Going to SA next month for plains game, nothing bigger than Gemsbok / Waterbuck. Using an 8 x 64S . The bullets I'm currently contemplating are:
1) 200gr Nosler Partition
2) 195gr Hornady SP
3) 198gr TIG

Hornady and TIG average around 2650fps, Nosler about 2620fps. Has anyone here used any of these bullets on plains game, and if so, what are your experiences?

Of the choices you've noted, I'd go with the Partition.

Of the choices you haven't noted, I'd go with a mono-metal E-Tip or TSX, either a 180 or 200g weight.

I used a 7mm RMag with a 150 E-Tip at 3,000 fps to great success up to Eland.

If I were to use an 8mm, I'd go with a 180 E-Tip at 2750 fps +.

Above all else, make sure you know your bullet drop to 400 yards. Shots at 300-350 weren't uncommon on my last hunt.

The Nosler Partition would also be my choice out of the list.

In an 8mm Mauser we have had very good results on deer and elk with the 196gr Norma Oryx bullet at a velocity of 2550fps.

I have no experience with the TIG, and find the 8mm Hornady bullets soft with the exception of the GMX (monometal). They don't handle bone as well as I would like, so we stuck with the Norma bullet.

If you look at monometals like a Barnes, look at the 170-180gr offerings. You'll pick up a few fps and flatten out the trajectory a little with no sacrifice on bullet performance.

Jeremy

I believe that you won't go wrong with either the Nosler Partition or Hornady Interlock (their basic soft point). I have used both in .270 Winchester and .35 Whelen with reliable results.

.270, 150 grain Partitions, factory load:
Impala and warthog - pass through, easy blood trails and recovery.
Kudu, head on at about 30 yards - recovered in rear quarter after travelling the full length. Front core gone in classic partition fashion. Kudu dead less than 50 yards away.

.270 Hornady Interlock (SP) 130 grains:
150 pound feral hog - 10 yards away, flat broad side shot, through shoulder blade. Recovered perfectly mushroomed bullet under skin on far shoulder. Little blood trail as it didn't exit, but pig was dead in about 60 yards. This was a hand load at a chronographed 3010 fps, so at 10 yards it was still pretty much at muzzle velocity speed. I was very impressed that the bullet held together considering how thick a feral hog's shoulders are.

I don't thick I've recovered any other bullets from this loading, though I've only used it to shoot deer and feral hogs.

.35 Whelen, Hornady Interlocks 250 grain spire point:

Handloaded to a measured 2450 fps.

300 pound feral hog - quartering on shot in near shoulder, complete pass through. Hog did go a further than I expected, but it was an easy trail to follow.

Impala, blue wildebeest - shoulder shots, pass through, easy recovery.

Gemsbok - shoulder shot that hit far side rib and made hard right turn travelling under the skin to the off side rear quarter. Animal was dead in about 25 yards, but it was just one of those rare ballistic events where the bullet should have gone straight through but ended up doing something weird. Bullet retained about 80% of its weight and had good expansion, so I have no idea what made it pull that hard right turn.

Gemsbok - Right behind the shoulder double lung, complete pass through, short and heavy blood trail.

Kudu - 175 yards quartering towards. Bullet hit high on the shoulder and was recovered on off side under skin. Had a good mushroom shape to it and retained most of it's weight. Don't really know why it didn't exit. Didn't matter as the shot hit close enough to the spine that it dropped the bull where he stood and he never got back up.

Zebra - 30 yards, flat on broadside, through the bone of near shoulder and recovered under skin on off side. Broke both front legs, so the bullet went through a lot of heavy muscle and bone. Nice mushroom and retained most of its weight. Zebra went down face first and gave a few kicks and was done.

I don't have any experience with the TIG, so no stories there. But again, I don't think that you can go wrong with either the Nosler or Hornady, whichever shoots best in your rifle.

The Partition is THE Bullet for smaller plainsgame, especialy if ranges are a bit long..
I've used 220grs Woodleigh PP in my 8x68S with good result, so maybe a 196grs Woodleigh is also something to consider?
Or a Swift or a Rhino if you are going after the Kudu, Oryx or Blue Wildebeest?

M

Almost any bullet usually works. A Nosler Partition always works. If it shoots accurately in your rifle then use it.

I've tried the 196gr Woodleighs, but can't get any tighter groups than about 3" at 100m.
My rifle will put 5 Hornadys into under 3/4" at 100m, and the Noslers / TIGs into under 1 1/4" at 100m.

Sounds like the Partition is the choice by the replies thus far. Sure would like to know how the TIGs would fare...

I should also mention that the other rifle I'm taking is a 8 x 57S. I'll be using 196gr Norma Alaskas with this one. I've shot the vast majority of game animals with this rifle and this bullet, everything from bear to bull moose.
M[/QUOTE]

The Hornady may be the weakest constructed of the three but considering the calibre, the weight of the bullet and the relatively mild speed, it is certainly up to the task.
I would therefore go for the most accurate in your rifle.
Remember that confidence in your equipment makes a bigger than expected impact than what one often thinks, especially when much else is unfamiliar.

Of the 3 you list I suggest the Partition at your FPS

I wouldn't worry much about construction and performance as much as I would about which bullet shoots best out of your rifle.
All three bullets are up to the task provided shot placement is correct.
If you have supreme confidence in how your rifle shoots you will enjoy your hunt a lot more.

Best of luck and post pics when you return.

My all time favorites on PG and local wildlife would be and has been the 200 gr. Nosler partition or Woodleigh 200 gr. PP's or Rn depending on the terrain in 30 caliber... In a monolithic, I would opt for the 160 gr. GS Customs HP in the 8mm.....These are my favorites but not the last word in bullets.

That said, todays bullets are all great as compared to my early years experinces The bullet companies of today have really done us proud, they all seem to work!

Bullets like Swift, North Fork, Speer, Hornady, Sierras, and that wonderful old Remington RN Corelokt, are bomb proof, they work well if you match them to the game and circumstances that you hunt.

The 175 gr. 8mm bullet is always a good all around bullet when hunting a varity of game in all types of terrain such as SA has to offer. in any 8mm.....The last time I use an 8x57 was in RSA and I used the 160 gr. GS Customs Hp, and it was absolutly outstanding, even on duiker on the small side and one Eland on the big side..

I'm a little surprised that no one has put in a good word for the TIG. It is a controlled expansion bullet, which essentially does the same thing as the Nosler, without the partition:
http://www.brenneke-ammunition...ifle-ammunition/tig/

NOt surprising at all, its and old bullet and not readily available in the USA, never been popular on this side of the big water..That said it is an excellent bullet with a excellent reputation. Availability is no. 1 in the USA these days.

quote:

Originally posted by xausa:
I'm a little surprised that no one has put in a good word for the TIG. It is a controlled expansion bullet, which essentially does the same thing as the Nosler, without the partition:
http://www.brenneke-ammunition...ifle-ammunition/tig/

Have you or do you know anyone that has tried the TIG on game? I ran into about 150 of these and would like to try them out. Then again, I want to try all of the bullets listed on plains game!
Hornadys are by far the most accurate, and if the bullet construction isn't a worry, then these may well be the ones I take.
I've only shot 1 whitetail with the 196 gr Hornady. A raking shot was at about 30 yards with the deer going away. Bullet mushroomed nicely and retained IIRC about 90% of its mass.
Choices choices....

What shoots the best in your rifle?

Your answer.

Bullet performance is much more important in big/heavy game. All of the ones you suggested are good bullets for plains game. Shoot the most accurate.

Bullet construction should be considered on a plains game hunt as your PH will urge you to break shoulders.

quote:

Originally posted by lavaca:
What shoots the best in your rifle?

Your answer.

Bullet performance is much more important in big/heavy game. All of the ones you suggested are good bullets for plains game. Shoot the most accurate.

That's what I'd say.



Just to show how much bullet construction matters. This bullet was recovered from an Impala that went down bang flop. It's a Hornaday 250 gr. SST/ML bullet that left the barrel of a 460 S&W Magnum at about 2,350 fps.

I used that bullet on a bunch of stuff that trip; Zebra, Red Hartebeest, a Klipspringer at about 180 yards and more.



Part of a bullet recovered from a Zebra that went about 20 yards after being hit in the shoulder. It was a cup and core .375 caliber Speer 270 gr. BTSP. Besides the Zebra, I used that bullet on 2 Warthogs, a Blue Wildebeest, an Impala and a Blesbok; all one shot kills.



My friend and I had been advised to bring some cartridges loaded with "solids." The box of .338 caliber Barnes XLC bullets for his 340 Weatherby Magnum said "solid copper" right on the box. This is the exit wound on the shoulder of a Steenbok that was hit with one.

I think a lot of unecessary angst goes into selecting the proper bullet. I don't think the particular bullet is important until you start hunting the big dangerous stuff. Of course, if you respect the animal, you'll use an expensive bullet.

By the way, not one of the half dozen PHes I've hunted with has asked me to break shoulders.

Partitions have been the gold standard of hunting bullets for the past 60 years. They are a proven commodity and would be perfect on plains game.

Contrary to popular belief a bullet doesn't necessarily have to hold together into the preverbal mushroom, and when it reacts as the bullets you have pictured showing separated jacket and core, that kind of disruption kills like a lightening strike, the only requirement is that it penetrates enough to get into the good stuff...The only failures Ive seen wherein it was problematic was when the bullet blew up before penetration...Back in my youth most all bullets came apart at some point in the penetration and you found empty jackets on the off side skin, they all killed the game,usually better than the mushroom everyone is looking for these days so they can take a picture of it...

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
Back in my youth most all bullets came apart at some point in the penetration and you found empty jackets on the off side skin, they all killed the game,usually better than the mushroom everyone is looking for these days so they can take a picture of it...

On the nose. roger

I loaded 181g TUGs in my .300 Win Mag for PG last year. A good description of their performance is they are the other German stick grenade
You can find photos of the results here http://www.blaserbuds.com/foru...=62&t=11721&start=15

The TIGs are allegedly softer and mushroom more readily than the TUGs which have the beveled joint of the two core sections to encourage the rear to exit.

At 8x64 Velocity rather than 8x68 one would hope the rear section of the bullet remains intact rather than sheds its core.

From my experience with TUGs I'd say put it in the right place and watch them drop to the shot, but put it wrong and you may not have a blood trail from an exit wound to track.

I did my first African safari last year for plains game. I was going to try something different, like Barnes X-bullets, but had too much trouble finding them in sufficient quantity to re sight my rifle. I ended up taking the same old partitions in 160 grain 7mag. In short, they leveled everything that I hit with them in short, if not spectacular order. It's an old design that simply works as advertised.

I agree the partion Nosler is the best of bullets, I particularly like them in 30 caliber to 416 caliber..Not so much in 22 and 6mm and 35 is borderline as they tend to expand to a lesser amount than cup and core and penetrate like the dickens, but cross section in expansion can be critical to blood spoor..

A violently expanding cup and core bullet like a sierra, sometimes a Hornady or Speer, give you a lot of instant DRT kills, and if your using such a bullet you should avoid the Texas heart shot in most cases..Nosler partitions, Accubonds, perhaps Balistic tips in larger calibers, Barnes X, Rem Corelokts, WW Power points work well for Texas heart shots on deer,but for elk The partition, Barnes, GS customs and hard bullets work much better as a rule..

The choice of bullet and its construction are more important to me than the caliber, within reason.

I shot every bullet known to man before my Safari for Buffalo and plains game in The Selous of Tanzania. I selected the North Fork bullet for my .358 STA for plains game and my .416 Rem for the Buffalo. They were by far the most accurate and toughest that I tested. Swift A-Frame was as tough but not as accurate for both rifles. The solids for the .416 printed within half inch of the softs. My experience for what it is worth. Good shooting.

I used Barnes TXS 200 gr 8mm bullets and they worked to perfection. Of more than a dozen animals killed, only 1 bullet was recovered and it looked almost text-book.
Many many other bullets will work just fine but my experience was stellar with the Barnes.
My 2 cents,
Zeke

quote:

Originally posted by bartsche:

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
Back in my youth most all bullets came apart at some point in the penetration and you found empty jackets on the off side skin, they all killed the game,usually better than the mushroom everyone is looking for these days so they can take a picture of it...

On the nose. roger

Could not agree more.

Hmm as waterbuck is on the menu, I'd opt for the Partition...

Whatever bullets shoots the best! If you have already shoot them all and got good results, I'd go with the Partition.

If you haven't found a bullet that shoots accurately, I'd add Woodleigh to your list (PP and RN), Nosler Accubonds, and Aframes - all in 200 gr.

My 8x57 only shoots 200 gr Accubonds well. It's killed 2 red stag, one elk, and one waterbuck all within 250 yards.

If all bullets were accurate, I'd go with the Aframe.

Phurley:

Every rifle is different. I like softs and solids to shoot close, so that may impact your choice. I like Swift A frames best for softs, but if I can't find a solid that shoots close, I might hunt with a TBBC or a Nosler if it's closer to my solid.

The best news -- lot's of shooting opportunity at the range.