Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Mule Deer - 308 Win and Moose question

Yup. I hope I can get enough Varget/RL 15 into the case to get 2800 out of my 21.5 inch barrel. Not for less bullet drop but to ensure expansion out to ~400. I'd really like to use the 150TTSX.

130TTSX out of a 308 as dirtfarmer mentioned; that may be interesting to try, but I have have elk sized critters in mind. Of course 130's don't bounce off when launched from a 270. Paradigm shift

I have seen .338-caliber 250-grain NOS Partition bullets as well as several .30-caliber 180-grain TB bullets (fired with a .300WM) in similar conditions at the TSX one posted by Brad. All of these bullets were recovered from moose that were shot several times (hard to tell which bullets did the killing)

Anyway, a bullet that fail to expand does not indicate bullet failure. Bullets are designed to expand within certain speed ranges. In addition, there must be enough frontal resistance on impact for the bullet to begin to expand. In my view, the bullet posted by Brad did not hit anything straight on (on its tip), but hit something with it's ogive first.

Notice how the top of the bullet is bent to one side? Maybe the bullet hit something on that side, deflected a little in another direction, and only one petal hit bone or something solid before stopping?

All the bullets I mentioned on my first paragraph had their tips or noses slightly bent like the one Brad posted.

In regards to the non-opening, I was surprised how flattened the tips of my TTSXs that were in the mag became after one shot. I could see the tip of a TSX getting squeezed in a tiny bit thus adversely impacting its ability to open... Maybe. It's a stretch...

This whole lighter is better thing has me wondering how a 160 TTSX would work vs a 185 TTSX (2900-2950ish vs. 2740).

Barnes shows 52 gr. Varget at 3,159 fps with the 130 gr. TTSX. That's a 106% load, so I'd think there could be some crunching putting that load together.

With the 150 gr. TTSX, their accuracy load is 45 gr. H4895 at 2,854 fps and it's a 99% case capacity load. That's my accuracy load with 150 gr. NBT's and the load goes together without any crumching. The TTSX 150 gr. is longer than the NBT 150 gr., however.

DF

That's what I've got my brother running in his .308 for deer/elk/bear/everything else (the 130gr TTSX). So far it hasn't bounced off anything...

I shoot a lot of compressed loads and find NO problems with them

You'll find they penetrate just fine

I predict, as time passes, we hunters will learn that the highest and best use of a monometal bullet is running lighter bullets faster.

They penetrate, almost to a fault, so added mass for better penetration i.e. cup and core technology, is no longer cutting edge thinking.

The monometal Achilles heel is expansion and speed encourages proper engineered bullet performance.

Not that complicated. When in doubt, go light and go fast.

IMHO,

DF

Going light might be just fine for lighter big game. However, for truly big game animals, keeping more weight in the equation isn't a bad thing. There is little doubt that a 130 would be in, through, and gone if you drilled a moose in the slats with it and a 308. Based on what I had in one of my first several efforts on caribou with 120s in the 7-08 however, I think I'll stick with the 140s which have worked so well on caribou and moose for me (with no recoveries over some dozens.)



And I happily run the 150 TTSX, TSX, GMX, or eTip in the 308. And I'm sure a 168 TTSX would be no sweat as well.

That's just the thing....just about anything 6mm up will work on large animals with correct shot placement. Traditionally, more weight added some insurance if the shot is a bit off. It is just hard to slough off that security blanket of going heavy since it is so ingrained in us.

I�m patient and primarily bow hunt. I have taken some pretty steep angles with a bow (hold on the last ribs angling away � or aim for the offside shoulder). I�m not talking about shooting through the ham. This bow shot will usually catch some gut, liver, diaphragm, 1 lung and then usually exit or poke through the skin. Animals will not go far. It would be nice to know a bullet will penetrate enough to be able to take this shot as I am very comfortable with the shot placement from experience.

So a general question here regarding this monometal bullets. Since these bullets are typically longer and require high velocity to ensure expansion, do you feel that this put short-action calibers at a disadvantage compared to long action when using this monometal-type bullets?

No

Could you be more succinct in your answer, please........

Short action calibers as a class, no. Longer bullets can take up powder space which could be more of an issue with short action calibers, but if one is going lighter with the monometals,, that handicap becomes moot. For example, a 130 gr. monometal may have the length of a 150 gr. cup and core in .308 cal.

In the .308 vs. .30-06 argument, for example, the '06 doesn't really start pulling ahead until one gets into heavy bullets and the bulkier, slower powders. With lighter weight to length monometals, and with the new powders, one would think that short action calibers may shine even more, achieving new velocities and performance, compared to the past.

Just a thought.

DF

Yeah, and try not to be so "Wordy" in your next response, too.

This is where I would have said that there's nothing wrong with the good old Partition....


But have you seen the price tags on them now??

I'd rather go to a gay S&M party than pay fuggin near 50 bucks for 50 bullets

I'd rather pay the $50, but to each their own..........

I'd rather just kill stuff with a scenar....

You're making this way to easy Scenarshooter

Don't sugarcoat it Steelhead - Tell him how you really feel ..........................