Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting What are your favorite deer bullets and why? Bad experiences?

Simply put what are your favorite deer bullets and why? Any ones that failed or you would never use again?

What is your preferred factory deer ammo

140 grain Barnes TSX from a 7mm-08 lost the only deer that I've ever shot with a firearm. 5 drops of blood total and two days of looking turned up nothing from a broadside shot at about 60 yards. A deer the year before should have told me that bullet was not expanding much if at all when it had a nickle size hole through both lungs instead of lung mush that was more typical of cup and core bullets.
Hornady Interlocks and SST's and Remington Core-Lokts have worked the best so far. 140 Ballistic Tips are next up to try for that 7mm-08 given what I've read here.

I like 6mm Barnes 80 TTSX, 85 TSX, 95 grain Nosler BT, 100 grain Sierra Pro-Hunter, though the PH didn't always fully penetrate it always fully killed. This was in a .243.

Sierra 30 cal 165 HPBT GK, 165 Hornady IL both flat and BT, Speer 165 Hot core, Nosler 165 BT and AB. In both .308s and .30-06s.

For the .30-30, Hornady 170 FP IL is the best-shooting in my rifle.

For the .45-70, bullets I like are the 300 grain Speer UniCor and the Beartooth Bullets 420 grain Piledriver Jr. 300 grain Hornady HP shoots good in my .458 SOCOM and it doesn't push them to the point of getting frangible.

The only bullet I have used that I absolutely didn't like was the early 150 grain SSTs in a .308 rifle, literally blew up on close range shots but did OK in a .308 pistol with a 15" barrel. 500 fps made a difference.

I use Corelokts a good bit and Hornady flat base bullets. They work and never give me surprises. I load Nosler 120gr Ballistic Tips for my 7mm-08s. I've used Hornady SSTs some and while they didn't fail they seem a bit destructive.

In .30 caliber my favorite is Sierra 165gr. Game King and in .35 caliber (.35 Whelen) Hornady 200gr. Inter-lok RN and Sierra 225gr. Game King. I've used all of these bullets on whitetail with great success, never needed more than one shot.

i only use 2 brands and types these days Nosler Partitions and Swift A-Frames in my 257 Weatherby Mag. both worked great !

For shorter range deer hunting:

7/08, IMR 4895, 130g Speer btsp- is the absolute smack down on white tails

308 Win/30/06-165g speer btsp is awesome

108 elds out of a 6 Creed have worked very well for me. Haven’t had many “bad bullets” but I’ve caught more 120 BTs out of a 7mm-08 than anything else.

Of the lower end ammo Winchester Power Points have worked incredibly well. They are hard to get in my area though.

.Favorite deer bullets - in the '06 we use 180 grain bullets on deer and elk. We find the tougher bullets don't expand as much in deer and result in less bloodshot meat. They work fine on elk too.

'06 favorite deer bullets - Handloads- Nosler 180 gr Partition, TBBC 180 and 165 grain, Hornady 180 gr I/L, Factory loads Winchester 180 gr Power Point, Remington 180 gr PSP CorLokt [these have gotten pretty soft , I use them less and less].

.308 favorite deer bullets - Handloads-Hornady 150 grain I/L, Factory loads-150 grain Remington CoreLokts,

.243 Win favorite deer bullets - Handloads-Hornady 100 grain BTSP, Factory loads-Remington 100 grain PSP CoreLokt or Winchester 100 grain Power Point [When I can get them]

.338 Win Mag favorite deer bullets - Handload-Hornady 225 gr I/L, Factory - Federal 225 gr TBBC,

.35 Whelen favorite deer bullets - Handload-225 grain Sierra, Factory 225 grain TBBC This is a hard bullet and doesn't expand on deer as much as I like but it is the only factory load I use,

6.5x55 and 6.5 Creedmoor favorite deer bullets - Handloads-Hornady 129 gr I/L, I don't use factory from these.


Any ones that failed or you would never use again? I had a couple of odd results from 180 Corelokts in my '06 on deer about ten years past. In two cases I never recovered the animal though I saw the hit on the ribs. In the third got the deer but had to shoot her twice. I haven't used them much since but when I have they worked OK. I am still suspicious of them though and only use them occasionally.

Nosler Partitons or Sierra whether it be Gamekings or Prohunters.

Really wanting to try the Nosler Ballistic Tip 80 grain in my 6mm, just need to get some and load them to see how they shoot.

Foe many years I just used plain old Core-Lokt bullets in all of my rifles and can honestly say I never had a bad experience with them including a one shot kill on a 5X5 elk. Most recently I have been using Federal Fusions and no disappointments with them either.

I like 180 grain power shok in my 308

Some Sierra’s, but mostly Nosler and Barnes bullets.

Had a Core loktt deflect on a rib shot at a bad angle, had excessive meat loss with Nosler Solid base, early Ballistic Tips, and early SSts. Only bullet that I might not use again is the Berger VLD. If I knew shots would be at 300 + yards they would be great, at closer ranges there is too much blood shot meat and even with clean looking cuts there was still lead in the meat. I can't really say I have had an out right failure with any bullet just some didn't perform as hoped.

How about putting most any current design 'medium game' bullet behind the front leg?

GMX bullet debut year using Hornady Superformance factory fodder. As much my fault I’m sure, but I won’t use them just the same!

Mostly Hornady stuff in my hand loads. 150 gr spires for the 300 Sav and 30-06. 200 gr spires on the 358. For a long time I used 100 gr flatbases in the 243 and 6 mm, lately am trying 80 gr Barnes TTSX in the 6mm Rem. Only in the 270 have I used Sierra, Speer, and Hornady 130 gr. I thought the Sierra’s a trifle tender but I have killed a lot of deer with them. Currently loading Hornady in the 270

Dale

I have killed more deer with Sierra bullets in 25 and 270 calibers than anything. Our deer are not that big and quick opening bullets do well. However, Ballistic tips and X bullets have been gaining ground lately depending on the velocity of the cartridge I am using. Accubonds got a work out this past year in the 7 RM and really liking it.
GreggH

I mainly use the following:

.223. 64 grain Win PPT
.243. 95 or 100 Partition
6.5x55 129 Horn IL
270 Win. 130 Horn IL
7mm-08. 120 Nosler BT
270 WSM. 130 Partition or 140 Accubond
.300 Savage. 150 Horn IL or SST

The only bullet I personally have had bad experience with is the 100 Grain Seirra Game King in. 243. To explosive and left little to no blood trail. Luckily we had a dog and deer didn't really go far. Bullet exploded on the near side shoulder.

6.5 Swede 120 Pro-hunter
7mag 150 BT
308 165 BT (old 100 ct box, still have a few bixes) 165bthp Gameking (destructive)

30-06 180 Prohunter
300win same BT as 308.