Expensive bullets for whitetail?

[sleepercaprice1]

I developed a load for my .30-06 Sako Finnbear years ago that uses 165 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips. They are a little more expensive than a "standard" hunting bullet, but in my rifle they are very accurate and deadly on deer. I consider them worthwhile just because of the accuracy.

 

[j1]

Now, in a Weatherby I can see advantages. In my shooting for over fifty years I have not needed or used premium bullets. I would use them if I felt undergunned.

 

[H&Hhunter]

Now don't get me wrong there is definitely a place where premium bullets have a niche. But deer hunting is not one really of those.

 

[sage5907]

For practical purposes a standard Speer or Sierra boattail bullet will perform as well or better than the so called premium bullets. Especially if you are a deer hunter a controlled expansion bullet usually creates more problems than benefits. When I see a hunting film and see the dirt fly up on a hill on the far side of the animal I know that there was big energy waisted. The best situation is to have all the bullet energy expended inside the animal. Shooter

 

[Patocazador]

I shoot nothing but Nosler Partitions when hunting everything. That way I have the right load for everything in any situation. It has delivered the goods when I haven't done my part due to the expansion plus the penetration. They just don't fail.

 

[Patocazador]

[CODEn a word...nope. in four...not even a little. ][/CODE] I totaly agree. Ive killed 46 deer this year so far, all with cup and core bullets in both mag and standard rifles at ranges from 100-500 yards and have cleanly killed every one. Only thing premium bullets do for your deer hunt is insure you can afford less beer and the only one that will benifit from that is your wife.

If I shot 46 deer per year, I probably wouldn't be using expensive bullets either for a culling operation. That IS why you're shooting that many deer a year isn't it?

 

[GJgo]

R.W.Dale nailed it. That said, I uses Barnes bullets because I don't want no stinkin' lead in my family's meat! Oh yeah & they're very accurate (for me) and they kill deer & elk very dead (for me).

 

[Art Eatman]

I've tagged a couple of dozen bucks via Sierra in my .243, and the same number with my '06 with mostly a Sierra bullet. Mostly bang/whop/flop with never any tracking.

 

[Lloyd Smale]

If I shot 46 deer per year, I probably wouldn't be using expensive bullets either for a culling operation. That IS why you're shooting that many deer a year isn't it?

yes it is. Ive been doing it for years. We kill alot of deer and take pride in the fact that we recover almost every one. My point is ive had alot more experience in what it takes to kill deer them most. If i thought they did a bit better it sure wouldnt be much more expensive to buy a 50 premium bullets then it is 50 standard bullets and its not like i dont have premium bullets in about every caliber sitting on the shelf. Bottom line is the standard cup and core bullets in my experience actualy work better. They put deer down quicker and with the same bullet placement dont really do any more meat damage. Hit a deer in the shoulder with any bullet premium or not and your going to loose those shoulders. I can afford premium bullets and if i thought they would actually put down deer better id be the first to sing there praises but in my opinion the thing they do best is drain your wallet.

 

[Lloyd Smale]

R.W.Dale nailed it. That said, I uses Barnes bullets because I don't want no stinkin' lead in my family's meat! Oh yeah & they're very accurate (for me) and they kill deer & elk very dead (for me).

Cant see anyone getting lead poisoning from lead bullets. Most cut away any blood shot meat and even if there was a minute amount left it surely isnt going to add up to much. Any chunks are going to pass right though you anyway and its probably no worse then coppper or brass in your system. Beleive me if anyone was going to see lead levels raise from eating vension shot with lead it would be me. Venison is about the only red meat thats served in this house and its all shot with lead cored bullets. Lead cosumption for eating game is nothing but another scare tactic the antis use to ban ammo which just leads to there big picture. taking guns out of our hands totaly. Your kids probably are exposed to more lead using there pencils at school then youd ever put in there systems eating game shot with lead bullets.

 

[sixgunner455]

Lloyd Smale - I agree with you on every point about lead poisoning from hunting bullets but one - your kids aren't exposed to ANY lead from a U.S. made wooden pencil. The "lead" in such a pencil is actually 100% graphite.

I can't speak for China made pencils, but I suspect that if there is any lead in one of them, it's in the paint.

 

[BADUNAME37]

In using the smaller .224" caliber for deer and black bear, I choose Barnes' TSX solid copper bullets. As others had mentioned, for how many bear or deer I take, fifty loaded rounds will last me decades, if not my lifetime. My gun happens to like those particular loads, so that is what I shoot.

When I see how the TSX rolls back four petals to a razor-sharp X that will plow through most anything I will shoot, that means more hydraulic shock for any arteries I may hit.

I don't know if the shot I will need to take will be 30 yards from me or 300 yards. So, to be on the safe side, I shoot 62 grain TSX bullets. I realize, with a lot of things in life, you don't get what you pay for when you buy premium, however, I feel confident that what I am paying for is well-worth the extra money I need to spend every five to ten years when I go to load another box of 50.

 

[GJgo]

Lloyd, while I agree with you for the most part let me expand on what I mean. Even if I don't think you can get lead poisioning from lead chunks, it's worth another 25 cents a bullet for me to not take the risk. By far the cheapest portion of my hunt. Of course I'd also cut out any shot or blood shot meat so the odds of any lead chunks getting to the table are slim. However, here is one situation that occurred to me when I was using lead core bullets.

One time I shot a mule deer. It was a long shot, lasered at 420 yds. Just as I squeezed the shot off the grazing deer took one step forward & the 6.5mm 140gr Amax drilled right through the deer's liver, the quarry expired about 50 yards of running later. As I was quartering the animal I saw that the bullet had fragged, and the tenderloins had evidence of shrapnel damage- metallic flecks in the meat. I made the judgement call to leave the loins- which are IMO the best eatin' part. Wasn't happy. If I would have been hunting with a Barnes I would have gotten to eat those loins. The moral of the story is that if you hunt with lead & you're prudent you may come home with less meat. Of course, I only get to shoot one deer a year and not 46...

 

[1911 guy]

Here's my opinion, worth every cent you paid for it.

Work up a load for your rifle using an expanding (non-FMJ and non-match)bullet that is accurate. In any .30 caliber rifle round, the accuracy of the shot will trump bullet performance on deer. Your rifle might actually prefer the "expensive" bullets. Of course, none of them are cheap anymore. If so, use them. If you were talking truly large game or dangerous critters, I'd opt for every percieved advantage I can get.

 

[Lloyd Smale]

In using the smaller .224" caliber for deer and black bear, I choose Barnes' TSX solid copper bullets. As others had mentioned, for how many bear or deer I take, fifty loaded rounds will last me decades, if not my lifetime. My gun happens to like those particular loads, so that is what I shoot.

When I see how the TSX rolls back four petals to a razor-sharp X that will plow through most anything I will shoot, that means more hydraulic shock for any arteries I may hit.

I don't know if the shot I will need to take will be 30 yards from me or 300 yards. So, to be on the safe side, I shoot 62 grain TSX bullets. I realize, with a lot of things in life, you don't get what you pay for when you buy premium, however, I feel confident that what I am paying for is well-worth the extra money I need to spend every five to ten years when I go to load another box of 50.

This shows the differnce between theroy and actually use. I agree that with a 22 cal gun youd want any advantage possible to make it more effective but in actual killing of game you might find out you overthought it. Two years ago my buddy and I. (mostly my buddy) decided to test a bunch of 223 bullets for effectiveness on bigger game. First (he) did a bunch of penetration and expansion testing. He shot those bullets into both wet print and also through deer bones and then wet print. He found one star performer out of the bunch and that was the nos partion 60 grain. The tsx did realitively poorly. It didnt expand much and in some cases didnt expand at all. Wound channels were small but they did at least penetrate well. Game shooting started with coyotes. Hes kind of overrun by them around his house. He again found the tsx a poor choise for anchoring even coyotes. He then took the tsx, the partition and the 64 grain winchester (which did well too) after some pigs. He shot 2 each with them and I will be the first to say that thats not enough to really get a handle on it but found about the same. The partitions hammered them and the two shot with the tsx bullets need some tracking. I then took my ar out crop damage shooting and shot 5 deer with each bullet and again found the partition to be hands down the best bullet for deer sized game followed by the ww bullet. Every deer shot with the tsx bullets ran off and out of the 5 we only recovered 4 of them.

What did all this show me. First that the .223 is marginal for deer. Sure it will kill them and if its all i had id surely shoot them with it but it surely wouldnt be my first or even 10th choise for a whitetail gun. Second is that barnes bullets have a rep allready for not opening up enough to really anchor animals even in larger calibers. Some swear by them but just as many swear at them. Deer are surely not larged boned or hard to get penetration with. If your in an area where tracking is easy go for it. But most want there kills to be quick and humane and dont want to spend the night following blood trails. Its just not in the 223 that ive had the problem. I shot a bunch of deer last year with tsx bullets in the 2506 and the 257 wby and ran into the same thng. Rarely were animals anchored on the spot. Yes we shoot alot of deer, but we take pride in the fact that we do it right. We get enough deer that we dont EVER take marginal shots. We dont need to as if a good shot doesnt present it self it will in a half an hour anyway. We dont want deer running out into the crops and then have to damage them dragging them out and we shoot sometimes 6 deer or more in a night so we dont want to be tracking deer that ran off. All points that apply just as much to a guy who shoots one deer a year or one that shoots 50. Now i dont claim to be an expert in what it takes to kill elk and moose. Youll have to find someone else for those recomendations. But I have killed a few deer and think ive got a pretty good grasp on what it takes to do it right. Some say they will buy the best and the cost of a premium bullet isnt a consern. I agree with that. Even shooting 50 deer the cost of bullets is a minor consern. But money doesnt allways buy you something better. Ill relate it to cars. A 20000 dollar chev might just be a more reliable and consistant unit for day to day use then a 200,000 dollar ferrari. Why? because it was designed for the purpose most use it for. Some will preach that premium bullets are great for taking a .25 or .24 caliber gun out for elk or moose. Me i think thats a silly arguement too. Have you looked lately at the cost of a elk or moose hunt. even just the tags if you can do it on your own!! Go and buy the right gun, even if you have to sell it when your done with the hunt.
Im kind of a hypocrit in a way as i do use nos partitions quite often and you may even see me with a speer grand slam. Why? because a partiular gun likes them and shoots them best. Accuracy is my main consern. I surely dont use partitions because i think they kill a deer a dammed bit better then a ballisitic tip. There may be a use for premium bullets but it surely isnt on deer sized game.

 

[kgpcr]

Its FAR more important where you put the bullet than what bullet you use. Any good quality bullet will do just fine.

 

[Taurus 617 CCW]

I mainly use Nosler bullets because I reload. The Nosler bullets are extremely accurate and I am happy with their performance. Remington Core-Lokt were the best value for the money on loaded ammo for a poor college student (at the time).

 

[rodinal220]

Remington Core-Lokt always worked for me.

 

[MachIVshooter]

Yes and no

For a 30-30, 270, 06, 308 ect ect no not at all


But for a 223, 22-250, 243, 7.62x39 or 6.8 you bet they do!

This. If the round is plenty for deer with a regular old soft point, no, the premium bullets at moderate range really will not perform any better. But.......if the round is rather marginal for the animal with "regular" bullets, the technology and quality of the high end bullets does make a difference.

 

[WardenWolf]

Prvi Partizan has an evil 7.62x39 roundnose soft point that strongy resembles a .30-30 round. I honestly don't think a more expensive bullet would outperform it. We're talking a huge amount of exposed lead up front. A good soft point is really all you need in most calibers.

 

[Kachok]

Nice thing about shooting 30cal is that you really never need any fancy high dollar bullet for deer, any old Speer, Serria or Remington soft point will perform just fine With smaller calibers (or larger game) high tech bullets come into their own.

 

[adelbridge]

I just shot a hog in the dark at 40 yards the other night. I used a 150 grain winchester ballistic silver tip. I shot it in the dark with only moonlight and I couldnt tell head from tail. I picked what I thought was the vitals and fired. I guess the wrong but the balistic silver tip did its job. When I went to pick up the blood trail there was a gut pile, the rapid expansion took out everything internal south of the vitals and dumped them in the dirt. I swear by ballistic silver tips, the results are almost always devastating.