With all the high tech, bonded, plastic tiped, high BC, good at any range / velocity, new fangled bullets on the market today, you wouldn't think that there was a place for the old fashoned, low tech, Round Nose bullets.

However, somebody's using them! Cause they are definitely availabe and in a multitude of calibers. I didn't check the other manufacturers, but Hornady offers one or more Round Nose bullets in all of the major calibers. (See list below)

.243 6MM, .257 25 CAL, .264 6.5MM, .227 270 CAL, .284 7MM-08, .308 30 CAL,
.312 303 CAL, .323 8MM, .338 338 CAL, .358 35 CAL, .375 375 CAL, .416 416 CAL
.458 45 CAL

Who out there is still using Round Nose bullets? Other than in lever guns......Why? In what caliber(s)? How do they perform on game?

firstshot
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Make your first shot count!

I used one a 220gr 30 out of a 06 to kill a blk bear. It work well bear died. Normaly I don't use them.

There are some guns in which the blunt, round noses don't feed well (they can hang up on a feed ramp with an abrupt lip.) Also, the round nose sheds velocity (and energy) more quickly than a spitzer, so in effect, you're shooting a "less powerful" gun if you use a round nose at extended yardage. That, along with its more pronounced trajectory, disfavors RN's for longer range shooting. If your gun feeds them well and your ranges are moderate, they tend to open up a bit faster and more reliably than spitzers, so there's definately a place for them.

I use 175 gr RN's in my 7x57 and they work well. I don't shoot deer over 200 yards very often as I find it's a bunch more fun to get closer. I'll also use them in my 404 jeff, but that's a different story.

They work great if your not shooting very far. I am using a semi-rond looking Woodleigh PP in my .338, and have some 180gr rn loaded for the .308 Win carbine. They open up and drop 'em when distances are short. Nate

most solids are RN. Use them in both 470 and 9.3x74. Also the function is better than anything else in auto pistols

I use them in my TC Encore because they feed better.

quote:

I use them in my TC Encore because they feed better

I notice that too with my Contender. Odd that.

RN bullets are groovey. I heard a rumor once that most of them will do okay out to about 300 yards but I wouldn't try that except with a centerfire rifle. My Great Uncle said the consensus at San Juan Hill was that they actually worked quite a bit further if they were comin' downhill.

I use them in;
.458 lott
.375
.416
.585
.30/06
45/70 - flat nose of course
50/110 - " "

I think they create more damage than point bullets.

I have always been told they are better in straight line penetration and open up more reliably compaired to spitzers. It's not an accident the big dangerous game calibers come with round nose bullets. Also the BC doesn't make much differance inside of 250 yds., well, depending on caliber of course :-)

Of course everyone is a 500 to 1000 yard game shooter these days, right? So ya just gotta have these pointy nosed boatails to do that, don'tcha.

I use 'em in

22LR ;-)
7x57, 154gr. and 175gr.
300 WM, 180gr. and 220gr.
8x57, 170gr. and 220gr.
375 HH, 270gr. and 300gr.
458 Lott, 350gr. and 500gr.
500NE, 570gr.

Roi

I use them in all my iron sighted rifles and pointy ones in the scoped jobs. They say the pointy ones keep your scope cleaner.

quote:

They say the pointy ones keep your scope cleaner.

No, no, no! The spitzers don't rust your barrel, tigger! What a dummy!

i use them b/c they match the profile of their counterpart - woodleigh solids - and print close to the same poi.

ME

I use the Speer 180 gr. .311" RN in my M1891 7.65 Argentine. It's a 100 yard gun for me (peep sights and ld eyes) so I can't say much about trajectory or how it would work at longer ranges. Fine for pigs under 100 yards though.

Darnit, I got that straight sideways.

I use RN softpoints in my 30-30s, 375 Hoot & Holler, and will try them in my 6.5x55 carbine.
I prefer them for close-moderate range hunting with medium velocity cartridges. I very happy to learn that Hornady is coming out with bonded RNs in .458, .416, and .375.

First Shot:

First welcome to the forum.

Secondly, who uses Round Noses, Seafire does, in about any caliber he can, when the distance is 250 yds or less.

I just wish some of the old Round Noses and Semi Spitzer bullets were still being made that have been canned by the factory since the sales volume was not high enough.!

cheers
seafire

RN's don't feed through my M77.Don't have much use for them here anyway

I use them in my .375 and .458 and like them. For under 200 yards they're very effective and accurate. They do shed velocity quicker, but at the ranges I use them it's not a problem - most often 100 yds or less for most shots. Even in my '06 they're very accurate with 180gr bullets.

I still shoot the RNs in my .270 WCF (150 Sierras or Hornadys). But, not for long, though, as they're both discontinued. However, Hornady does still have some to sell direct, and Graf & Sons have a bit left, too.

RSY

Wow, a lot more round nose shooters than I expected.

I'm shooting a REM 700 Mtn LSS in 7MM-08. Thinking about trying the Hornady 154 Grn round nose.

Do you think a round nose would perform well on a shoulder shot, or should they be reserved for a behind the shoulder? What about angling shots?

firstshot
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Make your first shot count!

When Im feeling Nostalgic I reach for my 300 Savage with 180 gn RN's. Still a very lethal combination despite the myths from the spindoctors.

I load round nose in 30-30, 7mm-08, 308, 303 British, 303 savage and 30-06 at different times for myself and for others. They still have a fallowing here in the hardwood forest in this province. 154gr in the 7mm-08 works quite well, seen a number of deer shot with them and proformed well with complete pass threws.

quote:

Originally posted by First Shot:
Wow, a lot more round nose shooters than I expected.

I'm shooting a REM 700 Mtn LSS in 7MM-08. Thinking about trying the Hornady 154 Grn round nose.

Do you think a round nose would perform well on a shoulder shot, or should they be reserved for a behind the shoulder? What about angling shots?

firstshot
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Make your first shot count!

If you are hunting deer with a 154 grain Round Nose, I would not be concerned about its potential of failing. In a 7/08, It will perform as well as it does in my 7 x 57. I even know guys here in Oregon that load it for Elk and they have been using those 7 x 57s since the 1950s, or their dads did.

That or a 160 grain Mag tip would by my first two choices in a 7/08 for hunting about any deer that walked anywhere.

Cheers
seafire

Round nose bullets open faster, creating more damage sooner than the pointed ones. This may or may not be desirable, depending on velocity, target, and what not.

They do shed velocity faster-- much faster.

However, they have one compelling advantage-- they have a shorter overall length for a given weight. That's why they're pretty much a given in cartridges that are tight on powder volume-- .458 Win-Mag, for example. They also may penetrate straighter, as the center of mass is further forward, even after expansion.

Besides, they're cheaper! Hornady .375 RN 300 bullets are the cheapest 300 grainers in .375, and their .458 500 gr. bullets are the cheapest .458s. But this is not a concern for most folks.

quote:

Originally posted by seafire/B17G:
First Shot:

First welcome to the forum.

Secondly, who uses Round Noses, Seafire does, in about any caliber he can, when the distance is 250 yds or less.

I just wish some of the old Round Noses and Semi Spitzer bullets were still being made that have been canned by the factory since the sales volume was not high enough.!

cheers
seafire

Seafire. I hear you on the bullets being discontinued. I got lucky at a gun show and found five boxes of the Sierra 170 gr. RN bullets. I'd called Sierra about them, and was told sales were not high enough to justify making them anymore. They did say that if enough poeple wrote it asking for them that they might make another run, I'm not holding my breath. it was about two weeks later than I found the 170 RNs and bought them all. I have one box of the Hornady 175 gr. RNs, but that's all with those. None of my three 7x57s will shoot the Hornady 175 gr. spitzer though. I'll use them in my .280 Rem. which seems to shoot them quite well.
I also have one box of the Sierra 180 gr. 30 caliber RNs which are absolute tack drivers in my Ruger 77 RSI in .308 Win., the fussiest damn rifle I've ever owned when it comes to loads. I do wish Winchester hadn't dropped their 175 gr. load for the 7x57. I liked that big blue nose it came with. Dropped deer quite nicely. Federal's version didn't work so well for me. I have not lost very many deer in 55 years of hunting and relaoding, but of the two deer I have lost, one was with the Federal 175 gr. RN. I still had some of that box of ammo left when I got a chronograph and the velocity was only 2250 FPS. Some of the Winchester ammo that I used at the time clocked 2450 FPS, both from a 93 Mauser sporter I had at the time. Whether that velocity from that Federal ammo was an aberration from the norm or kept deliberately low pressure, I don't know, but I don't buy those anymore. Guess I could buy some and pull the bulelts and properly charge them. Naagggh!
Paul B.
Paul B.

I like them as well as a spitzer for up to 300 yards...I can't tell a lot of difference in them anyway...Most of the difference is in the mind of the shooter..Nostalgia has a lot to do with choosing a RN over a spitzer or simi spitzer at least on my part.

I mostly use them in my 416, 404, 470, and 375 H&H, but not exclusively...

They do perform well on game...but I also shoot a lot of spitzers, probably for the most part.

Recent testing with the 170 grain RN core lokt 308 caliber bullet made for the 30-30 in my 308 Winchester showed me two things. First blunt bullets do not necessarily allow for greater powder charges because thes bullets were pretty much bore diameter a lot of their length and thus could not be seated very far out. Second they held together better than the 165 PSPCL Remington bullets they were tested against in sand. I plan on using them this fall just to see how well they do at 2500 fps on deer and hogs.

You may be surprised on how far out some of the 170 grain FN/RN bullets meant for the 30/30, can be seated in a 308 or 30/06. Give it a try with a dummy round.

I have found an excellent bullet for my 30/40 Krag is the Rem 170 grain RN/FP bullet. I seat it to magazine length in the long throated Krag. It looks funny with the cannelure so far up toward the nose of the bullet, but at those speeds it does a great job, in both accuracy and penetration.

cheers
seafire

I use 170gr Hornadys in my 8mm/06 and 160gr Hornadys in my 6.5/06. The 8mm/06 and round nose bullets is just brilliant on Sika and Red Deer in NZ and the 6.5's shoot great and kill like the Hammer of Thor even on the largest Reds.