Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game What is a good working definition of a "premium bullet"?

I am a posting MACHINE! Jump back, scared my bad self! (any old James Brown fans out there?)

Anyway as the Cult of Nosler thread winds and wends it's way it seems to me that there is a lack of agreement over what a premium bullet even IS, or does.

I'd be curious to hear what folks think.

-jeff

A "Premium" bullet is one that controls expansion by mechanical means allowing the bullet to penetrate deeply without breaking up on bone, etc., while consistently retaining at least 50% of its original weight.

Alternate definition: A "Premium Bullet" is one that costs a premium.

I call Premiums "1% Bullets"... ie, you probably only truly need them 1% of the time and only then on the bigger varieties of big game.

loosely it would be something OTHER than cup and core:
homogenous like TSX,banded solids,Monolithic solid,Northfork
mechanically controlled expansion like NP,TBBC,GS

A premium bullet, to me, is one that I can count on to penetrate deep, expand reliably, and go where I think it should go. AKA the TSX. Or the X. Or the TTSX.

Sierra...

I knew the Great Spirit of Sierra would finally wear you down....

JB

Anything that reaches the vitals and damages them'cause someone correctly put it there.
I kinda like wide meplat heat treated lead bullets I make myself, cause I can blame myself for a crappy shot AND a crappy bullet.

It seems, sometimes, that the scale of what is and isn't premium has slid upwards (towards the nirvana of penetration it seems).

That all I gots right now. Two big burritos with chipoltes has blood all in stomach now. None left for brain.

-jeff

A good definition is one that has eluded me.

That said, here�s what I want in a hunting bullet and any bullet that can fulfill these requirements is one I�m willing to accept as a �premium� and pay accordingly:

1. It should expand reliably across a wide range of velocities and maintain the expanded frontal area.
2. It should have a means of positively limiting expansion.
3. It should have high weight retention at any impact speed.
4. It should provide excellent accuracy.

How these goals are achieved is really immaterial to me, but in practice some construction methods seem to be more reliable than others.

If I were to rank premium bullets it would go something like this:

1. North Fork, Trophy Bonded, A-Frame, MRX
2. TSX, TTSX, E-Tip, XP3
3. Partition
4. Scirocco II, AccuBond, InterBond, Cor-Lokt Ultra Bond
5. X and XLC, FailSafe

I have no experience with the TTSX (its not even available yet), the E-Tip or the XP3. These bullets were classified based on general construction. Properly tempered they ***should*** be good.

Grand Slams never quite made it into the �premium� category in my mind, even though I used them for a couple decades. I always considered them more of a �semi-premium�.

I will ride along with Coyote Hunter in his definition and classification of the premiums.

I agree with Coyote Hunter as far as big game bullets go but wouldn't the plastic tip quick disintegrating bullets such as BlitzKIng/Amax type bullets be premium varmint bullets? The makers certainly charge a premium for them.

Doc

A premium bullet is any bullet that comes less than a hundred to a box or costs more than four bits a piece.

BCR

While I agree basically with my friend Coyote Hunter, let me add two thoughts:

(1) To paraphrase Whelen: "Only accurate bullets are interesting." (At least beyond 50 yards)
(2) A "premium" bullet is only premium when used on the game it was manufactured for or placed in such a manner as to replicate this purpose.

As to a "premium" hunting bullet, here are my thoughts:

Any bullet that uses specialized materials and/or specialized construction techniques by design to eliminate, limit or control bullet expansion during terminal performance, beyond that of standard cup and core, when used for specific hunting situations and/or on specific game animals. Such specialized bullets are "premium bullets".

As a result of such limited production, specialized materials and/or specialized construction over standard cup and core design, such specialized bullets often are at a �premium� price.

I think this is a fair working definition.

btw; the real estate market must be slow in your neck of the woods to have so much free time.

GVA

Grin

Anything that performs better (holds together better, penetrates deeper) than the Hornady Interlock is a premium in my book. Interlocks are the baseline where good bullets begin.

I was thinking small boxes and $1 each or more...jim

Anything I pick is Premium. Anything different that anyone else picks is sub-Premium.

my definition:

some bullet that is really expensive that will kill deer just a dead as one that is less expensive.

Below an Interbond is common, but more than enough for antelope and deer.
Above the Interbond is premium and sometimes not the best for antelope and deer.
The Internond is the bridge between the two, sort of a poor man's premium.