Let's talk about your favourite commercial hunting ammo...

Johnn Peterson said:
My start in reloading began when I got interested and involved in 'some' of the more serious formal paper punching courses of handgun shooting. At the time, and going through a fair volume of ammo, reloading was a financial necessity. These days, most of my range time is range distance tests and plinking. Still do a fair amount of reloading. But, at gun shows these days the purchases are more a quest for components and lately, also factory ammo. Of late, I've picked up and have to try some of the following;
- .270 Win Federal 140gr Berger
- .270 Win Federal 130gr TSX
- 6.5 CM Nosler 129gr AccuBond Long Range
- 6.5 CM Nosler 140gr Ballistic Tip BT
- 303Br Norma 150gr SP
- 358 NM Norma 250gr SP
- 7x57 Mauser Federal 140gr SP
- 7x57 Mauser Sellier & Bellot 140gr FMJ
- 7x61 S&H Super 154gr Spire Point
- 455 Webley Fiocchi 262gr
There's quite likely a few others I've got;) 'squirrelled' away but this comprises the bulk of my lately acquired factory ammo.:):) Now, Range time
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There's nothing more fun than to find some quality commercial ammo at gun shows for a good price! It's like treasure hunting. Of course, it's slim pickings for anything decent at any of the established shows in Ontario. Mostly overpriced fudd junk these days. I always search for vintage 7x57 and 6.5x55 ammo, as well as antique pistol ammo.
 
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Federal Premium ammo has been a very consistent performer for me over the years, with various premium bullets, across a spectrum of cartridges in my rifles.
Most will produce 1" groups or better at 100 yards when I am doing my part.
Many of their blue box loads will also produce good groups, but for the most part have preferred the Premium to get the Nosler Ballistic Tip, AccuBond, and Partition bullets, and the Sierra Game Kings.
Other than the odd plastic tip inserted backwards in the early years of production by Federal with the AccuBonds in 300 WSM ammo, I have never encountered a problem with bullet failure with these bullets on game in about 20 years. All recovered bullets have been nicely mushroomed with an average expansion equating to about twice the cartridges' original diameter and 90-95% weight retention, from various calibers and cartridges. It has been the most accurate and consistent performing bullet in every rifle that I have tried them in to date. This is my experience on over 40 head of big game, in 8 different calibers (.257 - .375).

While not "premium", I have always had good performance with the Winchester Power Point and Silvertip ammo as well; mostly in the lever action rifles, but it has performed well in some of my bolt actions too, both in accuracy and on-game performance (30-06 and 300 WSM).
In my 41 Rem Mag, I am really impressed with the performance of the Winchester 240 gr Platinum Tip ammo. More power and accuracy than their regular 175 gr loads, at least in my revolvers.

Have to say that my experience with the Remington ammunition is very limited; mostly used in my wife's 250 Savage (100 gr Corelokt).

I have also had good performance with Norma ammunition in 6.5x55 in several rifles so chambered. Mostly cup and core or Partitions.
Have used and liked the Weatherby ammo (loaded by Norma) used in my 270 Wby and 338-06 with AccuBonds and Partitions, respectively.
You cannot load as hot as Norma can! (different versions of powder and/or blended powders, dropped and vibrated into the cases).

Over the past 10 years, I have used some HSM ammo in various rifles and am seeing good performance so far. Accuracy wise, hard to beat those Bergers, but just am not impressed with their frangibility and meat devastation as compared to the old tried and true cup and core, and other premium bullets. Most of the HSM ammo I am buying has other bullets loaded in the various cartridges - mostly SGK's and lead for lever action Bear Loads.

Have recently acquired some Buffalo Bore ammo for various rifle and handgun cartridges, but have not had a chance to get out to try them.

In my 28 ga shotguns, I am really liking the Fiocchi shells for patterns and performance on upland birds. I have finally acquired some heavier pheasant loads that I will try on some ducks, as we do not have any pheasants here...but someday |I will get back down to southern Alberta and try hunting them. Otherwise have usually used Winchester or Federal in the 410 and 12 ga.
 
The Kurgan said:
There's nothing more fun than to find some quality commercial ammo at gun shows for a good price! It's like treasure hunting. Of course, it's slim pickings for anything decent at any of the established shows in Ontario. Mostly overpriced fudd junk these days. I always search for vintage 7x57 and 6.5x55 ammo, as well as antique pistol ammo.
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I didn't include .22 LR or shotgun ammo, 410 - 10ga Mag. ;) I'll leave that for a possible future post to your thread :).
 
I spent on and off a year developing a load for my Savage 99 C in .308 . Bloody frustrating. Nothing was bad but it certainly wasn’t good . On a whim one day I grabbed a box of garbage black box 150 gr. Winchester from crappy tire . Unbelievable- bought every box they had .
 
BlackRam said:
You cannot load as hot as Norma can! (different versions of powder and/or blended powders, dropped and vibrated into the cases).
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You are not wrong about that! Norma 196gr Oryx in 8x57 is pushing 2800 ft lbs of muzzle energy and Norma 156gr Oryx in 7x57 exceeds 2400 ft lbs of muzzle energy!
Exceptional performance and hitting power. I simply cannot replicate those number on my reloading bench. I buy Norma factory ammo whenever I can scratch together extra coin.
 
Ditto on the old style Silvertip. Both in 30-30 and 308 within the bullet weight of 150 grains as really great deer dead right there cartridges.
One strange year in Saskatchewan this was impossible to find in the 308. So I substituted Remington Core Lokt again in 150 grain. At the range I found it just slightly more accurate than Winchester Silvertip.
Now I found its jacket pealed into three seperate pieces unlike the Silvertip tended to loose it's softer tip but the base often mushroomed and found just under opposite hide. But both killed deer equally fast so I call it a draw.
Heart-lung shots standing still and most often just this side of 100 yards.
 
Brutus said:
Ditto on the old style Silvertip. Both in 30-30 and 308 within the bullet weight of 150 grains as really great deer dead right there cartridges.
One strange year in Saskatchewan this was impossible to find in the 308. So I substituted Remington Core Lokt again in 150 grain. At the range I found it just slightly more accurate than Winchester Silvertip.
Now I found its jacket pealed into three seperate pieces unlike the Silvertip tended to loose it's softer tip but the base often mushroomed and found just under opposite hide. But both killed deer equally fast so I call it a draw.
Heart-lung shots standing still and most often just this side of 100 yards.
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That's an item on my list. I'm on a search for some for a model 71 Winchester deluxe in 348 WCF, in either/or both bullet weights that it was once available in. Once this COVID 19 eases off and gun shows start up again;)..........
 
The only factory ammo I use for hunting is shotgun and 22LR. I really am trying to remember the last time I took factory centerfire ammo hunting and I cannot remember.
 
I could be completely satisfied if the only commercial ammo I bought any more was Norma Oryx. I prefer it in my 7x57, 7x57R, 7x64, .308, 30-06, 9.3x62, 9.3x74R, and i would be happy to try it in my .222, .375H&H. or 8x57. I don't think they make it in .25-06, .450-400 3" or .30R Blaser. It would be kinda pointless to put such a controlled expansion bonded bullet in in .22 Hornet or .45-70 or .44 magnum. Other than those oddballs, i really like Norma. And their Oryx bullet.
 
A few loads I've liked over the years --

10 Gauge Federal Black Cloud BB. This smokes black ducks like there's a runaway train hunting them down.

.30-30 Winchester PowerMax Bonded. Only shot one bear with it, but it was excellent, and I felt it was a much quicker kill than the old PowerPoint Winchesters. Would buy and shoot again if I could find it.

7.62x39 Federal Power Shok. Excellent accuracy! Worked well for wife's kid brother, deer hunting. Alas, terminal performance was not great, with minimal expansion, and I doubt I'd ever use it on anything too big or mean. But it took 7.62x39 from being iffy accuracy to a very decent hunting rifle.

.223 Federal Fusion. Never shot anything but paper with it, but the years I hunted deer with a .223, this was my preferred load, as it had excellent accuracy as well, and had a great rep for knocking down whitetails. Kinda wish I'd had the chance to use it, but moved on to better things.

12 Gauge Hornady Superperformance 00 Buck My friends and I shot several deer with this load, and the Federal equivalent (both loaded with Flite Control wads). This was a deer slayer for sure; only factory buckshot load we had that patterned as close was the old Winchester #1 Buck, which is almost impossible to find.
 
I have always liked the Federal Powershock rifle ammunition. They are definitely not the fastest and usually about 200 fps slower than what the box indicates, but they will consistently turn out tight little groupings and do a phenomenal job in dropping game on the spot with one-shot kills. They are also half the price of some of the specialty loads. As much as I like the Accubonds, Game Kings, Bear Claws, etc, for their accuracy, they do not drop game on the spot in the same manner as the plain Jane softpoints.
 
The Kurgan said:
You are not wrong about that! Norma 196gr Oryx in 8x57 is pushing 2800 ft lbs of muzzle energy and Norma 156gr Oryx in 7x57 exceeds 2400 ft lbs of muzzle energy!
Exceptional performance and hitting power. I simply cannot replicate those number on my reloading bench. I buy Norma factory ammo whenever I can scratch together extra coin.
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My purchase of Norma has been primarily for my 7x61 S&H, 308 NM and 358 NM ;)plus a couple of boxes for 303 Br. Looking back for quite a few years, almost all of my use on game has been with reloads. The best I can recollect, the last time I used factory ammo in a centre fire rifle hunting was in a few years back on a :d successful Antelope hunt on draw in Alberta. For that hunt, my model 68DL Schultz & Larsen in 7x61 S&H got the call, along with some Norma 154gr 7x61 Super ammo:).
This fall, my model 95 Winchester in 303 Br may get the call, with Norma factory ammo for Vancouver Island Blacktail :).
 
308 Federal Gold Medal Match 168 has always shot incredible in all my 308's. I have used it for deer.

6mm Remington 100gr Core-locks. Could never get a handload to work as well. Even with lots of trying.

Win AA 12ga. Target load works great for chickens

Federal bulk 555 22lr copper coated hp. The guy at Walmart laughed when I bought 50 boxes for 5.97ea a few years ago. Never jams always goes bang. Excellent grouse accuracy
 
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Prairie Storm #6 2 3/4 in 20 bore. I used this in open choked shotgun. It's flight control wad keeps pattern tight. Smoked skittish sharptails at 33 and about 37 yards no problem with an O/U and Imp C/Modified chokes. Best wing shooting I have even done in a long time. Keep that gun moving.
 
The Kurgan said:
8x57
13. Norma Oryx Bonded SP 196 0.331 2526 2776 (very expensive, accurate and a real Hammer of Thor! Nearly 2800 ft lbs of muzzle energy! Not yet tested on large game)
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Have you verified the Ballistic Coefficient, muzzle velocity and muzzle energy of this load?
 
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