Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Speer Grand Slam bullets ?

Never tried any, but a while back an old friend gave me a box of old (20+ years old I'd guess) 285 grain .375" Speer Grand Slams. They were kind of nasty looking, but are cleaning up nicely.

Anyone use them? Or any of the Grand Slams? Accuracy and performance on game?

I've got a .375 H&H that shoots 270 gr Hornady bullets well.

I've used them several calibers. They worked on antelope, deer, and elk. I would expect yours will do the job.

From what Mule Deer has written on here the new ones are not made the same as the old. Saying that I have a friend who shot lengthwise through a cow elk with an old 175g Grandslam from a 7mm RM.

Guy, I really like the old ones and tried to find a box of the bullets you have for my 375 Ruger when I got it. The new ones are not as good so have switched to the 35 cal and 375 Accubonds which as you know are great. The bullets you have are excellent and will work well on anything you would want to shoot.

I have used and still have a supply of the old double core ones in .284 & .308. I don't get target level accuracy but they do well enough. Well enough that I wisht they still made the double core ones.

Agreed. The new one may be more accurate, but they are simply another name for the Speer Hot-Core.

I loaded some 165 Grand Slams into my girlfriend's .308 this year. They shot fine. Took two antelope and shot and lost one deer.
First antelope was facing at about 75 yards. Bullet blew up the heart and exited between the hams.
Here's the heart:


Next one was quartering towards at about the same distance. And dropped it on the spot


Next was a deer, quartering and severe uphill angle at 100 yards or so. I think she hit him in the ass, dropping the deer and rolling him down the hill. Got up and she hit him in the high shoulder (I think), he went down for about 5 minutes, but escaped when we went into the scrub oak to look for him. No blood trail. Found him 200 yards away gimping down the mountain onto private land. No shot. Got permission to pursue, found him again and he ran off pretty well. Never saw again.
Don't know what to make of that performance other than poor shot placement. However, I was kind of surprised by the explosiveness of this bullet. So it's possible it didn't penetrate quite well enough with the butt shot she put on the buck. Or the angle wouldn't have put it thorugh the vitals anyway. Don't really know.

The older ones are a lot tougher than the new ones. Additionally I do not think the new ones shot the same as the older ones due to the change. I do remember a lot of shooters upset with this fact.

Speer explains the new design in their newest reloading manual. It may be BS but it sounds like the new design performs the same but is cheaper to make and easier to make accurate. It sounds like a heavy jacketed core lokt. I actually believe what is written but what is written may be BS. I may try some.

Regardless of designs, the old ones worked.

With all due respect to Speer that does not alibi the current price. $60.00 for 50.

The older ones had a tungsten bottom half I believe....

That looks like alot of meat damage.

This sounds like the old story about Winchester making the M70,
it was great until 1964 when they changed how it was made to save money at the factory...it took them a long time before the rifle was remade to the old standard (2008)..so the Grand Slam bullets will run thru the same fate...or, just fade away?

In never got them to shoot too well in my 270s until I got the new M70..I tried some old 130s I had around and they shot great. I bought a box of the new ones and they shoot different and not as well as the older ones in my rifle. There's better bullets at their price point IMO.

Wow, I never got that kind of damage on an animal. In fact, I've posted that they seemed a little hard for antelope and one had to be a bit careful in shot placement. I was using a 160gr 7mm and a 200gr .308. I've used 140gr 7mm in a 7-08 on mulies but never on an antelope. Once again, this was the old double core bullets.

These bullets are from the yellow see through plastic container if that helps to date them. Her dad sent them down, don't know when they were manufactured.

Yup the "Original GS" came in the amber/yellow see thru container.

BTW I emailed Speer on if they were going to make Deep Curl bullets in 35 and 375 and the amswer is yes but not until they are caught up with releasing the present line up they announced. I asked them for a 225 gr 35 and a 285 gr 375, the latter hopefully a tougher version of their present 285 gr G.S. My bet is they will do a 300 gr instead which would also be great, time will tell

I think only the African Grand Slams did, and then maybe only in the solids.

Yeah, the regular GS just had a harder lead alloy core in the rear half.