I know one of the main pros of reloading is tailoring a load that each rifle shoots accurately and since each rifle has a unique personality, the idea of limiting a handloader to just one brand is sort of defeating the purpose.

That said, I don't have near the experience that most of you guys have. I only have five rifles. However, I'm finding that Sierra bullets have produced the best loads to date in 4/5 of my rifles. I have not tried competition bullets. I have only tried Nosler, Barnes, Hornady, Speer, and Remington bullets. I'm not even saying Sierra makes the best bullet...just relating my experience thus far.

Has anyone else found a common bullet or is it just happenstance?

The nosler ballistic tip shoots best in all four of my hunting rifles but the barnes tsx is a very close second in the two rifles that I have tried them in.

You must qualify.....bullet for what???

For pure accuracy and some hunting the Nosler ballistic tip is king for me. It's the most consistantly accurate bullet I have on the shelf

For hunting the Swift A-Frame wins hands down.

I also like the interlocks from Hornady for deer hunting.

Most accurate? Bergers, and Lapua Scenars, followed by Nolser BT's, and Sierra Matchkings.

None are good hunting bullets, only possible exception is the Nosler, but I can do better in a hunting bullet.

Best accuracy and PRICE sierra gets my vote. Dont forget that accuracy comes from the shooter too. Most of the people in my family dont reload and shoot the cheapest box of ammo from wal-mart and put meat on the table nearly every year.

Sierra is my first choice.

For accuracy Sierra Matchkings would be on anybodys short list for sure. I have had excellent results with JLK bullets in 223 and Burger in the 308, both of VLD design.
For hunting bullets, Seirra and Nosler Ballistic Tips, however In my experience Nosler Partitions are not far behind.
The Nosler Partition is the best all round hunting bullet in my opinion.
There are a lot of great bullets out there, but you can NEVER go wrong with a Nosler Partition, in the proper caliber and weight for the animal being hunted. They work close or far, on big game or small.

For hunting, a heavy for calibre Nosler Partition is hard to beat. Accurate and effective.

Hornady Interlock is almost always my entering argument for a load - if it doesn't shoot those, then I don't bother with other bullets. It's inexpensive, accurate in all my rifles, and has the added benefit of working very well for deer hunting. It's a great "first bullet," and also one I don't mind getting stuck with if none of the higher-priced bullets work out.

Jaywalker

Vapodog, you are correct. I do mean to refer to hunting bullets. However, I think Matchkings would be fine for a lot of varmint applications?? Not trying to start that debate again...

The best field performance on mule deer was a 156gr. psp Jack Whiteworth bullet in 6.5. These were of the same constuction as the Fred Barnes original. In fact Jack was Fred's buddy. roger

My preference is the Nosler line. BTip for smaller thin skin, Accubond for deer and such and Partitions for the BIGGER stuff.
I can get them to shoot well and I feel confident with the performance. Those two factors make Nosler my choice.
Now on the other side of the coin I will grab Sierra's to fire-form brass and see what kind of powder, primer and bullet jump to start playing with. They are a little less expensive and they are the most consistent from one to another.

Smedley

For pure accuracy in name brand bullets, the matchking.
For general deer hunting the Hornady interlocks but the Barnes TSX is really making a great impression on me in the three calibers that I tried them in.
For heavy animals (Elk, Africa, etc) the Nosler Partitions for softs but I'm gradually shifting over to the Barnes TSX.

the straight up production stuff,..the nosler BT is available in any caliber and most weights so I give it the nod by a very small margin over the hornady a-max only for that reason. The a-max is more accurate further out though. The sierra match king can vary a lot more than the other 2 but is still highly accurate and widely used due to it's availability.

all around factory rifles for 300yds and less,..the NBT has been very accurate in most all rifles I loaded it in.

In rifles: Sierra for accuracy (w/ Nosler BTs a close second). For hunting, though the Partition was the benchmark, Barnes X is king of the hill. almost 100% weight retention, good expansion, tremendous penetration.

In single shot pistols (.223, .260, 7mm, .338) Nosler BT & Sierras again, usually in that order. The difference is that Nosler BT in the 6.5 & 7mm also perform outstandingly at the lower pistol velocities.

The best one for accuracy, is rhe one that will group better...

Gotta say Barnes X, especially the TSX....pulled this (.270 130 XLC) from an elk 4 weeks ago....


IV

Horsefeathers, no one can tell you what is the most accureate bullet in any rifle until they test that rifle...The rifle chooses its bullets and they all choose differently..

As to what the 'best bullet" is, that depends on what you are shooting with it, paper or elephants....Sierras certainly are not the best big game bullets over all...

I would pick a premium bullet for hunting any game animal, you owe the animal that much..I suppose overall, I would say that Noslers have given me the best accuracy and killing ability and I have used them for 50 plus years, but bullets like Woodleigh, GS Customs, Northfork and Bridger are certainly outstanding in accuracy and proper construction for game.

As to one "best bullet", there just ain't no such animal, never was, never will be...Everyone comes to that conclusion sooner or later, some sooner, some later, and on second thought some never will....

For hunting NA game (I haven't gone to Africa yet), most of my rifles shoot plain Jane Hornady Interlock SP or RNs very well. Nosler Partitions will usually give me fairly good accuracy too, but not always, pending on rifle. I don't shoot poly tipped anything except at varmints, too explosive for my liking. I use Sierra MatchKings in my M1A for targets. Cast Performance hardcast lead and Hornady XTPs get the nod for my .41 Mag handguns.

For my non magnum rifles the Sierra bullets will usually outshoot any other bullet. For Magnums requiring the tougher bullets because of the additional speed the same is true for the North Fork bullets. Some exceptions in both cases but that is how it works for my rifles and me. Good shooting.

I agree with Ray. I hunt with premium bullets and I let the accuracey of my rifle determine which one. Some of the bullets I use to hunt with are: Nosler Partition, Northfork, Swift A-frame, Barnes X and Woodleigh solids.