Is premium Ammo Worth the Dollars?

Hit on shoulder?

Bishopus said:
If that core-lokt comes apart on the shoulder, I guarantee the animal will be able to tell the difference.
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Many, many old time grizzly hunters used the 30-06, well before the era of the premium bullets. They preferred a side ways hit on the shoulder. The advice often given was, "wait until you get a shot on the shoulder. That will break at least the first shoulder and sometimes both shoulders."
If you are old enough to have been reading the writings of Jack O'Connor you may remember that he, Jack O'Connor, did the field testing for Remington for their Core Lokt bullets, on an extended Yukon hunt. I remember him reporting that the 180 grain in the 30-06 shot cleaar through a grizzly, kicking up dirt on the far side. He also stated that no heavier bullet than 180 grains was required for any of the large animals.
 
H4831 said:
Many, many old time grizzly hunters used the 30-06, well before the era of the premium bullets. They preferred a side ways hit on the shoulder. The advice often given was, "wait until you get a shot on the shoulder. That will break at least the first shoulder and sometimes both shoulders."
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If those same old timey grizzly hunters had used a triple shock instead of a cup-and-core softpoint, the first shot would have ALWAYS broken the first shoulder and ALWAYS broken the off shoulder, and NEVER come to pieces before penetrating.;)

As O'Connor describes in detail in several of his books and articles, cup and core bullets sometimes fail under stress. Good cup and core bullets (like the ones O'Connor was paid to endorse) might fail only 1% of the time, but average ones might fail a little more, or a lot more.

Compared to filling up your truck with gas, they're still cheap. Why skimp?
 
You will find the cheapies will do just as well as the expensive ones at 200 yrds and under. The premos offer better accuracy and punch for longer ranges out to 400 yrds. But in all reality, I get my deer and my moose every year, and they have all been under 100 yrds. And thats bouncing between my good ol 303 and 30-06, depending on my whim for the day
 
I switched to Federal Fusions last fall. I can't say that they performed any different than the cheaper Federals I was using before. Both types go through a deer's vitals and out the other side.
I switched to the Fusions because almost all the info I read on them was positive and they are only a buck a box more than the cheapies.
 
I have been shown samples of triple shock bullets which failed. They did not open up and didn't penetrate in a straight line. So, nothing's perfect.
The best piece of info in this entire thread was that by Mysticplayer where he said you have to be able to hit a milk jug every time from the position you will be using and under the conditions you will encounter in the field. Group size means little except as a confidence builder.
A lot of practice and ammunition suited to the game and conditions are probably the main requirements for a clean kill. Time spent in the field the main requirement for a successful hunt.
Premium ammo? It's not likely to make or break the hunt but if all it does is increase confidence, it's still worthwhile. Regards, Bill.
 
RickF said:
?? I suggest you read a wee bit of O'Connor.
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I've read an awful lot of O'Connor. He was rational and liked to use light bullets at high velocity, and he hated when bullets failed. Based on that data, I think he'd be all over the TSX like a fat kid on a smartie.
 
Bishopus said:
I've read an awful lot of O'Connor. He was rational and liked to use light bullets at high velocity, and he hated when bullets failed. Based on that data, I think he'd be all over the TSX like a fat kid on a smartie.
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I agree, but you said if he had partitions available, he would have been using them too. He used the Nosler Partition for a good 25 years, that's all. Maybe I missed the context of your post.

It came out in the late 40's, and that bullet was in large part the basis for his long-standing feud with Elmer Keith. Keith: big, slow, cup and core bullets. O'Connor: a good bullet like a NP at higher velocities.
 
RickF said:
I agree, but you said if he had partitions available, he would have been using them too. He used the Nosler Partition for a good 25 years, that's all. Maybe I missed the context of your post.
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Nope, you're completely right--I must have mentioned the NP, but I meant the Accubond (and other bonded bullets). He used ye olde partition for years, and had great things to say about it.
 
1.25 inches at 100 yards is fine, and I sincerely doubt that premiums would tighten your groups. For a real world comparison, compare match bullets to premium bullets to regular cup and core bullets. Match bullets give repeatable ballistics partly because they have simple construction. Not much you can mess up. Regular old bullets are also pretty simple. Most premium bullets out there have more variables in their construction, which makes them less accurate.

Whether you really need premium bullets for the 1% of the time that they'd come in handy, you can decide.
 
Jack O'Connor wrote some outstanding articles, and was a true lover of all things relating to "guns and ammo" however, I sometimes think that he shot 1.5" or tighter groupings with his type writer. His vision and outlook on present day hunting (in his time) was a good read, it was exciting and you had the feeling that you could be a hunter of his calibre. I am sure that some of his hunts were staged, all for the good read. I have hunted and shot deer, moose, elk, bear most with a single shot from factory ammo. Last year I started using Federal Fusion ammo, I don't know if it shoots any better (I got 1.75" on 5 shoots, 30.06 at 100 yards), but I feel better knowing that I can still knock down what is in my scope.
 
I have tried several different bullet types and grains AND handloaded for my 30-06. Although the handloaded ones were a little tighter at 200 yds, the hornadys came very close to matching it. The Hornadys are about mid way in the price range and work great in my rifle. Others I've talked to couldn't hit a barn with them! Each rifle will shoot better with a different mix, the trick is to find it! Once found, use nothing else. If your sited in with one type of bullet and then switch, it may be off just enough to miss.
Spend a little money on different bullets, then get the rifle taken care of (bedding, trgger job, etc)
Just my opinions and experince.
 
To answer your question directly, if you're already buying factory box ammo (as opposed to milsurp) and your accuracy is in that range, you'll get better accuracy improvements from (in order) practice, trigger job, bedding.

Buy the premo stuff in large enough quantity to sight in after lots of practice with the less expensive stuff and to hunt with.

Truthfully though, I agree with other posts here: learn to reload. Relaxing and satisfying, as well as far far more economical.
 
From a non-premium rifle, for a not too experienced shooter, I would say you're doing good in the accuracy department. Three inches at 200 yards is great hunting accuracy, considering the size of the kill zone on a deer. Don't know much about your Mossberg rifle, but in the real world an inch and a quarter group from a hunting rifle with factory loads is pretty decent -- internet hype notwithstanding.

Some have suggested reloading. That may help a bit. With a little R&D for your rifle, you may be able to get a pet load under an inch, maybe not. A good trigger is a must, and a smooth crown. Don't know how much you would want to spend on a Mossberg bolt. Maybe a Tikka or a Remington would do you better, maybe not. Lots of smart practice will help some.

If your rifle will consistently hit inch and a quarter groups with factory ammo, I'd say, "Load 'er up and go kill some stuff."
 
If you can afford to set up for reloading... do it! You will likely become a better shooter if you learn to reload. For starters you will become a student of ballistics and you will likely shoot more!;)
If you don't have the time or money to reload, shoot as many different types of factory ammunition as you can afford and see what shoots the best in your rifle. You can learn a lot about the performance of most bullets on game with a little research.
You don't need to become a marksman overnight... and premium ammo will not make you one! It sounds like you have a good start already, your asking the right questions.:cool:
 
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