Target bullets verses hunting bullets regarding accuracy?

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45C

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Hi
Whats your experience regarding using same brand bullets,for example ,Hornady 143 grain eld-x verses 143 grain eld- m .
Same basic bullet that looks identical.
All things being equal,shooter,gun,rest,powder,primer,brass etc , how much more accurate are the match bullets?
 
The main thing to consider in my opinion are the accuracy parameters of match shooting and hunting big game animals.
In a match situation - Fclass for example, your V bull is 1/2 MOA , your bull is 1 MOA, and matches are more often than not won by a few more Vbulls , not bulls.
At 300 meters the Vbulls is right around 1.5" ( approximately) and the bull is 3" ( approximately)
That is far less than half the size of the lung area of a white tailed deer.
My point is that many rifles today are far more capable than that with the hunting bullets that are available, so to say that match bullets are more accurate than hunting bullets is a bit misleading . In a match situation you want the most accurate bullet your rifle will shoot, but in a hunting situation you do not need that kind of pinpoint accuracy .
Cat
 
I played around with the 178 eldm and eldx in 30 cal. The “m” grouped only slight bit better. Both were excellent and shot to the same point of impact.
I had a thread a while ago regarding the amount of lead I found while eating. That’s something I take into consideration now days.
 
I did a bunch of accuracy testing using Berger VLD Target and Berger VLD Hunting in 6.5, 7 and 30 caliber bullets about 5-6 years ago. I found the accuracy difference between the bullet types to be insignificant. Bullet speed and POI were so similar as to say they were the same. Granted, I am not a top F-class or precision competition shooter.

This made me curious. According to Berger, the target bullets use a thicker copper jacket. Besides the color of the box they come in, that was the only difference I could determine. What I didn’t understand is how two bullets with the same dimensions, same weight and same published BC can have different jacket thicknesses. Isn’t copper (jacket) significantly lighter than lead core? One could reasonably assume that the bullet with the thicker jacket, but the same dimensions would have a slightly lower weight…no?

At that point, I assumed (as did many others) that Berger might be playing a bit of a marketing game. Berger responded by saying that the jacket thickness between the hunting and target bullets is so marginally different that it doesn’t affect the weight.
Ok, so does it affect accuracy?
Does it affect terminal performance on game?
In my experience (within the limits of my ability on these specific bullets), I don’t think so.

Based on my experience, both of these bullets work really well for casual target shooting and hunting thin skinned game at reasonably distances.
 
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I've used Hornady 140gr Amax and 140gr SST bullets in 6.5x55 in a couple rifles. I don't know if the bullets are identical or not, but the only visible difference is a cannelure on the SST. These are both hunting rifles, so not insanely accurate match rifles. Both shoot just over 1MOA with good loads.

I have not done an extensive comparison, but I would say the Amax's were very slightly more accurate. Certainly not enough to matter for my purposes, though. They shot close enough to identical (both for groups and POI) that I used them interchangeably for sighting in rifles and deer hunting for years until Hornady discontinued the Amax line.


Mark
 
45C said:
Hi
Whats your experience regarding using same brand bullets,for example ,Hornady 143 grain eld-x verses 143 grain eld- m .
Same basic bullet that looks identical.
All things being equal,shooter,gun,rest,powder,primer,brass etc , how much more accurate are the match bullets?
Click to expand...

there is only 140gr ELDm & 147gr ELDm in 6.5mm , no 143gr
 
I cannot speak to the accuracy of Berger's game bullets, but Berger Match bullets in .224, of 50 gr. persuasion, as measurably more accurate than their identical weight Varmint bullet. [Alas, both have long been discontinued, however, being a pack-rat does have its advantages, since the 52 gr. variety is now ~$80.00 / 100.] The Match ones are longer too, as the point is closed up onto the open tip more &, as a result, have a slightly higher B.C., despite both being the same weight & diameter.
 
todbartell said:
there is only 140gr ELDm & 147gr ELDm in 6.5mm , no 143gr
Click to expand...
Ok,not sure about the m as I’ve only ever used hunting bullets.
Hornady,Nosler,Berger ,always hunting bullets.
Just wondering if the match bullets were better for accuracy. Not for hunting purposes.
I like to test lots and lots of loads, but always used the hunting bullets
 
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