Similar to Eagleyes question, everything i have read shows most people to be big fans of the 250's for moose, but what are your favorites for deer sized game? I have read that the sierra 225's are softer and work better on deer, but any others? What about the partitions? Are they too tough for deer sized game? Thanks
35 Whelen bullets?
- Thread starter rkd
- Start date
The 250 gr Hornady SP bullets, out of my 35 whelen, kill deer pretty good too!
The Hornady bullets work so well on Moose and Elk(and deer too!) that I have no use for "premium"(expensive) bullets.
A well placed shot is most important.
Good Luck
John
The Hornady bullets work so well on Moose and Elk(and deer too!) that I have no use for "premium"(expensive) bullets.
A well placed shot is most important.
Good Luck
John
beretta boy
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Orillia, Ontario
Tried the Remington 200 gr. factory stuff on a couple of deer - too much oomph !!
Have switched to a handload with 200 gr. Hornady Round Noses. loaded down
to .35 Rem. velocities. Much better. Will try some Speer 220 Flat Points loaded
the same way this fall.
Have switched to a handload with 200 gr. Hornady Round Noses. loaded down
to .35 Rem. velocities. Much better. Will try some Speer 220 Flat Points loaded
the same way this fall.
I took a small whitetail with my 350 Remington Magnum a couple of weeks ago. It is pretty well the ballistic twin of the Whelen. I was after elk as well, so I took the 350. I used a Hornady 250 grain RN and the shot was about 75 yards. The angle was slightly uphill, and it entered on a rib just behind the leg, got both lungs and literally tore the heart into 3 pieces, then exited mid rib cage just behind the off shoulder. The deer did one of those "heartshot" dashes for about 15 yards, then piled up. The entrance hole was about 35 cal, and the exit was about 1 inch in diameter. Blood trail was good enough for a blind man to follow on a moonless night.
I figured this seemed to work out quite well, and was impressed. However, I cut my own meat and upon butchering, I found the deer was badly bloodshot between both shoulders and ribcage, and also between muscle layers on both shoulders. This was despite the fact that neither shoulder had been touched by the bullet. Obviously, the hydraulic shock factor on this was tremendous.
I have used this same bullet and load on moose at similar ranges and the bullet held together beautifully, so it certainly did not blow up. In fact, I recovered one on a 120 yard heart/lung shot on a moose and it still weighed 248 grains, but was a perfect mushroom. But this load was apparently just too much gun for the little deer at that range.
All in all, based on this experience, I couldn't recommend the 250 gr Hornady RN as a deer load in a Whelen, although it is excellent for the big stuff. I'm inclined to try some Remington 200 grain PSP CoreLokts next for deer...
I figured this seemed to work out quite well, and was impressed. However, I cut my own meat and upon butchering, I found the deer was badly bloodshot between both shoulders and ribcage, and also between muscle layers on both shoulders. This was despite the fact that neither shoulder had been touched by the bullet. Obviously, the hydraulic shock factor on this was tremendous.
I have used this same bullet and load on moose at similar ranges and the bullet held together beautifully, so it certainly did not blow up. In fact, I recovered one on a 120 yard heart/lung shot on a moose and it still weighed 248 grains, but was a perfect mushroom. But this load was apparently just too much gun for the little deer at that range.
All in all, based on this experience, I couldn't recommend the 250 gr Hornady RN as a deer load in a Whelen, although it is excellent for the big stuff. I'm inclined to try some Remington 200 grain PSP CoreLokts next for deer...
