Soft Points just as good or better than Flex Tips

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EdLaver

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I have read some reviews and even had some experiences but I wanted others opions:

Do soft points have better wound capabilites than flex tips (polymer hollow point)? I have shot hogs with both and in my opionion the soft points had a equally effective if not more extensive exit wound than Flex tip designs.

I am also looking at it from a cost perspective, if a soft point is equally as effecient regarding wound channels than a flex tip then I will save money and buy soft points. I love Hornady's ammo, but its getting too rich for my budget.

Thanks,
Ed
 
I assume you are talking about rounds used in tubular magazines (30-30, 45-70, etc...)

The flex point tip main advantage is the possibility to use spitzer shaped bullets in cartridges designed to use flat or round nose bullets.

It gives you flatter trajectory and more punch at long range.

For example, let's take the 30-30.

If you stay within the traditional range for that round (100-150 yards max) then you may use the bullets that offers you the best results in wounding capabilities (just adjust for different trajectories) and the least amount of damage to your wallet.....

On the other side, if you want to take long shot with a 30 WCF, the Leverevolution 160 gr. flex tip may be the only way to go......1025 ft/lb left of energy at 300 yards cannot be even remotely matched by any other round nosed or flat nosed load....on top of that, consider the rainbow trajectories of the latter....


So you should use the flex tip bullets mainy for range issues, this is what they are built for.


I suspect that the flat nosed bullets have best wounding capability but they are the most limited in range.
 
That makes plenty sense to me Saturno, the distance I used to kill hogs with both rounds were 50-65 yards with a .308. Rounds were 150gr Core-Lokt and 150gr Hornady TAP (sorry, should have mentioned this).

So the Soft Points are a better choice at closer ranges and the polymer tip for longer ranges...
 
I have yet to experience the explosive performance of Vmax bullets on prairie dogs duplicated with any soft point bullets I have used.
 
I have yet to experience the explosive performance of Vmax bullets on prairie dogs duplicated with any soft point bullets I have used.
Click to expand...

You too...?

Case in point, 7mm-08 Hornady Light Magnum ammo, 139gr Interlock SP FLAT BASE bullet, broad side shots, whacking whitetails between 150y and 200y the bullet liquidfies (new word) the lungs and major arteries out of the top of the pump, stops against the far side ribs, blood shot ribs on the far side of the animal, bullet recovered, expanded size of 3/4" or so.

Same exact shot and range, firearm, temperature, wind, animal the same size....even holding my mouth the same, the only difference, this time I was using the 139gr SST, still the light magnum stuff. Hit that deer within 1" of the same spot of the other one, same angle, almost the same path of the bullet, bullet punches through, leaving a 1/2" hole on the off side, deer dies just as fast as the other, but....and this is not the first time, either.

Hornady says the SST is the fastest and biggest expanding bullet they have.

From the fastest, most expanding to the slowest, least expanding, Hornadys bullets line up as such:
Fastest....SST, Interlock Flat Base SP, Interlock BTSP, Interbond, GMX.....Slowest
 
Can't recall the "polymer tipped" makers claiming any more terminal performance than soft / lead tipped,but those polymer tips do survive mishandling & feed ramps much better.
In some rifles, polymer tips may be worth the extra cost, in others, probably not.
 
In smaller rounds like 30-30, 338ME...the gummy tips are OK.

I see no good use for them in a 45-70 though...I prefer large meplat, flat points and bullets of at least 400 grains.
 
It depends on the situation. I prefer larger round-nose bullets in thick brush at distances that never exceed 200yrds(mainly 50-100) If you are varminting, absolutely a V-max or Blitzking bullet. For target shooting I use hollow points. So, I like all kinds I guess.
 
Don't forget that all polymer tipped bullets are not created equal. Theres a big difference between a Nosler ballistic tip and a Barnes XXX tipped bullet. Nosler Accubonds aren't the violent expanding bullets some are either. Just because it's tipped doesn't mean it's made like the BTs. Some of todays controlled expansion bullets are tipped for better stabilization and accuracy.
 
I see no good use for them in a 45-70 though...
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That's funny, I believe the biggest advantage is in the .45-70, because it extends the effective range quite well, and there are very, very few true spitzers available for the .458. Don't they realize that some folks have a single shot rifle...at least offer unloaded bullets. :banghead:
 
"Effective range" is the same...in the hands of the average Joe that practices, for hunting purposes the 45-70 is a 300 yard round, with big fat, flat nosed 400 grain bullets.

The trajectory is curved...but there is no other round where the trajectory is so easy to learn. Not in my opinion...

I know what you're saying Maverick223...and I'm not picking on you, but I fail to understand why everybody thinks a few inches of holdover is such a big deal...especially in a 45-70.

The difference...per Hornady's website.
325 FTX sighted for 3 inches high at 100 yards is 27.80 inches low at 300 yards.

300 grain Speer sighted the same and launched at the same speed...drops just 6 inches more, thats not a big difference.

Moot point for me though...I don't care for the lightweights, 400 grainers at 1850, thats where its at.
 
Case in point, 7mm-08 Hornady Light Magnum ammo, 139gr Interlock SP FLAT BASE bullet, broad side shots, whacking whitetails between 150y and 200y the bullet liquidfies (new word) the lungs and major arteries out of the top of the pump, stops against the far side ribs, blood shot ribs on the far side of the animal, bullet recovered, expanded size of 3/4" or so.

Same exact shot and range, firearm, temperature, wind, animal the same size....even holding my mouth the same, the only difference, this time I was using the 139gr SST, still the light magnum stuff. Hit that deer within 1" of the same spot of the other one, same angle, almost the same path of the bullet, bullet punches through, leaving a 1/2" hole on the off side, deer dies just as fast as the other, but....and this is not the first time, either.

Hornady says the SST is the fastest and biggest expanding bullet they have.

From the fastest, most expanding to the slowest, least expanding, Hornadys bullets line up as such:
Fastest....SST, Interlock Flat Base SP, Interlock BTSP, Interbond, GMX.....Slowest
Click to expand...

Sooo, even though the SST was supposed to expand the fastest and the most, it expanded less than the Interlock FB SP and held together better and penetrated deeper? Is that correct? I ask because I had a 6.5mm Interlock (140gr) that fragmented badly on a blacktail (granted it did hit thick leg bone going in and coming out). If the SST is less likely fragment even if it expands faster I'll probably switch to that. Especially since it has a better BC which would help with longer ranges encountered with mule deer.
 
I know what you're saying Maverick223...and I'm not picking on you, but I fail to understand why everybody thinks a few inches of holdover is such a big deal...especially in a 45-70.
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The difference [between a 325gr. LeveRevolution and 400 FN) is not a "few inches" it is right at a foot at 300yds (used 1850fps for 400gr. and 2000fps. for 325gr., which is actually slower than it would be with equal load). What I really want is BCs that exceed 0.300 without going up to 500grs.

:)
 
The difference [between a 325gr. LeveRevolution and 400 FN) is not a "few inches" it is right at a foot at 300yds (used 1850fps for 400gr. and 2000fps. for 325gr., which is actually slower than it would be with equal load). What I really want is BCs that exceed 0.300 without going up to 500grs.
Click to expand...

Thats not a fair comparison...325 vs. 400.

If the the gummy tip was a 400 grain bullet the difference between them would be the same as between 325 FTX and the 300 grain Speer. (actually there would be a tad less difference)

Get out there and shoot that thing...learn the trajectory. The little bit of BC isn't much help...not in a 45-70.

You'll be the better marksman for it...I promise you.

With all that said...1 foot...yep, thats still just a few inches (not a big deal)
 
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Thats not a fair comparison...
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I realize that, but I used my load (not really, I drive it much, much faster) vs. your load. FWIW, I generally use 300gr and 405gr SPs the most, but I can definitely see the advantages of the LeveRev. for longer range, which is why I load up a few for this use. Also, they tend to be a very accurate bullet when compared to the typical FNs and RNs IME.

:)
 
(granted it did hit thick leg bone going in and coming out).
Click to expand...

Any bullet, this side of armor piercing or something like a Woodleigh solid that encounters not one, but two thick leg bones are going to come apart!

I tend to favor violently exploding, rapidly expanding bullets. Hit a deer in the heart/lung area and the need for deep penetration is moot in my opinion, if the bullet can make it a scant three inches before separation or fragmentation occurs, in this area of the animal, game over, get out the skinning knife!

I think bullet manufacturers try to keep a happy medium when it comes to bullet penetration and expansion...often times hunters hitting game at odd or quartering angles will, if a rapid expanding bullet is used, not obtain desirable results from that particular bullet. The bullet expanding and or fragmenting before reaching the vital area of the animal.

The Nosler Partition bullet seems to be the best of both worlds, offering a quickly expanding frontal section while the rear section of the bullet remains intact and penetrates deeply.
 
Ridgerunner made an interesting commment, he is somewhat right.

The flet tip bullets for the 30-30 offer bigger performance advantages (trajectory and energy retention) vs. the traditional 30 WCF bullets compared to what the 325 gr. flex tip for the 45-70 does compared to the regular pills for that caliber.

With the 30-30 flex tip you get a very high BC (.330) with a true boat tail design and you do not lose much weight (160 gr.) vs. the traditional heavy for caliber 30-30 bullets (170 gr.).

For example, the 45-70 Hornady Leverevolution 325 gr .load for the 45-70 starts with much more muzzle energy (over 3000 ft/lb) compared to the 30-30 160 gr. Leverevolution load (~2100 ft/lb), however at the 300 yards mark the two bullets have basically the same energy left (1083 ft/lb for the 45-70 vs. 1025 ft/lb for the 30-30) and the 30 cal. pill has a significantly flatter trajectory.

So the .30 cal. 160 gr. Hornady flex tip bullet is much more aerodynamically efficient than the .458 cal. 325 gr. one
 
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So the .30 cal. 160 gr. Hornady flex tip bullet is much more efficient than the .458 cal. 325 gr. one
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Makes sence, I think anything is more "efficient" than the .45cals....on paper anyway.

:)
 
Thank You saturno v,

Exactly the point I was trying to make (you stated it much better than I could have)...those big fat .458" bullets are too short to gain enough BC from a gummy tip to do any good.

Any bullet that is nearly as big around as it is long is never going to have a high BC...the guys that shoot the 45-70 at long range (formally) don't use 300 or 325 grain bullets...they use bullets from 400 grains on up.

With that said...even with 400 grain bullets (again @ 1850 fps) at 300 yards your still at just over 1,100 ft. lbs. of energy...but they are carrying ALOT more momentum.
 
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