Bullets you have used (Hunting) and how they performed -expansion -accuracy ect.

[leonard]

Ive shot SST's neither of my 2 main hunting rifles liked them so i stopped using them. I would like to hear how these bullets held up during hunting situations as i still have about 200 left and if they hold up better than my noslers do i might have to take another crack at them.

So far both my Nosler BT 95g .243 cal and my Nosler combined Tech BT 150G .308 cal bullets have shot very well . the 243 bullet had ridiculous expansion (you could call it too much even) and some crazy meat waste occurred (just rib meat) but i did shoot that deer at 80 yards with the bullets exiting at about 3300-3400 fps so it could very well have been just too fast for that bullet to completely hold up but i will say the bullet did pass through and it killed the deer in seconds it bled out within 3 steps literally.

The 308 bullet expanded well I've never seen a more dramatic bleed out on a animal it hit that mule deer and I'm not kidding the blood pumping out both sides was like 2 water hoses with no ends on them with the tap turned to full. again the deer took massive damage (but not meat dmg this time) and bled out within seconds. the only problem i had with this bullet was it clipped a rib and turned it exited at the short rib's which scared the hell out of me cuz it was nearly a gut shot because of it . the bullet missed the guts and clipped the liver but that was quite a turn for a rib clip none the less.

so for me BT = mass expansion quick kills but so far bones = bad with them

.308 Triple shocks from barns. i achieved moderate to good/ok groups with these bullets (1 inch groups at 100yards) they are extremely expensive to reload but look to be a solid bullet for larger game. after seeing how much that Combined tech bullet turned in a mule deer i might be fine tuning a load for these for elk ect.

my interlocks from Hornady shoot well in my 303 i have not used them for hunting as that is not my hunting rifle but i would expect them to work similar to a partition or corelock givin the design.

I also reload for a 45-70 so far I've used a lot of cast bullets from bullet barn. I've only found 1 consistent load for these cast bullets so far and that was a triple lug gas check @ 1800fps. I've since shamefully started shooting hornady lever evolution's because they group with in 1 inch or better for me at like 200 yards they simply shoot a little flatter for me.

Id like to hear other peoples results and even if the bullets are the same as ive shot please share. we can possibly pool our info here and get a pattern going on how these bullets are performing in real world hunting application and not just at the range.

 

[saskcop]

In .223, I have had good luck with Nosler 69 grain match hollowpoints atop W748. In .243 I have had incredible results with the 100 grain Nosler Partition and H1000 powder. It has been very accurate and minimizes meat damage due to the controlled expanding characteristics. I have also had very good results with the 100 grain Speer Grand Slam. I have never recovered a Grand Slam as they have always completely penetrated and left leaks on both sides of even the biggest whitetails. In .30-06, I have had excellent results with the 180 Nosler Accubond and H4350. Perfect accuracy if I do my part and complete penetration on moose from all reasonable angles. My favorite in .300 Winchester mag has been the 200 grain Grand Slam and IMR 7828. I may have taken more game with this one than any other. In my .338 Remington Ultra Mangle-um, the 275 grain Swift A Frame leaves holes like no other, and at over 2800 fps with Retumbo out a 26" barrel hits like a locomotive with a drunk at the helm. My favorite .444 Marlin load has been 300 grain Speer Soft points. You only need to carry two of these rounds when you go moose hunting. One for the moose, and one to make the cutline for the way out. My .45-70 load is a 405 grain Remington soft point atop enough H322 or H335 to make you want to say one is enough. This eats moose for breakfast. I have always wanted to try a Hornady 500 grainer in this one just because ... well, just because. My .458 Lott load consists of a 500 grain Hornady and a judicious load of IMR 3031. When you pull the trigger I swear you see dead relatives. That is about it. All of these bullet and powder combinations have yielded very good to excellent accuracy and have performed exactly as I have wanted on game.

 

[ben hunchak]

My results differ as I only use larger cals. for hunting, .44 cal. and up, I use heavy for caliber, wide Flat pts., 325gr. WFN GC cast bullets for the .44, 420-480gr. WFN GC in the .45/70 and 45/100, 530gr. to 700gr. in the .50s. I work up accurate loads, both BP and Smokeless, bullets are cast of differing hardness depending on velocity. Bullets hammer game with a familiar thud, and most drop "right now". Most bullets penetrate completely, except the Gould H.P., lengthwise or widthwise, most with some mushrooming, causing very large wound channels. I couldn't ask for better results no matter how much is spent on bullets.

 

[Splatter]

For shooting bigger stuff, I stick with the Nosler partitions. Nothing fancy or hi-tech and they don't shoot quite as good as match bullets; but srsly, if I can get 1.5MOA I'm happy, that's about 6" at 400 yards, which is my personal theoretical maximum.
I say theoretical because the longest shot I've ever taken on big game has barely been 100 yards. and if even if I did see a moose at 400 yards, I'd have to think long-and-hard about whacking him....

Last month my moose took his dirt-nap about 100 feet from where I hit him (he was trotting pretty quickly, so the 150 feet he covered (he went in on an angle) translated into about 3 seconds). It took my father and I something like 6 hours of steady work to get it dressed and out to the road and loaded in my truck. If that moose would have gone about another 30 feet (about 5 more moose-steps) he'd have gone over a 10-foot bank and we'd have had to bring him out one roast-at-a-time and I might still be there!
I might think about long shots on something that would dress-out at 100 lbs, that's pretty manageable cut into quarters; but I delivered 550 lbs to the meatcutter, that means a fat, old bugger like me, with his older (but not fatter) dad ain't carrying those quarters very far, even if we cut them in half again!

 

[Gatehouse]

Lots of good bullets out there these days...

I just stick Barnes TSX and TTSX bullets in almost all my rilfes, and be done with it...After initial load development, they are easy and cheap insurance.

Any angle you get on a deer, if you can aim towards vitals, the TSX does the job...Makes life simple. Although I am using Nosler AB's in the .375 Ruger.

 

[Brutus]

Oh yeah, .458 bullets and lots of 3031, when you want to sound like a cannon!

 

[Cappy]

Out of my .308's I've had outstanding results on game with just your standard Hornady Interlocks and Speer Hot-Cors, both in 165gr versions. Used Nosler Partitions as well, but they were pretty much the same so I went back to the standard bullets.

Out of my 6.5x55's 129gr and 140gr Hornady Interlock and SST's hacve performed well, the SST's were definately more explosive, but still pentrated through on deer.

When I was shooting it I used the 140gr Accubond in the 270WSM, accurate and held up well even on close range shots (10 yards)

My go to bullet in the 325WSM is the Sierra 220gr Game-King. Dumps deer with very little meat damage and held up well on the one elk I've shot with it.

Unless I'm shooting a bullet in the 3000fps or higher range I just stick with normal bullets.

 

[Why not?]

270 gr Speer from 9.3X62 in this year's moose, weighs 225 grains.

250 gr Barnes X from 375 H&H, bullet tumbled in Woods Bison

Both are 270 gr Hornadys from 375 H&H used on moose, one at very close range, other at around 250. Can you tell which is which?

Here's four 286 gr Norma Dual-Cores taken from my old 9.3X62.

As best as I can remember they were all one shot kills, at varying ranges form less than ten yards to around 200.

Ted

 

[rommelrommel]

Got to see what TTSX's do to a whitetail this year, and I'll be usign them from now on.

 

[Brutus]

I am going to turn back the clock here. The last time I used a 30-30 the 150 grain Winchester Silvertip absolutely 'exploded' in the deers chest.
The deer took one step & fell right there, never to get up again.
A quick check after gutting the buck, revealed that even the front portion of the tenderlions were hammered by the lead particles, as of course the lungs were as well. So to, the top of the deer's heart.
Somewhere around here I have the spent copper jacket, weighing 77 grains.

 

[woodchopper]

I decided to use my old stand by rifle and up some old loads of mine this year.

Speer Grandslams 175grn, loded into a 7mmRM

lets just say its a bit much on whitetails, and there will be no bullets recovered. but I must say impressive damage

but I've gotten set on using Nosler accubonds for all my hunting, so once I run out of this batch I'll work up a new load.

 

[Lefty Dick]

I've used over the years just about every readily available bullet out there.
from Sierra Gameking 165gr. 30cals in a 30'06, I probably shot 50-60 animals with that load and never recovered a single bullet, all the animals died in a perscribed manner to suggest the bullet performed in a manner to which it was designed.
Speer 170's in a 30/30, it worked as designed, deer died, and all shots went clean through the boiler room.
139gr. Hornady BTSP's(interlocks) out of the 284Win I recovered 1 bullet from likely 100 head of game harvested, the recovered bullet was from a head on encounter with a cow moose, I found it in the spine some 27" behind the skull where the bullet entered, only weighed 40grs, but it went through some 3 feet or more of almost all moose bone.
100gr. Nosler Partitions from my 25'06 of which one bull elk, 3 cow moose, and 30 or so deer have fallen, recovered 2 bullets one from a mulie buck shot in the front shoulders at 255yds, the other from a cow moose shot quartering away at 300 yds, both bullets weighed in at 65 grs. +or-

My bullet choices are made by how the rifle performs with them with respect to accuracy potential.

All the hyped up press, is just that, press, let the rifle decide what it likes, as long as it is a reasonable choice of a game bullet, quite worrying.

 

[wade]

i have dropped the expensive bullets , i have used hornady interlocks in my .338, ,308,.270, 3006 ,.223 all with good results, , wade

 

[350 Mag]

I decided to use my old stand by rifle and up some old loads of mine this year.

Speer Grandslams 175grn, loded into a 7mmRM

lets just say its a bit much on whitetails, and there will be no bullets recovered. but I must say impressive damage

but I've gotten set on using Nosler accubonds for all my hunting, so once I run out of this batch I'll work up a new load.

I am going to use some 7mm 160gr Accubonds for Late Season Deer this Fall.

What I like the best about this bullet is that Nosler lists the B.C @ .531. There isn't a chart in my Nosler #5 manual for a B.C that high. Should be a Flat shooting and hard hitting bullet out to 500-600 yards(if someone were inclined to shoot that far).

In the past I have done well and was pleased with Nosler Partitions, Speer Spitzers, and although I wasn't 100% happy Nosler Ballistic Tips did well for me too.

 

[JasonYuke]

I have had good luck with most, and can honestly say I have not had a bullet per say FAIL, for me. I have been very fortunate to recover all Big Game animals that I have shot.

I still today use the Hornady 165 Interbonds, and 165-180 interlocks in my 30 cals with the exception of my 30-378 and which i use a TSX and 300 wsm use a accubond.

In my 7mms I use a 160 gr accubonds a, with the exception of my 7 RUM which again use a TSX that works great.

My general rule of thumb for Deer, is stick to a softer bullet like a Hdy sp point for velocity under 3000 fps, and go bonded for above 3000.

For bear and moose its always a bonded bullet, I took a avg bear this fall with a 180 accubond in my 300 wsm that worked great, broke both shoulders and passed through not causing massive destructive damage but it did the job in short order, with a quick kill and the bear dropped not 10 yards away from the shot. I also had the fortune of harvesting a great 12 point buck last Nov wih a TSX that was teh most dramtic kill i have seem as in lights out on the ground dead.
I also took a small buck last nov with a 165 gr interbond from my 300 wby that worked great in a double lung shot and with in 50 yards down, again the bullet went through with a nice neat wound channel and juggs of blood

I use partitions in my 338 wm, my 350 MB, and 375.

There is really nothing wrong with any bullet if you are shooting a standard cartridge under normal conditions with a presentable shot. I have found in the past velocity is a major factor when picking your projectile, its quite simple the faster you push a bullet the harder it is to hold together.

I think of this like a car hitting water, if you dropped a car noise first into the water doing 10 mph you would not see damage, drop it from an airplane into a lake and its crushed it car parts all over.

 

[Eagleye]

I have shot game with a fair variety of "bread & butter" game bullets, but I always revert to the Nosler Partition when I am in need of dependability. I have used some MRX, & TSX Barnes in the last few years, and they are working very well. However, it is unlikely that I will be able to shoot the sheer volume of game with them, due to the fact that I suspect the lion's share of my hunting career is behind me, not ahead. That being said, The Partition has been flawless for me over a 40+ year span of time, and it is the bullet I compare all others to. To the rhetoric that some present: "You don't need those premium bullets" I say: True in most cases, but it also doesn't hurt to use them. I even use the 150 Partition in my 300 Savage, hardly a chambering that inspires visions of high velocities and phenomenal energy. But damn, they work great! Every deer [and one moose] that I have shot with them has found the ground rushing up to meet them promptly, and without any issues. Another bullet would probably have worked OK also, but these shoot so well in this 700 Classic that I see no reason to switch. My new 300 WSM shoots the 180 Partition into ½-¾ moa at 3050 fps....guess it will be going hunting with that bullet! I like the Accubond, but have had a couple of instances with the 30 cal 180 grainer that indicated fairly violent expansion at 308 Norma Mag speeds, so am watching carefully as I use these. I know there are those who may not agree, and that is their prerogative, but I think that the Partition is hard to beat in 99% of all situations. Regards, Eagleye.

 

[adriel]

Everything from plain-o bulk bag bullets, Hot-cor's, Accubonds, TSX's, Ballistic tips, grand slams to what I'm using now; SST's. I liked the ballistic tips, but the SST's do the exact same thing for me at a lower cost.

 

[ScottB]

I've used SST's and they gave me great accuracy with my '06. I would usually find a couple of copper pieces that tore off of the bullet during expansion. Not exactly what you want but they always caused the moose to drop within 50m.

 

[stovepipe699]

In my 30-06 Tikka I have been very happy with Hornady 165 BTSP for deer hunting. One of my loads put 5 shots the size of a nickle at 110 yards. I have taken deer from 30 to 420 yards, and love them. I really don't like the fast expansion bullets (nosler ballistic tips, HDY sst, speer grandslam etc) b/c the deer I shot/helped clean after being shot with them are a MESS! Damaged meat, bone fragments everywhere, and I mean cleanly placed shots. Some guys love them, but my kills are very fast and damage less meat.

 

[martinbns]

This one is a 168 gr TSX that got caught under the skin on the far side of a zebra at about 80 yards from a 30-06 my son was shooting. The bullet weighed 164 grs and pretty much totalled the zebra, broken shoulder, bangflop.

Here's the zebra.

This one is the same bullet, a 168gr TSX from a 300 win mag that I also got form the skin on the far side of a moose shot at about 250 yards. This one blew up a rib on the way in, destroyed heart and broke the shoulder on the far side.

Here's the moose