Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles .240 bullet choice

I'm working on a final WT deer load for my .240 and want to throw out some variables for consideration.

The gun, an HS Precision SPL is a guaranteed 1/2" rifle and performs at that level with several loads. These include the 80 gr. TTSX, 85 gr. NPT, 90 gr. Scenar, the latter grouping .33". These are traveling at around 3,300-3,600 fps.

I was having trouble getting 95 gr. and 100 gr. NPT's to group. I finally found a 1/2" load for the 100 NPT and it's moving at 3,250 fps. I like the idea of slightly less velocity and more bullet mass for my usage.

I'm sorta torn between the 90 gr. Scenar with it's stellar accuracy and the 100 gr. NPT with it's known performance on game. My shooting is generally under 400 yds., WT deer, Pronghorns and hogs are my targets.

I would appreciate opinions and suggestions.

DF

I also have some 95 gr. NPT's that I can try. They, like the 100's didn't work that well, so far. My gun is a 10 twist and generally likes bullets in the 80-90 gr. range.

DF

Try 95 NBTs

With the 100 gr NP's have you tried IMR 7828? Mine uses 53.5 grs of 7828 with a 95 gr NP and the velocity is 3365,with a 26.75" barrel. It has a 1-10" twist also.

Between the two choices you gave,the 100 gr NP hands down.

H-1000 and IMR-7828 were ho-hum in this gun. The best 100 gr. NPT group so far was with 57.5 gr. Ramshot Magnum. I'm going to try RL-25 and MagPro. RL-25 was the powder generating .33's groups with the 90 gr. Scenar. Very slow powders seem to be working better than the usual recommended ones for this .240.

I've been unable to get NPT 95's to shoot better than NPT 100's, the 10 twist notwithstanding.

Some of the usual 6mm bullet favorites have the potential to do crazy stuff at warp speed. It appears to me that over 3K fps, bullet selection can become a different ball game, at least for close up shots on game. And for >500 yds, I have bigger guns slinging more bullet mass, carrying >1,000 ft. pounds of KE out much farther than the .240.

DF

And I realize H-1000 is on the same burn rate line as Ramshot Magnum and very close to RL-25 and Mag Pro.

I'd roll with the 100gr Partition at 3,250 and not look back.

Ingwe,

I read your post too quickly and now see you were saying NBT, not NPT. I don't know how 95 gr. 6mm Ballistic Tips would act at 3,300 fps. Past experience makes me skeptical that I could count on them not blowing stuff up.

I would be interested in your observations and comments.

DF

I'm leaning that way.

For our kinda hunting, NPT's are hard to beat. Their B.C.'s may not be the best, but I don't do a lot of really long range shooting. 500 yds. would be a very long shot for me, 300-400 yds. more typical of what I do.

DF

What barrel, and what is the twist?

Have you tried the 90 Swift Scirocco? It shoots very well out of a 1-10 twist 6-284 I have.

I've got a 1-10 custom 240 I bought recently on here. I've got a bunch of 85 TSX and 90 NAB that I plan to try.

I always go with the most accurate. An aside: IMR 7828 was like a laying on of the hands for my 240.

26" HS Precision made, cut rifling barrel with 10 twist. Looks great thru Hawkeye borescope, about as nice as a Krieger, Brux, etc. And, shoots about as well.

Good to hear from you, Pat.

DF

PM me your address, and I'll send you down some 105 scenars to try out.

Yeah, shot sub inch with Vv 160, IIRC. I think around .7" or so.

At first, I tried loading them long, as I have plenty of action length in the HS 2000 LA. Went inch and a half or worse. I finally shortened the COAL to 3.07" and the groups tightened up a bunch. It's funny how those bullets, not too unlike the VLD's, love to jump...

The .240 doesn't have much freebore like other Wby rounds. I measured the COAL to the lands and it would be no problem to kiss or engage lands. The gun doesn't seem to tolerate that.

DF

I thought I had it whipped with the 80 gr. TTSX at 3,600 fps, with a half inch load. Shot a doe last year at around 80 yds. She ran 100 yds. We had to find her with flashlights in the woods after dark. HUGE hematoma between shoulder and rib cage. The entrance and exit rib cage holes were about an inch, both ways. Not that much internal chest damage, obviously enough to kill the deer, but not as much as my '06 with 130 gr. Horn SP's at 3,100 fps, or my 6.5-284 with 140 VLD at 3K. Both of those deer shot at similar ranges this year, DRT, with massive internal chest damage, hearts and lungs turned to soup.

I could break shoulders with monometals, but us Cajuns shudder at the thought of wasting good meat. And that would likely take out one or both shoulders, not a viable option, IMO. So, I'm looking for the perfect bullet for chest shooting WT's and Pronghorns, one that will do well long range within the capacity of what a 6mm can do.

This photo, a re-run.

My bet is you will have a longer tracking job with the small diameter partition than you did with the TTSX. I've not been impressed with small partitions in small calibers on thin skinned game but others seem to like 'em.

Stay with the Partitions. For what you want to accomplish, bullet construction trumps B.C.

I can tell you from personal experience that either the 95 gr. or the 100 gr. Nosler Partitions will work fine, all the way to 500 yds. in the 240 Wby. Even further.
However, the big problem with long range shooting is calling the wind. For that, the highest BC bullet you can find is none too good. So whatever you pick, plan on doing alot of shooting at those ranges to learn the wind.
That, to me, would rule out the premiums like the NP and the TTSX/TSX due to their costs. So, if the Bergers or Lapua bullets kill the way you want, you'd probably be better off with something like that. E