When I buy a new gun and cartridge I usually buy a heap of different bullets and see how they shoot. The exception was my Sako 8x57. I bought some 180gn Ballistic Tips and loaded them up for a quick trip out west after pigs. They went so well I loaded up a heap more and never bothered to try any others. I've stacked up on more Ballistic Tips when they are on special. They group well (as a Sako should) and perform excellently on pigs so I just haven't tried anything else so far.
I load 180gn bullets in my .30-06 and between it and the 8x57 I can't see any difference in on game performance between them. The .30-06 would probably be the more logical choice but in a custom rifle the 8x57 just seems more better. And sometimes it's just more fun to throw logic out the window and get something different.
