Looking into bullet construction, performance, and application makes all the difference between following a blood trail for three hours and making butter and jelly of the lungs and heart.
300 WSM on white tail deer?
- Thread starter patrickg
- Start date
Looking into bullet construction, performance, and application makes all the difference between following a blood trail for three hours and making butter and jelly of the lungs and heart.
I've heard so many arguments from hunters, about a Nosler Partition failing because the front end came off, after impact. The hunter knows this because he's retrieved the 'failed' bullet from a dead animal. 
I have unshakable faith in the Nosler Partition, on any big game animal. It's my go-to bullet for sure, in any caliber, and the Nosler Accubond is my second choice. Hornady Interlocks are very nice bullets too; best value for your buck of any bullet, IMHO. Accurate, consistent performance.
The most spectacular wound channel I've ever seen on a deer, was from a 165gr Hornady IL BTSP, fired from my .30-06. A 100 yard, broadside shot on a whitetail. The bullet went completely through the buck, which then ran about 75 yards before dropping. But the hole through it was huge, very round and even. The lungs were just grenaded. I was astonished that the deer made it as far as it did.
I have unshakable faith in the Nosler Partition, on any big game animal. It's my go-to bullet for sure, in any caliber, and the Nosler Accubond is my second choice. Hornady Interlocks are very nice bullets too; best value for your buck of any bullet, IMHO. Accurate, consistent performance.
The most spectacular wound channel I've ever seen on a deer, was from a 165gr Hornady IL BTSP, fired from my .30-06. A 100 yard, broadside shot on a whitetail. The bullet went completely through the buck, which then ran about 75 yards before dropping. But the hole through it was huge, very round and even. The lungs were just grenaded. I was astonished that the deer made it as far as it did.
I've got a custom loader in Australia loading me up a pile of various 30-06 ammo for culling ammo, includeing 300 TSX and 300 Hornadys.I'll have a selection of other bullets as well. Anyone want to bet against the Interlocks? How about against 300 grain .338 SMKs?
If 300 WSM is the only cartridge that you use for hunting than I would use one bullet weight and type so you know trajectory without charts on your stock.
165 gr Barnes TTSX, Hornady GMX, Nosler E-Tip are all good if they shoot well in your gun or same bullets in 180 gr.
Some are commenting on Barnes bullets not performing based on experience with Barnes X.
They are discontinued for reason and replaced with TSX and TTSX which again are two different bullets.
Plastic tip creates higher BC and faster expansion.
Best example is .338 225 TSX BC .386 and same TTSX BC of .514!!!
I've tried partition before Barnes were out and could not get them to group in 7 STW, 7Rem Mag, 30-06.
TTSX are very accurate and perform well.
Last year 150 gr TTSX out of 30-06 went through 6" pine tree trunk before creating fist size entry on WT doe.
165 gr Barnes TTSX, Hornady GMX, Nosler E-Tip are all good if they shoot well in your gun or same bullets in 180 gr.
Some are commenting on Barnes bullets not performing based on experience with Barnes X.
They are discontinued for reason and replaced with TSX and TTSX which again are two different bullets.
Plastic tip creates higher BC and faster expansion.
Best example is .338 225 TSX BC .386 and same TTSX BC of .514!!!
I've tried partition before Barnes were out and could not get them to group in 7 STW, 7Rem Mag, 30-06.
TTSX are very accurate and perform well.
Last year 150 gr TTSX out of 30-06 went through 6" pine tree trunk before creating fist size entry on WT doe.
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Any bullet that will go through a 6 inch pine tree and then through a doe deer is to me to be considered a "semi-solid". That is the point of this thread... a TSX is too solid for light game in my view.
Of course it will kill an animal.
Great for smashing down trees and bones. But also great for pass through shots and longer blood trails.
Of course it will kill an animal.
Great for smashing down trees and bones. But also great for pass through shots and longer blood trails.
i'd like to know if nosler had seen an h-mantel before he designed the partition.
5 pages on what bullet to use on a deer! i doubt there is a factory load out there in 300WSM that won't work just fine. if you reload, avoid overly light bullets.
More than one. Preferably 1000 or more.
Uhhh, ok. And no. Physics again......if it used all its energy, it wouldnt have exited.
mudgunner49
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Bullets act different in hard (pine tree) and soft (tissue) mediums - you can't compare the two. On the other side of the argument, my 45-70 with a 420gr cast flat nose will go through 8" of spruce and still kill whatever is on the other side, no expansion required...
blake
That is what I said - any bullet, solid or soft point will kill. The question is the effectiveness of that bullet.
I can shoot a 500 solid at 2400 ft/sec through a rock and it would kill anything on the other side. Does not mean it is the right bullet to use.
I can shoot a 500 solid at 2400 ft/sec through a rock and it would kill anything on the other side. Does not mean it is the right bullet to use.
That is exactly how that bullet is supposed to perform. It is a controlled expansion and meant to penetrate. The poor little deer you shot did not provide enough resistance to make the bullet open up very much - that's how premium bullets are supposed to work. Premium bullets are really needed for deer.
If you want something that knocks a der down fast don't go for premium bullets. A Winchester Super-x power point factory bullet will expand faster and actually kill faster than a super premium bullet most of the time. It'll wreck more meat too.
Your about 30 ahead of me. We can mass the two and go from there.
I love the TTSX and TSX. I know exactly what to expect, they open and act the same way at 50yds as they do 500yds, and they are very accurate.
I have no real experience with the A Frame (one animal in an 8mm Rem Mag) on game, but they do have a good thing going. I like the Scirocco(?) myself.
I've got a custom loader in Australia loading me up a pile of various 30-06 ammo for culling ammo, includeing 300 TSX and 300 Hornadys.I'll have a selection of other bullets as well. Anyone want to bet against the Interlocks? How about against 300 grain .338 SMKs?
Betting against an Interlock that starts below 3000fps is not a good bet. They are THE cup and core bullet in my books.
How am I going to make any money if you keep spilling the beans?
I used to take the 139 gr 7mm interlock up to 3500 fps in an STW. Deer would go down so fast that it was like they got smacked by a invisible wrecking ball.Most of them exited, but I did find one.I'm going to take aguess that you really meant, premium bullets are not required for deer.
...either that or i was being sarcastic. I don't recall.
But of course premium bullets are NOT required for deer.
Premium bullets are not required for deer but lead free bullets are....
unless you are seasoning your meat with lead as somebody put it.
I think there is misconception that those bullets penciling through did not open. IMO they lost their petals and acted as flat nose solid once this has happened exit wound is as small as entry.
This is 150 GMX shot out of 30-06 recovered from backstop at 100 y after passing through 1/2 " plywood.
and this is 150 gr TTSX recovered from WT buck after frontal shot at 60 y and 36" penetration.
unless you are seasoning your meat with lead as somebody put it.
I think there is misconception that those bullets penciling through did not open. IMO they lost their petals and acted as flat nose solid once this has happened exit wound is as small as entry.
This is 150 GMX shot out of 30-06 recovered from backstop at 100 y after passing through 1/2 " plywood.
and this is 150 gr TTSX recovered from WT buck after frontal shot at 60 y and 36" penetration.
Premium bullets are not required for deer but lead free bullets are....
unless you are seasoning your meat with lead as somebody put it.
I think there is misconception that those bullets penciling through did not open. IMO they lost their petals and acted as flat nose solid once this has happened exit wound is as small as entry.
This is 150 GMX shot out of 30-06 recovered from backstop at 100 y after passing through 1/2 " plywood.
and this is 150 gr TTSX recovered from WT buck after frontal shot at 60 y and 36" penetration.
That's my point of view on the subject. I've found quite a few bullets in my back stop. Most of the 168 ttsx had no petals left only a slightly larger than caliber shank. Accubonds and sciroccos found at same place /same velocities were mushrooms. With an advantage to the sciroccos in therm of weight retention and frontal diameter over the accubonds.
I only shot 2 deers with the TTSX both ran about 75- 80 yards and had small exit wound. But what a bloodtrail they left.
I've only seen bloodtrail like this from arrow shot deer before.
I've also shot a small 15 # coyote at 306 yards with the ttsx. It droped on the spot and when i lifted it off the ground, huge chunk of lungs and other organs where falling from the 2"+ exit wound.
So for those who think them being to hard to open on deer sized game... That coyote was probably no more than 2.5" thick, i hit him in the low heart area and the ttsx expanded for sure.
Last year I shot a big whitetail with a weatherby .300 with a 180 boat tail. He was at 80 yards, dropped in place, and not a very big hole at all. I think at that distance the bullet is moving so fast it doesn't have time to expand that much.
Same rifle and round shot my uncles deer at 200 yards this year and blew the back boulder apart lol.
Same rifle and round shot my uncles deer at 200 yards this year and blew the back boulder apart lol.
