Ok guys, just curious to find out what the general consensus is on premium bullets.

Question:
In your opinion, what is the best premium bullet available, excluding price from the criteria?

Choices:
Nosler partition
Northfork
Swift a-frame
Woodleigh
Trophy bonded bear claw
Nosler accubond
Barnes tsx
other(please specify)

 

Need more selections.

Add Nosler Accubonds and Barnes TSX's

Sorry Woods, forgot to add those two, although I don't consider the accubond a true premium, but then again, neither is the grand slam.

I voted for the Northfork. I use it exclusively in my .338 Mag and it's not only accurate but terminal performance is great too. Got a bull moose this last season at about 225 yds. He was quartering towards me with his left front shoulder and we found the bullet lodged under the hide of the right rear quarter. I suppose that some would consider my powder charge of 73 grs. of Rldr-22 a bit on the light side but it's accurate & I get 2800 fps with it. Good enought for me. BTW, the bullet is a perfect mushroom & weighs 217 - 218 grs.
I just wish that I could get more 150 gr. bullets for my .270 Win. but those have been discontinued. For my .270, I'd vote for Partitions. Just the results I've gotten.
Bear in Fairbanks

my vote went to the A-Frame but in all honesty I consider the Northforks, A-*Frames and TBBCs to be equal in performance.

I have no experience with the Barnes monometals.

So much depends upon what the quarry is, and the cartridge propelling the bullet. But If given one choice for most of my general hunting I'd have to go with the Swifts.

To me best would connotate best all-round. For that I'd have to go with the tried and true Partition. Some might be a litle better for light game and some a little better for heavier game. For light to heavy give me Partitions. capt david

Bitterroot Bondedcore

To me, a large part of being the "best" is

1. accuracy
2. acceptable terminal performance
3. accuracy
4. accuracy
5. accuracy

You get the picture. That's why I voted for the TSX.

If accuracy were the only criteria, then we would all hunt w/ SMK. The NFs are the best of both worlds, accurate as one would ever need & they just work. I love the NPs & have never found a rifle that didn't like them, but I think the NFs are just a bit better.

I am a died-n-wool North Fork man. I still shoot many other bullets and respect many of them, but when I have an animal as a target, whether it be in North America or Africa, a North Fork bullets will be in my barrel. Good shooting.

I have only used Nosler accubond & Nosler partition and only on Hogs... Accubonds are more accurate for me... both are overkill for a 250 lb Hog & a 338WM.

From my rather limited experience as a reloader, I voted for the TSX. When it comes to accuracy in my 270 and 300win, they have been the best so far - with 1 MOA groups standard. My son just took a doe with a 130gr TSX 270 cal - his first deer this past week. The exit hole behind the off shoulder was quarter sized and no damaged meat whatsoever.

I suspect we all have favorites, mine is thus far Swifts. In all the yrs of hunting these have performed and held up like I expected them too. Again with such a selection at hand and some not listed how can we go wrong with most of them. Been wanting to use the NF's on hand but have not the time to field test them-expect them to do marvelously.

quote:

Originally posted by fredj338:
If accuracy were the only criteria, then we would all hunt w/ SMK.

Hey fred

The TSX's have been more accurate than SMK's in my rifles. Once you get the velocity right, usually just below or at max, then they have outdone the SMK's in 30-06 and 300 wm, for me.

Barnes TSX.

Hornady interbond for me! It may not be what some consider a premium bullet, especially as to price, but it will do anything I want it to do with my rifles.

I love accuracy, good terminal performance and a super high BC.


So accubonds it is.


On all the game I have taken or seen other take, performance has been outstanding. So until I start personally seeing "failures" they will do just fine. If they do start failing partitions it is.
The others either have expansion problems which I have witnessed or have really crappy bc's. I know BC is just a # but I like that # high!
No thanx

quote:

Originally posted by 4t1mag:
Bitterroot Bondedcore

where do you get those?

Bitterroot were made by Bill Steigers of
Idaho.He was one that perfected Bonding the
core to the jacket.So there was no seperation
upon impact.This was long befor the major Bullet
makers caught on to the process.Due to the time
involved to make the Bullets,there was a long
wait to get them and they were expensive.Around
$1.50 per Bullet in lots of 20.Bill retired awhile back and they are no longer made.I was fortunate to buy a good amount in various calibers that i still use today.

I think that your question can't be answered very well in the way you've put it. I think the reply would need to be, "Best for what purpose?" In other words, you need to specify what counts as most important to you: accuracy, weight retention, penetration, expansion, ballistic coefficient, or something else?

Le270,

My definition of best encompasses all of the characteristics of bullets you just mentioned. To me, best can be defined as a bullet with acceptable accuracy ( 1 moa at 100 yds.), adequate expansion and penetration when used on thin skin game like whitetail and pronghorn at close ranges without blowing all to hell, while at the same time not having the so called "penciling effect" at longer ranges. Also, the bullet should penetrate deep enough and retain enough weight for use on larger critters such as moose and bear. In essence, I am talking about one bullet for all of North America.

I've used NBTs for decades - they work very well on North American big game, including deer, antelope, elk, and caribou. And, I wouldn't hesitate to use a 180 gr NBT (or bigger) on moose. Everytime, I've hit these animals in the boiler room, they die almost always instantly and in their tracks. I don't like tracking wounded animals. These bullets are built just about right for the vast majority of North American big game. If I were to hunt Africa for dangerous game or Grizzly bear, I'd use the 300 gr. Nosler partition in .375 RUM. Nosler makes a great line of bullets, which are also very accurate and reasonably priced.