Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters In defense of soft hunting bullets

Sounds like they are working for you.

They certainly work as do others.

I have only used TTSXs lately. They have worked very well. Internal damage is fantastic, but I am always amazed at how small the entrance and exit holes are. Just for grins I'll shoot something different next year. Perhaps even a C&C. I will say I am now a true believer in dropping the weight and adding speed to the monos.

+1

DF

I only use bullets using depleted Uranium cores for full penetration.

Seriously, when I used to have a lot of mixed loads left over from testing,which could mean C&C round nose or spire, mono's, mixed bullet weights, charges, primers, velocities per caliber and cartridge, I often dumped the lot during culls which could be a couple of dozen animals to a hundred and more at a time and there really was no standout failures if placed well.

The exception was when the property owner was there with us, every now and then he would call "round nose" as he could tell both by sounds and reaction, when they were slipped into the mix.

Huntz,

Quite a while ago some rifle loony called me out of the blue, mostly to list his theories on almost everything. I can only remember one, which was: "I refuse to use bullets unless they're bonded!" I was tempted to ask about licensed and insured as well, but somehow refrained.

Absolutely. A bullet design for a 300 Savage will not be work at least for me in my 300 WM.

If loaded in the 300 Savage they might not be explosive.

I should have been more explicit.

I've had a Sierra Game 165 grain bullet shot out of an 06 that didn't travel through the doe's shoulder. To me that meant it was too explosive for an '06. But it might be OK in a 300 Savage. Each bullet design is good for certain velocities. With the new high tech bullets the velocity spread is much wider than the older cup and core bullets. I agree with you (Dirtfarmer) and as I said I should have been more exact in my answer. Some of the cup and core bullets are better than others though as they have a wider velocity spread of acceptable performance, in my opinion. So, if I were to be hunting a Mule Deer and was expecting a 250 yard shot, but came up on one 10 yards away (say angling away) it would be much better if I had a partition or other bullet designed for a wide range of velocity than a bullet that was designed for optimum performance 2300 to 2700 fps and I was using a rifle that was pushing the bullet 3,000 fps from the muzzle.

All this discussion is the reason I find the Partition so compelling. It is essentially a C&C in the front with a go-through-anything at any speed part in the back. A truly remarkable design.

Reminds me of over heard bullet discussions at the local pawn shop-Gun store.I just listen and giggle in my mind!!!

Sorry about that. The Tumbleweeds were flowin'.



Travis

This^^^^.

Currently out of production. Here's the latest production list that I've seen published. Don't know if it's current since it's the 2014 list.

http://www.hornady.com/assets/files/2014ProductionList6302014.pdf

That combo could have been the original stimulus for the McFlame gunstock...

Just saying...

DF

oz: This may be a cultural thing, unique to Oz and Africa.

Making a jump from water buffalo to pigs was not exactly what I was talking about. I was thinking more along the lines of the guy who takes his 270 or 280,or 30/06 after everything from pronghorn to bull elk or moose in the same season, for which leaving the Barnes TTSX at home because it may not be theoretically "perfect" for the deer sized stuff(the deer MIGHT take a step or two more with lung shots), but very good for the bull elk,is not how I'd role. I'd rather shoot the deer with the elk bullet than shoot the elk with the deer bullet.

Never having shot a water buffalo, I can intuitively imagine that a tough bullet,driven at modest 9.3x74 velocities,and intended to deal with buffalo weighing (what?) 1500-1700 pounds,might not be your best bet for the cross canyon elk, or 200# pigs at any distance,and i can see the pigs being drilled with lung shots and going a distance.

Me, I'd shoot them on the shoulder with a 375H&H.....Rhetorical question,.but why people judge the worth of BG bullets based on lung shots only, is beyond me,since animals have bones.


So, that being said, I will stand by what I stated before...and to put it in context,I'd reach for the Partition or TTSX for the uses I stated.I've seen far more consistent and reliable results on deer to elk sized game from Partitions (and other "controlled expanding bullets")than from anything else I've seen used or used myself.

I have seen that 150 PP used on deer and bull elk. It did a good job on both but certainly no better than stouter stuff I've used.

Personally I never understood the fuss over C&C bullets vs those of more robust construction,which are demonized by some as being "unnecessary", or too expensive, or over penetrate,or whatever other imaginary characteristics they might have. The job of any BG bullet is to penetrate and expand....day in and day out penetration is more important,and in the better designs expansion is more controlled over a wider velocity spectrum and more types of mediums than most C&C's can muster.

That skinny jacket is really old technology.

Bob,

Well reasoned, well stated.

As always.

DF

I'll always err on the side of penetration.

I'm guessing bullet 'cost' might be a factor when I start shooting 500 head of big game animals a year.

Yeah, I hear stuff about bullet costs.

If I was target shooting and buying them by the thousands, that's an issue.

For hunting and shooting a few rounds each season, performance is center stage, cost not even on the radar screen. Most of my shooting is working up loads. Once I have an optimal load for a particular gun, I load a few boxes and it doesn't get shot that much. Especially since I have a number of hunting rifles.

DF

Justification for having only one gun!

But then, you'd have to turn in your Loony card....

Not to disagree, but, many hunters, who shoot a few dozen shots a year, worry more about cost than the target shooters who shoot the most. Accuracy guys will not compromise on their equipment, targets do not bleed, but they do tell they story in a very clear way.