revolver, only in the L-frame.

45acp, I shot 5 grains of Bullseye behind a 200 grain Keith style semi-wadcutter in my 1911's, but I also shot a 230 grain cast lead roundnose in front of a slightly lighter load of Bullseye or 231 in my 25-2 45acp revolver for revolver division. But I would sometimes use either load in either gun, if I was low on the other. I used the roundnoses in the revolver, because they were more smooth when reloading under time.

Oh, and I almost forgot, I had two loads for my 350 Remington Mag model 700 bolt action. I shot a 200 grain roundnose and and a 180 grain soft point spitzer. Funny thing is I could use them interchangeably as both hit to the exact point of aim at 200 yards, but the 180 grain spitzer shot flatter at 300 yards. So, I often kept the 200 grain roundnoses in the gun, but carried some 180 grain loads if I got a long shot, just in case. Both hit like freight trains, but the 200 roundnose probably had more smackdown at the closer ranges. It was a 35 Remington on steroids.

[Walt]

In .41 mag I have a couple of loads I use regularly, both with the RCBS 210gr SWC. The lighter load is 19gr of 4227 at around 1200fps and the other is 17.5gr of Accurate #9 at a bit over 1300fps. My Smiths are a 3" 657 and a 4" 657 and also a 6" no-dash model 57. I also have several Ruger .41 mags that shoot very well in spite of the difference in twist rates.

[marlinman93]

I have two loads for a number of rifles and pistols. For rifles I load heavy bullets for my .40-85, .40-65, .45-90, .45-70 that vary from 410 gr. for the .40's to 530 gr. for the .45's to shoot long range out 650-1000 yds.
For handguns I have heavy loads for hunting or self defense, but lightweight bullets for plinking or target work. For my .45 Colt the heavy bullets are 250 grs. and lightweights are either 185 or 200 grs. For my .38 Special I shoot everything from a light 125 gr, to 148 and 158 gr. All work great with the right powder charge for the bullet.

[mickbr]

Yes, two catridges in fact for the one rifle. In my Rossi 92 44 mag a subsonic load with the 200 grain Speer GDHP( about 7 grains of Unique in 44 special brass) and a 240gn XTP full house 44 mag brass load ( about 22 grains of 2400) for hunting.

[Scott Tschirhart]

My reasoning is that I wanted a comfortable load for everyday use that was mild but powerful enough. Not too hard on the ears.

The other load is powerful enough to kill anything in Texas.

I think I am there.

[fordwannabe]

My one Marlin 1895 I have three loads. One a 300 grain JHP load that is very accurate and quite a bit of recoil, great Hunting load. A 405 cast load for general plinking and goofing around. A 500 grain cast load sub-sonic because it is threaded and is capable of VERY QUIET and accurate shooting.

[Scott Tschirhart]

Now, how many of you came to multiple loads because they both shoot close enough to the sights to maintain one zero?

My .45 Colt loads need only one zero.

[JBowen]

I lucked out that my 2 .357 loads shoot to the same point of impact at 18-20 yards that I don’t need to change the sights from plinking/practicing to the power loads.

JBowen

[samsi]

Same here. I've got a couple 44 loads that shoot close to the same but it was discovered on accident, not by design.

[COSteve]

I have multiple loads for every gun I own. Specifically, I load different 16 calibers but have 107 different combinations of bullet weight and powder type/load worked out for different applications. That's why I haven't bought a commercial box of center fire ammo in over 25 years and handload for everything but .22lr.

[Griff]

I have two loads for my 30-30s, a jacketed load and a cast one. But are 150 grain, the cast wears a gas check, so they can match the velocity of the jacketed stuff. Around 2290 fps, 27.5 grains of RE7.
My 45 Colts have about 4 loads spread from 250 grains down to 160s. Add in BP, and it makes a bunch!

45Auto usually just run a 200 grain, jacketed or cast, but they differ a bit in velocity. cast is for competition or target work, jacketed for socializing.

My 32-40 also use a 170 grain cast for BP, while a similarly paced jacketed load w/smokeless for predators.

I have a couple of 30-06 cast loads, one for the 1903a3, one for the Garand. The 40-90SBN has loads from 330 grains to 400, depending on range... ie distance.

My .223s (ARs) have a variety of loads, depending on use.

A few have shared sight pictures, but not all. That's a "work in progress!"

[Eddie Southgate]

Usually have a Lead bullet load and a jacketed load for most but not all . I have owned 5 different .243 rifles over the years but have only ever used one load in them all.