Hornady A-max .... i have questions

[45ACPKING]

so, I've picked up a few hundred bullets of hornady a-max 168gr .308 and i'm going to be soon reloading for my .308
question ... is the A-max bullet strictly a target bullet? or can this also be used as a hunting projectile. My only real experience is with Sierra BTSP and Nosler Partitions. I can't seem to find any ballistic reviews on the A-max as a large game round.

anyone have any insight?

 

[ivo]

They say it is NOT a hunting bullet. Having said that I used 168 Matchkings in my .308 all last season and they worked great for a non-hunting bullet.
You may want to check longrangehunting website for more info.

I just picked up 208gr A-maxs for my .300 win mag so I'll be following this thread closely for more info aswell.

Ivo

 

[ivo]

PS Just to add one thing, they say that the Hornady SST flies virtually the same and it is a hunting bullet.

 

[AB.boy]

I read on the Hornady site a while ago that Amax bullets are suitable for hunting up to deer sized game...or something along those lines.

 

[aftermidnight]

i used an amax (168 iirc) on a decent buck at just over 100 yds.. he fell over, kicked twice.. and it was good night gracie.... right through the heart.. it was a handful of jelly, and out the other side. now it was what i had at the time. as they say maybe not the best choice, but cant argue w/ the results.

 

[werewolf]

According to the hornady manual, the amax is good for medium game. I think you'll like them, I'd try the 178 grain amaxes as well. I use em in both my .308 as well as my 30-06 and I'm really impressed with the accuracy.

 

[p-17]

It should be fine for deer-sized game. About a year ago, one of the posters did a bullet penetration and expansion test in bundles of wet newspaper with a 6.5x55 rifle using an incredible array of different bullets. I donated some 140-grain AMAXes for the cause, and they performed better than Nosler Ballistic Tips. If memory serves, those AMAX bullets held together and penetrated comparably to a number of conventional hunting bullets.

 

[45ACPKING]

thanx for the responses guys.
while not new to firearms and such..... reloading is a new area for me.... I'll give the A-max a try.... well... I already bought em so..... at least this gives me an idea on the decision to use em for deer n predators such as wolves or coyote

 

[manitou210]

Like most members said they will work on light skin animals, but there is no bullet made today with the amount of kills that the Partitions have done over the years.

 

[ivo]

Like I posted earlier not recommended as a hunting bullet for medium or larger game, from antelope, caribou, deer and larger.

From the Hornady site HITS Calculator:

Hornady Bullet Guide

V-MAX™ and Traditional Varmint - Rapid, explosive expansion.

Recommended muzzle velocity range: 2000 to 4000+ fps

InterBond™ - Rapid, controlled expansion with deep penetration.

Recommended muzzle velocity range: 2000 to 3600 fps

SST® (Super Shock Tip) - Rapid, controlled expansion with deep penetration.

Recommended muzzle velocity range: 2000 to 3300 fps

Traditional Hunting InterLock™ (RN, SP, SP-RP, FP, HP) - Controlled expansion with deep penetration.

Recommended muzzle velocity range: 2000 to 3300 fps

FTX™ (available only in factory loaded ammunition) - Rapid, controlled expansion with deep penetration.

Recommended muzzle velocity range: Handgun 800 to 2100 fps and Rifle 1800 to 3000 fps.

DGX™ Dangerous Game eXpanding - Deep penetration with highly controlled expansion.

Recommended muzzle velocity range: 1700 to 3000+ fps

DGS™ Dangerous Game Solid - Deepest penetration with NO expansion.

Recommended muzzle velocity range: 1700 to 3000+fps

FMJ (rifle and handgun) - No expansion, deep penetration.

Recommended muzzle velocity range: N/A

XTP™ - Controlled expansion with deep penetration.

Recommended muzzle velocity range: 700 to 1500 fps

XTP MAG™ - Controlled expansion with deep penetration at higher velocities than the original XTP.

Recommended muzzle velocity range: 1200 to 2300 fps

FPB™ and SST-ML w/ Flex-Tip® technology - Rapid, controlled expansion with deep penetration.

Recommended muzzle velocity range: 800 to 2300 fps

A-MAX™ and BTHP Match - Rapid, explosive expansion with limited penetration.

Recommended muzzle velocity range: 2000+ fps.
These bullets are not recommended for hunting medium and large game.


Ivo

 

[shadow sniper]

Is anybody knoe the exacte minimum OAL and maximum OAL lenght for the amax 30 cal moly coated 168 gr bullets ?

I am working hard to get this kind of info all over the internet, but i am not too lucky these days with such data....

Compared to the Nosler BTHP i usualy load, these bullets looks like killa basta top notch stuff !!!!

Well done Hornady !
Thanks in advance for the available info ...

 

[gaetoune]

Well, seems like your plan is to hunt big game. My suggestion is, get a bullet for hunting. Look at the ballistic from the AMAX and the SST and you'll be surprise they compare, unless you're planning to shoot past a mile.

Since we're talking about big game bullets here (I'm assuming) You don't need 1/2MOA accuracy at 700yds. So my theory is a good expension with great weight retention is the way to go.

Since Amax don't quite meet these requirement why would you go for less and maybe come back home with sad stories and no meat.

I shoot the SST in my 30-06 and they perform flawlessly. I love them and in my '06 I get about 1MOA up to 600 YDS, So on a 18" vitals I am well inside if I do my part.

Cheers
Gaetoune