One Load for the One Rifle Philosophy

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WrongHanded

WrongHanded

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I think we're all familiar with the scout rifle concept. Or perhaps for these purposes, we call it a practical rifle. It may get carried for wilderness defense, could be pressed into a hunting role, might be used to fight human attacker if just the wrong circumstances presented themselves.

So we have several different potential tasks. Under ideal circumstances we'd have different rifles and loads, tailored to each task.

But when pressing a "scout" rifle into such roles, do you think it's better to find one load that is a balanced compromise? Or different dedicated loads to switch between?
 
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One good load. A good hunting load with a quality bullet will work for all the other possible applications with very few exceptions.

The only time I differ from that is for plinking fun loads. ie I use Maker REX 220gr bullet in my 300 BO for all my 300 BO uses but given the roughly $1 per shot when I want to have fun I use Berry's Spire Point 220gr bullets and they shoot close enough to the same POA that they are fine for plinking sessions and a lot cheaper to reload and shoot.
 
mcb said:
One good load. A good hunting load with a quality bullet will work for all the other possible applications with very few exceptions.
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This has become my thinking as well. Although what constitutes a "quality bullet" is certainly up for debate.

But I'm interested to see if there's anyone on the other side of the fence. And if so, what their reasoning is.
 
mcb said:
One good load. A good hunting load with a quality bullet will work for all the other possible applications with very few exceptions.
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+1

Cost being no limit, however... JSP hunting bullets are not cheap, so if you are including plinking or practice, you would technically need 2 loads.

I usually circle back to the .308 as a one and done round, but there are a lot out there that can get it done.

WrongHanded said:
Or perhaps for these purposes, we call it a practical rifle.
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I've often wondered what magic a 'Scout Rifle' is supposed to hold. I know, I know... COL Cooper himself christened it, so it must be a good concept... right? The fact that his build parameters were almost impossible to maintain without resorting to a custom build kind of negates the concept. Personally, I see nothing wrong with the idea of a short, light, capable centerfire rifle, I just don't know why we have to have a Secret Squirrel name for it.
 
Charlie98 said:
I've often wondered what magic a 'Scout Rifle' is supposed to hold. I know, I know... COL Cooper himself christened it, so it must be a good concept... right? The fact that his build parameters were almost impossible to maintain without resorting to a custom build kind of negates the concept. Personally, I see nothing wrong with the idea of a short, light, capable centerfire rifle, I just don't know why we have to have a Secret Squirrel name for it.
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Yeah, the phrase "scout rifle" has a lot of gravitas where some people are concerned. But probably means something different to pretty much everyone.

When I hear "Scout Rifle", I think of the intended purpose rather than technical specifications. And the purpose that comes to mind, when I put Cooper's words on the concept into the right order, is survival.
 
My pick is a pre-64 Model 70 in ,30-06. Second place is an M1903A3 Springfield. I like 165 or 180 grain Nosler Partition Jackets for serious work, but any bulk SoftPoint will do for deer and lesser critters. With a Hammond Game Getter in your pocket, you're good for anything from squirrels to moose.
 
The one load philosophy for a rifle is something that I did with my magnum rifles. I would find a good bonded or partition bullet load that would work for elk size game (for the dream hunt) and use the load on whitetail and muledeer. 180 grain Partition in my 300WM, 180 grain Accubond in my 300wsm, and 154 grain Hornady bonded bullets in my 7rm.
I really didn't think about a protection load, but a nice 308win with a short barrel and low power scope scope and 165 grain Accubonds will cover most hunting and defense situations.
 
mcb said:
If I am stuck with 308 then 150gr CoreLokt are cheap and more than effective on most things you might encounter here in the US. Yes that is an old bullet but it has work well in my experience.
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That's kind of what I had in mind for my Ruger GSR several years ago. And then Remington went under, the world went crazy, and I couldn't find more of it.

Currently I'm considering Hornady Whitetail 150gr Interlock, though CoreLokt are probably available again.
 
if I'm stuck with one rifle no matter the situation, then its going to be a .223 with 55gr. pills going as fast as I can load them, and I guess I won't be hunting legally again anytime soon. If I'm at the point where I need one rifle to do everything I doubt that "game regulations" are going to be much of a thing anymore anyways.
 
silicosys4 said:
if I'm stuck with one rifle no matter the situation, then its going to be a .223 with 55gr. pills going as fast as I can load them, and I guess I won't be hunting legally again anytime soon. If I'm at the point where I need one rifle to do everything I doubt that "game regulations" are going to be much of a thing anymore anyways.
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Okay. So FMJ? Any particular brand, or just a big pile of whatever random stuff you can find?
 
Fifty plus years ago I used to carry 3 different magazines for my 30-06, one had 150 grain bullets, another 165 grain bullets, and the 3rd had 180 gr bullets, all Remington Core-lokt bullets. My thinking was to use the lightest to heaviest for deer depending on distance and the further the distance the heavier the bullet used so that there was enough energy delivered at those distances.

It was short lived and only did that for a couple of years. I soon realized that my rifle shot 165 grain loads the most accurate, and 165 grain bullets was enough for elk as well. So for me, for the last few decades I only shoot one load and I don't need a ballistic card for that load. Does not matter if I'm hunting or shooting paper it still is the same load, besides who goes plinking with a 30-06.
 
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I’m of the philosophy find a good load in a premium bullet whether that be for self-defense or hunting, then find a bullet/load that is cheap and matches the trajectory of the premium load.
 
silicosys4 said:
55gr. FMJ's are 55gr. FMJ's, my friend. Sorry if my honest answer to your hypothetical question doesn't meet with your satisfaction.
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Okay. So you're loading your own and using whatever bullets you have interchangeably and accepting whatever accuracy you end up with from changing consumables? Or are you talking about manufactured ammunition from various sources?
 
WrongHanded said:
Okay. So you're loading your own and using whatever bullets you have interchangeably and accepting whatever accuracy you end up with from changing consumables? Or are you talking about manufactured ammunition from various sources?
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If I'm in a situation where I have only one rifle and I have to use it for all things including hunting, defending myself, and protecting my family, I'm not going to be particularly concerned about the exceedingly minor variances in accuracy between one 55gr. FMJ bullet brand and the other. The U.S. Military doesn't care and neither do I
 
silicosys4 said:
If I'm in a situation where I have only one rifle and I have to use it for all things including hunting, defending myself, and protecting my family, I'm not going to be particularly concerned about the exceedingly minor variances in accuracy between one 55gr. FMJ bullet brand and the other. The U.S. Military doesn't care and neither do I
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That's a solid answer to my question. Thanks.
 
I’m generally a one load per rifle guy because I don’t like having multiple zeros, and multiple dopes, but sometimes you get lucky. My 7.62x39 shoots wolf steel case and nosler accubonds within half an inch at 100. My 25-06 had a 87 grain hollow point varmint load and a 120 grain bonded hunting bullet load that would shoot in the same hole at 200. I’ve specialized into seperate deer rifles and varmint rifles though, so I don’t don’t use it for either anymore, but it was pretty slick when I was using it for both.

For what you are describing I don’t really see any need for more than one load.
 
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