Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Bullet choice for 250 Savage?

I have use the Sierra 90gr HPBT to kill 27 deer. 26 were from my 25/06 and they were pushed along at a chronographed 3400fps.I have an uncle who has shot them exclusively in his 25/06 and has never lost a deer and he has killed many, many more than I have. I used that bullet in my 250 Savage two years ago to kill one doe at about 60 yards. She was shot through the shoulders and dropped on the spot with complete penetration. Our bullets were bought in 1991 so they could have changed since then. On a behind the shoulder shot they rarely have stayed in a deer and I have purposely shot them high in the shoulder to break a deer down late in the evening or when hunting near water. I often had complete penetration when breaking shoulders but not always. I should note that most shots were pretty short range where velocity was still up there. I do not dispute the other poster's experience but know that in the older version it was a devastating deer killer.
I have swapped to 100 Nosler Partitions because of one "failure" with the 90gr Sierra HPBT. I shot on the point of the shoulder on a mature doe quartering to me. The bullet hit the ball joint of the shoulder and exploded. It blew bone and lead fragments all through the lungs and the deer went down with in 35 yards. The problem for me was that there was no blood until the animal hit the ground. If I had been hunting in one of the extremely thick spots I like to frequent it could have been trouble. I have never had any such problem with the Nosler but realize it will most likely not shoot in the 1 in 14" twist gun.
Bottom line to me... If you can find some "old" Sierras they work, new ones I don't know.
Goat

87g Speers worked for me, along with the Sierra 90g BTHP in 25/06...87g Speer is tougher.

With either of these bullets, they are not explosive, but I do place my shots behind the shoulder as a matter of practice.

I like the 100 gr. Hornady SP, they have been very reliable and effective in my .257 Roberts.