What's your favorite bullets in what calibers?

[Drhorsepower]

I like the 7mm. The BC of 617 in Berger 168 should be the better of the group and is capable of long range

Great numbers. That's why I switched.

 

[Elkoholic307]

The 168s seem to be the latest fad. A lot of people get all googly eyed, (me included) by the high BCs of the VLDs, but they are just fragile target bullets. I would go with the 160 AB. The coefficient is still good at .531, and you get the performance of a premium hunting bullet.

Sorry if this post comes off rude, just take it as kind of a 'forewarning'. I used to be on the Berger bandwagon until I saw their flaws in the field. I will say this though, if you're only shooting targets, they work great! They kill paper very, very well.

 

[Bitterroot Bulls]

Yeah that 7-08 will knock em down just fine ... elk included. I did not recover the Berger. It punched an entrance hole, obliterated the lungs, and punched an exit hole. Meat damage was minimal. It was shockingly good performance. I was a little wary of hunting with a target-style bullet, but spoke to enough people that had actually used them to be confident. I've heard people that have never used them that they are "explosive" and "fragile," but that was not my experience. There are two lines of Berger VLD bullets, and one is marked "VLD-Hunting." They look the same, but are constructed differently. I will try to find a link to the John Barsness test article on Bergers for hunting. They had great results on over 200 animals. That is a good track record. They worked for me.

I found that article while writing this:

http://www.bergerbullets.com/Information/Barsness Article.pdf

Hmmm, seems like we disagree on the Bergers. Above is a previous post of mine from this very thread. Have you seen that article? I am curious if the failures you observed were with the VLD or VLD-Hunting? I certainly agree that the accubond is an awesome bullet and any BC over .500 G1 is excellent in a hunting bullet.

 

[Drhorsepower]

I am glad to hear somebody doesnt like em. I hear nothing but good things and I like to hear honest evaluations. Thank you. Hopefully now I do not share the same opinion as you because of all the range hours I have put in on them. I shoot the accubond now and have a great load worked up for them. It did take 400 rounds down range though. I tried like heck and finally got a result.

 

[Elkoholic307]

Hmmm, seems like we disagree on the Bergers. Above is a previous post of mine from this very thread. Have you seen that article? I am curious if the failures you observed were with the VLD or VLD-Hunting? I certainly agree that the accubond is an awesome bullet and any BC over .500 G1 is excellent in a hunting bullet.

Yes, we do. I've had the same positive results that you have had; just not every time. And yes, I was using their hunting bullets. My main argument is their consistency. The bullets differ from lot to lot. You never know what you're going to get because lot #1 may shoot differently than lot #2. Even the most die hard Berger shooters will admit to that. My biggest problem with them is expansion on impact. I made (what I thought was going to be) a perfect double lung shot on a whitetail doe and it literally blew up on the hide. There was no penetration whatsoever. I might as well have thrown a firecracker at her.

 

[Bitterroot Bulls]

Yes, we do. I've had the same positive results that you have had; just not every time. And yes, I was using their hunting bullets. My main argument is their consistency. The bullets differ from lot to lot. You never know what you're going to get because lot #1 may shoot differently than lot #2. Even the most die hard Berger shooters will admit to that. My biggest problem with them is expansion on impact. I made (what I thought was going to be) a perfect double lung shot on a whitetail doe and it literally blew up on the hide. There was no penetration whatsoever. I might as well have thrown a firecracker at her.

Interesting. I will have to keep an eye on that lot-to-lot consistency. I purchase mine in bulk from a major ammunition manufacturer in my neck of the woods, so I end up getting hundreds from the same lot. I had just the opposite result of your whitetail doe on my bull from last year. Expansion was delayed, leaving a small entrance hole, and wrecked internals. Enough of the bullet held together to exit through a far-side rib. My results seemed consistent with those found in the Barsness article.

There are failures with just about any bullet design. I have killed a bunch of critters with Accubonds, and really like their performance. It is usually boom, and the game goes down. However, I shot my biggest bull with 200 grain .308 Accubonds, and it took four rounds. At first, I was disappointed with my own marksmanship. Then, during necropsy, it turns out all four punched holes through the lungs, with fairly narrow wound channels. Usually Accubonds leave the lungs in ribbons. I chalked it up to an anomoly, and the fact the bull was 900+ pounds on the hoof.

Even after that experience, I would use (and have used) Accubonds with confidence. Accubonds have worked as advertized farm more often than this one-time mediocre performance.

I also had an acquaintance tell me he won't use Accubonds, because he blew one up on the shoulder of a cow, but I suspect it was actually a ballistic tip.

I certainly agree hunters should use what they are most confident with.

BTW, I have never had a Barnes TTSX failure ... but I have heard rumors of them failing to open. They have all been quick one-shot kills for me.

I appreciate the conversation, Elkoholic307.

 

[packmule]

TTSX & TSX up to .25, ABs past that. I do have a 2 .25 cal rifles that like 110gr ABs better than the tsx.

 

[Scott S]

My favorite bullets in my hunting rifles:

.280 Rem is the 140gr AB

.338-06 is the 210gr Partition

 

[kcaves]

looks like i'm the only hornady guy on here, I use 165 grain sst's in my 300 wsm and knocked down my elk at over 500 yards. I also use 87 grain btsp in my 25-06 for antelope and coyotes. Then I use 40 grain v max's out of my 22-250

 

[mcseal2]

I'm a little late getting here, but it was an interesting read.

I'm on the bandwagon with most. My favorite all around bullet is the accubond, but I've had success with bergers also. One thing I found with the bergers in 6mm (87 & 95gr) is that they seldom exit and the animal loses very little blood from a small entrance wound. They did enough damage that the deer fell right in their tracks or close to it, and left very little blood on the ground to contaminate an area with it's scent. It was nice when letting my girlfriend or neighbors take management deer from my stand sites. I had trouble with them punching through coyotes without much damage at longer ranges also. I plan to keep trying 140gr bergers in my 264WM also, but it's accubonds for me in everything else or for anything bigger than deer. I love how fast accubonds open, even using elk weight bullets on coyotes they open fast and deliver shock instead of burning through but they still retain their weight and penetrate. I've never recovered an accubond from something smaller than an elk that I can remember. The accubond is the most consistent and forgiving bullet I've tried.

 

[Elkoholic307]

looks like i'm the only hornady guy on here, I use 165 grain sst's in my 300 wsm and knocked down my elk at over 500 yards. I also use 87 grain btsp in my 25-06 for antelope and coyotes. Then I use 40 grain v max's out of my 22-250

You're not the only one, I've taken two bulls with the SST. It's a good bullet and I still use the 129 in my 6.5x55 Swede.

 

[magnum12]

My favorite for my 7mm Mag is a 160grn Speer Mag Tip but since they are discountinued and I run out, I will switch over to the Grand Slam.

 

[docjjr]

I have the .264 Win Mag, .270WSM, 300WSM, 7mmRUM, 300RUM, and 338 RUM, and shoot and hunt with all of them regularly and have has some limited use the the 7mmWSM as well. All are great calibers and any would be a big step up in ballistic performance from the .270winchester (especially with 150s). I would consider any of the WSMs and the smaller 2 RUMS pretty tough to beat for an all around north american and african plains game cartrige if you could only have one. Unless you are a handloader, I wouldn't recommend any of the 6.5's just because ammo can be a little tougher to find. The .264 Win Mag pushes a 130 accubond about 3150fps which some would consider a little light for elk and other larger north american game, but if it's deer you are after and you handload it's worth serious consideration. Along with the ballistic improvements you will also notice a step up in recoil, especially with the RUMs. The RUMs all require a muzzle brake to be tollerable, and the WSMs are a little more pleasant to shoot with a brake as well. The other big difference between the RUMs and the WSMs is the barrel length required to achieve maximum performance. The RUMs will need a 26" tube, whereas the WSMs can get by with a 22-24" tubes. I probably like my .270WSM with 130gr E-tips at 3343fps the best. Hope that helps.

been using 150gr. in .270 Remington my whole life, always worked well for me, thinking about getting a .300 also! does anyone have advice on whether I should get the RUM or a WSM. Or would the 7mm be a better choice, what about the 6.5 ?

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

In my .300 Wby I use Nosler Partition...180 grainers. Shoots really well with Reloader 25 powder, get 1 minute or less groups. My deer rifle is 25-06 using Sierra 117 bt bullet and in the same gun for antelope I use a 100 gr Sierra bt.

I recently had Leupold set up a custom elevation knob for my loads for the .300. Just finished all my testing and I am very pleased. It is zero'd at 200 yds which I left at 3/4" high @200. Shoots exactly the same (3/4") at 300, 400 & 500 yds. Going to try some at longer ranges next week. I guess I'm old fashioned as I am using the same bullets I have been using for the last 30 years or more. My motto has always been...If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

 

[MTWillie]

Found a new favorite for my .338 Mag

Hornady Superperformance 185gr GMX

Controllable recoil, hard hitting and flat shooting. I smoked the 4" steel target 5 times in a row at 300 with them. Can't wait for elk season.

 

[Roboz]

7-08 with Hornady SST 139 grain, man i love this caliber.
7x57 with the Hornady SST, my son knocked down a nice 5x5 bull this year with this one.
.22 VMaxx

 

[Scott S]

My favorites and best shooting are:
140gr Accubond and/or 140 gr Partition in my .280 Rem
210gr Partition in my 338-06

 

[crockett]

Hornady 100 gr. SP in my .257 Ackley Improved. However, it's all about bullet placement, not the brand of bullet. As long as the weight is appropriate for the game, the bullet placement is more important.

Ctockett

 

[xtreme]

New to me is RWS 7mm 177gr. This stuff shoots paper better than anything I have shot. My oldest gun is a Rem 700 7mm and it likes the RWS.

 

[HuntWYODon]

180 gr. Barnes TTSX or TSX in Rem. Mod. 700 Stainless. 300 Ultra MAG. Very accurate combo with 100.o grs. Hogdon Retumbo.
140 gr. Barnes TTSX or TSX in Ruger MK II Stainless . 7mm Rem Mag. Best load with 70.0 grs. Alliant RL 22.