Different bullets for different guns - but same caliber?

[Philip Marlowe]

Just curious if any of you use different rounds for different guns, that are both in the same caliber?

For example: I carry 147g Federal HST in my Kahr PM9. It's a small gun and recoil is stout.

That said, when carrying my HK USPc - I carry 147g +p+ Federal HST (Just bought 50 rounds today at the ELGS - $35!!!!). The Kahr definetly can't handle that.

Just curious if any of you carry guns in the same caliber, but switch-up the weight/velocity of the round depending on the gun?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Pack]

I do this, too.

My 5" 1911s get 230gr Hydra-Shoks, while the 4.25" or less guns get the 165 gr variety of the same.

I made this decision a long time ago, based on the findings of Marshall and Sanow that the 230gr Hydra-Shok was the king of 45 ACPs, but only out of a 5" bbl, as it needed the assurance of every bit of velocity it could get to expand reliably and consistently.

This may be now be outmoded.

 

[bigfatdave]

Not that I expend a lot of defense ammo, but I have a Walther P1 that only feeds ball and Speer gold dots reliably out of what I've tried. Other 9mm pistols aren't as picky, so there's a stash of 2 magazine's worth of gold dots for the P1.

 

[Bailey Boat]

From a reloaders prespective, yes I do use 2 different bullets within the same caliber to achieve the best accuracy possible in a given gun. Good example, I have a 29-1 6" that gives me the accuracy with 200 gr Berry's and then a 629-1 6" that prefers a 240gr Berry's. If you switch them the accuracy goes to hell.......

 

[EHL]

I do too. My big 45's get the heavier bullets while my smaller 45's either get the lighter grain bullets or they get +p bullets to help make up for lost velocity with the shorter barrel. Although even in my short barrels, I don't go under 185 grains anymore.

 

[Deanimator]

I can ONLY shoot flush seated 148gr. cast lead DEWCs or swaged lead HBWCs out of my Giles .38 Special M1911, since that's all that will fit in the magazine. I can shoot almost any bullet of the proper diameter out of my .38 Special and .357 revolvers, up to 200gr.

 

[Zach S]

Nope. I buy ammo that works in all of mine across the board. For practice and defense.

Even rimfire. Of course, I only have three rimfires that I shoot a lot, all of them and my other two run 99% with federal bulk, and a little better with minimags. I do have some Xpert and GBs that I use for clearance drills on my rimfire 1911 and AR (got to get them somehow, despite 1911s being "unreliable" and ARs "needing" a gas piston, mine run great).

 

[Col. Plink]

Wish I could find some +P .45 acp... Any recommendations? I'd like to get enought to warrant finding a nice carbine like Marlowe's HK. That would definitely be the one I'd want.

 

[ArmedBear]

This may be now be outmoded.

There has been a trend towards bullets with lower-velocity expansion, because of the growing popularity of guns below "service" size.

How that applies to a particular gun, load or barrel is more than I can say.

 

[LoneCoon]

I do this, but there's logic in my reasoning:

I have 3 guns chambered in .357. One is a Dan Wesson, one is a Navy Arms SA revolver, and the third is a Marlin 1894c.

38+p goes into the Dan Wesson, Cowboy loads into the Navy Arms and full powered .357 into the carbine.

Edit: This thread is in the auto loader section. My bad.

 

[Just One Shot]

Shoot, I mix different ammo in the SAME gun. I alternate ball ammo and hollow points in all my CC guns.

 

[Dr.Rob]

300 gr Hornady XTP 44 Magnums loaded for a Super Blackhawk hunter don't FIT my Marlin 1894, also a tad HOT for my 44 magnum Vaquero which loves 300gr Privi Partizan ammo. Wouldn't dream of shooting 'cowboy' loads in my hunter, which are happy in the cowboy guns.

Also while I like 158gr Hydrashocks in a full sized 357, the Remington 125gr JSP makes my magnum snubby seem like a flamethrower.

 

[loop]

If you want the best accuracy you will hand load for each gun individually. Factory ammo can never deliver the type of accuracy that ammo tuned to the gun via handloading delivers.

Any gun I want optimal accuracy from has its own load. That includes specific loads for more than a dozen .45s.

There is a shortcut to figuring out what will be the most accurate ammo out of a given gun. You fire five rounds of each type of ammo through a chronograph. The round that gives the smallest standard deviation and tightest fastest-to-slowest velocity will likely be the most accurate. Accuracy, after all, is all about consistency.

 

[gmh1013]

I read that somebody make a 157 grain 9mm but have never found any....anybody know of a place that carrys them?