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What .30 cal bullet for less meat damage #9816862 04/26/15
Joined: May 2014 Posts: 238 S scouttracker OP Campfire Member
OP scouttracker Campfire Member S Joined: May 2014 Posts: 238	What .30 cal bullet do you use in your .300 Win Mag, .308 and 30-06, that does the least amount of meat damage to black bear and deer?

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Re: What .30 cal bullet for less meat damage scouttracker #9816882 04/26/15
Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 10,981 Winchester, WY USA M memtb Campfire Outfitter
memtb Campfire Outfitter M Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 10,981 Winchester, WY USA	Impact velocity is probably as/or more responsible for meat damage as the bullet construction. Though, I would have to believe that a thin jacketed bullet would do more immediate damage than a controlled expansion round. Bullet placement is also critical, behind the shoulder and thru the lungs is a pretty good place to put the round. Basically, if you want to eat it don't put a bullet there!! memtb You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong." -Bob Hagel “I’d like to be a good rifleman…..but, I prefer to be a good hunter”! memtb 2024

Re: What .30 cal bullet for less meat damage scouttracker #9816948 04/26/15
Joined: Nov 2005 Posts: 4,380 Portland, Ore D Dancing Bear Campfire Tracker
Dancing Bear Campfire Tracker D Joined: Nov 2005 Posts: 4,380 Portland, Ore	On Deer, A 180 grain bullet, the old Trophy Bonded has done the least meat damage - except when I hit a bone. They don't usually leave a bunch of bullet fragments in the wound channel. I find a Partition does leave some, otherwise that would be my candidate.

Re: What .30 cal bullet for less meat damage scouttracker #9816984 04/26/15
Joined: Feb 2008 Posts: 5,735 Minnesota M MILES58 Campfire Tracker
MILES58 Campfire Tracker M Joined: Feb 2008 Posts: 5,735 Minnesota	I have shot a fair number of deer with Barnes bullets in a lot a lot of different flavors, and they consistently produce less meat damage. I won't begin to guess why they do such a thorough job at the same time on chest contents though. From 53 grain TTSXs to 250 grain T-EZs the results are pretty uniform. The holes all look more or less the same.

Re: What .30 cal bullet for less meat damage scouttracker #9817018 04/26/15
Joined: Feb 2007 Posts: 7,442 Likes: 1 SW Georgia G Godogs57 Campfire Tracker
Godogs57 Campfire Tracker G Joined: Feb 2007 Posts: 7,442 Likes: 1 SW Georgia	Partition! You only live once, but...if you do it right, once is enough.

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Re: What .30 cal bullet for less meat damage scouttracker #9817026 04/26/15
Joined: Jul 2011 Posts: 178 P Peator Campfire Member
Peator Campfire Member P Joined: Jul 2011 Posts: 178	Heavy for caliber, moderate velocity is all you need.

Re: What .30 cal bullet for less meat damage scouttracker #9817124 04/26/15
Joined: Sep 2005 Posts: 6,392 Likes: 1 N.E. Mn./ Mt H handwerk Campfire Tracker
handwerk Campfire Tracker H Joined: Sep 2005 Posts: 6,392 Likes: 1 N.E. Mn./ Mt	I've had great luck with barnes TTSX's

Re: What .30 cal bullet for less meat damage scouttracker #9817372 04/27/15
Joined: Oct 2008 Posts: 18,174 29376 R ringworm Campfire Ranger
ringworm Campfire Ranger R Joined: Oct 2008 Posts: 18,174 29376	220 woodliegh TRUMP- GABBARD 2024

Re: What .30 cal bullet for less meat damage scouttracker #9817604 04/27/15
Joined: Nov 2013 Posts: 28,849 Likes: 11 West of the Blue Ridge Pappy348 Campfire Ranger
Pappy348 Campfire Ranger Joined: Nov 2013 Posts: 28,849 Likes: 11 West of the Blue Ridge	Based on 4 deer taken with Partitions in .243, .257, .277, and .308, my impression was that there was less meat damage than with C&Cs. All were heart shots, or nearly so and all were within 30 yards, so impact velocity was high. Generally, to avoid meat damage, don't shoot meat. What fresh Hell is this?

Re: What .30 cal bullet for less meat damage scouttracker #9817684 04/27/15
Joined: Feb 2001 Posts: 50,643 Likes: 1 Anchorage, AK USA Sitka deer Campfire Kahuna
Sitka deer Campfire Kahuna Joined: Feb 2001 Posts: 50,643 Likes: 1 Anchorage, AK USA	After literally hundreds of critters processed, with a large percentage stuff I have shot, the Barnes bullets are so far ahead of everything else there is absolutely no comparison. The nature of the wounds are different with the Barnes usually producing a wound that bleeds more freely and does less bruising at distances from the hole. Mark Begich, Joaquin Jackson, and Heller resistance... Three huge reasons to worry about the NRA.

IC B3

Re: What .30 cal bullet for less meat damage Sitka deer #9817830 04/27/15
Joined: Aug 2003 Posts: 17,491 Alaska - N63º, W162º Klikitarik Campfire Ranger
Klikitarik Campfire Ranger Joined: Aug 2003 Posts: 17,491 Alaska - N63º, W162º	Originally Posted by Sitka deer After literally hundreds of critters processed, with a large percentage stuff I have shot, the Barnes bullets are so far ahead of everything else there is absolutely no comparison. The nature of the wounds are different with the Barnes usually producing a wound that bleeds more freely and does less bruising at distances from the hole. This I made a weak (low) shot on a young bull moose one time as he climbed out of a steep pocket-pond in the tundra. It opened him up in the sternum and would have been lethal but I wasn't sure whether I had hit him or not. As he got up on the tundra and trundled away, all I had was a very thin view of his chest and lots of butt. I hoped I'd slip the bullet into the chest and miss the guts. However, as he moved, his butt became the receiving target and the bullet landed squarely in the pelvis. That big bone was chunked into pieces the size of charcoal briquets and might just as well have been smashed after the meat was chilled and hung for a few days. Typically the bone pieces are easy to remove because there's bloody meat around them. These had none of that. Meat loss was insignificant. That was a 225 XFB from a 358 Winchester, but the results have been very similar whether the cartridge was a 7mm-08, 30-06, 340 Weatherby, or other rifle. The worst cases I have seen with monos involved zero/poor expansion and longer bleed times. Sometimes, the air you 'let in'matters less than the air you 'let out'.

Re: What .30 cal bullet for less meat damage handwerk #9817880 04/27/15
Joined: Jan 2010 Posts: 8,175 Western Pennsylvania D donsm70 Campfire Outfitter
donsm70 Campfire Outfitter D Joined: Jan 2010 Posts: 8,175 Western Pennsylvania	Originally Posted by handwerk I've had great luck with barnes TTSX's Me too. donsm70 Life Member...Safari Club International Life Member...Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Life Member...Keystone Country Elk Alliance Life Member...National Rifle Association

Re: What .30 cal bullet for less meat damage donsm70 #9818032 04/27/15
Joined: Sep 2010 Posts: 4,004 Cave Creek, AZ Blacktailer Campfire Tracker
Blacktailer Campfire Tracker Joined: Sep 2010 Posts: 4,004 Cave Creek, AZ	I generally load for around 2750 MV in whatever caliber for deer and it gives enough penetration without damaging meat. Haven't used anything but TSX and TTSX for the last 25 years. I am continually astounded at how quickly people make up their minds on little evidence or none at all. Jack O'Connor

Re: What .30 cal bullet for less meat damage scouttracker #9818648 04/27/15
Joined: May 2009 Posts: 17,276 Likes: 1 Cheyenne, Wy Fotis Campfire Ranger
Fotis Campfire Ranger Joined: May 2009 Posts: 17,276 Likes: 1 Cheyenne, Wy	220 Hornady 220 partition https://thehandloadinglog.wordpress.com μολὼν λαβέ "Weatherby was too long so I nicknamed it "Bee""

Re: What .30 cal bullet for less meat damage Fotis #9818942 04/27/15
Joined: Nov 2011 Posts: 31,036 Likes: 4 Colorado A antelope_sniper Campfire 'Bwana
antelope_sniper Campfire 'Bwana A Joined: Nov 2011 Posts: 31,036 Likes: 4 Colorado	Originally Posted by Fotis 220 Hornady 220 partition Yep, Big, slow, heavily constructed bullets if you want to eat right up to the bullet hole. You didn't use logic or reason to get into this opinion, I cannot use logic or reason to get you out of it. You cannot over estimate the unimportance of nearly everything. John Maxwell

Re: What .30 cal bullet for less meat damage Klikitarik #9819566 04/27/15
Joined: Feb 2001 Posts: 50,643 Likes: 1 Anchorage, AK USA Sitka deer Campfire Kahuna
Sitka deer Campfire Kahuna Joined: Feb 2001 Posts: 50,643 Likes: 1 Anchorage, AK USA	Originally Posted by Klikitarik Originally Posted by Sitka deer After literally hundreds of critters processed, with a large percentage stuff I have shot, the Barnes bullets are so far ahead of everything else there is absolutely no comparison. The nature of the wounds are different with the Barnes usually producing a wound that bleeds more freely and does less bruising at distances from the hole. This I made a weak (low) shot on a young bull moose one time as he climbed out of a steep pocket-pond in the tundra. It opened him up in the sternum and would have been lethal but I wasn't sure whether I had hit him or not. As he got up on the tundra and trundled away, all I had was a very thin view of his chest and lots of butt. I hoped I'd slip the bullet into the chest and miss the guts. However, as he moved, his butt became the receiving target and the bullet landed squarely in the pelvis. That big bone was chunked into pieces the size of charcoal briquets and might just as well have been smashed after the meat was chilled and hung for a few days. Typically the bone pieces are easy to remove because there's bloody meat around them. These had none of that. Meat loss was insignificant. That was a 225 XFB from a 358 Winchester, but the results have been very similar whether the cartridge was a 7mm-08, 30-06, 340 Weatherby, or other rifle. The worst cases I have seen with monos involved zero/poor expansion and longer bleed times. Yup and the difference is so obvious I have to wonder about the experience level of those not seeing it. I strongly suspect the folks dropping their critters off at the processor are the ones calling for bullets other than monos... Mark Begich, Joaquin Jackson, and Heller resistance... Three huge reasons to worry about the NRA.

Re: What .30 cal bullet for less meat damage scouttracker #9819868 04/27/15
Joined: Feb 2011 Posts: 1,082 B Biggs300 Campfire Regular
Biggs300 Campfire Regular B Joined: Feb 2011 Posts: 1,082	Partitions. I probably don't have the overall experience of others, but I've used them on deer in 300 Win Mag, 25-06, and 358 Win. Wound channels are consistent and in all but one case, I had a good exit wound as well. In all cases the deer went down in less than 30 yards and never required a second shot. Start young, hunt hard, and enjoy God's bounty.

Re: What .30 cal bullet for less meat damage scouttracker #9820346 04/27/15
Joined: Feb 2015 Posts: 294 D driftless Campfire Member
driftless Campfire Member D Joined: Feb 2015 Posts: 294	165gr Hornady bt and fb have worked good for me in the 30-06 bullet always exits and does not wreck a lot of meat on deer, any 150gr bullet out of A short barrel 308 has killed kindly for me.Never killed A animal with A 300mag, but if I did it would be a 200gr something.

Re: What .30 cal bullet for less meat damage driftless #9820576 04/27/15
Joined: Jun 2002 Posts: 11,953 NB / Canada SuperCub Campfire Outfitter
SuperCub Campfire Outfitter Joined: Jun 2002 Posts: 11,953 NB / Canada	I've shot a few deer with 180 Hornadys for a 308 Carbine. All died with minimum meat loss. As others mention, slow and heavy.

Re: What .30 cal bullet for less meat damage Biggs300 #9820578 04/27/15
Joined: Feb 2001 Posts: 50,643 Likes: 1 Anchorage, AK USA Sitka deer Campfire Kahuna
Sitka deer Campfire Kahuna Joined: Feb 2001 Posts: 50,643 Likes: 1 Anchorage, AK USA	Originally Posted by Biggs300 Partitions. I probably don't have the overall experience of others, but I've used them on deer in 300 Win Mag, 25-06, and 358 Win. Wound channels are consistent and in all but one case, I had a good exit wound as well. In all cases the deer went down in less than 30 yards and never required a second shot. And that relates to the question of meat damage how? Mark Begich, Joaquin Jackson, and Heller resistance... Three huge reasons to worry about the NRA.

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