.358 with Speer 180 SFP

bunny

bunny

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I have several hundred of the .358 180 Speer semi flat points, reported to be a tough bullet, anybody have any hunting experience with them, the load Iam going to try with IMR 4198 should push them close to 2700. No brainer for deer but wondering about bigger stuff. I have enough experience with the heavier bullets out there, so Iam focusing on these.
 
No experience with that bullet, and never used a 180 to hunt with any .35 cal (don't really see the point in that), but a few years back I bought 1K of the Hornady 180 SSP and used it for paper punching and plinking, it was accurate in a dozen different rifles... I ran out of that bullet a couple years back. Three bullets that I like in the .358 are the 200 FTX, 200 RN and 200 RCL... my Browning BLR's particularly like the RCL.
 
My Ruger Frontier is a tack driver with the 250 Hornady SP, but I have a new Hawkeye in .358 and I though I would give these 180's a try. My extensive internet research tells me they are a tough bullet very similar to the Speer 220, some claiming they work great on Elk in the 35 Rem. So I figure if they are accurate, they should be good in the .358.
Iam planning to try they on paper later today.
 
I personally wouldn't use them on anything bigger than deer. My experience with that style Speer bullet is the significantly heavier 220 gr FP, in a .356 Win. at 2350 fps or so. They opened well enough and penetrated deeply on one moose and one elk and a couple deer. However the 180 FP would be seriously stressed at 2700 fps, I would not trust it to penetrate much. That 180 would kill elk/moose /bear just fine with a broadside rib shot, but hit the humerus bone or humerus/scapula joint of a large animal quartering towards you and I'd not be very confident.
 
I have read a lot of info mostly from the US reporting the 180 is as tough as the 220 just shorter, and that they are deadly on Elk. I think I would prefer the 250 for the big deer. I loaded some of these 180’s with 42 grains of IMR 4198 (2700 fps?) I shot several 5 shot groups today, averaging about 1 1/2” I think I will give them a try, for flopheads, Iam quite confident they won’t bounce off.
 
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