15 October 2003, 01:01
martym30Cal-165gr-RN-does anyone still make them
Hunt deer with 30-06 and many years ago worked up a great load for my rifle. Rem Case-Win Primer-58.1gr 4350. Voila- great having one load that is super for both Western and PA woods hunting!
And Speer's 165 SP and RN fit the bill. Same point of impact at 100, different jobs depending on hunting situation. So year ago, I bought a small but ample supply of both.
Now my RN supply is getting very low but I can't find them any more. Was told in local shop that Speer stopped making them.
See my problem-If I move to 180RN my point of impact will change and the SPs don't have the same down range ballistics with a '06? And 150gr is a bit too light for the energy that I like-these 165's kill very well and the RN especially so at short distances in the PA woods.
So what to do? Any recommendations?
15 October 2003, 04:38
ricciardelliYou have two choices...
The first is to stop at every gun shop and gun show and buy all you can find. But you will eventually run out.
The second is to work-up a load using a different bullet and consider the 165 RN a "thing of the past".
15 October 2003, 05:41
<Reloader66>The lighter weight bullet will not retain it's down range energy as well as the heavier bullet. Don't sell the 150 grain .308 diameter bullet short, they are capable of delivering enough down range energy to do the job out to 350 yards. Since your favorite bullet weights are no longer produced by Speer, your choices are limited. You must decide before the hunt begins what is acceptable to your style of hunting. My choice would be the 150 grain PSP bullet, since my longest shot is 368 paces from my vintage 1940 model 70 Winchester 30-06. Bullet performance at any distance is the key to taking any game animal cleanly.
Very few hunting rifles will print different style bullet designs to the same point of impact. That fact alone will not guarentee another brand of 165 gr. RN bullet would give you the same results. I would try the 150 grain SP and RN and hope they would also react in the same way in your rifle. Try the 180 grian SP and RN and determine if you like that bullet as well. Nothing in reloading for any rifle is cast in stone. Shoot the Speer 165 SP bullet you use out West in PA, you may find it performs nearly as well as the RN. In very rare instances a select few hunting rifles will print more than one weight bullet to the same point of impact, you just may own one of those rifles.
16 October 2003, 16:11
John BartelsCan you get hold of the Woodleigh PPs? They would probably fulfill your requirements. They worked brilliantly on the pigs I shot recently.