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Thread: Ballistic Tips

  1. #21
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    soft bullets are great for deer. bullets not exiting are not nescesarily a bad thing. if a bullet stops in the body then all of it's energy is released on the deer. if it passes through with little defromation then little energy is imparted on the deer. using to heavy of a bullet like fail safes is like shooting a deer with an arrow. the deer has to bleed to death, but there is much to bleed from.

    for example i have killed 8 deer with a 45grain hollow point out of a .223 and the deer dropped. bullet placement was right behind the shoulder.
    however i have shot deer with a fail safe out of .270 and the deer runs with little blood for 200yds.

  2. #22
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    CWPINST is offline 168 grains of assistance from a distance
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    Swamp Rat is 100% dead on the money with his advice. For those who haven't done so yet, you really need to read the Cedar Knoll study by Charles Ruth. It can be found at www.scilowcountry.org under the tips and articles section. It pretty much validates my own experiences over the last 30 some odd years of deer hunting with a rifle. A couple of things did surprize me though.

    I have spoken with Charles about his study a couple of times. He really stressed using soft bullets instead of hard bullets. He also warned against using even soft bullets that were heavy for caliber, such as 180gr. bullets in a .308 or 30-06.

    As far as the Sierra Game King and the Pro-Hunter are concerned, I have also found that the boattail Game King tends to shed its core quite frequently yet the flat base Pro-Hunter seldom does. The deer die nonetheless, so shoot whatever your rifle tells you it prefers. If you aren't handloading, you are missing out on a lot of fun and a world of knowledge.
    If it ain\'t accurate at long distance, then the fact that it is flat shooting is meaningless.

  3. #23
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    SR, those Hornady SST's are the shiz-nitz. I dont plan on buying anything else.
    A Nation of Sheep Breeds a Government of Wolves!

  4. #24
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    One thing I have also found is that the seldom-considered Sierra GameKing hollow-point is deadly, and VERY accurate. It does give up some ballistic coefficient to that nose profile, but it shoots like a match bullet in many guns.

    I agree on the bullet weight issue. In 308 Winchester or 30-06, I think 165 is the heaviest I would go on deer sized game. I know a guy that SWORE by Sierra 160's in his 7x57 - he killed deer, but I stuck with the 140/150 as I thought they were more appropriate.
    "Only accurate rifles are interesting " - Col. Townsend Whelen

  5. #25
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    Would 80 grain power lokt hollow points work on deer from a .243 or would they be too soft? Just curious, I was given a box for my birthday. I don't want to wound a deer and have it suffer.

  6. #26
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    I'm not familiar with that bullet - but when I hear "hollow point" and "243", I assume that it's more of a varmint bullet.
    "Only accurate rifles are interesting " - Col. Townsend Whelen

  7. #27
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    That's what I figured too.

    So, what's the recommendation for a .270? best deer bullet?

  8. #28
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    I'd suggest, if you are shooting factory ammunition, to try Federal Premium 130-gr Ballistic Tips...
    "Only accurate rifles are interesting " - Col. Townsend Whelen

  9. #29
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    I just got some 115gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips to load for my 25-06. We'll see if they're accurate and then we'll see if they'll kill deer. I also got some 120gr. Speer Spitzer Boat Tails and some 117gr. Sierra Pro Hunter Spitzers.

    Are the Hornady SST's different from their factory light magnum loads? I have been shooting a 117gr. Hornady light magnum and have been impressed with it as a factory load.

    Do any of you have experience with the Speer Grand Slam bullets? My dad has loaded them for his .270 and 7mm Mag. with good success. They only offer this bullet in 120gr. for the 25-06, so I guess we'll have to try these too.
    I don't need my name in the marquee lights....

  10. #30
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    The Hornady SST's I have been shooting are Light Mags in 117 grain.
    A Nation of Sheep Breeds a Government of Wolves!

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