In addition to the solid info given above here is a rundown of some of the more common bullets.
Barnes:
Known for their solid copper X-Bullet. These bullets are designed to initiate expansion at velocities above 1600fps, while proper expansion begins at 1800fps. These bullets are known for deep penetration and high weight retention.
Federal:
The Trophy Bonded Bearclaw has a lead core up front that is fused to a thick copper jacket. The rear half of the bullet is solid copper. Like the X-Bullets, these are also known for high weight retention and deep penetration.
Federal also produces the Fusion line of bullets. These are a lower cost alternative to the more premium bonded-core bullets. The process used to bond the lead core to the jacket (elctro-chemical) is said to produce similar results as conventionally bonded bullets. The bullet is basically entirely lead with a copper jacket. From my own personal experiences I've had good success with this bullet.
Hornady:
The bread-and-butter bullet in Hornady's lineup is the InterLock. It's a soft point with a tapered jacket that thins as it reaches the tip of the bullet, and a ring that mechanically locks the cover and jacket to prevent slippage during expansion. Although the majority are spire point, the can be found in round nose, flat point, and boat tail versions.
The SST is an InterLock with a ballistic tip and boat tail. It expands quickly and reports good Ballistic Coefficient numbers. It is a good choice for longer range hunting situations.
Remington uses this bullet calling it the "Accu-Tip".
Hornady's premium bonded bullet is called the InterBond. It is similar to the SST, sans cannelure. Here the lead core is chemically bonded to the jacket. This design is intended to provide rapid expansion along with good weight retention and better than normal penetration.
The GMX is a copper bullet with a ballistic (plastic) tip and boat tail. It is meant to compete with the Barnes Tipped TSX and over homogeneous bullets. Known for deep penetration.
Nosler:
Known for their excellent Partition bullet, Nosler manufactures a variety of quality bullets.
Nosler also manufactures bullets for Winchester under the Combined Technologies (CT) name such as the Ballistic Silvertip and the AccuBond CT.
The bullet jackets that Nosler produces are manufactured through a process call impact extrusion which is more expensive than other methods. Most manufactures use the cup and draw method whereas Nosler produces their jackets from copper alloy slugs.
The Partition is essentially two bullets in one. Two lead cores are separated by a solid partition/divider that is made out of the jacket material (the bullet is basically shaped like an H). Because of the separate cores, the front half of the bullet expands rapidly, while the rear is incapable of expanding due to the partition. Regardless of how violently the front half expands, Partitions will retain a minimum of +/- 60% of their weight. It should be noted that these bullets require 1800fps+ to initiate expansion.
The Ballistic tip is lead core, copper jacketed, plastic tip, boat tail bullet. They produce high BC's and are generally quite accurate. In calibers over .30 cal they have a thicker jacket meant for use on larger game. Like the Partition they require at least 1800fps to reliable expand.
The AccuBond combines the high BC, rapid expansion and accuracy of the Ballistic Tip with a bonded core that wields high weight retention. Again, 1800fps is recommended for good expansion.
The E-Tip is a homogeneous metal bullet bullet with a ballistic tip. Once again the minimum impact velocity applies and all E-Tips feature a boat tail design.
Remington:
The Core-Lokt is a flat base, soft point, featuring a tapered jacket that is thickest around the middle of the bullet. This design allows for massive expansion.
The Core-Lokt Ultra is a bonded core bullet with the Core-Lokt style jacket.
Sierra:
The GameKing is a spitzer/boat tail bullet that is the closest thing to a MatchKing you're going to find. It is a good long range hunting bullet.
Winchester:
The Extreme Point, used in Deer Season XP ammo, is a lead core, jacketed, spitzer bullet with a flat base and extra large polymer tip.
The Power Point (no affiliation to Microsoft Office) is a flat base, soft point with tapered jacket and cannelure.
The XP3 is a Lubalox coated bullet where the front half of the bullet is solid with a plastic tip and the rear half contains a lead core. This boat tail is fairly complicated compared to other bullets, is found in the "Super Elite" line and is recommended for big game.
I realize that I'm missing some names like Berger as well, who are absolutely worth considering. I hope this helps you make as informed of a decision as possible.
On a note in regards to reloading. Yes, you can get better accuracy, consistency, and save some money, but reloading components are not as available as they were years ago.
Just ask all the guys with orders in for H1000. A guy has to get some good production going before he's going to recoup the start up costs of reloading.
There is a lot of good info on this forum, as well as others that you can glean info from. You can also give us a call here at the store any time and we'll be happy to help you out!
Gerhard
