This is an interesting topic-and I'm wondering if it isn't as simple as one might conclude.My friend hunted for years with a basic 303,regular bullets and shot a lot of deer.He then decided to buy a 7mm mag,and got some premium bullets-and much to his amazement, a mule deer he hit kept running-they eventually did recover it -but on skinning and butchering-found the much faster premium bullet didn't expand nearly as well as his old soft point 303;s did at a slower velocity.He wondered if maybe the premium bullets were best left for larger moose and elk and the regular,lower velocity soft points were actually better for deer size game.Is there validity to this theory?
limitations of basic 'soft points' vs premium bullets....
- Thread starter manbearpig
- Start date
This is a common theory, and not necissarily without merit-Some bullets (liek the Failsafe and some early X bullets) were at times, too hard and didn't expand well on lung shot light game.
Nosler Partitions always expand easily, though.
TSX bullets seem to have fixed the problem, as they expand very well and kill very well, on deer, bear, moose, coyote and wolf!
As an example 338 250gr cup and core hornadys $41/100 partitions are $60/50. And yes spread over the 5+ years the price difference is meaningless. But then again there is nothing I hunt that the plain cup and core will not kill, under any condition that the partiton would kill. So the money spent on the partition is spent too gain nothing. I may be wierd but I dislike spending money for nothing.
And that 80$, will buy this year 22 plinking ammo, which is hours of fun for me and my boys which is an actual something.
Don't get me wrong priemums have there place it is just not as big of a place as the marketers would have us think. It's like the shampoo companies putting the words rinse and repeat on the bottles, no real benifit to the user but they sell twice as much shampoo.
And that 80$, will buy this year 22 plinking ammo, which is hours of fun for me and my boys which is an actual something.
Don't get me wrong priemums have there place it is just not as big of a place as the marketers would have us think. It's like the shampoo companies putting the words rinse and repeat on the bottles, no real benifit to the user but they sell twice as much shampoo.
- Location
- WMU248 near Edmonton
since I'm reloading premium bullets really don't cost that much more and after last fall shooting a moose at 300m with accubonds (twice) I was really impressed with their preformance.
Now I'm switching to accubonds for my 7mmRM and dont know yet about the 25-06, I'm using Nosler BT and they are working good but perhaps the accubonds will be better.
22-250 well that will be Nosler BT for varmits, those work good.
other rifles are getting different bullets depending on what I'm shooting. All the enfields get a 174grm RN Hornady, the Win70 308 heavy barrel gets Sierra 200grn BTHP and the 30-30 I forget what I'm using but its a 170grn FN
I use premium for the faster calibers, because it seems to be working.
Now I'm switching to accubonds for my 7mmRM and dont know yet about the 25-06, I'm using Nosler BT and they are working good but perhaps the accubonds will be better.
22-250 well that will be Nosler BT for varmits, those work good.
other rifles are getting different bullets depending on what I'm shooting. All the enfields get a 174grm RN Hornady, the Win70 308 heavy barrel gets Sierra 200grn BTHP and the 30-30 I forget what I'm using but its a 170grn FN
I use premium for the faster calibers, because it seems to be working.
I think on deer sized critters the average hornady/speer works very well, on game under about 400lbs a quick expanding bullet seems to work great.On big yukon/alaskan bulls or grizzly, I do like a premium like an x or swift/nosler type of bullet, you know you will get enough penetreation, even if you hit bone.Will a hornady or speer work, most times ofcourse. I always have to laugh when someone says it worked for my grandfather or great grandfather (no offense intended). It's just that hunting conditions have changed, alot.Animals aren't more bullet proof but the conditions in which game is hunted is vastly different.Also I believe today we are alot more concerned with wounded animals then in the past, only my opinion .
- Location
- Vancouver Island BC
Bigger game like moose usually get the Nosler's or Barnes when I have them and smaller game like mulies can be cleanly taken with soft point ammo.
There are merits to both, but I believe when the critters get bigger, use a heavier bullet and go to one of the premiums.
There are merits to both, but I believe when the critters get bigger, use a heavier bullet and go to one of the premiums.
180 grain power point in my .30-06 for everyhting I hunt. Deer, caribou, and moose.
I have shot Speer Grand Slams and Nosler partitions when I bothered reloading. Other than premiums making you feel good...well...in this caliber and weight, cheapies work just fine.
I have shot Speer Grand Slams and Nosler partitions when I bothered reloading. Other than premiums making you feel good...well...in this caliber and weight, cheapies work just fine.
Republic of Alberta
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- ,location, location
I honestly belive one of the best things for deer is a lightly (normal lead/copper cup&core) constructed bullet of high sectional density at a fairly good velocity. In this case I would think the P.P. to be a BETTER choice. But I mostly take lung shots of some kind and want maximum dammage.
The Power Point was at one time made different for different cartridges if I remember Correctly. The 300 getting a heaver jacket one than the 30-06, and may still be the case.
Personally, I use premium bullets the majority of the time. Call me "High Maintenance' or a 'Projectile Snob' if you like. The reason I do this is most of my rifles push their preferred weight of bullet at 2900fps+. And I hunt the bigger animals, like moose and elk, with sub-.308 rifles quite often also. That being said I don't believe that the old Hornady and Speer cup and cores are useless. I used them in my younger years on deer and other game out of my .270 WCF, and loved them (specifically the 130 Sp that came in a red box). If I was to start shooting 250's out of my .338 or 180's out of my 30-06, or even was only to use rounds that lauched their respective bullets at under 2800fps, I would likely revert to shooting the cup and core bullets again. They do wonders at these speeds.
I have an old friend that has been shooing the 225gr Speers out of his .338 WM for years, using IMR 4350, and pushing them about 2800 fps. He has shot quite a few elk and other big ungulates with this load and swears by it. The penetration, he says, has never been an issue. And he loves his old Browning Safari enough that he shoots it at everything. Maybe the bullet going wear he intends has more to do with it.....
). If I was to start shooting 250's out of my .338 or 180's out of my 30-06, or even was only to use rounds that lauched their respective bullets at under 2800fps, I would likely revert to shooting the cup and core bullets again. They do wonders at these speeds. I have an old friend that has been shooing the 225gr Speers out of his .338 WM for years, using IMR 4350, and pushing them about 2800 fps. He has shot quite a few elk and other big ungulates with this load and swears by it. The penetration, he says, has never been an issue. And he loves his old Browning Safari enough that he shoots it at everything. Maybe the bullet going wear he intends has more to do with it.....
It's your money, enjoy spending it on whatever you like. But if something works, it doesn't cost $20-$50 to fix it. Everything I've hit with Hornady Interlock 174grn round nose bullets out of my .303 has gone down and stayed down and been found dead when I got to it, because I only take shots that match my skill level and the performance of the rifle, cartridge, and bullet. That's hunting. (I know you know that applies to the premium bullets and nice modern hunting rifles you use.) I know your truck is really nice, too, but my old 1980 Chev 2wd got me to and from every hunt I took it on. More expensive kit will have to be paid for by more work, which would mean less time shooting, hunting, or sitting here enjoying bull-####ting about it all with the likes of you.
AS the ad says:
- moose licence - $50
- week long hunting trip - $500
- Having your bullet stay together on impact - priceless
Republic of Alberta
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- ,location, location
It's all about using what's best for the situation, not what's most expensive. Like I said before, people have been getting sucked in to thinking that more $ spent is going to automatically get them something better.
