a-max for hunting

fish_e_o

fish_e_o

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the hornady book says my 168gr a max 30 cal is good for thin skinned game

anyone been there done that?

coming out of the pipe at 2880fps for reference


i'm going to try it on some does this weekend at different ranges. probably a close one and maybe 3-400 yards. so thats why i'm asking
 
I have no experience with using the AMAX on game. However if the bulletmaker say's it's OK, what more advise do you need? Oh yeah I forgot this is the Internet, lol.
 
glang1 said:
I have no experience with using the AMAX on game. However if the bulletmaker say's it's OK, what more advise do you need? Oh yeah I forgot this is the Internet, lol.
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bearkilr said:
From Hornady's website:

A-Max

•Rapid, explosive expansion with limited penetration.
•Recommended muzzle velocity range: 2000+ fps.
•These bullets are not recommended for hunting.
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Hornady's 7th Edition reloading handbook says they are OK for medium game; their website now says not to use them on game. YMMV

I have shot one mule deer with a 168gr .308 Amax, MV around 2650fps out of my Garand. It was a quartering shot at ~100yds. Bullet entered just behind the nearside ribcage, took out the liver and then exited about midway up the far side ribcage, taking a rib with it. The exit hole was about the size of a loonie (at most) and there was no sign of catastrophic expansion or the bullet breaking up at all. The deer went maybe 40-50yds and fell over dead. Based on my sample of one they work OK, but I didn't hit any bone and the MV was very moderate. IMO, using a purpose designed hunting bullet is a better idea.


Mark
 
I shot a whitetail doe with a .308 155gr Amax and it worked fine. Bang-flop DRT. I recovered the jacket inside the animal and it had peeled back like you expect an expanding bullet would, the lead core had separated from the jacket and was not recovered.

I have gone with using bullets designed for hunting now.

Would I use the Amax again? I might. Are there 'better' bullets for the job? Yes.

YMMV
 
glang1 said:
I have no experience with using the AMAX on game. However if the bulletmaker say's it's OK, what more advise do you need? Oh yeah I forgot this is the Internet, lol.
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they say it's ok and then they turn around and say it's not ok.

mmattockx said:
Hornady's 7th Edition reloading handbook says they are OK for medium game; their website now says not to use them on game. YMMV

I have shot one mule deer with a 168gr .308 Amax, MV around 2650fps out of my Garand. It was a quartering shot at ~100yds. Bullet entered just behind the nearside ribcage, took out the liver and then exited about midway up the far side ribcage, taking a rib with it. The exit hole was about the size of a loonie (at most) and there was no sign of catastrophic expansion or the bullet breaking up at all. The deer went maybe 40-50yds and fell over dead. Based on my sample of one they work OK, but I didn't hit any bone and the MV was very moderate. IMO, using a purpose designed hunting bullet is a better idea.


Mark
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AB.boy said:
I shot a whitetail doe with a .308 155gr Amax and it worked fine. Bang-flop DRT. I recovered the jacket inside the animal and it had peeled back like you expect an expanding bullet would, the lead core had separated from the jacket and was not recovered.

I have gone with using bullets designed for hunting now.

Would I use the Amax again? I might. Are there 'better' bullets for the job? Yes.

YMMV
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typically i use bonded bullets for all big game i hunt

but in the same breath i have found for deer and smaller i actually like a bullet that fragments much like a varmint bullet. with proper placement i find you don't track very much of anything. ymmv...

actually i know someone who shoots everything with a 125gr varmint bullet out of a 300 win mag. i have only had to watch one of his animals go more than a step. (that's not something i would do though..)
 
I used a amax with my 308 on a doe about 2 years ago. Hit her in the heart so regardless the bullet she was done. When I gutted her the dammage was a lot more extensive than I expected. It looked like a gernade went off in the boiler room. The heart was destroyed and and the lungs also had extensive dammage.

Typicaly other than bergers in the 6xc I use factory loaded hunting ammo for hunting. The only reason I used a target gun and bullet that day was for a confident shot and it paid off. I had sold my hunting rifle earler that year and my new one was taking longer to arrive than expected.
 
Seems the answers are all over the board in terms of explosive vs. not. Obviously a person would assume they'd hand grenade in the chest cavity...which isnt a bad thing for light-duty animals like Deer.

TylerWitty on the board here launched a 162 Amax into a Bear last week via a stoked up 7RM and he has told me it blew right through the chest, doing very little "damage". Would it have killed the bear? We won't know, he reloaded and smoked the top of its skull off seconds after the first shot.

Try one and find out. FWIW (which isnt much), my .223 when I'm out hunting Bears has a magazine full of 75 Amaxs in it.
 
I used them a few years ago on deer for one season(sold the .308 that winter). I would recommend to use them if they shoot well out of your rifle. All of the deer I shot dropped within a few yards from 40-350 yards away. I didn't see any issues with the terminal ballistics, pretty much the same as an Accubond, Gameking or Scirocco from what I saw. I have also used the original Berger target bullet and the Sierra Matchkings and have had very good results with those too.
 
archie_james_c said:
Seems the answers are all over the board in terms of explosive vs. not. Obviously a person would assume they'd hand grenade in the chest cavity...which isnt a bad thing for light-duty animals like Deer.

TylerWitty on the board here launched a 162 Amax into a Bear last week via a stoked up 7RM and he has told me it blew right through the chest, doing very little "damage". Would it have killed the bear? We won't know, he reloaded and smoked the top of its skull off seconds after the first shot.

Try one and find out. FWIW (which isnt much), my .223 when I'm out hunting Bears has a magazine full of 75 Amaxs in it.
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You can use a .223 for big game where you live?
 
fish_e_o said:
i'm going to try it on some does this weekend at different ranges. probably a close one and maybe 3-400 yards. so thats why i'm asking
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Good chance you'll ruin more meat than with a more controlled expansion bullet. I don't like using animals I hunt as a test medium, but that's just me.

Generally, while match bullets can work for hunting, they tend to produce erratic results, that's why Hornady also makes dedicated hunting bullets. Most strive for using a bullet that will give consistent results at all ranges.

If you want to use an "explosive" hunting bullet, try the SST.
 
I would recommend that you use a dedicated "hunting" bullet, rather than one that is a bit fragile for that purpose.
The A-Max is really not a hunting bullet.
Eagleye.
 
bearkilr said:
Good chance you'll ruin more meat than with a more controlled expansion bullet.
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i don't get why people say that. as long as you shoot it in the ribs what meat is wasted??? most butchers dont touch the ribs and when i debone a deer i don't touch them either but i keep them for coyote bait.

now if you shoot a deer in the but while it's running away from you...
 
I've never had a hornady sst bullet blow apart. They do end up as somewhat a smooth faced mushroom/ball and transfer energy very well but have always stayed together whether shot into water or wet newspaper. Never kept one in an animal. For thin skinned game I believe they're a great choice. I've never shot amax bullets in any case in which I cared about how the bullet behaved as long as it was in or close to the X ring
 
fish_e_o said:
i don't get why people say that. as long as you shoot it in the ribs what meat is wasted??? most butchers dont touch the ribs and when i debone a deer i don't touch them either but i keep them for coyote bait.

now if you shoot a deer in the but while it's running away from you...
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My personal experience with SST's has been that they're not a very meat friendly bullet and behave much like a Nosler Ballistic Tip, hence the reason both Nosler and Hornady developed a bonded core bullet of the same design, which holds together much better at high velocities. I've seen a lot of damage nearly every time an SST/BT is used, including huge areas of jelled tissue and blood shot meat, even with a perfectly placed broadside rib shot.


brybenn said:
I've never had a hornady sst bullet blow apart. They do end up as somewhat a smooth faced mushroom/ball and transfer energy very well but have always stayed together whether shot into water or wet newspaper. Never kept one in an animal. For thin skinned game I believe they're a great choice.
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If they hold together so well for you, then they should be perfect for thick skinned game as well,no? ;)

Regardless, if you like them, by all means continue using them, I'm just stating my experiences.
 
don't use them, they won't work. use the sst or gmx at twice the price. on a serious note, their change of tune is all marketing, they work great on deer.
 
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