Do You Have Different Loads For Different Pistols In Same Caliber?

[Lennyjoe]

For my 3 each .45 ACP pistols, no. All 3 shoot 230 gr FMJ over 5.0 gr of 231/HP-38 just fine.

Our 3 each .40 cal’s shoot 180 gr FMJ over Longshot just fine.

But, my Gen 5 G19 shoots the 115 gr FMJ over Longshot much better than my wife’s Walther CCP and both our Taurus PT111 G2’s. The accuracy isn’t bad out of them, but could be better. No where near as accurate as the G19. I’ll have to tinker with other loads for those guns later.

 

[Hondo 60]

I had a 9mm that HATED 115gr ammo.
So for a while I had 115gr for 1 gun & 124/125 gr for another.
My solution was to sell the picky gun.

I have four 38 Specials & use the same ammo interchangeably.
1 runs to almost perfection, the other 3 are pretty dang close.
So 1 recipe works for all of them.

 

[kmw1954]

Currently we, Wife and I, have 2 380, 2 9mm and 2 45acp. I load for all of them. Like many already I load for best function and accuracy in both guns. I completely understand that this gives up maximum accuracy. For the 9mm I am currently loading 4 different bullets and 4 different powders and I certainly do not want to keep 16 different loads for 9mm to satisfy each particular gun.

What I then do is work up a load with each bullet and powder and by putting holes in paper I determine which load is optimum for both guns. Sure it may not be the most accurate in either gun but it will perform exceptionally well in both. Now after doing this I am now also able to cull these down to what will probably be just 4 loads to reduce the number of bullets and powder I need to keep on hand.

With the 380 I'm down to 1 bullet and 2 powders that I like. The 45 acp is the newest to me and still playing with that one.

 

[LiveLife]

Consider this:

Various reloads we produce have greater degree of accuracy than what average shooter is able to shoot.

And when I started reloading, my group size decreased by 40% over best of factory ammunition (using mixed range brass even).

 

[mdi]

I do, for example; I have 5, 44 Magnums; 3 revolvers, one Contender and one Puma. I assemble handloads to fit the particular gun they will be used in. My revolvers vary little so bullet to gun fit id not as tight, mebbe .002" difference total in cartridge size. My Puma has a groove diameter of.432" so I need to use ammo tailored to that gun. Same with my 9mms. One has a groove diameter of.357" two are .356", but one of the two doesn't like bullets .002" over groove so it too gets it's individual load. I guess I'm a handloader that reloads for fun and tailor each load to a particular gun. Some reloaders reload because they have to and money is often the driving force. One exception is my "Just in Case" ammo. I have a generic load for my 9mm pistols and my 45 ACP pistols and I keep a "grab and go" container of approx. 1,000 rounds that will fit any gun of the specific caliber (9mm is 124 gr RMR JHP over tried and true load of Universal and the 45 ACP is a 230 RMR RN over a "classic" charge of Bullseye)...

 

[otisrush]

Interesting responses. I like hearing how different people approach this.

Thanks all!

 

[ray15]

If I had a ransom rest I might. But except for ammo testing all my shooting is freehand and I don't have problems coming up with single loads that produce acceptable accuracy across all the guns I have of a given caliber. If I hit the plates and produce reasonable groups on paper targets I'm happy, even if optimizing loads for specific guns might allow tighter groups if I could shoot the difference.

 

[kidneyboy]

I have a different bullet/load for every gun I reload for.

 

[Walkalong]

If you had five .357 Mag handguns, would you have a different load for each?

I have five .32 Auto handguns, and I shoot the same load in all of them. Same for my handful of .357 Mags. Same for .38s.

 

[John Joseph]

It's horses for courses depending on use. Generally one load per handgun caliber though.
With shotguns, it's Buck for HD, lead 7.5 or 8 for Trap, lead 8.5 or 9 for Skeet and steel #5 for hunting.

 

[kidneyboy]

If you had five .357 Mag handguns, would you have a different load for each?

I have five .32 Auto handguns, and I shoot the same load in all of them. Same for my handful of .357 Mags. Same for .38s.

When I had 3 .357mags I did have 3 different loads. One for each barrel length.
I currently have 2 9mm - A SA 1911 Range Officer and a Lionheart compact. The best load in the 1911 is crap in the Lionheart. The best load in the Lionheart won't even feed in the 1911.

OTOH a 148gr HBWC has run good in every 38/357 I've owned. So it's more my standards for accuracy and feel than anything.

 

[mdi]

If you had five .357 Mag handguns, would you have a different load for each?

I have five .32 Auto handguns, and I shoot the same load in all of them. Same for my handful of .357 Mags. Same for .38s.

If I had 5, 357 Magnums that had identical throat and groove diameters I might not. If I tried different loads and found a particular gun(s) had a preference, I would. I have 4, 38 Specials that don't seem to have a preference for ammo. But I have 3, 44 Magnums and while I could assemble "generic" loads, I get better performance from two with tailored loads (like a 1" difference @ 25). If I were just reloading for ammo that goes bang, it wouldn't mater. Some need a lot of "good" ammo for some good reason like competition or prefer shooting many, many rounds per session/year, and some don't have much time for reloading, which is understandable, but reloading is as much a hobby for me as shooting (and often I shoot so I can reload). I like reloading, so customizing ammo for a particular gun just add to the fun...

FWIW, I have guns that just won't shoot well with any ammo, like an older 380, and no matter how many things I have tried, I cannot get any better than factory ammo performance. I have an SKS that is the same, it eats "Red Army" generic ammo (junk) but good factory ammo (Hornady) won't shoot well so I haven't bothered to try reloading for that...

 

[bullseye308]

I’m only loading for 4 9mm’s now, and each one has its own HD load(2 share), and one generic bulk load for when others go shoot with me, and a target load for each one that I shoot when I go shooting. Mostly my G17 and AR9 share loads, but my SARO had her own one load and that is all she gets.

 

[Kevin Rohrer]

I use one load for each caliber pistol. Things are much simpler that way.

 

[Dudedog]

I have 6 different 9mms and they all have a preference on whats their favorite, but I found somthing that most of them can agree on for practice.
My 9mm 1911 gets what it wants for USPSA, then of course I have practice stuff (about 128 - 130 PF) match stuff, and some hotter to full power stuff all for 9mm.
Lately I just use the match stuff for practice as all the other guns like it ok. (RMR 124 MPR JHPs) I could get some slightly cheaper bullets for practice but its not worth the few $ saved to
mess with keeping both types around. (at least for me)

My .45s tend to agree with each other more than the 9mms.
3 loads, light medium and FP mainly.

Then of course there are always the lets try a new powder loads...
And oh maybe some new new bullet loads
and ......

 

[alfsauve]

9mm with CCI primers for the semi-autos and Federal for the revolver. And I have for the semi-autos, both a medium, GSSF load and a USPSA minor PF load.

For .357 and for .44mag, I have both mild and heavy loads.

For .38spl, a IDPA load, a medium plinking load and an ICORE PF load.