Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Trophy hunting deer rifles and loads

Barnes TTSX are my go to in every rifle now except for one rifle in which I still use a .308 175 Sierra Match King.

Don't shoot the little ones but a really big one might get the ham to opposite shoulder treatment.

I have tried so many different bullets on deer I’d hate to think how much money I wasted dicking around when I knew from the start. I run slightly heavy for caliber partitions for everything. Deer, bear whatever. 160 7mm and 180 30 caliber. Just works for me and a shot at 400 yards or more is rare for me. Possible but, rare if I’m doing my part. I would give Barnes a try again but haven’t since the XLC days with the blue coating.

My trophy hunting rifles are Tikkas, a 695, T3, and T3X, along with a McWhorter and they all wore Leupolds up until a short couple of years ago. They were primarily stuffed with a partition or accubond since 1971, and lately a ballistic tip as well.

The 7MM 150 grain ballistic tip is a fine bullet for just about anything. Much tougher bullet than many other C&C bullets.

Using a 250 gr. Cup and core bullet from a 35 Whelen gives me the confidence to take any shot on a deer or anything on North America. I have only found one bullet since I bought this rifle. That was a 200 gr on a quartering away shot. I am sure a smaller bullet would be fine most of the time but it never hurts to have a little extra.

Just took a big doe with 260rem and 100gr TTSX. 40 yds, took bottom of heart out. She ran 60 yards into the thick stuff and died. First time using the TTSX in the 260 and happy with it so far.

I think people generally use what bullet shoots well in their rifles. I've always tested and used the premium bullets like Barnes TTSX, Swift Scirocco's, Nosler Accubonds and have had great accuracy as well as bullet performance on game. I may or may not have had the same good accuracy and performance with the old Core-Lokts or PowerPoints. I used 130 gr. Speer Grand slams in my .270 for years and have just purchased some more. They're not necessarily what I consider a premium bullet, but they work very well out of my old A-bolt.

That depends on the extra. I'd bet more often than not a broadside chest shot deer from a 120 grain Ballistic Tip out of a 260 will fall faster than one from a 250 grain 35.

Don't know as sometimes deer drop pretty fast hit with just about anything broadside through the chest. That said so far my Whelen pushing the 250 gr. Hornady RN to 2500 fps is 100% on dropping every deer it has hit, sample of four though. That bullet opens wide very quickly. Actually my bullet choice for trophy hunting is not decided upon how good a bullet works on broadside hits either.

Sure, but that wasn't the universal statement I was picking at.

For your typical ranges, load a hornady 154 in the 7mm-08 and kill the biggest deer that crosses your path, there is better than a good chance that you will not catch that bullet

Guess I'm a bit pithy lately, could be out hunting but I have to hang for Thanksgiving and be nice to all the inlaws, a real strain.

I feel for you man. I'm lucky this holiday because I don't have to hang out with anybody that needs putting up with.

I agree with strong bullets for trophy animals. When $$$ is being paid for me to hunt, its going to be either a Barnes TTSx, A Partition ( or similar Aframe) or an Accubond. I also like the Old School heavy for caliber round nose ( Woodleighs my favorite) for the thick stuff too.

6.5 Berger 140 vld for me. 2600-2900 FPS muzzle velocity. Near or far.

For "regular" deer I use the 150 gr JSP 30-06.

But for the Trophies, I pull out the trophy bonded, accumoly, ceramic coated, kydex tipped, boat tail 128 grain in 6.5 cockslap.

Trophy down! We got a trophy down!

I think premium bullets are better than C&C's in one way. I usually lung shoot to avoid ruining meat. For those shots, a CoreLokt or I/L will do a quicker job IMHO than a Partition. Not by much but just a bit.

The situation reverses itself if I have to break a shoulder or spine. I find the Partitons do that job with comparatively little bloodshot meat as do the Trophy Bonded Bearclaws I also use. I also often get a pass through by the bullet.