Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Light for caliber deer bullets

120 ballistic tip in 7 mm-08 and 125 ballistic tip in 30-06.

I do not take any chances with lighter calibers. No need.

When i had a 30.06 and a .308 i always shot light for caliber bullets for deer with excellent results. I killed countless deer with a plain ole Hornady 130gr SP and the 30.06, results from this combination were deadly. Had equal results with the Sierra 125gr Pro Hunter and the Nosler 125gr BT, pure deer poison. Also harvested a bunch with the .308 and the Nosler 125gr BT, that is one tough little bullet and kills deer like lighting. I would no doubt use it now for deer if i shot a 30 cal.

Been shooting a 25.06 now for around 25yrs and prefer the heavier bullets 115 - 120gr in that caliber. I don't really have a reason other than i just started out that way and never changed. My daughter shoots a 260 and we load 120's for that one.

Broken record warning...

80gr TTSX in 25-06 for coyotes to brown bear and huge-bodied bull moose. Rare to catch one. Moose in the big joints will stop them, but most completely penetrate.

I have shot a bunch of different stuff with the 30-06 and 168/165gr TSX TTSX including a bunch of deer. I have been completely satisfied and have not caught one.

I'm pretty sure I've used the 87 Sierra in either a .250 Savage or .250 Savage Ackley Improved on Texas whitetail deer, pretty small animals. I've also used the 100 Sierra in .250 Savage on Texas whitetails. I'd use whatever bullet shoots most accurately but wouldn't go as light as 75 grains.

Have you considered the 87 grain Speer Hot Cor?

When I first got my 250 savage I used 100 grain core locks but after hitting a large bodied buck twice at less than 50 yards and finding no blood trail on the first 150 yards I was not pleased with performance. I kept circling and did find him but neither bullet exited. I have since switched to 117 grain round nose bullets and have shorter trails with copious blood leakage on both sides of the trail. Had the same issue with 243 with 100 grain core locs. Switched to 100 grain partitions and no more issues. I am now a firm believer in heavy for caliber bullets. FWIW my typical shot ranges are 30 to 125 yards.

Yea, those are deer slayers.

I have a 110TTSX at 3500 fps out of my 270 Win with Hunter. Hopefully see that effect this year!

.257 AI & 90 GR GMX @ 3300-ish = dead deer

6.5-06 & 100 GR TTSX @ 34-3500 FPS = dead deer

Both have dropped deer DRT very nicely for me.

I’d like to try the 53 TSX from .223 Rem this fall and see if I get the same results.

I bet I will.

I used the Speer 130gn HP in my .308 foe many years at 2834 fps. I took my first fallow buck with it and countless pigs.

This recipe has worked well for me on a few elk (and at least one coyote). 63.5 gr of Hunter per Barnes. I haven't recovered a bullet. I must admit, however, I have not yet hit a big bone with one of these.

We used to make a winter varmint .25/06 load with 44 grains of IMR 4894 and the Hornady 75 grain HP. This mild load kicked about like a .223 and went about 3200 FPS.

Worked real well on feral pigs shot behind the front leg, not so well on upper shoulder shots blowing up on the "armor".

We used 110 grain Sierras successfully on coastal Blacktails quite a bit with good results.

The only 'light for the caliber' bullets I'll use are monolithic.

I've had and I've seen to many bullets failures with light for the caliber bullets from white tail does to elk. There is absolutely no reason I would do light for the caliber cup and core bullets again.

Used factory 130s for a 308 and those were definitely varmint bullets. Had one deer hit in the shoulder and it was so blood shot the leg pulled off when I tried to drag the deer. Shot several boxes of 120 Barnes X out of a 7RM and it was a laser. One year I made 36 successive one shot kills and almost all were the DRT type drops.

This season will try the 110 TTSX in a 270 WSM and have loaded some Lehigh 85s for a 25-06 at 3,600 fps. I suspect they will result in dead deer.

When I was younger man I got a screaming deal on a stainless synthetic BDL chambered in 338 ultra mag at scheels in Billings. Used it deer hunting for about 4 years loaded with 100 grains of reloader 22 and a 180 grain ballistic tip. At 3500 fps this load certainly did the trick. Sold the rifle to a friend who decided not purchase the hs precision stock that I had the rifle sitting in. He sent it off and had mercury recoil reducers installed in the buttstock of the original factory stock. He had me shoot it after that and it kicked more and didn’t shoot as well as it did with the HS. It’s one rifle I wish that I’d kept.

I have taken a few whitetail deer with a 7mm-08 with a 120 TTSX at about 3,000fps and a 338 federal with a 160 TTSX at about 2,950fps. Shots have been to the heart / lungs and results have been deadly. Short run and usually drop quickly. A few dropping in their tracks. So far all pass throughs. I’ve got a load now shooting a 130 TTSX out of a 300 WSM at 3500+. Will be interesting to see how that performs

130 gr TTSX out of my .308. Have killed black bear, whitetails and hogs. Works GREAT

I switched to heavier in my 6mm with no reasonable explanation. Am thinking of going back.
85grain Sierra hpbt for my 6mm Rem. The 'original' proven lightweight king!