bullet designs

[brian923]

what advantages do different bullet desings have for hunting purposes?

round nose, spitzers, so on so forth.....

do boat tails give any advantages over flate based bullets?

can one use match bullets for hunting big game ? (deer, antolope, elk moose black bear) i dont think that you need a hunting bullet for varmints, dont think they can tell the difference.
9 i have read something that berger says there bullets can be used for huntin, but wanted to see what reall people think. not someone trying to sell something.

thanks guys, brian

 

[~z]

Just answering some of the questions:
The advantages of boat tails are not obvious at short ranges.
Yes, and I'm sure plenty will disagree, but match bullets have their place in hunting. They shine at the lower impact velocities reached at long ranges. Not for everyone, I would not use them for short or mid range hunting (anything under 400 yds)

My .02, feel free to dissagree yall.
~z

 

[OK-gobbler]

No real advantage to boattails until about 300 yds. I like sierra gamekings over the prohunters though. The boattails seem to load easier with less run out. Ballistic come in two catogories--varmint and big game. For example in 6mm, Hornady makes a 87 gr v-max and 95 gr sst. They can be loaded at just about the same max velocity, but the sst is made for controlled expansion on deer-sized game and the v-max is made for rapid expansion on varmints. Match bullets could be used for hunting, but why. There are so many good, accurate hunting bullets available. You don't have to have .25 moa for a 150 shot at a deer. In my experience sierra gamekings will shoot just about as accurate as their matchkings, at least out to 200 yds.

I use 68 gr berger hp's in my 6mm-06. Crows, coyotes and prairie dogs can't tell the difference.

 

[308win]

HP Match look somewhat like hunting hollow points but they are not the same construction. They don't have the same expansion or performance characteristics. I use Hornady 110 grain vMax for groundhogs - the terminal performance has to be seen to be believed and they are very accurate in my 700BDL.

 

[Grumulkin]

i have read something that berger says there bullets can be used for huntin, but wanted to see what reall people think. not someone trying to sell something

You know, Mr. Berger is a well respected bench rest shooter and also a hunter and the designer/manufacturer of well respected bullets. You should pick up a copy of the new Handloader magazine. There is a whole article devoted to Mr. Berger's and others New Zealand red stag/goat hunt using Berger bullets and guns like the 257 Roberts.

It's true, if your target is going to be deer at 100 yards or less, you can feed your gun just about any junk and get accuracy that will work for that. If you may want to shoot an antelope at 400 yards or take a groundhog at 200 yards like I might, then you definitely want a bullet that gives excellent accuracy and flat trajectory.

Accuracy is my number one criteria for a bullet to be used either for target or hunting. I've been surprised at times by the accuracy different bullet designs give. Sometimes it's the round nosed flat based bullets that do the best at least at short to moderate ranges.

 

[uk roe hunter]

this is a huge topic. ok spitzers are more aerodynamic than round noses so if you are shooting 100yd plus they are a good choice, and i think they look more business like. The boat tails are good over 300 yards. becuase they are designed for longer ranges often they have thinner jackets and are not bonded the same as most flat bases. this is becuase they are designed to impact at lower velocities and will need to expand faster relative to the speeds they are travelling at. A speer hot core will hold tegether better at relatively high mpact speed than a sierra gameking spbt. i use both. they both kill deer well but my rifle likes the sierra bullet better. it is a bit more accurate. Hollow point bullets are generally designed to give faster and more explosive expaqnsion that varmint shooters like. i don't use them for my deer hunting. Ballistic tips are popular but these come in 2 classes. they either expand very fast for varminting or give a more controlled expansion for hunting deer etc. it is worth looking carefully before you buy. Personally i don't use them but many do.
In my view the best bullet is a fairly heavy pointed soft point bonded bullet in a calliber suited for the animal you hunt. I use 100 gr hornady psp bullets in my .243 or sometimes 105gr speer hot core spitzers. i use 150 gr sierra gameking or speer hot core spitzers in 30-06. if i was in america i would probably use 180 gr for elk. through the 06.

I hope this helps

steve