OT something else to fight about

[NTDawg]

Related to @PooPopsBaldHead earlier thread on rifle caliber what bullets do you shoot. For years I shot Hornady light magnum sst bullets with good success. However, Hornady quit making the light magnum and replaced it with the Superformance. I ran out of bullets in 2021 and would have switched to the new Hornday but in 2021 there was a bullet shortage and I bought a Barnes ballistic tip because that is what I could find. I knew Barnes was decent bullet but didn’t know anything about them. Bottom line I didn’t realize that I was shooting a solid copper bullet. It has performed fine but I’m not sure that I need a solid copper bullet. What do you shoot lead jacketed, jacketed lead bonded, jacketed lead partitioned, or solid copper or something else? And which brand? The bullet is more import than the caliber.

 

[M R DAWGS]

Federal Fusions (30-06 & .308), Federal Power Shoks (30-30 & 300 Savage), and
Hornady American Whitetail interlock (6.5 Creedmoor)

These are the most accurate that I’ve tested in my respective guns, and all have performed well on deer.

 

[Curby]

Where can I get some police grade FMJ hollow points?

Asking for a friend.

 

[Trazom]

The answer depends on lots of things. Read this: https://www.ballisticstudies.com/Knowledgebase/Effective+Game+Killing.html

 

[NTDawg]

Where can I get some police grade FMJ hollow points?

Asking for a friend.

Don’t want to hunt with full metal jacket. It doesn’t expand.

 

[karlchilders.sixpack]

As for me, I'm pushing Sierra 165 gr BTHP Game King, in 308. Almost as accurate as 168gr MK.
I generally try to stay in that arena, regardless of caliber. ( often have a problem finding exactly what I want)

 

[Trazom]

What caliber and barrel length, NTDawg, and what is the longest shot you expect to take?

 

[Dawgbite]

As for me, I'm pushing Sierra 165 gr BTHP Game King, in 308. Almost as accurate as 168gr MK.
I generally try to stay in that arena, regardless of caliber. ( often have a problem finding exactly what I want)

Sierra Game Kings in 270 Winchester pushed almost to maximum pressure. They are volatile to deer size animals but I’d be concerned about bullet weight retention in larger game because they violently expand. I have a bunch of Sierra Match Kings in 308. The Match King is probably a little more accurate than the Game Kings due to the smaller hollow point but they don’t expand as well for the same reason.

 

[karlchilders.sixpack]

Sierra Game Kings in 270 Winchester pushed almost to maximum pressure. They are volatile to deer size animals but I’d be concerned about bullet weight retention in larger game because they violently expand. I have a bunch of Sierra Match Kings in 308. The Match King is probably a little more accurate than the Game Kings due to the smaller hollow point but they don’t expand as well for the same reason.

Deer is the largest I'm seeking. And push comes to shove, accuracy is final.

 

[40mikemike]

Deer don’t take much killing, so I prefer Sierra Game Kings. I’ve always found them to shoot decently, and expand reliably. I also like the Hornady SSTs when shooting .308 cal bullets and above. I’ve seen SSTs leave some nasty wounds without a ton of penetration with smaller caliber, faster moving bullets.

That said, we’re getting ready for a trip to Africa in 2027 and that has led me to look at some bonded bullets and I’ve been experimenting with those on deer. I really like what I’ve seen so far from the Swift Scirroccos and the Federal Fusion Tipped bullets. Nosler’s Accubonds have also performed pretty well for me.

All that said, I think I’m going to stick mostly with Game Kings for deer and I’ll be carrying Swift Scirroccos to Africa.

 

[Pilgrimdawg]

The best ammo / bullet depends on what your rifle likes, what game you are hunting, and the type of country you hunt. Deep South river bottom shots are typically not very long where as farm country or certainly out west country shots are usually much longer. Southern white tails are not hard to kill and a well placed shot with any cup and core bullet will do the job. For local deer I load 130 grain Sierra Game Kings in my 270 and the 143 grain Hornady ELDX in my 6.5PRC. Most our local shots are normally 150 to 200 yards. I carry the 300wm out west. I plan to hunt big mule deer next fall if I draw a license for a limited draw area in Wyoming and I will be loading some 180 grain Nosler Accubonds for the trip. I have also shot several larger local bucks with the Accubonds and they always produce excellent terminal performance. Longer shots are typical out west but I limit myself to a maximum of about 450 yards out there. Not as young as I used to be. We have killed 4 nice bull elk in recent years and all 4 fell to a 300wm using the Federal 180 grain Trophy Bonded Tip factory ammo. If I had to select only one type of bullet for everything it would be the Accubond. Excellent terminal performance in a wide variety of conditions, but they are expensive. If you like to do a good amount of target shooting it gets expensive, especially if you are using loaded factory ammo. Try several different types of ammunition in your rifle and see what it likes the best. Pretty much anything your rifle shoots well is fine for whitetail but I suggest using bonded bullets for bigger game like big bodied mule deer or certainly for elk. I have a friend that loves the Barnes solid copper bullets and he has used them for lots of deer and one elk. However, I have not been impressed with how the bullets perform on game other than you almost always get a complete pass through. He has used them with a lot of success so you can’t knock them.

 

[NTDawg]

What caliber and barrel length, NTDawg, and what is the longest shot you expect to take?

Right now I’m shooting a 30-06 with a 22” barrel. Most shots on my property are in the woods inside 75 yards but I will occasionally shoot up to 200 yards. I shot a deer last weekend at 150-175.

 

[40mikemike]

Also, one thing to note about solid copper bullets is that most of them require a higher impact velocity than the standard cup and core or even bonded bullets in order to expand reliably. They certainly penetrate better than most traditional lead/alloy bullets, but expansion can be hit or miss. You also need to start with a completely clean barrel when shooting solid coppers as fouling from traditional bullets does not play well with the solid copper designs. You’ll rip your hair out trying to figure out why your groups are so big.

 

[Trazom]

If I had your rifle, I would buy a box of these: https://www.hornady.com/ammunition/rifle/30-06-springfield-150-gr-sst-superformance#!/ and these: https://winchester.com/Products/Ammunition/Rifle/Deer-Season-XP/X3006DS and go with what shot the best out of it.

I’ve used both in .308 and .270 and never been disappointed. I hunt the distances you hunt.

 

[Hugh's Burner Phone]

I'm old school. Shot my dad's Remington 742 Woodsmaster in 30.06. He shot a Remington 180gr pointed soft point and that's what I use today. The overwhelming majority of the deer I've taken with that set up never take another step after I pull the trigger.

 

[Dawgbite]

Deer is the largest I'm seeking. And push comes to shove, accuracy is final.

Sierra Game Kings have never let me down. They shoot great out of 22” and 24” barrels loaded hot like mine are but I’ve got a Ruger #1 with a 20” barrel that doesn’t like them at all. It’s not the bullet but incomplete powder burn in the shorter barrel. It tends to spray them somewhat. I could experiment with a faster burning powder but what I’ve got works in every other gun so why screw it up. I just load a different heavier bullet with less powder for the No 1 and it’s happy.

 

[ZombieKissinger]

Considering transitioning to blanks

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

Right now I’m shooting a 30-06 with a 22” barrel. Most shots on my property are in the woods inside 75 yards but I will occasionally shoot up to 200 yards. I shot a deer last weekend at 150-175.

What that rifle at the distance, just buy whatever is in stock and cheapest. Learn the Carroll County Neck Shot, it's an off switch.