How heavy ?

[Harter66]

The twist /rev horse is pretty much beat to death so let's go ahead and move past that .
I know everyone knows it's length not weight and some aerodynamic weight distribution factors involved in making a bullet go in a straight (parabolic curve) line to arrive at the sighted point every time . So let skip over that also .

Presuming that a person designed every load around 1.4 MOA /1.5" and is attainable within a desired terminal effect at impact would you shoot a bullet of the light end , nominal for cartridge or the maximum or near maximum for the particular arm ?

Simplified version .
Per cartridge would you rather shoot light , normal , heavy weights .
If heavier is chosen would you get all the way to the limits ?

[Hick]

If I was looking for more energy at the target I would likely go heavy (energy being 1/2 m times v squared). But, if I was trying to reduce recoil, I would go light (because recoil is tied to momentum, which is mass times velocity-- higher velocity with less mass will still give a fairly flat trajectory)

[lightman]

In my revolvers I prefer slightly heavy. Say 150-170 grain in 357 and 245-250 grain in 44 mag. I've shot heavier and lighter in both but this is where I landed.

[runfiverun]

if you gonna go slow you need heavy to retain energy.

I'm fine with nominal weights for caliber if I need more I use bigger.

[country gent]

It would depend on what I'm trying to accomplish with the firearm and load. Punching paper and plinking a light bullet lessens recoil. For hunting small game or varmints up close to medium range again a lighter bullet is good. For big game hunting I go to the heavy side for most uses. For true target shooting at distance I go to the heavier side to maintain energy and velocity. I choose bullet weight and loads by accuracy and use. it varies

[popper]

Heavy (same fps) has more energy so penetration is better, wind bucking is better. PF is easier to calc. momentum, but energy is THE factor. They are both math equations depending only on mass and fps. A light boolit doesn't automatically reduce FELT recoil. The energy absorbed by the gun/shooter and pressure curve/inertia determine felt recoil.

[fredj338]

But bullet weight is part of bullet length with cup/core bullets. I have several rifles set up for heavy for caliber bullets but often will shoot lighter ones. They are just as accurate, no such thing as over stabilizing a bullet IMO. It is more about what shoots best in your individual barrel.

[Digital Dan]

Application is the revalent issue methinks. Each of the 3 ballistic domains are at play.

[Harter66]

Application is the revalent issue methinks. Each of the 3 ballistic domains are at play.

I have several 30/31 cal rifles , I had a little fantasy where I could consolidate some moulds but with rates from from 1-12 to 1-8.5 it's not practical . Having 8&12 twists in 224 presents a similar situation . The 35s present less difficulty as 16" in the pistols is very close to the 14" rifle .
350 is a peak for the 45 Colts but the other 45s are 16 or shorter and will manage as much as I can stand .

Obviously a game application load plan would demand maximum terminal effect . There is also a point of diminishing returns . At 1100 fps a 458193 carries 1100 ftlb >< through 100yd . Likewise with the 312-230 at 1800 . Both meet the legal description and in all but the 308&30-30 will reach stability .

It is just a simple matter of to shoot or not the heaviest capable bullet .

[buckshotshoey]

Depends on use at the time. But most of all depends on what my rifle likes. I have a .243 that shoots 70 gr bullets ok. It LOVES the 80 to 85 gr. Listen to your rifle. It will tell you what it likes.

[woodbutcher]

:) Interesting thread.Thanks for posting.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

[Bama]

+1 for Country Gent

[Larry Gibson]

It would depend on what I'm trying to accomplish with the firearm and load. Punching paper and plinking a light bullet lessens recoil. For hunting small game or varmints up close to medium range again a lighter bullet is good. For big game hunting I go to the heavy side for most uses. For true target shooting at distance I go to the heavier side to maintain energy and velocity. I choose bullet weight and loads by accuracy and use. it varies

I have to go with this also because it's what I do with my 30/31 cal rifles. I shoot cast bullets ranging from 90 gr up through 220 gr. Which I use depends on the application intended.

[lwknight]

I would stay mid range for ordinary non dangerous game. I know from experience that light bullets lose too much velocity to perform well at long ranges and heavy bullets don't have as good of a trajectory as well as that they kick more.
I loved shooting 125 grain in 30-06 but two places they don't work are long and real short range. On the short , they do too much damage.
Heavy bullets are good anywhere except for the extra recoil. 150-160 just seems to be a nice balance for all kinds if situations except dangerous animals that might be harder to kill like a big bear.

[gwpercle]

When I first started loading cast in a 30-30 , 30-06 and 7.5 Swiss I thought a 113 grain boolit would be just the ticket...it sucked . Maybe too short I don't know. I discovered the hard way that a 170grain (30-30). And 180 to 200 grain (30-06 & 7.5 Swiss) boolit worked much better. Maybe they are longer and stabilize better . All three loaded from 1600 t0 1800 fps. This combination was just the ticket for an accurate load .
This proved to me that in cast heaver-longer is better than lighter-short boolits and the magic velocity is 1600 to 1800 fps .
I usually target shoot at 50 to 100 yards but would also use them for hogs at 50 to 75 yards .

You never state for which caliber/rifle you are working with or your desired terminal effect at impact will be. Sorry I couldn't be more specific.

Gary