Here is a list of my hunting cartridges I have used on big game. This is just for hopefully some interesting reading and maybe some discussion.

Moose: 338 win mag 250 and 210 partitions,
308 win 165 barnes xbt, 500 S&W 375 barnes xpb.

Elk: 375 H-H 270 round nose remington factory load. 30-06 175 Barnes XLR.

Dalls Sheep: 338 win mag 250 partition. 308 win 165 Barnes XBT.

Black bear: 308 win 180 remington core lokt

Antelope: 25-06 80 Barnes TTSX, 30-06 130 barnes TTSX.

Sitka blacktail, whitetail and mule deer:
300 win mag 150 speer spitzer*, 165 sierra bt, 165 speer bt, 180 nosler ballistic tip, 180 failsafe, 200 nosler partition, 200 Barnes TSX*.

300 WSM 180 barnes MRX, 180 Nosler E-tip*

338 win mag 200 speer spitzer*

308 win 125 sierra spitzer, 165 sierra bt.

22-250 70 speer semi spitzer*

223 remington 55 fmj flat point not pointy*

223 WSSM 55 Barnes TTSX*

454 casull 340 hardcast*

44 mag 240 speer half jacket

41 mag 210 jsp, 293 hardcast

9mm 147 black talon

20 gauge hornady sst*, federal copper 3".

Bow 3 moose, 2 caribou, 1 elk and 6 deer.

I guess I started this post cause I was told I had no idea how bullets work on game.

I am hoping more meaningful discussion can be had from this post.

The * means more than one animal taken with that load. But no more than 4 I gotta try something new by then.

Antelope has two with the 25-06 80 grain.

quote:

I guess I started this post cause I was told I had no idea how bullets work on game.

I usual ask some where in the conversation what game they have shot.

Dead is dead.

How about this mundane list:
Whiteail .30-06
antelope .30-06
moose .30-06
caribou .30-06
black bear .30-06
dall sheep .30-06
Fannin .30-06

I DO have others.

Jim

The guy told me when I have shot over a hundred head of game like him then I could talk.

The debate was about a faster cartridge causing premium bullets to not open on deer because they go too fast. I said that just isn't so. They do open but they just don't make a very large wound channel. Speed helps the bullet open quicker. He said velocity means nothing. I could really not care less if he ever changes his mind but it did make me think of this thread and how maybe it might create a little discussion.

quote:

Originally posted by Jim Kobe:
How about this mundane list:
Whiteail .30-06
antelope .30-06
moose .30-06
caribou .30-06
black bear .30-06
dall sheep .30-06
Fannin .30-06

I DO have others.

Jim

What bullets did you use?

My favorite caliber is the plain old 270 Win.
with a 130gr monometal.

But we have used 222-375 H&H monometals to "explosive" cup and cores.
Never any of the "target" hunting bullets.

Animals from turkeys to elk.

I have also used traditional archery equipment on turkeys to moose.

The one thing I have learned is that shot placement is paramount for bullet/broadhead performance!

X bullets are my favorite but I do use others.

I carried my 308 Win with 180 partitions most of my elk hunts this year but swapped rifles when I put the stalk on the bull I got. I left the 308 with my daughter and took my sons 30-06 with me.

quote:

Originally posted by RMiller:
The guy told me when I have shot over a hundred head of game like him then I could talk.

The debate was about a faster cartridge causing premium bullets to not open on deer because they go too fast. I said that just isn't so. They do open but they just don't make a very large wound channel. Speed helps the bullet open quicker. He said velocity means nothing. I could really not care less if he ever changes his mind but it did make me think of this thread and how maybe it might create a little discussion.

But how can you know anything if you don't have 10,000 posts?

Interesting thread. I am no where near the 100 head of game mark though I have been hunting for over 35 years.

* Indian Muntjack - 12 bore #2s & LGs
* Rabid cow - 12 bore LG
* Red deer - 6.5X55Swe - 125 gr Part, 243 Win 85 gr X, 7mm08 - 120 gr TSX, 358 Win - 225 gr Sierr BTGK.
* Fallow deer - 280 Ack Imp - 140 & 150 gr Corelokt, 160 gr Accubond, 6.5X54MS 160gr RN, 222 Rem 53 gr Sierra, 7mm08 - 150 gr TSX
* Himalayan Tahr - 7mm08 - 150 gr Corelokt
* Canadian black bear - 7mm Rem Mag - 160gr TSX
* Mule deer - 7mm Rem Mag - 160gr TSX
* Feral pig - 7mm 08 - 150 gr Corelokt
*** hundreds of feral goats with no record of caliber or bullets. Includes the above as well as 9.3X57 & 416 Rigby

I have shot a fair number of these animals with the X / TSX bullets and have had great results from 30 meters to 330 meters.

I have also shot animals with the plain Rem Corelokt and had great results. The only comment I have with the plain cup & core bullets is that I would not run them above 2800 fps. Too much meat damage and poor penetration.

The summary in my experience is that the bullet needs to penetrate and expand in the right part of the animal! Shot placement is key.

In India I used to shoot muntjacks in the Tea estates with a shotgun & #2s. Some were on the run - usually 15 to 35 meters range. I shot one standing at a longer range (45 meters) & got lucky - despite multiple pellets hitting it, just one #2 went between the ribs and entered the heart! I was surprised that at 30 meters the same ammo would penetrate both lungs with a high percentage of hits.

All but one muntjack fell to the shot (with a shotgun). The only one that ran after the shot was with 3 LG buck shots in the lower lungs! Go figure!

I have been using Barnes "X" Flat Base bullets in several of my rifles since 1996. I still buy them when I can find them on GunBroker and other sites. When I can't find them, I have been switching over to the Barnes TSX bullets. So far I have no complaints about their performance.

There are 4 of the rifles Lora and I use that either do not have the "X" or "TSX" bullets as an option or do not shoot them as well as they do other brands of bullets.

Lora's .257 Robert's likes the 117b grain Remington Core-Loct Round Nose bullet, either in factory loadings or hand loads.

My 94 Winchester Chief Crazy Horse Commemorative in .38-55 does really good with .377 diameter, 255 grain Barnes Originals.

My 1894 Marlin in .44 Rem Mag likes hard cast 245 grain Keith-style bullets.

My 1907 .351 Winchester Self Loader like 180 grain copper plated cast bullets.

My .35 Whelen does best with 225 grain Barnes "X" Flat Base bullets, and my .375 H&H likes 235 grain Barnes "X" Flat Base, but I am running out of those bullets and will start having to work with TSX bullets for those calibers. Same for my 6.5x55 Norwegian Krag.

I have already switched over to 165 and 168 grain .308 TSX bullets in my .300 Weatherby with good results.

Nakihunter,

I need to get this out in the open. I'm jealous of the Rabid Cow. Very jealous.

quote:

Originally posted by Navaluk:
Nakihunter,

I need to get this out in the open. I'm jealous of the Rabid Cow. Very jealous.

Same here plus the goats have to count for something .

[QUOTE]Originally posted by RMiller:
The guy told me when I have shot over a hundred head of game like him then I could talk.QUOTE]

Well now I'm really curious, what self appointed resident expert are we talking about. In my head I can imagine a short list of possible experts that bless us with their wisdom here that would spout that kind of crap.

All I will say is it started on Chuck Nelsons video thread. Its not Chuck Nelson.

I am trying to avoid a flame war and so far its pretty laid back.

I read the post where brainchild made the comment. Sadly funny how he let all of us know what a dumbass he is. Some other brainchild said it and he just parroted what he heard. It's the 'modern computer like brain '. Shit in/Shit out. Or, he might have read it on the interweb. You know that if it's on the interweb, it must be true.

quote:

Originally posted by Snellstrom:
Well now I'm really curious, what self appointed resident expert are we talking about. In my head I can imagine a short list of possible experts that bless us with their wisdom here that would spout that kind of crap.

Okay
I figured it out, wasn't too tough he was on the shortlist.
A fairly astute person who can think for themselves and assess field facts can figure out how bullets work on game pretty quickly. With that it's easy to seperate the chaf from the hay pretty fast. My kids have a pretty good handle on how bullets work and ballistics and it's nothing to do with how many animals they've killed. Each animal they've been around gets a quick "autopsy" so to speak so we can determine if the bullet acted the way we expected and or if the shot placement could have been any better etc.
You can learn a lot quick if you are able to criticize your own shortcomings and not blame it on a bullet "failure" or a "spectre" like excessive speed!
Had a guy tell me that his dad has a 250/3000 that is an awesome deer rifle but way too fast for elk, That got my interest so he "explained" it to me. Apparently the 250/3000 is so fast it zips right through an elk without even hurting them.!! ? !!
Fun stuff!

Hey Todd
Have you had any trouble with new production TSX's and or anything smaller than .375?
I've heard of the expansion problem on .375 300 grainers and on older production TSX's in smaller calibers.
I know some people use them with great success but I also know how it is if something doesn't live up to expectations.

Sorry RMiller I'm feeling guilty like I hijacked the thread so here's an attempt to get it back on track, I'll list the rifles and bullets I've used on Deer (3 species) first. I've probably left some stuff out I've been lucky to have hunted big game for more than 40 years with family and friends.

Blacktailed Deer: 30/06 180 Sierras and 150 Sierras, 30/30 150 grain Sierras and 150 grain Win Power Points, .32 Special, 170 grain Rem Core Lockeds, 300 Wby and factory 180 gr bullets, .22 Long Rifle CCI Blazer, 22/250 50,55,60 grain Hornady's and 50,55 and 60 grain Sierras, 70 grain Speers.

Mule Deer: 30/06 180 grain Sierra's, 30/06 165 gr Sierra's, .300 Wby factory 180's, .257 Roberts 117 grain Sierra's, .270 Win 130 Win Power Points, .284 Win factory 150 gr power points.

Whitetails: 22/250 52 grain Barnes X, 70 grain Speer, 53 grain Sierra, .243 Sierra 85 grain HPBT, .257 Roberts 117 Sierra, 9.3x62 270 grain Speer.

For Antelope I've used a variety of cartridges and bullets as well, I'm sure I'm leaving some out: 22/250 53 grain Barnes X, 30/06 180 grain Sierra, .257 Roberts 117 Sierra's

Elk my 30/06 with 180 Sierra's and 180 Accubonds, also 180 Speers and 180 Hornady's have accounted for most.

Bighorn Sheep and Mountain Goat fell to the 30/06 with 180 Sierra's

And my only plains game trip to Africa I took 7 animals with a .338 Win Mag and 225 grain Sierras Kudu, Zebra, Blue Wildebeest, Bushbuck, Blesbok, Impala, Warthog.

That's too funny I also used the car scenario in my posts.

Mine and the family combined:

17 HRM & 22 LR - hogs (head), coons, and rabbits
223 Rem - 64 gr Winchester SP - hogs and white tail does
243 Win - 100 gr Sierra SP - hogs, white tail does & bucks
7mm-08 - 120 gr Sierra SP - sika doe
7mm Mag - 140 gr Winchester Silver BT - hogs, white tail bucks & does, javelina, axis does
308 Win - 125 gr Remington SP - axis buck, hogs, whitetail buck
308 Win - 150 gr Hornday SST - axis bucks and does, whitetail bucks and does, hogs, aoudad rams, corsican, feral goats, sika bucks and does, fallow buck
308 Win - 165 gr Aframe - springbok, blue and black wildebeest, cape kudu, impala, warthog, gemsbok, mountain reedbuck, blesbok
308 Win - 180 gr Winchester Powerpoint - mountain lion
300 RUM - 180 gr Swift - greater kudu, gemsbok, hartebeest, springbok, black wildebeest, waterbuck, blesbok, cape eland, impala, mule deer, axis buck, corsican, white tail buck, hogs, turkey, aoudad
(300 RUM has since be sold and replaced with 300 Weatherby)
8x57mm - 200 gr Accubond - red stag, waterbuck, bull elk, hogs
9.3x57mm -286 gr Woodleigh RNSN - hogs
375 H&H - 300 gr Aframe - blue wildebeest, nyala, cape buffalo
375 H&H - 300 gr Nosler Solid - cape buffalo, caracal
375 H&H - 260 gr Accubond - red lechwe, cape kudu, common reedbuck, hogs, aoudad ram
375 H&H - 300 gr TSX - black bear
404 J - 380 gr Northfork SS SP - hartebeest, impala
404 J - 430 gr Northfork FPS - elephant, bushbuck

Waiting to shoot something:
6.5x54 MS - 160 gr Hornady RNSN
35 Whelen - haven't done loads yet, will be using 250 gr
9.3x62 - haven't done loads yet, will be using 286 gr
458 Win Mag - 450 gr Northfork SS and FPS; Hornady 500 grain interlock for hogs
300 Weatherby - working on loads currently

I have never been able to afford to travel for my hunting, so my experience is on a limited range of critters. But I have killed a BUNCH of them.

Deer season where I live is 109 days long, with 2 deer per day being legal where I do most of my hunting, and 3 per day in some places. Feral hog and coyote have no closed season and no bag limit. I have assisted in shooting under authority of crop depredation permits, and have assisted in collection of specimens under scientific collection permits.

I have killed these critters with --

Handguns --
.38 Special
9mm Parabellum
.357 Magnum
.40 Smith & Wesson
.44 Magnum
.45 ACP

Modern Rifles --
.22 rimfire (not legal for hunting deer, but I have used it finishing animals wounded by others. Legal for hogs and 'yotes here)

.223 Rem/5.56 NATO
.22/.250
6mm Rem.
.243 Win
.25/06
6.5X55 Swedish Mauser
7x57 Mauser
7mm Rem Mag
.303 British
.30/30 Win
.30 Carbine
.30/06
.35 Rem

.50 caliber muzzleloading rifle.

Shotguns with buckshot, slugs and sabot slugs.

I have used simple. cheap cup-and-core bullets, polymer-tipped bullets, "premium" bonded bullets, swaged bullets and cast bullets.

Bullet weights from 50 to 70 grains in the .223; 120 to 175 in the 7mm Mag; 125 to 200 grains in .30/06; up to 250 in the .35 Rem and up to 300 grains in the .44 Mag.

MANY hogs, including boars up to 300 lbs. or so, have fallen to my Mini-14 and 55 grain soft points (though I now use either Win. 64 grainers or Speer 70's). Only one, get that, exactly *ONE* hog ever moved from it's tracks after the hit. And it went only about 10 yards before tipping over. Granted, they were all shot from 60 yards or less, so aiming and bullet delivery was precise, but isn't that what it's all about?

Deer shots have been 3 FEET to 394 yards (measured after the shot).

Your experience may differ, but I have found deer to be much more tenacious of life than hogs, in my personal experience. I have had many deer which were squarely double-lunged to run quite a distance.

Coyotes generally are DRT about 75-80% of the time, with the rest making a few wobbly steps before expiring.

My research is ongoing, but so far, my 52 years of hunting are beginning to lead me toward this conclusion.........

If the bullet penetrates the chest cavity forward of the diaphragm, the animal will be dead in less time than it took me to type this post. And it really doesn't matter much what bullet it is.

For me, Nosler Ballistic Tips have usually been the most accurate in most rifles, with the cheap Winchester Power points a VERY close second, and sometimes, in some rifles, beating out the Noslers.

These thin-jacketed, quick-expanding cup-and-cores will usually achieve more DRT shots, for me. A flat-nosed cast bullet seems to also get the job done quickly. But they ALL work if the shooter does his part and places the bullet where it needs to go.

quote:

If the bullet penetrates the chest cavity forward of the diaphragm, the animal will be dead in less time than it took me to type this post. And it really doesn't matter much what bullet it is.

Right on brother.

There is a story in the book "White Hunters" about two brothers that each killed bull elephants with a 22 LR shooting solids. Don't know if it's true, but it sounded plausible based on the details in the account - basically the shot was placed in armpit of the elephant while it was walking and it penetrated and took out the aorta. the first time was an accident, they were trying to "goose" an elephant to get a herd moving and get a shot at a better elephant. They told the story to the local game warden who then went out with them and repeated the experiment.

For all my hunting,except for birds, the only big game rifle I have had since the early '90s is a Ruger .338WM. Have tried 250-grain A-Frame and NOS, and the 230-grain "Lubalox-coated" FS, all with great success. But I have settled on the 225-grain Barnes TSX, which is now even better with the added blue-color plastic pointy head. The TSX has been nothing but outstanding on moose, although I have no idea if they expand or not since I haven't been able to recover any. All I care for is a dead moose, hopefully from one shot, so I try my best to shoot straight and on the right spot.

The next rifle will be an "African" Ruger Hawkeye of the same caliber (.338WM) and the bullet will be the .225-grain TSX with the blue tip. I will have to check with Ruger to see if they a Hawkeye "African version" on a synthetic stock instead of walnut. Otherwise I will have to do it myself, and put the walnut one in the closet.

quote:

Originally posted by just-a-hunter:
The funniest part of this discussion, RMiller,... When I first talked to the Barnes folks about this bullet performance thier first question was, "Did they have enough velocity?".. It wasn't "They weren't going to fast, were they?"...

Another good question to ask in this argument, Which car will have the most damage done too it if it hits a brick wall,... one going 20 miles per hour or one going 70 miles per hour. I guess the faster the car hits the wall, the better chance its going to just punch on through without much damage done too it....

Todd

Not always true. It's very possible that the faster car will disintegrate or expand at a faster rate than the same but slower-moving (or stronger built) car.

On the same token, the same car but loaded heavyly enough to offset the faster speed will also break through the wall in an equal or greater proportion.

Of two similarly constructed bullets of the same caliber, the heavier one usually travels slower than the lighter one, but it still has the potential for greater penetration than the lighter one.

I will admit those .375 bullets look weird and I would not be happy with that kind of performance out of them. However, that has not been my experience with them.

I am not the most experienced guy with a variety, as I tend to stick with something that works.

Big game:
.50 muzzleloader using 250 gr Hornady .45 pistol bullets at 2200 spine shot a doe whitail. Stopped right there, follow up round also fully penetrated, and both made a mess of her.

12 ga slugs (Winchester saboted 385 gr high velocity) 3-4 whitetail. All took multiple hits and went further than I liked, but while shot placement was in the chest, they patterned at over 100 more than grouped.

.30-06- 168 grain Nosler ballistic tip at 2950 FPS-
This was the first really accurate load I worked up for my .30 06 and I took it on a set of 3 traveling hunts. While the bullets did not fail, in that they killed the animal, in shooting pronghorn, mule deer, and whitetail, all exhibited very excessive expansion, the bullets came apart, and I found only fragments. They acted like the Berger bullets fans say they are supposed to, in a short way, then essentially liquidate the insides of what you shot. All 3 were dropped at the shot, with a bunch of meat too close to the mush for me to feel like eating it. While I would agree that my results were ok, I didn't feel comfortable using the ballistic tip as a bullet to shoot big game due to the limited penetration. In my opinion, I was probably using too much velocity for the bullet, but Nosler said that it was within performance spec. All 3 were shot from 75-125 yards.

.338 (.330 Dakota) 250 grain Swift A Frame at 2700 FPS-
I shot moose and Brown Bear in Alaska with this. While the moose stood there after I hit him for over a minute (he took a few steps, I could not see him after the shot, so the guide put a second round within a few inches of mine) both my and the guides bullets took out the heart and lungs and exited.

The brownie we had an exciting follow up due to chasing him as soon as we shot. He died within 100 yards, but had over 10 rounds in him when we were done. My first round took him in his front right shoulder, and the bullet was found just under the skin after breaking his left rear leg, and was a perfect mushroom. All shots were well under 50 yards, and all the rest went through him. Some were the guides, with a .338 ultra mag, but all the rest were broadside shots.

I have used a .375 H&H extensively as my light rifle in Africa.

300 grain Federal high energy load with Trophy Bonded Bear Claw- about 2650 FPS in my rifle. I used this on my first dedicated leopard hunt (3rd safari) and with baiting shot about 25 head of game with it, mostly Impala, but also zebra, waterbuck, and a klipspringer. The bullets also showed excellent mushrooming, on the 2 I recovered, but I did not think the animals dropped any faster than the TSX loads.

300 grain Trophy Bonded bear Claw at 2450 (Federal factory load)-
I shot a few of these (less than 1 box) as locally acquired ammo when I ran out on one hunt, a very limited experience, but I thought they didn't drop things as effectively as the factory high velocity or the TSX loads. Nevertheless, I never recovered a bullet as all shots were broadside.

300 grain federal factory TSX load- 2475 FPS in my rifle.
This is the round I recovered most of my recovered bullets with. Anything shot at a bit of an angle tended to have the bullet lying on the off side just under the skin. I had no complaints with the performance, but the cost seemed excessive.

300 grain TSX at 2525 FPS- my hand loads. The hotter, the better they group, but at 2600 the bolt lift was a bit hard.-
This load I probably have close to 100 animals with. Even on buffalo, it exits on broadside shots. With strong quartering, I will recover some. This will occasionally lose petals if it hits a big bone. I have killed elk sized animals at over 300 yards, and shot several at under 25 yards. I have never seen evidence that a bullet has not expanded.

416 Rigby 400 grain Trophy Bonded factory at 2350
Shot a buff and a couple of pg with this load. Worked fine, no problems.

.416 Rigby with 400 grain TSX factory load at 2340
Shot 5 buff and a hippo along with a few pg animals with this load. Worked very well. I recovered a few of these. The hippo was a brain shot, and that did lose the petals.

.416 Rigby 400 grain TSX at 2400
Very similar results to the factory load, but with a bit more penetration due to the velocity, this will exit a buff if it is broadside, but allows poor angle shots if needed. What I have found all looked like a picture book example. Over a dozen buff and maybe a dozen pg animals with this load.

.470 NE 500 grain at 2150 Northforks
Very limited experience with these. On elephant I recovered the solid from the finishing shot, I could reuse the bullet. I have 2 elephant with 4 shots (including insurance) and a buffalo with cup point solids. No recovered cup points, but they did. It dig through the guts to find it.

Thus, my experience is the TSX works pretty well, if I do my part. It's my experience that more velocity tends to cause more penetration, but since I have never seen a lack of expansion, I can't comment on degrees of expansion, except to say that I have seen weird things with bullet testing in a load that worked fine on game. I like to have the bullet exit, and to me a lack of penetration, like the ballistic tip showed was a failure, but it was likely a failure of my choosing a bullet that will do what I want, rather than the bullet not performing as designed.

Since that year, I worked up some .30-06 loads with partitions that shoot as well as the ballistic tips, and when I go after something appropriate for a .30-06, that will be the one I try next. As far as the .375 and .416 go, I see no need to change. The reason for going to the Northforks with the .470 was all the folks stating that the mono metals caused troubles in double rifles, except for the GS and Northforks, so that is why I didn't try the TSXs there, and again, since I have no problems, no changes will be made until I can't get them.

LOL! I knew that would get a bite or two!

No big deal when you are on a Tea Estate. One of the workers had a cow that started charging and attacking people & frothing at the mouth. It was penned up and they called me to shoot it. One LG shot at about 3 feet range between the eyes!

The real interest with that episode is that the cow dropped like a brick with blood shooting out from its forehead - like a 3 inch hose! The stream went for about 8 feet IIRC.

Goat shooting is a lot of fun & the meat is a delicacy in our Indian cuisine.

quote:

Originally posted by RMiller:

quote:

Originally posted by Navaluk:
Nakihunter,

I need to get this out in the open. I'm jealous of the Rabid Cow. Very jealous.

Same here plus the goats have to count for something .

The only "big game" I have shot is whitetail deer. With the exception of this year, I used a 30-06 with 165 gr Hornadys. Some have been one shot kills, some have not. Bullet placement has always been the issue.

This year, I carried the 35 Whelen using the Sierra 225. It worked beautifully. The 35 mushed the heart, and the deer expired quickly, with no follow-up shots needed. Meat damage was minimal. The bullet did exit the other side, so I have no info on bullet integrity.

So, I guess I have a new favorite... the 35 Whelen.

I would really like to use it to hunt Elk, as I love elk meat, and believe the 35 Whelen would do a sufficient job.

I would also like to shoot a black bear with it, but I need to be in the Pennsylvania woods during bear season for that to happen.

Alaskan moose - 7STW
Caribou- 7STW
Elk - 7STW
Mule deer- 7STW
Whitetail deer- 7STW
Big horn sheep
coyote
wolf
Mt. lion
Black bear
Axis deer
Impala
Wart hog
Guinea fowl
Hog
Fish in a barrel

7STW

Ravenr, what bullets?

For most of my adult life.....before the internet

.277 130 grn Sierra GK
.308 180 grn Sierrs GK

Then in 1997 I was introduced to the WWW and realized I wasn't doing it right

Here are a few of my favorites:
Thompson Center - 50 Cal Black Powder
Bushmaster - 223 (Whatever ammo I can find cheap)
Marlin 336 - 30-30 (170 grain Sierra soft pt)
Rem 700 - 25-06 (110 gr NAB's and 115 grain NP's)
Browning X-Bolt - 300 Win Mag (180 grain NP's or NAB's)
Ruger M77 Hawkeye - 358 Win (225 grain NP's)
CZ 550 American - 9.3x62 (286 grain NP's and Norma Oryx)

I've taken deer with several of the above and I'm still waiting on my first elk.

I probably have taken well over 40 Pa whitetails with the Sierra 180 gr SPBT from my 06. None over 150 yards. All one shot kills. All pass throughs leaving grapefruit sized exit holes.
A couple Mulies with that load as well. 200- 250 yards. Not as spectacular or destructive as on the whitetails, but still one shot kills.

The last few years I have been using Nosler partitions, in my 06 and 375.

Surprisingly, the Noslers are not as destructive (but just as effective) as the Sierra's.

As far as the rifles I have used over the years I can not remember just exactly what all bullets I used before 1995. That is when I first began using Barnes "X" bullets.

With the exceptions of Lora's .257 Roberts and the 117 grain Remington Core-Loct factory loads, the copper plated lead bullets in my .351 S.L the hard cast lead Keith style bullets in my 1894 Marlin, 350 grain Hornady R.N. bullets in .458 Win Mag and 405 grain Rem. Core-Locts in my .45/70's.

Since 1995 with my other rifles I have been using the "X" Flat Base/TSX or Barnes Originals.

During the time I have been hunting with rifles I have owned and used the following* denotes multiple rifles in that caliber).

22 Hornet. *2
.257 Robert's.
6.5x55 Swede.
.264 Win Mag. *2
7mm Rem Mag.
.30 Carbine.
.30-30
.300 Win Mag. *2
.300 Weatherby Mag.
.338 Win Mag.
.340 Weatherby Mag.
.351 Win SL.
.35 Whelen
.38-55 Win.
.375 H&H.
.44 Rem. Mag. *2 rifles & 3 pistols.
.45-70 Govt. *4
.458 Win Mag. *2

After retiring in 2006 I began looking at which rifles I used on a regular or most frequent basis and reduced my collection down to those rifles.

Out of the above list the results were that I really use the following rifles for all of my hunting.

.257 Robert's.
6.5x55 Swede
.300 Weatherby.
.351 win SL
.38-55 Win.
.375 H&H.
.44 Rem Mag.

As I reflect on things some guns I no longer have, I sometimes wish I would have kept. The main one that I really miss from time to time, except when it came time to sight in from the bench was my .340 Weatherby, number 2 was the .7mm Rem Mag I had.

other than those between 17 and 45........

not mini,

or maxi,

come to think of it.

JAPMF,

GWB

quote:

Originally posted by Blacktailer:

quote:

Originally posted by RMiller:
The guy told me when I have shot over a hundred head of game like him then I could talk.

The debate was about a faster cartridge causing premium bullets to not open on deer because they go too fast. I said that just isn't so. They do open but they just don't make a very large wound channel. Speed helps the bullet open quicker. He said velocity means nothing. I could really not care less if he ever changes his mind but it did make me think of this thread and how maybe it might create a little discussion.

But how can you know anything if you don't have 10,000 posts?

This year marks 50 years since I killed my first deer -- a mulie spike with a borrowed .32 Win Sp. with a 170(?)gr Win or Rem factory bullet. I was lucky enough to have been born and grew up in Colorado when deer, elk, and bear tags were all OTC and game was plentiful. I also have spent my last 40 years in Montana, and was able to draw a number of their special tags.

As a result, I surpassed the (fictional) holy grail number of 100 big game animals many years ago, and many years before I made my first trip to the game rich Dark Continent. So I guess I'm qualified to add my $0.02 to this thread.

First of all, I've shot or seen enough game animals shot to come to the conclusion that bullet placement is far more important than bullet diameter, weight, or brand. I have successfully used and like Barnes TSX and TTSX bullets, Sierra Gameking bullets, Hornady bullets, Nosler Partition, Accubond, and Ballistic Tip bullets, and just plain old cast lead bullets. There are scores of other manufacturers of bullets that all work very well IF the shooter puts the bullet into the right spot.

So, as well as I can remember, here's what I've used and shot:

.32 Win spl - factory load, mule deer spike

.30-40 Krag - factory load, 5x5 bull elk

Almost everything else that I have shot was with my handloaded ammunition.

.30-06 - 150 gr Hornaday spire point, 10 +/- mule deer, 5 +/- whitetail deer, 5 +/- pronghorn antelope
180 gr Sierra Gameking, 9 elk

.22 LR - factory loads, 5 +/- mule deer, 5-10 whitetail deer, caracal

.22-250 - 52-55 gr HP or SP, 2 pronghorn antelope, 2 whitetail deer,coyotes

.257 Ackley - 120 gr Hornady HP, 1 mule deer, 1 whitetail deer, 2 pronghorn antelope
117 gr Sierra GameKing, 5 +/- mule deer, 5-10 whitetail deer, 15 +/- pronghorn antelope, 1 6x6 bull elk, 4 bighorn rams, 1 Dall ram, 1 mountain caribou, 1 wolverine, coyotes
115 gr Nosler BT, 3+ pronghorn antelope

.30 Gibbs - 180 gr Nosler Partition, 20 +/- elk, 2 Shiras bull moose, 1 mountain goat, Alaskan caribou,coyotes

7mm Rem mag - 140 gr Nosler BT, southern kudu, blue wildebeest, 3 impala, Limpopo Bushbuck, gemsbok, blesbok, waterbuck
160 gr Accubond, pronghorn antelope, 2 central Canadian barren ground caribou, musk ox, elk; blesbok, mountain reedbok, red hartebeest, black wildebeest

.375 RUM - 300 gr TSX, cape buffalo, Chobe Bushbuck, nyala, Burchells zebra, common reedbuck
270 gr TSX, cape kudu, cape Bushbuck, Vaal Rhebok, 2 gemsboks, 2 steenboks, tsessebe, bontebok, jackal

.308 Win - 150 gr Hornaday, pronghorn antelope
150 gr FMJ, cape grysbok

.300 Weatherby - 168 gr TSX, Blackbuck, scimitar horned Oryx, 5x5 elk
168 gr TTSX 5x5 elk, sable, white blesbok, warthog, baboon, klipspringer; red stag, fallow deer, tahr, chamois
150 gr FMJ, African civet

.223 - factory ammo, black bear, 5 wallaby

.357 mag - Herford cow (put down after she fell and broke her hip)

.45 acp - 220 gr cast lead, black bear

.44 Rem mag - 245 gr cast lead, black bear

.45 Kentucky cap lock - cast lead round ball, mule deer

.54 Hawken cap lock - lead Maxihunter, American buffalo

Recurve bow, Bear Brodhead - 5x5 elk

12 gauge - 1 1/8 Oz #8 shot, mule deer buck (put down (and tagged) a wounded deer I found while pheasant hunting)

.223 - 50+ pigs
.308 - 20-30 pigs
.260 Rem - 450+ Springbok, 300+ Impala, 75+ Baboons/Jackals
7mm Rem - 75 +/- Blesbok, 75 +/- Oryx/Gemsbok, 50+ Jackals/Baboons, 18-20 Whitetails, 3 Elk
.44 Rem Mag - 75+/- Impala, 8 Warthogs, a few condos of Baboons, 3 Whitetails, 8-10 pigs
Other notables - 338 Win Mag, 416 Rigby, 458 Win Mag, 450 Dakota
And, I've got another 100-150 Springbok to deal with in two weeks.

But I am just learning about all this so I will get back to you guys when I really know something.

270 - 130 gr. Nosler partition, several elk and deer.

30-06 - 180 gr. Nosler partition, several deer, African plains game and a leopard.

375 H&H - 300 gr. Nosler partition, African plains game.

375 H&H - 300 gr. Swift A-Frame, Africa plains game.

375 H&H - 300 gr. Northfork cup point solid. cape buffalo.

375 H&H - 300 gr. Northfork flat point solid, elephant.

577 bpe - 520 gr. paper patched lead, deer.