Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles .284 140BT EXPERIENCE?

I’ve got these shooting well in a 7mm-08 at 2900. At this modest velocity, what’s your experience been with performance on deer or elk? Any real advantage with accubonds if the big bones are avoided? Ranges would be <400yds.

I’ve got lots of experience with accubonds in .284 and .308 calibers. Also, I’ve found some BT to penetrate surprisingly well when started at modest velocity.

Love them in 280 for deer hunting. Generally loaded 2900-3000 fps. Very accurate and I have generally gotten exits except for one I can think of which I shot with a winchester ballistic silvertip factory load out of a TC pro hunter. Possibly the long barrel (28”) upped velocity some but deer dropped anyway. Would not worry on deer at all. No experience with elk but I would personally use an accubond if they were on the menu.

Lou

I also have used a fair number of 140 gr BTs on deer out of my .280 at about 2950 fps, ranging from 120 lb does in Alabama to 335 lb mature bucks in northern Missouri. Based on the bullet's performance on this sample of around 40 deer, plus 3 pronghorns, I personally wouldn't feel comfortable using that bullet and load on elk.

The elk loads that I've worked up for my .280 use 140gr Barnes TTSXs, 150gr Swift Scirocco IIs, and 160gr Swift A-Frames. And out of my old tang-safety Ruger 77, the 140gr TTSX load will consistently put 3 shots in less than 1/2" groups, if I do my part.

I’ve used them a lot, been pleased

I had bad luck with factory 280Rem Ballistic Silvertips, circa 2008 or so. Chrono'ed it at 2840fps, which isn't pushing the bullet too fast, and the deer and coyote shot were both over 100yds away. The coyote was almost cut in half. This is the exit wound of the doe on a behind the shoulder shot. I used the rest of the box for target practice because they were just too explosive for use on game animals.

Edited: Imgur is down so I can't post a picture at the moment. I'll try to load the picture later. The wound couldn't be covered with a 10 inch pie plate.

Put it where it’s supposed to go and notch your tag.





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