Hunting bullets what did you use

[LoonWulf]

Shot a few sheep and pigs with the .375 Ruger running speer 270s at 2800ish, exceptional damage with adequate penetration (no recovered bullets or stopped bullets) including a few larger hogs.

Shot one pig with the .357 bulldog air gun, head shot at 15yds, good penetration and no issues

shot 4 deer and one sheep with the .280AI, and Federal Fusion 140s at 3050 from my 26" barrel. Excellent penetration with only one bullet being recovered on a quartering towards, found under the skin on the off side ham.
Expansion acceptable but not fantastic, 100lb buck took to round thru the lungs and still ran 100yds before piling up. The others all hit larger bones and crippled if not killed outright.
The sheep got pencil holed thru the lungs and was taken by another hunter later that day.

thats all i can remember right now...besides one trapped pig that caught a .22lr between the eyes.

 

[troy fairweather]

Shot a few sheep and pigs with the .375 Ruger running speer 270s at 2800ish, exceptional damage with adequate penetration (no recovered bullets or stopped bullets) including a few larger hogs.

Shot one pig with the .357 bulldog air gun, head shot at 15yds, good penetration and no issues

shot 4 deer and one sheep with the .280AI, and Federal Fusion 140s at 3050 from my 26" barrel. Excellent penetration with only one bullet being recovered on a quartering towards, found under the skin on the off side ham.
Expansion acceptable but not fantastic, 100lb buck took to round thru the lungs and still ran 100yds before piling up. The others all hit larger bones and crippled if not killed outright.
The sheep got pencil holed thru the lungs and was taken by another hunter later that day.

thats all i can remember right now...besides one trapped pig that caught a .22lr between the eyes.

You should try some of those 140 partitions I sent you, I'd like to try them one day in the 7mms along with the 175 partitions.

 

[LoonWulf]

You should try some of those partitions I sent you, I'd like to try them one day in the 7mms along with the 175 partitions.

Ill go load some and see how they print with my other loads....Then id have something to add to your Nosler bullet thread lol, I never did hit anything with the ABLRs...

 

[troy fairweather]

Ill go load some and see how they print with my other loads....Then id have something to add to your Nosler bullet thread lol, I never did hit anything with the ABLRs...[/QUOT

I'm still interested in the ablrs . Sometimes sps has them pretty cheap. I just hope this year I can do more testing, maybe even make something to catch bullets.

 

[LoonWulf]

I sent you a box of 100 or so to try...dunno if you got the package yet lol.

 

[troy fairweather]

I sent you a box of 100 or so to try...dunno if you got the package yet lol.

ok thanks. It said it was out for delivery today but they never came. Should be here tomorrow.

 

[stillquietvoice]

The sheep got pencil holed thru the lungs and was taken by another hunter later that day.

Sorry you lost your sheep. Sounds like you got pretty good performance from those fusions.

Shot a few sheep and pigs with the .375 Ruger running speer 270s at 2800ish, exceptional damage with adequate penetration (no recovered bullets or stopped bullets) including a few larger hogs.

Shot one pig with the .357 bulldog air gun, head shot at 15yds, good penetration and no issues

Your ruger is a real stopper. Great write up.

 

[Dannyfakehands]

I’m in a shotgun/newly allowed straight walled cartridge state. So I still hunt with an 870 20 gauge fully rifles with a cheap Bushnell red dot. For last 5 years or so I’ve hunted with Hornady SST sabot slugs. In that time I shot one buck at close range ~40 yards.It worked but i was not thrilled with them beyond 50 in terms of accuracy.

this year I used the Winchester partition gold sabots. https://winchester.com/Products/Ammunition/Shotshell/Partition-Gold
With some range time I found them very accurate out to 100. I took 2 deer this year a doe at 95 yards and a buck at 75. Both we’re bang flop shots both with no movement after impact.

I highly recommend these rounds.

 

[Captcurt]

I never did hit anything with the ABLRs...

I took 3 does with the 129gr ABLR in my Creedmoor. First 2 were broadside at a guesstamated 60 and 200 . The high shoulder hit at 60 left a golf ball sized hole in the hole spine. The 200 yard left a hole about the size of a quarter through the lungs. The third deer was quartering away at at least 200 yards and was hit behind the rib cage and exited in front of the off shoulder. The insides was a mess and the shoulder and neck were bloodshot and had to be scrapped. I'm going back to the 130 AB.

 

[stillquietvoice]

I’m in a shotgun/newly allowed straight walled cartridge state. So I still hunt with an 870 20 gauge fully rifles with a cheap Bushnell red dot. For last 5 years or so I’ve hunted with Hornady SST sabot slugs. In that time I shot one buck at close range ~40 yards.It worked but i was not thrilled with them beyond 50 in terms of accuracy.

this year I used the Winchester partition gold sabots. https://winchester.com/Products/Ammunition/Shotshell/Partition-Gold
With some range time I found them very accurate out to 100. I took 2 deer this year a doe at 95 yards and a buck at 75. Both we’re bang flop shots both with no movement after impact.

I highly recommend these rounds.

Great review. Congratulations on your deer.

I took 3 does with the 129gr ABLR in my Creedmoor. First 2 were broadside at a guesstamated 60 and 200 . The high shoulder hit at 60 left a golf ball sized hole in the hole spine. The 200 yard left a hole about the size of a quarter through the lungs. The third deer was quartering away at at least 200 yards and was hit behind the rib cage and exited in front of the off shoulder. The insides was a mess and the shoulder and neck were bloodshot and had to be scrapped. I'm going back to the 130 AB.

Great review congratulations on your 3 deer. I take it that the 130 an perform better. As in not as much bloodshot meat.

 

[Captcurt]

Great review. Congratulations on your deer.



Great review congratulations on your 3 deer. I take it that the 130 an perform better. As in not as much bloodshot meat.

The only reason that I shot the ABLR is because I have a load with it that matches the BDC in my Vortex. I have shot it out to 500 yards and each mark is on. The AB works well enough out to 300+ yards. I took a deer at 357 yards a couple of years ago with it. The 130gr has taken deer from 15 yards to 357 yards with no problems.

 

[wankerjake]

This year, for elk, I used 30-06 loaded with a max charge of IMR 4350 pushing a Barnes 168gr TTSX at ~2800 fps


Results this year were typical of what this load has done for me in the past. Blew right through this bull elk at 300 yards. That’s what I want in an elk bullet, one that will travel through the animal and break everything in the way.



My dad used the same load on his cow elk hunt this year, at 212 yards this bullet zipped through both shoulders, breaking them and exiting.

 

[Nature Boy]

 

[Flintknapper]

7mm-08:

The Big Brown Truck showed up today and dropped off a bullet I am interested in trying out.

For Deer, Coyotes and smaller Hogs I have always loaded a 140 gr. Combined Technology Ballistic Silvertip and it serves me well. But I've been wanting to try something a bit heavier in weight and construction for larger hogs at longer distances than I am accustomed to shooting my .458 SOCOM (what I normally use for hogs).



From time to time I'll have a group of hogs show up in the pasture behind my house and shots from my back porch can range out to 300 yds, (more commonly 200-250 yds.) The 140 gr. CTBS are fine for broadside shots...but less than ideal for second shot opportunities where the hogs might be running away at angles (quartering shots).

So....I need to load some of these up and find the most accurate powder charge and seating depth.

 

[stillquietvoice]

This year, for elk, I used 30-06 loaded with a max charge of IMR 4350 pushing a Barnes 168gr TTSX at ~2800 fps
View attachment 877548

Results this year were typical of what this load has done for me in the past. Blew right through this bull elk at 300 yards. That’s what I want in an elk bullet, one that will travel through the animal and break everything in the way.

View attachment 877549

My dad used the same load on his cow elk hunt this year, at 212 yards this bullet zipped through both shoulders, breaking them and exiting.

Nice looking elk. I liked your thread of the hunt. Great job and congratulations on your success.

 

[LoonWulf]

Sorry you lost your sheep. Sounds like you got pretty good performance from those fusions.



Your ruger is a real stopper. Great write up.

yeah the fusions are good, tough, bullets. I'd have little issue taking much larger game with them. It's not a great bullet for lung only shots tho.

if they made a .375 Ruger option I'd buy em lol. The rugers a little bit of overkill here, but it's nice to have the extra punch now and then.

 

[woodshunter]

I use Nosler paritions and accubonds, Hornady innerbonds work right well also just never could get good accuracy out of them, this year was a 260 130gr accubond thru the shoulders, my son used a partition 165gr in a 308 same shot location. I give up some shoulder meat so I can break one or both shoulders, getting old now and tracking them deer into the thickest nastiest stuff they got on their home turf isn't so appealing anymore. Usually close to the scapula drops them right there and makes the drag shorter and faster, I remember poling out big ones up north of here and being young and strong didn't matter, you were pretty well done when you got out.

 

[redneck]

I'm in the shotgun or straight wall cartridge only game so I have hunted with a .450 bushmaster for the last 3 seasons.

First year took a 150lb doe with a hornady custom 250grain ftx. Thought I was in love, it punched clear through and took out multiple ribs on both sides and dropped her in about 15 yards.

2nd year, used the same hornady custom 250 grain ftx. Shot a doe quartering towards me fairly hard. Hit the crease of the neck at the front edge of the shoulder. She trotted a circle bellowing like a demon and started running straight away from me. Decided I was pretty sure I had wounded her so I took a hail mary shot and dropped her at 200 yards running straight away from me. First shot the bullet split in half, with one part lodging between the ribs and hide on the offside. The remaining half veered left and went out her belly spilling intestines and making an ugly mess that had me mad for days. 2nd shot took a rear leg off and anchored her, but I had to finish her off when I got there. I was extremely disappointed with this whole situation.

This year, I let the season sneak up on me and went looking for new ammo with only a week to get sighted in so no chance to order anything online. After stopping at 2 gun shops and finding them closed that day, I went to a 3rd place and had the choice of hornady custom (250gr ftx), hornady black (250 gr ftx, same load different box) or hornady american whitetail (245 gr interlock). So I tried the whitetail ammo.

Shot a 150lb dressed buck at 42 paces, head on, in the neck. I was in an elevated stand and aimed about halfway up the neck hoping it would make it down into the chest cavity if the neck didn't drop him outright by itself. He dropped in his tracks quite literally and didnt even flop around. The bullet hit directly on the spine and disintegrated. 2 to 3 vertebrae were completely destroyed, with the neck just being full of gravel and bloodshot meat. The bullet didn't exit and nothing made it down into the chest cavity.


As for shotgun slugs. I have hunted with hornady SST's in 12 gauge and found them very accurate, but rather explosive if you hit bone. I preferred Remington copper solids in 12 gauge, which expanded nicely but always gave me an exit wound.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

So far this year, all 6.5 Grendel
Speer TNT 90 gr.
Nosler BTHP 140 gr.
Berger AR Hybrid 130 gr.
Hornady ELD-M 130 gr.
Hornady SST 123 gr.

 

[stillquietvoice]

How did they work on game.

 

[stillquietvoice]

So far this year, all 6.5 Grendel
Speer TNT 90 gr.
Nosler BTHP 140 gr.
Berger AR Hybrid 130 gr.
Hornady ELD-M 130 gr.
Hornady SST 123 gr.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

How did they work on game.

I really really like the Speer TNT 90 gr. for hogs and coyotes. Hornady SST 123 does very well also, but I am not a meat hunter, so I don't mind the bullets coming apart.

The Nosler BTHP 140 was functional, but not impressive. The Berger AR Hybrid did well as did the ELD-M.

 

[Random 8]

Got to use another one today. Wile E lingered a little too long across the neighbor's hayfield this afternoon. .280 Rem, full house max 120 V-max over IMR 4350. Shot was aprox 200 yards. Results were devastating. I felt a picture of the damage would be inappropriate. The swath of pink snow was impressive.

 

[stillquietvoice]

Nice congrats on Wiley. That vmax must have hit like a ton of bricks.

I like the 280 on paper. It's the perfect compromise between 3006 and 270 win. If my shoulder could take the recoil I have one.

 

[Flintknapper]

Got a few little 160 gr. soldiers loaded up this afternoon, just in time for it to start raining.

So accuracy testing will have to wait until a later date. Hope these will group well enough to use on pigs.

Federal LR primer.
7MM-08 Virgin Brass (Nickel Plated, trimmed to 2.025")
160 gr. Federal Trophy Bonded Bullet
40.0 grains Alliant Reloder-15
COAL 2.78"
Light Crimp