Match bullets for hunting?

eltorro

eltorro

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On the long range hunting forum.... the guys mentioned (every time) using match bullets for hunting. While this is relatively practical in the 50 BMG configuration, I'd like to find out more from the guys who hunt with a "precision rig" and consequently choose to hunt with their best loads - usually not "hunting" bullets.
Any experiences in the 30 cal. rifles?

I posted this in the hunting forum too... let's see the differences. ;)
 
eltorro said:
On the long range hunting forum.... the guys mentioned (every time) using match bullets for hunting. While this is relatively practical in the 50 BMG configuration, I'd like to find out more from the guys who hunt with a "precision rig" and consequently choose to hunt with their best loads - usually not "hunting" bullets.
Any experiences in the 30 cal. rifles?

I posted this in the hunting forum too... let's see the differences. ;)
Click to expand...

Match bullets will not expand reliablely.They have a really thin copper jacket and are not designed for expansion in game.They are designed for one thing, accuracy.

The thin jacket on a match bullet will probably cause the bullet to prematurely expand/fragment as soon as it hits skin, instead of penetrating & expanding.If it hits bone it will just disinagrate.

A good compromise bullet are the Nosler Ballistic Tip hunting bullets.

SKBY.
 
If the cartridge is very high velocity and the animal is quite far away, a match bullet may perform well at that distance but match bullets will really blow up at close range and on tough hides.

I know there are a lot of shooters that will swear by their use, others will swear at their use.

It isn't a choice I would make but I also don't choose to shoot animals that far away.
 
This is the age long debate !!!! If only your game would come at the exact distance every time ,it wouldn't be a problem.Lets say your quarry is elk,a big bull steps out 75 yds in the timber,you hold on his shoulder area with you 30 cal whatever and send a match king his way,you will be sorley disapointed as you elk runs away.The bullet blew up on the shoulder.In this instance a heavy jacketed bonded bullet would have made a huge differance.1 dead elk.
Now supposing your elk is way out there,500 yds or even farther.A light jacketed bullet is just the ticket for a calm cool shooter,wait for a broadside shot and lung shoot him.This thin jacket bullet expands well at these reduced velocity's, a heavy jacket will act more like a solid and punch thru with little or no expansion. This is why alot of people use the match bullets for hunting,it's usually for shots way out there with little or no chance for a closer one to pop up.The match bullet also has a higher BC,and when you are shooting at extended distances you need all the help you can get. For my own use,I made a bullet that has all the virtues of a match bullet and uses a stouter jacket,tapered actually so it is a controled expansion bullet.I would however be happier to use a stouter bullet and be able to handle a shot at my feet or way out there,a elk shot thru the lungs is dead elk at any range,plain and simple.On a final note,there is also a huge differance in jacket thickness on various match bullets,Berger's are 1/2 the thickness of a matchking
 
Today, there really is not such thing as a bad bullet. Just poor application of said bullet and its design parameters. The key points are impact velocity and shot presentation.

The faster the impact and/or more animal/bone you want that bullet to travel through to get to the vitals, the 'tougher' (lower expansion) the bullet has to be.

With very slow impact velocities and broadside shots, you want a bullet that is 'fragile' so that it will expand to full value to cause enough trauma to the game. Bullet must also be accurate enough to make the hit.

At this time, there is no one bullet that can handle both extremes. The new gen Ballistic Tip/Accubond, SST/Interbonds get pretty close as long as the impact velocity does not exceed 3100fps or under 1700fps.

For LR hunting, a match or even a varmint bullet may be ideal as impact velocity often drops under 2000fps and sometimes close to the speed of sound.

Remember that soft cast bullets (soft enough to dent with your fingernail) routinely shot buffalo end to end when used out of blackpowder cartridges. Impact velocities rarely exceeded 1100fps. Most of the time, in the 700 to 800fps range.

There are match bullets that have very fragile jackets like some of the Bergers. Others have very tough (for a match bullet) jackets like the Matchkings. The Amax is somewhere in between.

These bullets are extremely effective at extended ranges or greatly reduced impact velocity. www.longrangehunting.com for all the info you will need on this topic.

Jerry
 
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mysticplayer said:
Today, there really is not such thing as a bad bullet. Just poor application of said bullet and its design parameters. The key points are impact velocity and shot presentation.

The faster the impact and/or more animal/bone you want that bullet to travel through to get to the vitals, the 'tougher' (lower expansion) the bullet has to be.

With very slow impact velocities and broadside shots, you want a bullet that is 'fragile' so that it will expand to full value to cause enough trauma to the game. Bullet must also be accurate enough to make the hit.

At this time, there is no one bullet that can handle both extremes. The new gen Ballistic Tip/Accubond, SST/Interbonds get pretty close as long as the impact velocity does not exceed 3100fps or under 1700fps.



For LR hunting, a match or even a varmint bullet may be ideal as impact velocity often drops under 2000fps and sometimes close to the speed of sound.

Remember that soft cast bullets (soft enough to dent with your fingernail) routinely shot buffalo end to end when used out of blackpowder cartridges. Impact velocities rarely exceeded 1100fps. Most of the time, in the 700 to 800fps range.

Jerry
Click to expand...
This is a very good postIMHO.
The cast bullets worked differently from our modern cast numbers for sure, and when you look a the velocities of the super long range guys, the same goes with what Bullletsmith says.

Bulletsmith, BTW, for those that do not know him, likely has put more study and manufacture into projectiles in a year than most of us do in a lifetime.
I ahe use his 6.5, .223, and 30 .cal bullet swith great sucsess in target shooting, and will continue to do so ( unless he is not himself off hunting or trying to get a crop off!:D )
 
One winter I shot seals with 168 gr. Hornady and Sierra match bullets loaded in my .30-06. Ranges were seldom longer than 200 yards, and often half that. Head shots tended to be quite explosive and very humane. Body shots were another matter, and more often than not the seal went down the hole to drown. Recovered animals showed poor bullet performance, penetration of the body cavity was poor, and the wounds though large were too shallow to be immediately fatal.

From this experience, I determined that properly designed hunting bullets are a much better choice on game, and in the field don't give up anything in terms of practical accuracy.
 
I haven't tried match bullets for hunting and don't really see the reason to. If you are a handloaded, and by simply asking this question one would assume that you are, I believe that you can fine tune almost any bullet to shoot well out of a given rifle. There are many very good flying hunting bullets out there with good enough BCs to go the distance and maky accurate, humane kills.
To name a few Nosler Accubond, Hornady Interbond and SST, Swift Scirocco, Sierra Gameking... I have used all of these bullets except the Interbonds on paper with good groups and as to their merits for hunting, well they are all designed to be hunting bullets.
 
NO GOOD AT ALL for hunting, i was hunting moose 2 year ago with federal match 190 gr in my .300 sendero and the bullet pass thrue the moose, 2 hole the same sieze, one each side and THE BULLET EVEN HIT A RIB in the entry side, cross the hart (lucky, that's what kill the animal) and get out between 2 rib.

I will never hunt again with match ammo, anyway, hunting this king of animal, if you have a 2in precision rig it's ENOUGH, it's not a competition but a hunt, 2 in low or 2 in high in the center of a 8-10 in vital zone is EXCELLENT.
Like it's written on the box, MATCH, no HUNT so use the TOOL that you need to do the job.

That my own experience, but some may have other...
Sendero
 
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