What type of bullet is best for large game?

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daveadd12

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This is a hot topic. In your experience what has been the best style bullet for killing large game (Elk/Moose)? Are you a monolithic fan getting good velocities, a cup and core guy/gal, or do you prefer bonded?

If you were going on a trip of a lifetime for a large game animal in North America (bison/elk/moose etc), what ammo would you bring?
 
This certainly is going to be a hot button topic,

First of all I’m a reloader, I’ve shot exactly 1 big game animal with a factory loaded cartridge, in some 40ish years of hunting.

The choice is very cartridge dependant for me. Coupled with a practical streak, driven by a frugal mindset, and supply chain awareness.

Muzzle velocities of 2800 fps and less, often it’s just cup and core design.

Muzzle velocities of greater than 3000 fps, often it’s controlled expansion, such as a monolithic, or partition.

That no man’s land gets sort of fuzzy.

I’ll throw the biggest caveat of them all into these choices…. That being accuracy.

I’m not a gimick sort of hunter, I’ve shot a lot of game with boring old Hornady Interlock’s, because of their cost (when I was poorer) and their steady availability.

I never fell into the poly carb tipped, re branded target bullet craze either.

I also like to see an exit wound to give a second point of leakage for blood trailing, therefore heavy for calibre bullets are often chosen, but not exclusively. Or again a controlled expansion or monolithic design may be chosen.
 
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I haven't climbed onto the monolithic bandwagon yet, and probably won't at this point.

Given how cheap premium bullets are, relative to the rest of the cost of the hunt, I see no reason to use cup & core. Maybe they'll work just fine, but I like the extra peace of mind.

I seem to gravitate towards Nosler Partitions, occasionally Accubonds, Norma Oryx when I can find them, or my dwindling stock of Woodleighs.
 
Never have had a problem with regular old Federal jacketed soft points for game up to and including moose. Nosler partition if I'm feeling super paranoid about muscle and bones, but even that is usually unnecessary.
 
I’ve been using partitions for a long time. Not fancy, but never failed as far as I can tell. Ranges from 25-250. Have not recovered a single one.

Ryan
 
I’m a reloader so I don’t harvest game with factory ammo but when it comes to projectile performance on big game I don’t think there’s anything that compares to partitions.

For mid size game I like bonded, less meat loss than partitions. I have a lot of friends switching to full copper for mid sized game to try and get away from lead and even less meat loss but they all return to partitions when they get a LEH draw for the same reason as me.

Full copper can be a little pickier when it comes to reloading, I’ve had best result starting with a clean barrel as they seem to like their own fowling and seem to like a a significantly larger jump than typical jacketed bullets.
 
I been on more "trips of a Lifetime "on BC-Yukon-NWT big Game hunts in the past 50 years paid for by my Clients then I can remember and I found the best Bullets where the ones which where properly placed one shot instant killing shots. While I am also a Reloader just a coupple years longer and now on the tail end of my once sizable stash I purchased in 1979 from Kesselring in Bellingham at 14.95 per Box of 100 .338/250 Grain Round Nose Hornady Slugs which I used in my goto guiding Rifle to release wounded Game to the eternal hunting Grounds, I believe that any Jacketed expanding Bullet and even cast Bullets from 6.5mm upwards of 100 Grain or more and well placed killing Shot will do a good Job.

The trick to learn good shooting is doing lots and lots (like literally hundreds) of practice shots on the Rifle Range especially with the Rifle you will be using on your hunt. Because Factory Shells are now ridiculous expensive, reloading while not cheap is almost a no Brainer.
 
I like Nosler Acubonds, but I also use some Hornady interbonds, which are basically cup and core

I guess that breaks across the MV between the various rifles I use. 30-30 is a cup and core and the magnums are all Accubonds except the 458WM.
I load my 243 with 100grn interbonds as well. Bit of a heavier bullet, and for some reason that rifle will not shoot lighter bullets and I tried all sorts so with a heavier bullet and lower MV it makes sense to use the interbonds.

I also believe in heavier bullets for caliber, 300WM 200grn bullets. Yes thats a big of an old fuddy opinion that I got from hunting with old guys when I was young.

I've never tried monolithic bullets and I really don't see the advantage.
 
woodchopper said:
I like Nosler Acubonds, but I also use some Hornady interbonds, which are basically cup and core

I guess that breaks across the MV between the various rifles I use. 30-30 is a cup and core and the magnums are all Accubonds except the 458WM.
I load my 243 with 100grn interbonds as well. Bit of a heavier bullet, and for some reason that rifle will not shoot lighter bullets and I tried all sorts so with a heavier bullet and lower MV it makes sense to use the interbonds.

I also believe in heavier bullets for caliber, 300WM 200grn bullets. Yes thats a big of an old fuddy opinion that I got from hunting with old guys when I was young.

I've never tried monolithic bullets and I really don't see the advantage.
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InterBOND, or InterLock?

The 100 grain reference in .243 makes me think you mean Interlock…..?
So does your use of the term cup and core… InterBond’s were(Hornady no longer makes them) were very similar to Accubond’s…….
 
There is no one answer to this. Depends on whether you are hunting open country like the plains or alpine where longer shots may be the norm (i'm talking responsible hunting ranges here, longer being 2-300 metres) or bush where a shot over 50 meters may be rare for you. Longer ranges i would go spitzer bullet heavy enough to maintain velocity, for bush that point on the thing is unnecessary and may increase odds of deflection. I'm in the bush category these days in scenarios complicated by the common presence of grizzlies, so my bullet has to take lighter game effectively at the same time as being a good backup option. I'm handloading heavier for calibre North Fork cup-nose copper solids now, they seem like the perfect combination of traits/worlds. (North Fork has other bullet designs as well and all get great reviews.) Good frontal area for penetration and to control deflection, the cup that allows for some expansion at good hunting velocities to enhance wound channel (an expanding solid!), great sectional density, the copper construction - i've been impressed with copper monolithics in general. So that's my application right now. I think it's easier to say what is the worst bullet for hunting large game, or any game - a light, rapidly expanding one travelling at higher velocities. A recipe for wounding and meat-damage.
 
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Lefty #### said:
InterBOND, or InterLock?

The 100 grain reference in .243 makes me think you mean Interlock…..?
So does your use of the term cup and core… InterBond’s were(Hornady no longer makes them) were very similar to Accubond’s…….
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yes interlocks for the 243 and 30-30

I have also tried out Hornady SSTs in a few rifles. mostly for target shooting.
 
daveadd12 said:
This is a hot topic. In your experience what has been the best style bullet for killing large game (Elk/Moose)? Are you a monolithic fan getting good velocities, a cup and core guy/gal, or do you prefer bonded?

If you were going on a trip of a lifetime for a large game animal in North America (bison/elk/moose etc), what ammo would you bring?
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Do you mean which bullet or which ammo? They aren't the same hot topic. :)

Bullet selection depends on the game. Elk and bison are, for example, very different in regards to what the bullet will be asked to do.

I'm not all-in with any particular bullet type. I choose an appropriate expansion/penetration ratio for the game animal, and i like my game to die quickly so i don't need to chase it.

People tend to assign more importance to bullet penetration than they should but penetration is only half the equation.
 
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It's too bad Hornady stopped producing the interbond. I found them to expand fully but not overexpand, even when shot from a 300wsm at close range. I am now trying my hand at the Barnes TSX bullets. The accuracy in my 300wsm is very good. I will see how they perform on game.
 
While ballistic scientists spend millions of dollars engineering the perfect projectile, any seasoned hunter online will tell you that their preferred choice is the only one that violates the laws of physics to instantly drop a moose, while your choice is basically a spitball.

If you are dropping five figures on a bank-account-draining, once-in-a-lifetime hunt for a giant Alaskan moose or a massive bison, you obviously need to buy Federal Premium Terminal Ascent or Nosler Trophy Grade AccuBond.
Are they mathematically guaranteed to kill the animal any deader than a standard box of soft-points? Absolutely not. But when you inevitably get buck fever, shake like a leaf, and pull your shot directly into a nearby pine tree, you want to make sure you left the most expensive, aerodynamically perfect, beautifully mushroomed piece of premium copper embedded in that bark.

Bullet TypeThe Marketing PromiseThe Reality
Monolithic Copper (e.g., Barnes TSX)Infinite penetration, 100% weight retention, and velocities that bypass the space-time continuum.Punches a clean, surgical hole straight through the animal and into the next county, leaving you to track a blood trail a blind man couldn't follow.
Bonded Core (e.g., Nosler AccuBond)The perfect, unbreakable marriage of lead and jacket. Controlled expansion at all distances.Costs a small fortune just so you can feel sophisticated while punching the exact same hole in the lungs.
Cup and Core (e.g., Remington Core-Lokt)"The Deadliest Mushroom in the Woods" according to your grandpa, who hasn't changed his setup since 1974.It will completely fragment and turn into lead confetti if it hits a heavy moose shoulder at close range—yet it has somehow killed more game than the internet has users.
 
jethunter said:
Do you mean which bullet or which ammo? They aren't the same hot topic. :)

Bullets depend on the game. Elk and bison are, for example, very different in regards to what the bullet will be asked to do.

I'm not all-in with any particular bullet type. I choose an appropriate expansion/penetration ratio for the game animal, and i like my game to die quickly so i don't need to chase it.

People tend to assign more importance to bullet penetration than they should but penetration is only half the equation.
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Thanks for the message! An interesting thread so far and you’re right I did ask two technically different questions. Cheers
 
HOSSONE said:
While ballistic scientists spend millions of dollars engineering the perfect projectile, any seasoned hunter online will tell you that their preferred choice is the only one that violates the laws of physics to instantly drop a moose, while your choice is basically a spitball.

If you are dropping five figures on a bank-account-draining, once-in-a-lifetime hunt for a giant Alaskan moose or a massive bison, you obviously need to buy Federal Premium Terminal Ascent or Nosler Trophy Grade AccuBond.
Are they mathematically guaranteed to kill the animal any deader than a standard box of soft-points? Absolutely not. But when you inevitably get buck fever, shake like a leaf, and pull your shot directly into a nearby pine tree, you want to make sure you left the most expensive, aerodynamically perfect, beautifully mushroomed piece of premium copper embedded in that bark.

Bullet TypeThe Marketing PromiseThe Reality
Monolithic Copper (e.g., Barnes TSX)Infinite penetration, 100% weight retention, and velocities that bypass the space-time continuum.Punches a clean, surgical hole straight through the animal and into the next county, leaving you to track a blood trail a blind man couldn't follow.
Bonded Core (e.g., Nosler AccuBond)The perfect, unbreakable marriage of lead and jacket. Controlled expansion at all distances.Costs a small fortune just so you can feel sophisticated while punching the exact same hole in the lungs.
Cup and Core (e.g., Remington Core-Lokt)"The Deadliest Mushroom in the Woods" according to your grandpa, who hasn't changed his setup since 1974.It will completely fragment and turn into lead confetti if it hits a heavy moose shoulder at close range—yet it has somehow killed more game than the internet has users.
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THIS! hahaha all of it
 
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