Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Stability of 110 Grain Bullets in .30 Caliber Rifles

I can't comment at all about the magnum options, but, over the past few years, I've experimented quite a bit with lighter .30 options, including 110 gr TSX, initially for my oldest son's '06 and then for one my dad picked up. A couple shot so well, I started shooting them in a couple of my rifles; '06 and .308. My son's is a Higgins Mod 50 FN, passed down from his great grandfather. I got some data on low recoil rounds because he wanted to hunt with it, instead of a .243 I had intended him to begin his career with. Now that's he's 16 and over 6' tall, the recoil is no longer a concern, but the light bullets are still taking deer and hogs. In my dad's case, shoulder surgery drastically changed his recoil tolerance, but he still wanted to use his '06 from time to time. We tried some of my son's light recoiling loads in dad's rifle and they shot near enough well for his hunting ranges. So I got more mileage out of that round of load development, after all. Dad's rifle is an old Revelation/Mossberg, refinished, bedded, and floated. Mine that have seen the light bullets are a bedded/floated custom stocked Vanguard '06, a custom Springfield, and a floated Ruger 77 .308. Point being, the age and type of rifle doesn't seem to matter much for consistency. None of them shot "patterns" and I was able to find a charge that each of them liked without too much work or time. The largest group from all of them I have recorded in my log was 2.73" and it was with the same powder, heavier charge, that shot the smallest group for the same bullet (a 125 Barnes).

Shots on game have been from 30 yds+- out to just shy of 120 yds. I can't comment on longer range accuracy, but out to the 100-120 area, the following numbers are group averages taken from a minimum of five 3-shot 100 yd groups with the best powder option I found for each bullet, all recorded groups shot by me, not my son or dad.

110 Barnes TSX (no game taken):

FN - .82"
Mossberg - 1.31"
Vanguard - .34"
Springfield - not tried
Ruger .308 - .49"

125 Barnes X (1 hog taken):

FN - .63"
Mossberg - not tried
Vanguard - .28"
Springfield - .33"
Ruger .308 - .41"

125 Sierra Flat Base (2 deer, 1 hog taken):

FN - .57"
Mossberg - 1.1"
Vanguard - .68"
Springfield - .59"
Ruger .308 - .78"

130 Hornady SP (1 deer, 3 hogs taken):

FN - .68"
Mossberg - .97"
Vanguard - .24"
Springfield - .39"
Ruger .308 - .30"

All of that leads me to conclude that the smaller bullets are just fine in .30 cal, albeit with the sacrifice in the almighty BC. My dad is shooting the 125 Sierra over 4198. Personally, I ended up settling on the Horn 130 over 4064 as my overall choice for a range bullet and deer bullet, but I like to shoot a lot and at 100/box, it's easier on my family-constrained wallet than the Barnes 110 at 50/box. That is all that made the difference in my decision.

Best -
Andy

I know what 130 gr. .30-06 bullets will do at the range and on WT's. Here's a link to a Husky '06 project.

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/8948791/1

DF

Interesting idea.

I wouldn't do it myself, simply because I already have the .270 with 130 grain bullets, but shooting is all about experimenting and I'd be interested to see how yours turns out.

I shoot 120 gr Ttsx's out of a 7mm rem mag & 100 gr TTSX's out of a 6.5x47 L at deer. The only one that didn't give complete penetration was the 6.5x47 on a doe that was facing me, the bullet stopped about halfway through lengthwise & made a big mess inside. I can't imagine a 110 gr 30 cal TTSX even flinching on a whitetail of any size.

I can't imagine it not working either. I'm not worried about the BC as the property is not set up for long shots.

The Barnes 130TSX out of a mild 30-06 have worked to perfection for me in the past. The tipped version will be more better.

I can imagine it not working on big deer, but if you keep it to the 100 pounders it should be just fine.

You want a good BC and good SD--not just for long range retention of velocity and energy but for penetration as well.

Why?

Mono-metals are a whole different ball game compared to C&C's.

DF

Insufficient penetration due to light weight and inadequate sectional density.

Might be ok on the perfect behind the shoulder shot on a smaller deer, but it's just not a wise choice for general use.

As I said before, though, I applaud the experiment and I hope the results are better than I would expect.

In 2013 season I shot a 200 lb (Dressed) doe with a 53 grain TSX.

It made a 3 inch diameter hole through both shoulders and exited. She ran 100 feet or so and tipped over dead with a train wreck in her chest with the remnants of the heart loose in the chest. I shot a second deer that year with the 53 grain TSX and had virtually identical results from the other side of a 150 lb deer. and I started that bullet 300 FPS slower.

I have shot a bunch of them with .243s and light .270 and 30-06 TSX/TTSX bullets. All told, between myself and the people I load for we've killed 80 odd deer with Barnes bullets. We have recovered exactly one. All the rest were pass throughs. That single captured bullet was a 130 grain 30 caliber running about 3150 FPS and was a corner to corner shot on a good sized buck.

They not only go through meat, they go through bone without showing much difference that I can see. I put a 110 grain .270 bullet through both shoulder blades, a total of six ribs edgewise, and the spine. For all I know it's still going because it went right on through. Bambi however is not still going. Bambi was on the ground dead before the sound of the shot got there.

That's the same one that the army uses as an anti-tank round, right?

I didn't even know they were available to us hunters.

Dances, to which poster were you replying you could see it not working with big deer?

Personally I wouldn't use a 110g Vmax out of a 308 on really big deer ideally, but I wouldn't baulk at a 130 Barnes X Bullet.

The low effort path of instant gratification of small groups for me at 100 yards is with wimpy loads and fast powder:
35 gr Vmax in 223
65 gr Vmax in 243
72 gr Vmax in 257
110 gr Vmax in 308

They may make tiny groups, but are not very useful.
Those light bullets have the ballistics of a ping pong ball.
At 500 yards, heavier boat tailed bullets work better.

Dang, who knew?

I had an overload in a Weatherby one time with 78 grains of 7828ssc that required breaking down. Not wanting to dump it all out and start over, I just put a 110 Sierra round nose carbine bullet. Two five shot/100 yard groups at an inch and inch and a quarter. Round holes in paper and a grey puff of dust behind. No idea on the speed though.

Have always wanted to try that on a squirrel!

That statement raises a red flag as in you haven't tried them on WT's.

DF

The World Record 5 shot group at 100 yards was shot with a 30cal and I believe it was a 110 or 112 grain bullet. The 5 shot group size was .008.

This is Mike's equipment list

Receiver: Kelbly Panda
Barrel: 17 twist Kreiger
Stock: Larson (including action bedding)
Scope: Leupold 45X Competition in Kelby Single Screw Tall Rings
Brass: Lapua (Base case is 6.5 Grendel)
Bullets: Randy Robinett (BIB) 30 Cal. 114gr, 10 Ogive (secondary bullet; primary is 112gr BIB)
Powder: H4198 – Stout Load with 2980 FPS Velocity
Front Rest: Farley Coaxial
Bags: Micro Fiber
Flags: Graham Wind Flags (large)

It is kinda like a 30PPC

1:17 twist?

Gentle.