The difference in bullets

[fordman650]

HI
newbe here to rifle reloading where can i find out what bullet to use and why?
i have bought 130 gr hornady interlock,have a chance to buy some hornady 130 gr spire point and nosler 150 gr ballistic tip at a good price. so i would like to find out the difference.
Thanks Larry

 

[Steve C]

have bought 130 gr hornady interlock,have a chance to buy some hornady 130 gr spire point and nosler 150 gr ballistic tip at a good price. so i would like to find out the difference.

Each of the bullets you list should perform essentially the same task in a similar fashion. If you are using them in a .30 cal cartridge a 130gr is a relatively light weight bullet designed for smaller game and varmints. Read the bullet descriptions from the manufacturer to see the differences. IMO its mostly a matter of personal preference one of the coke vs pepsi things. Try each of them to see which your rifle likes and gives you the best accuracy and performance on your target. The best load for each make will probably have to be worked up to optimize your accuracy.

 

[Grumulkin]

When I was new to reloading, I would buy about 40 different bullet types and try them all. I now have a different approach.

1. I look at the ballistics for a given cartridge to determine what the velocity, energy and bullet drop is for a particular bullet. The Barnes reloading manual gives this information in an especially user friendly fashion. You will find that for maximum performance with a given cartridge, certain bullet weights make more sense.

2. I pick a bullet brand that I know to be well made with good potential acuracy. Most frequently my choices end up being Barnes, Sierra, Nosler, Hornady, Speer and Woodleigh (not necessairly in that order). I then test a particular bullet brand and style and if I get good accuracy, will stop right there.

From the bullet weights you mention, I assume you're loading for some .308 caliber firearm. For something like a .308 Win. or 30/06 Springfield, I would probably go with 165 or 168 grain bulletes. I would probably load a 30/30 Win. with 150 grrain or lighter bullets. A 300 Win. Mag. would get 165/168 or 180 grain bullets, etc.

 

[scrat]

bin there done that.

after some point in time you will start to question yourself on what your doing. i mean are you the casual shooter the serious competitor. i like to shoot but im no way a serious competition shooter. im not trying to shoot better than the every man on the range. im there to relax have fun. take my time try to shoot my targets and thats it. so when you talk about bullets am i going to be going out to buy the 30 dollar 100 piece count bullets. nope
im looking for the deals on ebay and other places. i picked up a box of 500 national bullets .309 165 grn for 20 dollars. i picked up some speer 170 grn for 7.99.

if you are shooting paper targets or sillouettes then you dont need to go out and buy the super doooper triple X wadcutter gold box. you need an effective bullet that will do the job you are looking for. same time it depends on what and how you are shooting. here is an example.

50 yards or less i go with the cheap stuff no big deal as the drop will not be that significant to make a difference.

100 yards try to use a better grade bullet but not anything for serious game killing if im just shooting steel targets.

200 yards on try using a very good grade bullet to minimize drop and maintain consistency.


again though if you are shooting paper or steel match that. you wont need the pro hunter or the suppppppper dooooooper killing hollow point bullet. cause its just going to hit a steel plate not an animal. save the expensive rounds for hunting.

 

[fordman650]

Thanks for the info ,i hunt deer and elk with a 270 and 30-06 right now i just starting to load the 270 but i want to practice a lot more this year so that is why i decided to start reloading
Thanks again
Larry

 

[scrat]

Then in that case you are going to have to spend some money on better bullets. Speer makes an awesome game bullet. Check thier site and research the data for the specific rounds. I would suggest when shooting at the range use a bullet that your going to use in the field. This will help you improve on your accuracy out in the field.

 

[snuffy]

There's a huge difference in bullets. You can get everything from super explosive varmint bullets to solids that break heavy bone and penetrate deeply in tough heavy game. The trick is; knowing what you're going to shoot, with what caliber/cartridge and at what range.

The most common bullet made today is what is referred to as the cup and core bullet. This is made with a copper/guilding metal deep cup, with a chunk of soft lead wire seated inside the cup. It is then pushed into a die that forms the nose and base. Sometimes with an exposed lead nose of either round or pointed configuration or of a hollow point design.

Next is various types of partition bullets. They have solid centers with lead cores on both ends. Again either pointed noses or round. Nosler partitions are best known of these. H-mantel and A frame are others.

Next are the bonded lead bullets. The lead core is chemically or physically glued to the copper jacket. These are capable of tremendous expansion WITHOUT losing much weight. Woodleigh, Hornady interbond, nosler accu-bond, bitterroot and swift schirocco are brands of bonded bullets.

Next are the all-copper or monolithic bullets. Made of pure copper with a hollow point to make them expand, they are lighter than a lead core bullet of the same size. So to get up to the weight of a lead core bullet, they have to be longer. Barnes is the big guy in this specialty design arenas, with a few offered by Hornady and Speer for the big guns for elephant and buff.

In there somewhere should have been cast lead bullets. Not commomly available to handloaders,, um well you'd have to look hard to find some one to make them for you to load. (Yeah I know about folks like beartooth, but get ready to wait 3-6 months for delivery). You can, of course, make them yourself, but that's another thread entirely.

 

[Art Eatman]

While I've mostly used the Sierra GameKings these last 25 or 30 years, I killed a fair number of deer with the 130-grain Rem. Bronze Point in a .270. It was a nice, tight-group load on the benchrest.

Humph! A coyote just wandered through the yard, and here it is broad daylight!

, Art

 

[NailGun]

Art, Remember...when stopping a 130 gr. .270 bullet with a coyote, always use enough coyote!
NailGun