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Posted: 8/11/2008 6:33:48 AM EDT
| I am just getting into reloading(actually still buy equipment) and I was sondering if there is a bullet/load combination that I can hunt with say a 150gr game king and maybe punch paper with a 150gr matchking. I was looking for something a little cheaper than the MK to get more practice and maybe still be able to hunt with it too. Is there 2 bullets with a close POI like this? I figure I could set the gun up to run the MK's and try to find a good powder weight and such to get close to the same POI with a GK or FMJ bullet without having to readjust the optic. |
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Sure, this is possible. Depending on the distances you want to shoot, the differences in the bullets are likely so little that it doesn't make a practical difference in the field. Here's an example I worked up to illustrate the effect of BC variation over a typical range. You can do the same thing for your choices.  If you can estimate 0.7 inches at 300 yards, you've got eagle eyes. The chart also illustrates the benefit of getting a zero at extended range so the effective point blank range is as long as makes practical sense. If you have to shoot 500 yard trophy sheep, a little more work should turn up loads that strike closer than shown in the chart. In that case, the powder charge might need to be tweaked, and for that, I would slow the bullet with the higher BC a little. The BC's of the bullets in the example vary over an 17% range. In your case, the hunting bullet might have a BC of about 0.35 to 0.41 and the target bullet around 0.44; those are factors of 26% and 7%. So, I recommend you spend some time fooling around with a ballistics calculator or the tables in the back of a reloading manual to get a feel for what to expect before you shoot your choices. |
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This is my opinion and my opinion only. I am making an assumption and could be totally wrong. Sounds like money could be an issue for you hence asking about two different bullets. I would save the money from buying a "target or match" bullet and buy more of the type of bullet you intend to hunt with. A target won't crawl off into the brush to die slowly but an animal will. With that hunting bullet, I would tweak the load for it until I got the best performance possible out of it that I could then I would also use that load to target practice with. By practicing with the load you intend to hunt with, you will get to know it and how it performs in your rifle and not have to worry about making adjustments for your "target load" and "hunting load". If it were me in your shoes, I would shoot the hunting bullet only and not worry about the match grade bullet for now. |
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