One ammo many guns? The simple life.

I don't have enough rifles for it rrally to matter, but I do generally just sight my deer rifles one ammo type. Hunting here is so short range that the differences in ammo dont really matter.

Once I start handloading .308 things may change.

Armored farmer said:

I tape a reference not on the top of my scope of each rifle what ammo it is sighted in with.

I tape a ammo reference on each loaded AR15 magazine. View attachment 765717 View attachment 765718

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Interesting trick. Haven't come across that one before and may very well use that in the future. Thanks.

You can't just take notes? Get yourself a log book and take detailed notes for each rifle.

I never thought I was much of a rifle loony or a deer hunter for that matter until I started reading this thread. I have 15 cartridge rifles and 4 muzzleloaders that may be used for deer hunting at any given time. Not too many of the same chambering (2 .44's and 3 .30-30's) though so I guess that makes it easier.

The blessings of abundance, much like having 8 children.

Is it time some of them moved out?

I have one box(several in some cases) per individual weapon. Over the years I`ve found what they like and stock/use only those. Don`t have to remember anything. Simple and it works for me.

“It's tiresome trying to remember which gun is sighted in with which ammo especially with having a few guns that rarely see the outside of a safe and their ammo needs not fresh in my mind. ”

Data books and records. This is not a difficult problem to solve. What concerns me is that you, as a gun owner, have not thought of it and are not doing it. What other basics, perhaps such as gun safety, are you unable to adequately perform?

I own several rifles in several chamberings. But load and shoot mostly 308 and more recently 6.5 Creedmoor. I only have 1 load for the 6.5 and don't really want to try anything else.

But I also own 30-06 and used to load for 300 WSM. And over the years have "accumulated" a decent collection of 30 caliber bullets. For my 308 I have loaded rounds in 125 Nosler, 130 TTSX, 150 gr SST, TTSX, Partition, Accubond, 155gr Bergers, 165/168 Berger, Nosler, Hornady, 178 gr Hornady, 180 gr Hornady and Nosler AB, as well as 200 gr Hornady.

That is 14 different loads that I shoot in 3 different 308 rifles. The only load that has a significantly different POI at 100 yards is the 130 gr TTSX bullet. All others hit basically the same point of impact at 100 and the differences out to 300 aren't enough to matter. The 130 gr TTSX load is very accurate, but hits significantly higher, and to the right than any other load.

I know that is a lot of different loads, but during the winter after hunting season I enjoy experimenting with different stuff. When it comes time to go hunting I have my top 2 or 3 favorites. But still have the other bullets and will load and shoot them until they are gone. Most will not be replaced when I've shot all of them.

Every box of bullets comes with a small square of paper for the load data. I just keep the new one and use the old until I change the loading or the paper is too crumpled, smudged or dirty. I also use the box label trick when I weigh bullets into lots, at the bench.

"Even dimmest ink is brighter than brightest memory." ~Confusious
A wise quote for this topic.

I don't equate the search for a streamlined method of data retrieval, amonst fellow shooters, with any sort of public or firearm handling saftey. I find it strange to do so, much less to imply that they are inadequate at it's performance.

Almost half of my collection I am unable to handload for. I don't have space for for thirteen rimfire rifles and eight pistols and their respective individual ammunition caches in the safe. (I have two children and both the ammo and fire arms get locked up, and done so seperately.) Even when there is only seven different brands and eleven models of cartridges there is too many for a safe, so they go to the floor of the locked closet.

I like @Armored farmer 's method of corresponding ammunition with the firearm. A piece of tape and a label to the stock. Easy.

I like to find the best round for the rifle, but once I find it, I don't keep the stacks of targets and notes shot in the process. I already toe the line to the city limits of East Crazy, and all that was done with just handloading.

"...and one load that would rule them all."

If you have a load that gives a reasonable, or perhaps ethical, accuracy from all rifles in the chambering, has been verified to be repeatable in the field, and enables you to use whichever rifle fits the weather, environment, landscape or just your fancy for that particular situation, well.... that's about as close to a perfect world as you'll see, run with it man! Who cares what we-who-you'll-never-meet thinks.

tomrkba said:

“It's tiresome trying to remember which gun is sighted in with which ammo especially with having a few guns that rarely see the outside of a safe and their ammo needs not fresh in my mind. ”

Data books and records. This is not a difficult problem to solve. What concerns me is that you, as a gun owner, have not thought of it and are not doing it. What other basics, perhaps such as gun safety, are you unable to adequately perform?

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Tomtkba,

Your reply seems out of line. What is wrong with finding a middle ground cartridge for multiple rifles of the same caliber? Finding such a cartridge will take some effort and if he gets one that is close enough for his needs, more power to him. We all have different ways we enjoy the hobby, part of what makes it fun is learning how others approach it.

Exactly. Four imported AKs, two SKS in 7.62x39, plus three Enfields (original config.).

In .223, a 100 percent, all-original Saiga with the (original) leaf sights. It's easy to hit a 3', even a 2' diameter target from 300 yards, if you are standing/leaning against a wooden post. But how long will the eyes last after age 62?

I've never owned a scope.

All of my .308`s and 30 06`s shoot well with Remington 165 grain core lotk soft points.
These are all use for deer hunting. Accuracy ranges for excellent to acceptable for the hunt.

mikle76 said:

I have decided that I'm sick and tired of having multiple deer hunting firearms sighted in with gun specific ammuniton. It's tiresome trying to remember which gun is sighted in with which ammo especially with having a few guns that rarely see the outside of a safe and their ammo needs not fresh in my mind. I'm going to the one good hunting ammo for all guns (within that caliber of course) line of thinking. Accuracy may not be peak across the board but it is good enough to hit a pie plate vital zone out to 200 yards every time. Do any of you guys do something similar?

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As far as multiple guns that use the same ammo, I have both a bolt action and a SA rifle that shoot .22LR. I also have a revolver that shoots .22LR/Mag. Then, I have a bolt action rifle that shoots .22 Mag and a pistol that does the same. More recently, I have acquired a .357 Mag revolver and a Marlin lever action to shoot together.
When it comes to reloading, for the longest time, I only reloaded for my .380 and my .243 but now I'm reloading for the .357 Mag too. With the .243, however, I reload four bullet types/weights. Three are Sierra (60 & 75 gr. HPs, 100 gr. spitzer BT) and one from Hornady, a 70 gr. SPSX (soft-pt. super exploder).
I use the same powder for all four of these bullets, just different amounts of Accurate 2230.

Without keeping notes, I don't think I would be able to keep track of what ammo shoots best in what rifle.

I don't have multiple rifles in the same caliber, but myself, my father and brother all go in together and buy reloading components. We all have a .30-06, so we have a middle of the road load that shoots well in all of our rifles.
It's nothing special, but it is an inch and a half load for all 3 of us. Luckily we don't have picky rifles.

While I only have one rifle to load for, I have 6 9mm's I do load for. Each one gets whatever load it shoots best, and I load for each one individually. My Springfield RO loves 124 Gold Dots over BE-86, my Glock 17L loves RMR 124 in JHP's over BE-86, my Astra A-100 loves Zero 125 JHP over Bullseye. I'm still dialing in my RO Champion and Glock 17. I have one or two loads that shoot well enough in 3-4, but I prefer to find the best load for each, it is more challenging and rewarding to me.

tomrkba said:

What concerns me is that you, as a gun owner, have not thought of it and are not doing it. What other basics, perhaps such as gun safety, are you unable to adequately perform?

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That is a totally low road cheap shot.

As a NRA and Law Enforcement Firearms Instructor I know that keeping notes of the ammunition each one of your guns performs best is NOT PART OF THE FUNDAMENTALS OF GUN SAFETY!

As for the O.P. comment I reload my ammo in bulk over the winter so I use one load that performs good enough in all of my guns for range use only.

As a hunter I spend time at the range before season opens practicing with the gun I will be using. I don't consider working up a load a chore as I will be going to the range anyway.

For hunting though my ethics are using the most accurate load possible. My Ruger .270 will consistently shoot 1/2" 3 round groups at 100 yards so I know anything larger than that is on me.

If you ever ignore warnings of a 100% blocked chest artery ("the Widowmaker" artery) and suffer a heart attack--happened to me last Wednesday,
you will be more Honest with yourself. This was with a very healthy heart, for those of you who think that it can Not happen.

The point here is that some of us only want to have fun and use as many guns as we can, and possibly have a few as collector guns.

We can use, collect, and being honest, then decide to sell the others, now clearly aware of what will actually "be wanted" in the long-term.
Even after that bizarre, totally unanticipated heart attack (only a blocked artery), we're Still driving to Tulsa early November for the huge W's gun show, and might add one more rifle.

BSA1: Excellent point.
When did gun safety fundamentals ever include "adequate ammo documentation"? Pretty bizarre logic used, trying to connect organized paperwork to simple, practical gun handling.
Maybe our troops in WW2-2017, and even Special Ops were never qualified to handle guns.

Ha ha ha. A man after my own heart. Yeah, I did that a few years back - decided to go "just one" rifle for all large game, deer and up, except for dangerous game. After much research and hand wringing, I settled in on my .280 Rem with 139 Interbonds in a Wby Mark V (and a Browning A-Bolt II in .375 HH mag for if I ever get to the dark continent). The goal was simplification of hunting guns and thus life. It would have worked well, I think, and still would if I could actually stick to it. It didn't affect varminters, self-defense rifles, shotguns, or handguns (or archery equipment, though I simplified those, too, from 6 down to 3 bows & crossbows about 4 years back). I had sold / eliminated big game rifles in 7mm RSAUM, .280 AI, .270 Win, 9.3x62mm, .260 Rem, .35 Rem, and possibly others I can't remember. I also fought off the strong urge to get a Kimber Mountain Ascent in .270 WSM or .280 AI.

Sadly (or not), I was tempted by deals on gunbroker and elsewhere here and there and ended up slowly "rebuilding" with rifles I felt that I had to have (once the deals were found), especially since it's a massive buyer's market in the last 10 months for guns in this "trump slump", and then justifying each one in my mind, so that now I'm back to where I was - too much complication. So now I reload for a .243 (have two but use factory in one of them), a .25-06, a 6.5x55, a .280, and a .30-06. And I admit I'm thinking of adding a .416 Ruger to the mix, and really pushing to get to Africa before I get too old.

So honestly, I do need to follow through and sell the "big game .243" (keeping the "varminter .243"), the .25-06, the 6.5x55, and the .30-06.... But each of these are rare / special in some way: discontinued / sought after / limited edition type stuff, so I can't bring myself to sell any of them; and ditto the .375 HH mag - it's a Medallion and the wonderful A-bolt II has been discontinued and replaced with the crap A-bolt 3.... similar stories on the other four that I "should" sell off but no way I would.

However, as a compromise, I just decided this hunting season, after scraping up my .30-06's beautiful stock falling more than once on a rock bed at 8200 feet looking for elk, that I'm going to simply turn some of them into just "range queens" to pass on to nephews someday or some such (luckily I have one nephew who is going to be a big hunter), and hunt large game solely with the .25-06 and the .280 (not counting the .375 HH mag), which both have beat up composite (though expensive) stocks - no pretty wood though. Then I can re-finish the stocks on the other three, make them range-only guns, and start shooting them with cheaper target bullets instead of premium hunting bullets. Those two which I will continue to hunt with are also my lightest two, and offer a good balance for all game up to moose and inland brownies, so that's why I chose them in this compromise toward simplifying I came up with, even though I generally hate the idea of owning a gun which doesn't have a purpose.

FWIW, I keep a speadsheet in MS Excel of what is sighted in, with what exactly, at what range, with which load, and if I plan to change that, to which other load - also shows what's the priority of rifles to sight in among those which are not currently sighted, along with tons of other stats on each gun - it's a huge database. I recommend this.

Tangentially related: I WAS able, over the last 20 years, to reduce all handgun chamberings down to just three (not counting my .22lr revolver): 9x19, 10mm auto, and .45 Colt, and shotguns to just two: 12 ga and 20 ga. No way I could do that with rifles... Let's see, all tolled, there are 14 rifle chamberings here if you count rimfires too - 15 if you count muzzleloaders. It would be extremely painful to pare down to 10 rifle chamberings, let alone three.

It takes 7 different types of ammo for the guns I am legal to hunt deer in Wisconsin with.