Bullet selection?

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JasonYuke

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Lets set accuracy aside only for the time being! I would like to get some opinions for selecting the perfect deer bullet for a non magnum 2800 Ft p sec, say 30-06, for deer hunting, and than for a magnum cartridge say a 264 wm at 3150 Ft p Sec. Would it varry? would you use the same construction for both, or is the high velocity means for a bonder bullet construction, or a barnes copper bullet.
The reason I ask this is that every deer I anchored in its track has been with a Hornady Soft point, and mostly all deer I shot with a magnum and a bonded bullet have punched a small hole behind the shoulder and ran off 100 + yards?( not saying I could have broken both shoulders and put him down we all can do this)

I shot a deer from my stand last year with a 300WM popped him through the lungs with a Tripple shock and he ran as if he were not hit, Yes I got him but a perfect shot and 200m of tracking.and yes perhaps not the best bullet for the game selection but wanted to try one.

I understand the theorys of bonded bullets and use them in most of my magnums, but am realy thinking about shooting a deer with my 264 WM this year and using Nosler Ballistic Tips or Hdy SP behind the front shoulder from my Tree stand.

Here is a bold staitement< maybe Bonded bullets are just made to well for thin skinned game and lower velocity cartrides >
I think for moose bear or elk they are great in combo with higher velocity to get them working, but for deer and a trusty 308/30-06 or 270, perhaps the old Hdy Sp is still the ticket?
Bold saitment #2 < I have found for the most part accuracy is better with the old soft point bullets vs the bonded construction bullets of multiple Brands of bullets? >
 
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its not fair to judge a bullet upon one example

I shot a whitetail buck last September right through the heart with a 130 grain Barnes Triple Shock X bullet from my 260 Remington. 2850 fps muzzle velocity, distance was approx. 150 yards. On impact the buck reared up on his hind legs like a horse, and flipped onto his back, stone dead.

Is the 260 a better deer killer than a 300 Win Mag? Would a Hornady Interlock or Nosler Ballistic Tip give me any quicker of a kill? I dont think so on either counts.

I could happily hunt with Hornady Interlocks. Id just be more picky about shot angles and Id have to go with a heavier for caliber bullet to get good penetration. I much prefer something along the lines of a TSX or Accubond, Partition, Scirroco, etc
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That is a very fair staitment Tod! I completely see you point of view, I guess what I am looking for is is there a fine line at a certain velocity that a bonded bullet works better than a Interlock and goes the same what about a certain velocity that a SP soft bullet may not work or splatter I guess? vs penetrate with proper expansion, I guess this is the direction I should look for?
Or am I seeing things different than others?

And just to add with shot placement you can always be sure a bonded or X type bullet will reach the Vital areas and break bone to do so no matter the velocity.
I guess bullet selection comes down to what you believe in and what works for you?
 
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TB and the 260

By the time the TSX bullet got to 150 yards it slowed down to the magical 2500 fps where most bullets do their best work and most game is taken.:) That velocity seems to drop game very well no matter if the bullet was a Barnes TSX or a plain jane Hornady Soft Point. I believe the magic is that the bullets at that speed tend to hold together better and penetrate further.
I would rather have a slower bullet that goes through and through than a lighter one that blows up on entry.
 
generally I dont think you'll find a bullet that will *always* perform the same, from shot to shot, animal to animal. when you launch a bullet at meat and bones, weird #### can happen, even to the "best" of the bullets.

I do think that bullets with higher sectional density, at moderate impact speeds of, lets say, 2100 to 2500 fps, will "perform" the best. Good expansion, good penetration, less bloodshot meat damage (bullet/placement depending of course).

Animals dont always stand broadside though, so thats another situation where something bonded etc shines over a plain jane vanilla soft point. You dont need a Barnes X to shoot a moose through the ribs, but if he's quartering towards and thats the only shot you'll be offered, well, its nice to be able to have the confidence in your bullet that it will punch through some heavy muscle and bone before biting the vitals. I dont think I'd feel as good on a shot like that if I was hunting with a Hornady Interlock or Sierra, Speer, etc

:beerchug:
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Bullets

Hello Jason

This is my experiances with some bullets Nosler BT are great to work out a load with and get group down to size, they may be okay in the open as long as you don't get them up to 3000 fps, they just don't work good, and if that trophy animal you might only get once in a lifetime to shoot at is quartering away from you they don't do the job the partitions will, I know there are many new bullets out there now I tryed the Lost Rivers in my 7mmwsm they shoot very good and have the highest BC I have found in any bullet but for hunting I just don't know maybe very large animals.
the plastic tips and light skined bullets do poorley in any kind of brush maybe ever small twiggs,
 
the plastic tips and light skined bullets do poorley in any kind of brush maybe ever small twiggs,
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No bullet performs well in brush.In the tests that I have seen, the higher velocity pointed bullets did do a little better than the slower moving round nose and flat point bullets.
 
from what Ive read, bullets with high sectional density seem to work better as far as deflection goes.

I hear alot of guys talk about brush busting, I just nod my head and smile :beerchug:
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JasonYuke said:
I shot a deer from my stand last year with a 300WM popped him through the lungs with a Tripple shock and he ran as if he were not hit, Yes I got him but a perfect shot and 200m of tracking.and yes perhaps not the best bullet for the game selection but wanted to try one.

>
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I have heard a few people say that they were not happy with the performance of the Barnes X and Triple shock on their whiteail hunts. I know of a board member here that shot a nice mule deer buck and hit him square in the vitals with a 30 cal Barnes X and kept going til he put another in him. He got rid of them and went back to a regular soft point.
I do hear guys really like the Triple Shocks elk, moose , bear ect...

Cheers!!
 
todbartell said:
from what Ive read, bullets with high sectional density seem to work better as far as deflection goes.​



I hear alot of guys talk about brush busting, I just nod my head and smile :beerchug:​
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There was an article in one of the gun rags several years ago where the author tried to simulate "busting brush" by shooting at a target behind a *tree* made from wooden dowling. His tests seemed to indicate that there was no rhyme or reason to the amount of deflection, regardless of bullet shape or speed. (for typical hunting velocities)

Damn good thing, too. If shooting results were cut and dried, we'd be having a discussion about buying ammo at wal-mart instead of bullet performance right now.:p
 
In my '06, 180 gr Interbonds make the best groups at the range and quickly turn deer into food, helluva good price for a quality bullet.
 
The faster you push a bullet the easier it is for that bullet to expand on impact, if you have a bullet that is designed for 2500 fps and shoot it at 3100 fps then that bullet is more than likely going to over expand.

Same thing with bullets meant for a different purpose lets say ballistic tips, I know guys who shoot deer with them and have had good sucess but I wouldn't shoot a moose with one, the bullet construction just cant deal with the extra thickness of the hide, muscle and heavier ribs/bone.

You basically have to match your bullet/ caliber and velocity to the game you are hunting I don't think there is a one size fits all bullet, at least thats what I tell the wife, so I can buy more guns!!!
 
This may not mean much but,

I went form the 140 accubonds to the 150 ballistic silvertip and I now have the perfect impact bullet on deer with the 270WSM. I have always been a silvertip man with the 308 as well.
 
303carbine said:
I would rather have a slower bullet that goes through and through than a lighter one that blows up on entry.
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Well I have been hunting a few years :D and have only a couple times ever seen a bullet "blow up" on entry that wasn't a varmint based bullet!
And those times when the bullet "fragmented somewhat" hitting a rib on entry, the deer died very fast with torn lungs & heart!! Is that really poor performance?? I think not! You don't need a big exit hole if the deers life is flowing vigioursly out it mouth from a good lung shot.

I have also on numerious occasions seem deer hit with bullets designed for moose size game run a fair distance with a rather small hole right thru! Although that's what the bullet was designed to do! I wouldn't call that really good performance either!

Personally, I would prefer a rather rapid expanding bullet like a Core Lock for thin skinned game like deer :)
 
senior said:
Well I have been hunting a few years :D and have only a couple times ever seen a bullet "blow up" on entry that wasn't a varmint based bullet!
And those times when the bullet "fragmented somewhat" hitting a rib on entry, the deer died very fast with torn lungs & heart!! Is that really poor performance?? I think not! You don't need a big exit hole if the deers life is flowing vigioursly out it mouth from a good lung shot.

I have also on numerious occasions seem deer hit with bullets designed for moose size game run a fair distance with a rather small hole right thru! Although that's what the bullet was designed to do! I wouldn't call that really good performance either!

Personally, I would prefer a rather rapid expanding bullet like a Core Lock for thin skinned game like deer :)
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Ahh. But there are those here that would consider that a bullet failure, and a calll for a premium bullet, no matter how fast the deer expired.
 
When a bullet enters the vitals makes a mess and the deer dies, I feel ( correct me if I am wrong) and some will argue that 100% energy transfer was achieved vs running a Tripple shock clean through in and out sure it will die but perhaps energy transfer is not completed and the shock factor goes down hill and requires trauma/blood loss and dead vitals to kill ?
 
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I have shot whitetails the last two years with a full-tilt 270 win load pushing a 130 TSX at close to 3200 fps, both at about 70 yds. The velocity at this range would be WAY over 2500 fps. Bullet performance was perfect, and both deer died immediately within spitting distance of where they were shot, similar to Bartell's deer. No kicking thrashing or anything. Both cases were lung shots. No other bullet has delivered that type of performance for me. I have killed plenty of deer with a hornady sp, sierra and speer bullets and they all work well. But they have not knocked the deer down like the barnes. I have had to do a few long range tracking jobs on deer that I have shot, but never with the barnes.

Having said that, if you have lost confidence in the bullet nothing anyone can say will change your mind so you might as well switch to something else.
 
Another thing to consider is the state the deer is in!
It is totally diff circumstance to drop a deer with an unexpected shot vs a running deer pumped full of adreniline!!

A shot that will drop a deer in it's tracks will appear as if unfizzed on a running deer! There is something to the old saying "dead on it's feet" I have seen it many times!

100 yds is certainly not out of the norm on a deer or moose with it's heart or lungs totally destroyed!!
 
I dont buy into the whole "dump all the energy into a critter", or else Id probably be shooting moose with 110 gr Vmax out of a 30-378

Penetration is what kills. Wrecking vital organs.

If the bullet exits, it is easier to track game that pulls a houdini after the shot. It can happen, and when it does, I dont want to be on my hands and knees trying to find out which track in the mud belongs to my buck.
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todbartell said:
I dont buy into the whole "dump all the energy into a critter", or else Id probably be shooting moose with 110 gr Vmax out of a 30-378

Penetration is what kills. Wrecking vital organs.

If the bullet exits, it is easier to track game that pulls a houdini after the shot. It can happen, and when it does, I dont want to be on my hands and knees trying to find out which track in the mud belongs to my buck.
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LOL! That would be neat but messy to see!
 
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