Hunting bullets explained / compared

[shotcup]

"I actually think that a GMX from a .30-06 put into the right spot, would stop a moose fairly competently."

Yes, the moose I took 2 years ago with a 30.06 165 grain Hornady GMX crashed right through both lungs and provided a moose dead as any other moose killed with cup and core, or mono bullets I have used over the years.

 

[huntingfish]

Guys, not sure what to say. I did what I always do; What has killed a few mooses over the years and that one time, the moose did not die. Could it have been shot placement, absolutely, but I don't think so. It was the first year that I tried GMX bullets.

The moose was not recovered, so I will never know what happened.

The year after, I switched back to Core-Lokt and I did as I always do and the moose was dead.

Maybe I hit a rib or something? I dunno.

David

 

[Jim870]

There seems to be an agreement about what is considered good bullets (partition, Accubond, A-Frame). What do you, experienced hunters, consider as 'bad' bullets, for deer for example?

Only 2 options I'd not use for deer FMJ and Varmint bullets. That is really just for simplicity's sake. Some varmint bullets in slower than normal cartridge perform very well, but that is the realm of experimentation for the experienced I'd caution a new hunter to not tilt at that particular windmill just yet. You could add to that match bullets but it is easy enough to google the effectiveness of you favorite match bullet and decide for yourself. There is no real mystery to killing deer and most expanding bullets will get the deed done. If you want dead on the spot results get close and shoot them in the brain, anything else occasionally gets a deer you have to look for. Admittedly not very far most times.

Guys, not sure what to say. I did what I always do; What has killed a few mooses over the years and that one time, the moose did not die. Could it have been shot placement, absolutely, but I don't think so. It was the first year that I tried GMX bullets.

The moose was not recovered, so I will never know what happened.

The year after, I switched back to Core-Lokt and I did as I always do and the moose was dead.

Maybe I hit a rib or something? I dunno.

David

With the game going un recovered it is really hard to say what happened. I broke both shoulders of a decent buck with a 7mm Rem mag at around 180 yards and he managed to push himself 80 yards and leave almost no blood trail I could see until the last 15 yards, and that was with a 150 grain NBT. Sometimes odd things happen. I had a Nosler partition turn roughly 90 degrees after penetrating most of one lung of a quartering towards black bear, it exited just ahead of the diaphragm on the same side, should been a hard tracking job, bear never moved except straight down and a couple kicks. Sometimes game reacts outside of the norm and sometimes bullets do weird things upon impact, some bullets are more consistent and predictable than others but every one available has at least one person with a story of odd or poor performance out there.
I wouldn't abandon corelockts for your 30-06 unless forced, but very much doubt a rib is the cause of that particular misfortune. I admit I don't have Doglegs vast culling experience with monos and do not share his disdain for the use of them. Yes, game has occasionally travelled further than I expected but its never been the horrific tracking ordeals he describes. I won't abandon my preferred bullets for them unless forced, but see their merit and use.

 

[hawk-i]

To me it seems (JMHO) if one is patient and takes broadside lung shots, bullets like the Hornady interlock as well as the SST and Berger VLD's kill game a LOT quicker than the mono bullets.

On the other hand a shoulder shot that hits bone will give you less meat damage with the mono's.

 

[dgradinaru]

I have used Hornady bullets with reasonable success [with one exception], but stay away from the Interlock in any magnum.
The Interbond is a great bullet, and the GMX, being monometal, is good as long as velocity is up there.

I had a 270, 140 grain SPBT Interlock from a 270 Winchester blow up completely on a whitetail deer's ribs [c. 80 yards]
That bullet started at just over 3000 with the load I was using, and no part of the bullet reached the vitals.

Fortunately for me [and the deer] he only ran a few yards and stopped, seemed a bit dazed, and I was able to give him
a second shot, at which he dropped immediately. He had a large surface wound from the first shot, but the second was
a passthrough. Maybe just a faulty bullet, but it put up caution flags for sure. My 270 now gets the 140 Accubond.

For my 257 Weatherby, the only bullets I load and use are: 120 Partition, 120 A-Frame, 100 TTSX.
In my 6.5x55AI, the 142 LRAB seems to work well, but 2 animals is hardly a big enough number to assess properly.
My 8mm Rem Mag gets the 200 or 220 A-Frame, with the 196 Oryx a tentative candidate, we'll see. Dave.

Hey Dave, where do you source your Swift A-frame bullets for your 8MM? Ive looked around and am having a hard time finding any.

 

[Eagleye]

Hey Dave, where do you source your Swift A-frame bullets for your 8MM? Ive looked around and am having a hard time finding any.

IIRC, I got them from Prophet River. But, I am not certain, it may have been Jerry Teo [Mystic Precision] I have a couple of boxes of 200 and 220 grain on hand,
so have not bought recently. Dave.

 

[Dogleg]

I did a head to comparison test with 168 TSXs in a 30-06 against cup and core and bonded bullets. It took 3 weeks and 600 dead critters in Australia, but the copper bullets came in dead last. They are slow killers, period.

Speaking of periods, get over your’s.

 

[Buckmastr]

That’s why I never hunt with a single shot. Volume is often relied upon once bullet failure/poor marksmanship occurs.

 

[Buckmastr]

Witnessed a 110 eldx from a 257 Roberts burn clean through a bear at over 200 yards the other day. Exit hole maybe the size of a loonie. And the bear died.
Another one took several 140TTSX's from a 7 mag. But this was a much tougher bear.

 

[Gopher Slayer]

I did a head to comparison test with 168 TSXs in a 30-06 against cup and core and bonded bullets. It took 3 weeks and 600 dead critters in Australia, but the copper bullets came in dead last. They are slow killers, period.

Speaking of periods, get over your’s.

I’m not a fan of mono bulges either. I shot a whitetail with my 257wby pushing a 100ttsx at 3500fps. Shot was 200 yards broadside and I recovered the bullet on the far shoulder. Bullet did not expand at all. It took an hour of tracking to recover the buck with a very minimal blood trail. I have a picture of the failed bullet but don’t know how to post pics anymore

 

[JIMMY 808]

Another one took several 140TTSX's from a 7 mag. But this was a much tougher bear.

Darker meat...

Headed to capital city on the hunt for some 100gr TTSX 25cal.

 

[stubblejumper]

I use different bullets for different cartridges, and different applications. For cartridges where muzzle velocities are in the 3300fps and above range, I prefer the monometals like the TTSX. For bullets with muzzle velocities in the 2600-2900 fps range, I tend to go with a cup and core bullet like the Gamechanger or Interlock. In the 3000-3200fps range, I tend to go with either Partitions or bonded bullets like the Accubond.