I'm not sure whether this is the right place to ask this question but I will anyway. Given that the Kinetic energy of a bullet is massXvelocity squared and assuming a rifle shoots two bullet weights equally well, is it better to go with the lighter bullet? I have never got a definitive answer other than some vague comments about "knockdown power" and "momentum"

Kinda depends what you want to do with the load, hunting, targets? Give us some more input.

As an example; if you're loading a .270 Winchester and we're talking a span from 110 grainers vs. 150's or a 160 there's a big difference, not just in the bullets but what's gona get shot, paper, varmints or large game - if we're splitting hairs in a big game cartridge like a .30/06 Sprg. with 165's vs. 180's, then it can be sorta whatever turns you on.

I tend to the heavier bullets but that's for the hunting & shooting I do.

I am fortunate enough to have rifle & cartridge selection encompassing an entire array of bullet weights given game and hunting opportunities from 45 to 300 grains and tend to select cartridges & calibers by bullet weight. For someone with one or two big game rifles the choices are otherwise.

I played around with trajectory calculations and found that the heavier bullet held more energy down range and that to some extent actually shoot flatter than their lighter counter parts. For me, heavier bullets allowed me to achieve the same results as crimping with lighter bullets - in my hornet. With my 303 Brit, the heavier bullets can be loaded closer to the lands but then the magazine can handle longer rounds. Another consideration is that a heavier RN bullet can have the same BC as a lighter spitzer, giving it good velocity retention down range. Another thing I have found is that heavier bullets can sometimes have a higher muzzle energy and always have a higher muzzle momentum.

Thanks for the input guys. I too favor heavy bullets simply because in most of the calibers I shoot, they perform better. I was just wondering what the prevailing wisdom is. Thanks for the replies

One further comment directed to the 303guy. I have a Parker Hale sporterized Mark 1 model 3. Know anywhere I can get a PHside mount & PH rings? What weight of bullet do you use?

I prefer to use heavy for caliber bullets if the particular rifle will shoot them well. I do have a .260 that does not group 140s well but will bughole 129gr Hornadys. All depends on the rate of twist, bullet length, the rifle, phase of the moon, etc .

I am a light for caliber guy. I seldom shoot past 350 and I have found that that is about the range that heavy bullets even out and trajectories start to look better. Up to that point the lighter bullets shoot flatter with less recoil, and I am a true recoil baby. I will shoot the retina ripping magnums, but I cannot shoot them WELL.

I tend toward the heavy for caliber.

quote:

One further comment directed to the 303guy.

PM sent.

I'm a heavy for caliber guy. I don't like recoil either!
However, I find that heavier bullets give more push than 'kick'. I'm not scared of recoil, I just don't want to lose sight of the bullet strike and I don't want to have to bother with rifle hold. I don't like being smacked on the forehead by the scope either!

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Originally posted by 303Guy:
I'm a heavy for caliber guy. I don't like recoil either!
..... I don't like being smacked on the forehead by the scope either!

"I don't like being smacked" either and have the scars to prove it!

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Originally posted by RaySendero:
I tend toward the heavy for caliber.

DITTO

First place I start when loading for a new gun is generally the heaviest available,if I run into grouping issues, I'll try a lighter one.

If one loads up to the threshold of long brass life, with light bullets and heavy bullets, some light bullet will have the most energy.

But if the momentum [or power factor] is compared, the velocity times the bullet weight, then the light bullets and heavy bullets have equal performance.

I think light bullets shoot better for those that are good at making concentric ammo but bad and reacting to recoil consistently.

I think heavy bullets shoot better for those that make eccentric ammo, but are good at consistently reaction to ammo.

Also, the bullet with the ogive that reaches the lands may shoot better.

I am inclined to use the bullet length that matches the throat length. I tend to stick to medium to light heavy weights for big game rifles and medium light bullets for varmint rifles.

Of course I have a .222 that requires a 55 grain bullet seated only 1D deep and the lighter boat tailed bullets have to jump a mile.

Twist can also play a part of the choice with it's influence on accuracy. I have two 7X57s that show a marked preference for the 175 grain flying telephone poles. They are so long in the throat that 140 boat tails are no where close to the lands.

BTW boat tails can also influence the decision.
Light boat tails sometimes will not work.

With the monometal bullets available giving better penetration than heavy cup and core bullets it doesn't make a lot of sense to push heavys anymore. I like light monometals. A lot. A whole lot. There is no downside to speed as long as the bullet is tough enough to stay together. For me, the 80 grain TSX in .257 and the 85 grain TSX in .270 are something I have waited fifty years for.

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Originally posted by haffordite:
I'm not sure whether this is the right place to ask this question but I will anyway. Given that the Kinetic energy of a bullet is massXvelocity squared and assuming a rifle shoots two bullet weights equally well, is it better to go with the lighter bullet? I have never got a definitive answer other than some vague comments about "knockdown power" and "momentum"

To add to the 270 example: On ANY reasonable game animal where the 270 Win is a good choice, I'd take a 130 partition or Barnes over a Sierra, Speer, or Hornady in 150.

It's not just about wt, it also depends on construction.

Inside of 350 yards, I don't believe for a moment that a 150 partition would do anything more to a deer's vitals than a 130 partition.

Bullet weight needs to be matched to rifling twist. Figure out the rifling in your bore and then search for the "sweet spot" in bullet weight.

Berger Bullets lists some of this data online.

Always heavy for caliber unless avoiding richotes in varmint shooting.

New here, but if I may add a $0.02 couple cents worth?

The biggest mistake we can make is miss-judging distance. The flatter any bullet travels will be in favor of trajectory.

Understand that being an ethical hunter is our first goal, as a guide it is real hard walking your hunter away from a standing broadside bull elk because he is not certain how much hold over to use.

Just for a say, say we have a choice between 140Gr or 175Gr in a 7mm , or 165 Gr or 220Gr in a 300Mag ?

Now say your range finder is not working right, and the bull elk is meandering his way out of sight, you only have a few seconds to take or pass on a shot?


All of the bullets mentioned should have enough 'ummpth' in them for a good 350 yard shot.
All should do well with a hold-over at about the upper backbone above the bread-box.

But what if your distance was off and your bull is at 400 yards and not 350 yards?

Your lighter bullets will hit about a foot and a half low maybe taking the bottom of the heart off?

Your heaver bullets will be closer to 2 feet low and could give you a dust bunny between the bulls legs and leave you with track soup.

Not saying that not knowing your distances is acceptable, jmho, i feel better with the flatter of the choices. Backstraps and garlic butter is what i am talking about.

I like bigger bullets with higher BC's personally. But the speed of light bullets out to the 400-500 range are equally as nice.

You have to forget the muzzle energy and knock down stuff.
What you want is the right length and weight bullet for your rifle and twist. From then on you want to consider only bullet construction for the game you will hunt. Very few bullets are good for deer and moose or buf.
Bullets today are a world above what we had years ago. They are more versatile but you still must pick the right one.
Long ago I helped drag out a little PA whitetail. The guy made a perfect hit, dropped the deer but it got up and ran. He tracked it in the snow and shot again with the same result. The sixth shot kept it down. I could cover all six shots in the chest with my hand. He was using 180 gr Silvertips made for heavy game. We dragged it over a mile from where he first hit it.
Now look at the muzzle energy figures for the bullet from a 30-06 and see if it was that important.

I think twist is not usually not a factor. In .30 caliber a 10" twist, which is the one nearly all 30-06 and .300 magnums use, will stabilize anything from 150 to 220 grains very well.

Heavy for caliber has to be taken with a grain of salt. In a .300 Weatherby I use 180s for all big game from elk on down. There is no reason to use a 200 or 220.

Lighter monolithics like a 150 grain TSX might work just as well but I have not tried them on game in .30 caliber.

The 165XLC is my all time favorite 30cal killing bullet.

1-10" my favorite 30cal twist rate,irregardless of chambering.

Seems like there are two schools:

1. Fast and Light - - P.O. Ackley

2. Slow and Heavy - - Elmer Keith


You just gotta figure out which one works for your application. Or.... You can call everyone that doesn't follow your decision an idiot. We get a lot of that here on these boards.

With many of today's powders and high bc. bullets You can, thru careful handloading have the best of both world's,
A heavy bullet and high vel= more penetration for odd angle shots, the heavy spitzer types buck the wind better than light slugs. trajectories are easy to figure. buckin the wind is the challenge. I dont shoot lightweight bullets except in 22-250 AI. and there plenty for wiley.
Jerry

If you chose the superefficien copperbullets from Germany Moeller KJG you will have high speed, deep pentration and many more benefits. Look at
http://lutz-moeller-jagd.de

The difference between the lighter side of the bullet selection vs the heavier side has been stated pretty clearly but there are a couple of details still to cover.

The lighter/shorter bullets generate very similar energies out to about 300 yards due to their added velocity but their lack of efficiency causes them to fall off quickly past that point vs the larger/longer ones which retain their speed and energy better. With that concept in mind you could pursue the lighter end of the bullet spectrum IE: 100 grain 25-06, 130 grain 270, 150 grain 30-06 to garner the flattest trajectory possible. The rub with the shorter bullets is their lack of sectional density which used to equate to poorer performance in a hunting bullet. Higher sectional densities equate to stronger bullets the hold together better in tissue. The barnes solid copper HP and Hornady GMX's have given the lighter bullets their edge back with consistent game killing performance.

I am a high sectional density guy but do like the smaller bullet attributes.

Depends on the job to be done and the tool that your working with. Generally speaking, the smaller the caliber, the more I lean toward the heavy for caliber end. But not nessecarily the oppisite as the diameter gets larger, just depends on the task.

Sometimes a somewhat small for caliber bullet can fill a niche quite nicley. Like if I am using an 06 for deer I like a 150 gn bullet, that makes for a very near 270 Win like combination. But with a 45-70 the bigger the better, unless you want to make a kids load.. It just depends.

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I am fortunate enough to have rifle & cartridge selection encompassing an entire array of bullet weights given game and hunting opportunities from 45 to 300 grains and tend to select cartridges & calibers by bullet weight. For someone with one or two big game rifles the choices are otherwise.

Yeah, well I range from about 65 gr. in 32 ACP to somewhere about 600 I think for .458 WM.

Heavy for large game, light for flat trajectory. I have 30 cal. rifle bullets in 195 gr. for Roosevelt elk in 30-06, and a lot of 150 gr. in the same caliber too for deer. Depends if I want to "reach out" or "stop dead" up close.

In the .308 Win. I run 168 gr. because that's the weight most accurate for that barrel.

.357 mag I like 158 gr, because it's heavy. 44 mag. I like 240 gr. because it's heavy. Defense loads (close range) I like heavy. But I have some 45 ACP +P loads in 185 gr. JHP -- 1200 fps.

The difference between being hit by a freight train and being bumped by a bicycle doing 500 mph. I do, however, believe that large holes are better than smaller holes.

It's like picking shoes. You going dancing, or are you going to muck out the stables?