How Many Diff Bullets per Caliber do you Stock?

03psd

03psd

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
May 27, 2006
567
33
Oklahoma
#1
I have been reloading for about a year and have accumulated between 5-8 different types and weights of bullets for each caliber I reload (.223 .22-250 .308 .300WM) Most are just used to punch paper or varmints. As my reloading has progressed I have sort of ruled out some of the bullets. For example: my LTR loves 155 Scenars and 168gr SMK but not 175 SMK. I also have a ridiculous number of 190-200gr SMK and Match HPs when I think I will stick with the Berger VLD for my 300. Same deal with .224 bullets but have settled on 52gr SMK.

I am just wondering if, as you progress as a reloader, you keep trying to develop a load for every bullet or do you tend to settle on 1 or 2 for each caliber? How many different bullets do you have for each caliber and how many of them do your actively load?

Just wonderin'
 
#3
Re: How Many Diff Bullets per Caliber do you Stock?

i only stock 155 Scenars and 175 SMKs for the 30 cal
and 115 DTacs for my 6x47L

simplicity is where its at. Once i find a good load that shoots good i dont mess with it. Ive got a couple pet loads for different shooting that i do
 
#4
Re: How Many Diff Bullets per Caliber do you Stock?

Depends upon your application. Personally I optimize for my particular usage. For long-range practical, I find the best bullet and stick to it. If something new comes along, I may buy a small box to try out and test but if it doesn't outperform my original, I stick with my original (sort of an A <> B test). If it does better, I run out of my original and switch. That allows me to steadily improve my options as new products are introduced.

I then typically pass along my extras to others to test them out with their loads. What doesn't work for me may work for others.....
 
#6
Re: How Many Diff Bullets per Caliber do you Stock?

Hey 03,My stock depends on the caliber and it intended use.As you gain more expierence you will probably reduce the numbers that you are stocking,as you already stated.I stock fewer different ones now than I once did,mostly because expierence has taught me to make better choices about what will work and what won't.It will be interesting to see what everybody else thinks. Pete
 
#7
Re: How Many Diff Bullets per Caliber do you Stock?

I use 90% 155 Scenar and 10% 175 SMK in my 308.
I'm still settling on a bullet for my 223 AR. I have narrowed it down to the 53g or 60g Sierra HP. I also like the Amax. There are lots of good 223 choices. I use Varget exclusively for both.
 
#8
Re: How Many Diff Bullets per Caliber do you Stock?

2... hunting and paper, I'll also try to keep then the same weight so if there is a problem with my reloading I'm not having massive pressure problems.
 
#9
Re: How Many Diff Bullets per Caliber do you Stock?

2 or 3 for each caliber/rifle..but its fun to experiment here and there, maybe a new bullet comes out that peaks your interest or you are able to get some bullets to cheap to pass up.
 
#10
Re: How Many Diff Bullets per Caliber do you Stock?

I typically try to find a hullet, like the Nosler Ballistic Tip, which can serve both target and hunting purposes.

For .223, I use the 50gr Nos BT; and make no bones about limiting my distances to 300yd and under. For the .260, The 95gr V-Max is OK for shorter distances, and for long distances, my only quarry being the Wily Paperbeast, I prefer the 142SMK. For .30-'06, I use 150gr FMJ's and 168SMK's for my Garand, and 168SMK handloads and 150gr Rem Core-Lokt factory loads for the bolt guns. The .280's use Hornady Custom 139gr SST factory loads, period. The .44Mag W'94 Levergun uses 180 and 240gr commercial stuff. The .20ga shotguns run on Rem Slugger and Rem or Federal #3 Buck loads, plus various (usually Hornady SST) Sabots.

The .22LR bolt guns like the bulk Federal Classic and bulk Remington Golden Bullet fodder, and the accurized 10/22 (bolt modified to work with less zippy loads) runs quite nicely on Fed GMM and CCI Std Vel blue box Target.

Greg
 
#11
Re: How Many Diff Bullets per Caliber do you Stock?

very interesting and kind of what I expected. much of what I have was purchased online by folks who found a pet load and were selling off their extras. i will bet in a year or so, i will be doing the same.

same with brass. for a while i hoarded it all up, have 5 different types for most calibers. now i am thinning the heard. may use the FC for SHTF loads where it wont get reloaded again.

thanks for all the input
 
#12
Re: How Many Diff Bullets per Caliber do you Stock?

I was a bullet junkie when Ebay was letting them be sold. I have three different Scenars, three different LockBase, six different SMKs, a Speer, a couple of Hornadys and M-118s just to mention 308s.

I load them all up and fiddle with them, as that's part of the charm.

Once they're gone, I'll settle on a couple and simplify things.

Chris
 
#13
Re: How Many Diff Bullets per Caliber do you Stock?

Less is best, but every once in a while I'll try something new to push the envelope.

However, as hunting is the real meat at the end of the day, I'll try to optimize my gear for a particular best hunting bullet for a particular set of requirements. Paper-punching will then use that bullet set, because practise exists just to optimize accuracy and predictability in a hunting situation.

OTOH, when you're using large, fast calibers you really don't have to tweak things that much anyway, as you move within the spectrum of different kinds of game and ranges.
 
#14
Re: How Many Diff Bullets per Caliber do you Stock?

For the 223 I have about 4.
For 9mm I have about 5
For 45 I have about 3
For 308 I have about 10, weights range from 90 grain to 180 grain. I will be picking some 200+ grain bullets soon for some more testing.

Dolomite
 
#15
Re: How Many Diff Bullets per Caliber do you Stock?

Too many in some ways, but the 30-06 likes/needs different food than the 30-30 does, as do my Mosin Nagant rifles and the 7 and 8mm mausers.

I also have a 7 SAUM that gets fed different bullets than the 7x57 because the 1908 Argentine Mauser only gets lighter loads with 140gr bullets. 102 year old steel from South America just doesn't instill trust in me.

All said and done, my breakdown looks similar to this:

9mm - 90gr XTP, 115 FMJ, 124 XTP, 147 XTP
357mag - 125 XTP, 158 cast RN lead, 158 JHP
40 cal/ 10mm - 155 XTP, 165 JHP, 175 TC Cast, 200 XTP
44mag - 180 XTP, 200 XTP, 200 JHP, 240 XTP, 265 XTP, 240 Cast
9mm Mak - 90 Ball, 115 JHP
7.62 Nagant - 70 ball, 100 FN cast

204 Ruger - 26 Var Grenade, 32 Vmax, 40 Vmax, 32 Blitzking
224 - 35 Vmax, 45 JHP, 50 SP, 55 FMJBT, 75 BTHP
6mm - 60 SP, 75 Vmax, 100 BTSP
6.5mm - 140 BTSP, 140 VLD
7mm - 140 BTSP, 139 SST (gift), 154 SST (gift) 162 Amax
308 - 110 Vmax, 147 FMJ, 150 FMJBT, 168 Amax, 178 Amax, 175 JLK, 180 JLK LBT (load testing JLK's) 208 Amax
311 - 147 FMJBT, 174 FMJBT, 150 Interbond, 150 Spire Point SP's
8mm - 175 BTSP, 180 RN

There's some leftovers in there from doing bullet and load testing this year (namely the 32 Blitzking in 20 cal and the 30 cal JLK bullets) but it's sometimes really nice to have a varied stock pile in case some sort of component comes up impossible to find. I can still load something and go shoot it.
 
#16
Re: How Many Diff Bullets per Caliber do you Stock?

'Regifting' the oddities just perpetuates the carnage, as it were. Shoot them up, even if all you us them for is fireforming. Stamp out tbe plague...
 
#17
Re: How Many Diff Bullets per Caliber do you Stock?

Bullet selection seems to swell as new calibers enter the stable. R&D requires a verity.
.223 pretty much use the 69 SMK for every thing, but have 40, 50, 52, 53, 55, 70, 77, 80 and some 90's.
6mm, 87, three different 105's, 107, 108,
.308, mostly use the 155 Lapua, but have 147, 155 SMK, couple 168, 172, 175, 180, 190.
.338, 250 and 300 SMK's

Didn't even include the assorted boxs picked up in misc auctions and grab bags or pistol bullets.
 
#18
Re: How Many Diff Bullets per Caliber do you Stock?

One or two for pistol calibers. Usually one is my favorite and others were just at a good price.

4 to 8 for rifle. Same thing. A couple of favorites. Usually one for varmits. Maybe one for larger game, probably a Nosler Partition or Barnes X type. And maybe one for long distance, almost certainly a Berger or custom.

Shotshell usually either factory or loaded by a neighbor. Bird shot, buck shot and rifled slugs. I find the Breneke slugs with the zinc washer are hard to beat in a open choke or rifled barrel. I carry a 16 gauge turkey hunting. I carry the combo loads from Remington for that. That's all I use that gun for.
 
#19
Re: How Many Diff Bullets per Caliber do you Stock?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Greg Langelius *</div><div class="ubbcode-body">'Regifting' the oddities just perpetuates the carnage, as it were. Shoot them up, even if all you us them for is fireforming. Stamp out tbe plague... </div></div>

Too funny. Definetly. I like many cannot refuse a good deal, even if we wont use them or dont need them. Good idea about using them to fire form the brass. Problem is that it still reqires a primer and anywhere from 12-80gr of powder
 
#22
Re: How Many Diff Bullets per Caliber do you Stock?

I confess to an embarrassment of riches in his regard. To the extent that I have bullets for rifles in various weights in addition to those for cartridges I can't even shoot, as I don't own the rifles to fire them in: I was given several boxes of .32 and .243 rifle bullets by a friend clearing out his Grandad's shed.

In addition to the stuff I have bought over the years that I seldom, or ever, shoot, I still tell myself I have saved hundreds of dollars by buying these unused reloading components!
crazy.gif


I like to think I'll use up those other bullets someday.
 
#23
Re: How Many Diff Bullets per Caliber do you Stock?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: queequeg</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I confess to an embarrassment of riches in his regard. To the extent that I have bullets for rifles in various weights in addition to those for cartridges I can't even shoot, as I don't own the rifles to fire them in: I was given several boxes of .32 and .243 rifle bullets by a friend clearing out his Grandad's shed.

In addition to the stuff I have bought over the years that I seldom, or ever, shoot, I still tell myself I have saved hundreds of dollars by buying these unused reloading components!
crazy.gif


I like to think I'll use up those other bullets someday. </div></div>

What kind of .32 cal bullets? 8mm mauser type or 32 pistol bullets? I'd be interested in some if you want to get rid of them.
 
#25
Re: How Many Diff Bullets per Caliber do you Stock?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 03psd</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> I am just wondering if, as you progress as a reloader, you keep trying to develop a load for every bullet or do you tend to settle on 1 or 2 for each caliber? How many different bullets do you have for each caliber and how many of them do your actively load?

Just wonderin'</div></div>

I currently have 11 different .308 dia types and 4 in .224 dia and load for 22 hornat, 223, 22-250 and 308, 300 wsm. I use to want to try very thing I could find but now I am down sizing at least in the .308 dia.
 
#26
Re: How Many Diff Bullets per Caliber do you Stock?

Not nearly enough, I would like to test a bunch but would like to settle on 3 for my 308 (110, 168, and 168 hunting) and 2 for my 270. After that its cake, I look forward to a 22 caliber though, that could be fun .....
 
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