Is your rifle ammo one load or a mix?

[jthrelf]

I tend to buy small quantities at a time for ammo when deals and rebates pop up. I've never actually bought a case of rifle ammo. What this has given me is a stock of multiple loads which all may have a slight POI shift. I've never really kept dope data and honestly the cheaper ammo isn't even accurate enough to bother.

Do you do what I do and then just sight in for your preferred load/defensive load? Or do you do it the 'right' way and test multiple loads for accuracy and then buy a bunch of the winner so you only have one load on hand?? Do you have multiple loads but have detailed data recorded so you know what to dial in per rifle per load?

I don't care about pistol ammo POI because I've never noticed a shift across different loads shooting at typical pistol distance and with my skill level.

Edit - my stockpile just ended up sunk after a boat trip. Crap.

[Berncly]

I generally do cases to save money.
What kind of distances are you talking about?
After I destroyed my one and only gun I recycled all my ammo into unicorns and butterflies.

[jthrelf]

I generally do cases to save money.
What kind of distances are you talking about?
After I destroyed my one and only gun I recycled all my ammo into unicorns and butterflies.

200 yards max, so the shift may only be a couple inches at most. But a hot 5.56 load vs a mild .223 load could produce that, for example.

[Berncly]

200 yards max, so the shift may only be a couple inches at most. But a hot 5.56 load vs a mild .223 load could produce that, for example.

At 200 yards I'm shooting center mass and I am not really concerned with a wider group if within the box.
It seems simpler to buy case lots of any decent brand and then just sight once for that load.
Accuracy as compared to a better round is not relevant if sighting in to your consistent load.
If talking about long range stuff then I could see the need to test and compare loads.
Just my owe two.

[bamboomaster]

At 200 yards I'm shooting center mass and I am not really concerned with a wider group if within the box.
It seems simpler to buy case lots of any decent brand and then just sight once for that load.
Accuracy as compared to a better round is not relevant if sighting in to your consistent load.
If talking about long range stuff then I could see the need to test and compare loads.
Just my owe two.

This ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Just hoping that all the stuff we're sightig in for big game rifles (Water Buffalo & such) still zeros in - say, 50 yds or less...

We're just reloading for 4-5K ft. lbs. of energy, no where near enough to take out a German MK IV tank in WWII...

[mrat]

My .270s and '06s don't drop much @ 200 yards, .223s for 100 yds and less, pistols under 40. How is that for multiples?

[Holeshot121]

This is why I like to save up and buy ammo by the case. I just zero for whatever I'm shooting until I run out and start the next case. In your case, I would probably test my ammo and group together the stuff that has a similar POI. That's if you're just plinking though. Not a great way to shoot tight groups.

For a rifle I'm using for home defense, I zero for the load that I like and just deal with the shifts when training. But really, at home defense distances, it's not going to matter.

Not sure if this helps, but I recently tested POA/POI for a few different loads out of a 10.3" 5.56 barrel, and here are my non-technical results (using a red dot):

50 yards:
Zero with Wolf (steel cased junk)
Hornady TAP 55gr - same POI
PMC XM193 - 1" low
Federal fusion - same POI

100 yards:
Zero with Wolf
TAP: 1-2" high
PMC XM193: 2-3" low
Fusion: 1-2" high

I was pretty surprised by the XTAC stuff from PMC - seems like it's a light load. I would expect it to be significantly lower than the other loads at 200 yards. And that's compared to Wolf, which is supposed to be fairly anemic.

[oldengineer]

I reload all of my 5.56 because there are brass cases in abundance at one club I shoot at. Hornaday 55 gr FMJBT, 25.8 gr Varget, about $.23 a round.

I buy Wolf or Red Army in 500 round packs for the AK. Last time I stocked up they were both around $.21 a round, cheaper than I can reload. I don't think I've ever seen brass 7.62X39 cases on the ground so it looks like anyone who uses them must reload.

[Noah_Zark]

5.56 x 45 is all M193 55 gr.

7.62 x 51 is all NATO standard compliant; the case heads have the tiny circled crosshair stamp.

30-06 is all M2 Ball, either Greek surplus or LC surplus.

30-30 is all 170 gr.

6.5 x 55 is all 139/140 gr.


Noah

[lts1ow]

My AR has a red dot, so its not useful at distance, so I run whatever is on sale.

Bolt guns are all hand loads and pistol is whatever is cheapest for plinking.