Hornady Amax for Hunting

[BBDartCA]

Anybody here use A-Max for hunting? These are match quality rounds with hollow points and polymer tips specifically designed for punching paper accurately. Hornady advises to not use for hunting but they seem to be popular for such, particularly in Australia. I'd never risk all the time, cost and a humane kill on a convenient bullet choice, but I'm wondering if others here are using such for medium (deer sized) game? Seems like a good varmint bullet at least.

 

[LocoGringo]

Hornady seems to have changed their collective minds about the Amax bullet as a viable option for hunting. When I bought my reloader kit, the 8th edition (I think) reloading book that came with it said that Amax bullets were fine for hunting. Then they didn't recommend Amax bullets for hunting in their 9th edition (I think). I load 175 Sierra Matchkings for my match loads out of my .308 AR and I have the exact same load featuring the 178 Amax for hunting. Haven't gotten to actually find out how it does on game, but the deer are small in Tennessee, so I'm not so worried.

 

[hvychev77]

I harvested 3 does with 168 pills from my. 308 this year. Furthest shot was less than 200 yards. At those distances I can tell you first hand they are stellar. Every shot was an ethically placed kill shot. One dropped right where she stood, the others left a blood trail that Stevie Wonder could follow. I am sold on 'em for sure for VA sized deer.

 

[BBDartCA]

Thanks for the background. I search a little on the subject and it indeed looks like Hornady no longer wants to promote the product for hunting. Probably too limited in applications where it expands well?

http://www.thestalkingdirectory.co.uk/showthread.php/93413-Confusing-AMax-vs-VMax-description

 

[Hardtarget]

I would only use the A-MAX in a pinch for groundhog or coyote. Sierra makes Gameking and Pro hunter designed with hunting in mind.

All the bullet makers have good hunting bullets in their line up...so I stick with those.

Mark

 

[iShoot17]

As much as it comes down to bullet design, it is hard to beat the concept of put the bullet where it needs to go and the job will be done. AMAX, VMAX, SMK, TSX, etc, will all kill critters when the bullet hits it's mark. Likewise, each of them can critically wound an animal that could take days to expire if shot placement is not true.

Are there bullets designed to be used specifically for hunting purposes? Yes. If a match bullet shoots better from your rifle than a hunting bullet, should you still go with the hunting bullet? In my opinion, no.

Shoot the bullet the rifle likes, put the bullet where it belongs, and eat! I have used AMAXs before and they performed just as needed. A 162gr AMAX flying in the 3000-3100 FPS range from a 7mm Remington Magnum will do the trick for any whitetail, and dare I say it, other large antlered creatures roaming our beautiful wilds!

Additionally, the AMAXs are a dream out of varmint rifles. Just sayin'!

 

[joneb]

I prefer noslers Accubond over the A-Max.

 

[cougar1717]

I have hunted and taken deer with 165 SGK in 30-06 for the better part of 10 years without issue, but practiced with the 168 Amax. From discussions on this forum concerning the Amax's performance on game and my own curiosity, I hunted and took a deer with the Amax. At 50yards, quartering away; typical heart/lung shot. Entrance wound was approximately 2" in diameter and exposed three ribs. No exit wound - no fragment of size even penetrated the other side of the chest cavity. I agree with other posters that the blood trail was very obvious and about 30yds in this instance.
My takeaway from all this is that the game didn't suffer, but the jacket is thin and at the end of the day, it's a match bullet that didn't penetrate well. Needless to say, I am not going to hunt with Amax's again and there is no way that I can honestly recommend it from my experience, although other posters may have had different experiences.

 

[USSR]

Have been using the 178gr Amax with 57gr of IMR4831 in my .30-06 for several years now. Until this year, all my shots have been classic rib cage shots, as I was unsure if the bullet would hold together on anything else. Well, last fall I took 2 deer with shots that penetrated both shoulders. That's about as tough as it gets with whitetails, and the bullet performed fine. The 178gr Amax is great bullet for deer.

Don

 

[GJgo]

I shot a deer with one in my Swede, and a friend shot a cow elk with one in his 308. They were both 300-400 yd. shots and the bullet worked great, one shot kills. The issue with Amax, just like Ballistic Tips, is that at close range they have too much speed & will come apart. If you stretch them out where they're going slower they'll mushroom. This is likely why guys also like to hunt with Bergers at long range. That said, since you never know what distance your shot will be at I don't prefer to use them for hunting. I prefer a TSX going really fast.