quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
Hornady, Sierra, Speer. No need for any of the new fangled solid brass or copper bullets. The old types kill fine, for me and if I need to get more penetration, I go to a bigger caliber, not trying to make a pest gun into a big game rifle.
I know........

^^^^^^
this

It's obvious to me that Sierra and Speer are popular on this forum because many simply reload and shoot so much.

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
My question is why do I have to choose, I tend to use them all..I like to try every bullet on the market on game, and pretty much have and still have no real favorite since all of todays bullets work 99% of the time and they all may fail on very very rare occasions, and most failures are imagined and misses are blamed on bullets..

Push come to shove I will always pick a Nosler partion, GS Customs, or Woodleigh and not in any particular order..

I can't afford to try all Ray.

I use the Barnes TTSX in 338 WM and 30-06 because I want maximum penetration first with expansion being a secondary consideration.

In 7mm-08, I'm currently using Nosler Accubonds because I don't expect to shoot anything really large in body size with this caliber and my preliminary testing with 120 grain TTSXs in factory loads didn't go so well in the accuracy department. Factory loaded Accubonds print nice, tiny groups with my rifles. If I were to use the 7mm-08 for really big stuff like Elk or Moose, I might try workin up a good load with the TTSXs in either 120 or 140 grain to see if I can get them to shoot accurately. I don't intend to pursue either of those species with a 7mm-08, since I have perfectly good 30-06s and 338 Win Mags which I would prefer to use for hunting those animals.

North Fork - wasn't in the poll, and by a long shot and a short shot.

Then Trophy Bonded Bearclaw for some applications and Swift Scirocco.

For solids: North Fork, GS, Dzombo.

quote:

Originally posted by Ray B:
Also not mentioned: Bitterroot Bonded Core

Don't you have to be a time traveler to purchase them?

Good product no doubt and Mr Bill Steigers and great gentleman to correspond with. He was long past making them when we exchanged emails and he was the man I credit for turning me onto North Fork.

The bullets I had the most success with on deer and elk were Barnes' bullets acquired prior to Fred selling the business.They were .22 cal 70gr., 6mm 110and 115 gr.6.5 156 gr. and .30 cal. 180 gr.
Mostly now I only shoot metal targets and make holes in paper. Berger bullets are hard to beat. roger

I've read the Berger bullets are very accurate.

quote:

I've read the Berger bullets are very accurate.

I've also read that Bergers can be very accurate, depending on the rifle. But, so are some Nosler's, Sierra's, Hornady's and other match and hunting projectiles. That is why one of my favorite hobbies is reloading...for both my hunting and my one and only benchrest rifle. Finding that acceptable blend of accuracy (at the range I plan to use the bullet) with on-game, or on-target performance is rewarding and fun.

I shoot two brands exclusively: "Sale" and "Clearance". Neither has ever let me down.

in decades past I've tried them from all the major US manufacturer's and for my hunting needs one worked as good as the other.

Except for only a couple rifles, for at least the last 20 years all my bullets have come from a tiny, local custom bullet maker....me. I cast my own. Nothing else I've used in 50 years killed one bet better, cost as little, they're more than "accurate enough" in my rifles. I have one that puts 3 rounds into 5/8 in. at 100 and another right behind it. Plus I enjoy doing it.

quote:

Originally posted by sep:


In 7mm-08, I'm currently using Nosler Accubonds because I don't expect to shoot anything really large in body size with this caliber and my preliminary testing with 120 grain TTSXs in factory loads didn't go so well in the accuracy department.

Ever try reloading the Barnes?

quote:

Originally posted by tiggertate:
I shoot two brands exclusively: "Sale" and "Clearance". Neither has ever let me down.

I fully understand this.

I have a couple hundred of 350gr 416 X bullets I brought when a Sportsmen's ware house went out I think I paid 12 dollars a box.

I also have some 350 mag tips and 500 300 gr Barnes ordinals .49 jacket that I brought here real cheap.

I like the mag tips when I run out of them I well shoot the 300gr for every thing in the lower 48.

If I would take the 416 on a big bear hunt to AK I would load the Barnes if I didn't have any mag tips left.

Sales and close out work fine.

The only problem with the process is when you no longer own one (or many) weapon in a particular caliber and you have all these bullets left. We need a way to organize an online AR member swap meet where all of us can trade back and forth into some useful exchanges.

quote:

Originally posted by AFRICAN LEADWOOD:

quote:

Originally posted by Ray B:
Also not mentioned: Bitterroot Bonded Core

Don't you have to be a time traveler to purchase them?

Good product no doubt and Mr Bill Steigers and great gentleman to correspond with. He was long past making them when we exchanged emails and he was the man I credit for turning me onto North Fork.

https://imgur.com/f2qSxpH

Not time travel, just good planning - there're about 600 shown from .277 - .375; wish I could have gotten some of the .423" batch.

The search for the Holy Grail continues...

I believe the new soldered core and partition bullet are better for elk and up..Cup and Core suits me for deer, antelope etc..but there is no one bullet do all..

What happened to the concept of trying different loads/bullets until the shooter finds a combination their rifle likes and the bullet provides the performance the shooter wants????

Horse,

I wasn't debating Saeed shooting past 400 yards. Saeed is probably a better shooter than me and I can shoot 400 yards.

The rebuke was in regards to his choice of SMK past 400 yards.

SMK is a match bullet.

I believe Saeed explained his decision and the majority of my hunting is done with Barnes bullets.

quote:

Originally posted by tiggertate:
The only problem with the process is when you no longer own one (or many) weapon in a particular caliber and you have all these bullets left. We need a way to organize an online AR member swap meet where all of us can trade back and forth into some useful exchanges.

Yes, maybe in the classifieds? We have to go non-lead pretty soon, so I'll save enough of the old ones for Wyoming and Montana hunting but would like to find some of the old XLCs for 6mm and 7mm.

Or a dedicated Swap Meet" forum where members can trade all sorts of non-firearms items?

I have a theory on the over perfect bullet, An example is the Swift, a great buffalo bullet, but not as good on smaller animals like deer and antelope..Why is that, because they perform to what we today call perfect results, they peel back into a perfect mushroom and a secondary hump behind the mushroom to brace up the mushroom, and the result is a marble smooth expanded bullet,

I would prefer they would expand into ragged cutting edge wings that perform like a buzz saw but stay together in a fan blade shape, and I suspect they will kill better...I discussed this with Swift at SCI Dallas or Vegas, and they told me they were addressing the subject with a bullet they referred to as a Sirocco, and they did..I have not used the Sirocco on game as yet, but have heard good reports on it, and of course a couple of nay sayers stood by..always!

quote:

Originally posted by Snellstrom:

Maximum doses of Reloader 15 behind a 300 grain TSX is really grouping well in 2 of my .375 H&H's, fast and accurate, that's all I want from it...

Thanks!

I was actually planning on picking up some powder this weekend.. RL15 was on the short list to consider..

quote:

... In 7mm-08, I'm currently using Nosler Accubonds because I don't expect to shoot anything really large in body size with this caliber...

Nosler 160 grain Accubonds are my "go to" bullets in my 7mm Rem mag for anything from pronghorn antelope to moose.

Before I got my 7mm RM, I took a friend moose hunting in SW Montana and he made a one shot DRT kill with his 7mm RM on, at the time, the 4th largest Shiras moose ever shot in Montana.

On my 1st South African hunt I used a 7mm RM with 140 grain Ballistic tips on 9 plains game animals, including one shot kills on a Kudu bull, a Gemsbok, and a Blue Wildebeest.

On another South African hunt one of my PHs was continually impressed with the large wound cavities my 160 grain Accubonds made in the animals that shot with them. That included larger antelope like a Red Hartebeest and Black Wildebeest.

On separate Canadian hunts, I've killed 2 B&C Caribou bulls and a B&C Muskox bull with 160 grain Accubonds from my 7mm RM.

And here in Montana I've killed deer, antelope, and elk with my 7mm RM and Accubond bullets.

I wouldn't have any reservations using 7mm Accubond bullets for anything but the largest bears or Africa's largest Dangerous game.

The Accubonds are a far better hunting bullet than the Ballistic Tip.

I chose Nosler as that is my hunting bullet brand. Accubonds and Partitions depending on the game. Will not use BT on anything but varmits.

I would use Swift but they are priced a little to high so usually go with Accubonds.

Not a Barnes fan at all, I am sure they have improved over the years but when the X bullet came out I could not get them to shoot at all and game performance was not reliable.

I have never had much luck personally with Hornady bullets.

Sierra is usually my choice for varmit bullets.

Sierra.

I choose the good old stand by Remington corelokts Never lost a deer.

Target: Sierra MatchKing (surprised it wasn't a choice!)

Hunting: Hornady - have been using SST bit will probably be using ELD-X in the fall.

SIERRA BTSP

I like what I can get for cheap. Currently that is Nosler 2nds.

I don't shoot enough critters to make pronouncements on what's best but, like lindy2, also buy what seems a good price and sounds like it might work for me.

Having my feet opposite (as the ancient Greeks put living down here) I've probably used more Woodleighs than anything else. I like their RN soft-points but have had trouble getting enough powder behind the Hydros because of short COAL in a long-throated rifle and a short throat in another, despite its long magazine.

Like Atkinson, I like the buzz-saw mushroom idea and used to buy Winchester Fail-Safes hoping for that kind of performance.

quote:

Originally posted by MyNameIsEarl:


Not a Barnes fan at all, I am sure they have improved over the years but when the X bullet came out I could not get them to shoot at all and game performance was not reliable.

Have you tried the TTSX Earl?

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
The search for the Holy Grail continues...

I believe the new soldered core and partition bullet are better for elk and up.

Sorry Ray I don't agree. Monometals for elk and moose.

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
Hornady, Sierra, Speer. No need for any of the new fangled solid brass or copper bullets. The old types kill fine, for me and if I need to get more penetration, I go to a bigger caliber, not trying to make a pest gun into a big game rifle.
I know........

A 25-06 firing a 100 grain TTSX will drop an elk and is no pest gun.