Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Winchester power points

Where did you find the bullets and what condition were they in?

I regularly find cup and core bullets under the skin on the off-side after they have penetrated through both sides of the rib cage.

Like others have said, I'd expect 180 grain factory loads from FED/REM/WIN to provide through and through penetration on broadside shots on average size deer.

Shot one deer w WW 100gr PP in .243 at about 50 yards
Zipped right on through w minimal damage .
Was double lunged.
No shoulder hit.

I have 150s for my 3006.
Wanted maybe 165s.
They shoot sub MOA ( 150s ), may get to try em this yr

Would expect 180s to exit. Esp at shorter bbl .308V.
Have six boxes of the Norma Oryx 180s in .308.
My .308 is an autoloader desigbed for lighter bullets so
will trade these off

Had a boat paddle 77 in .308 that did fine w the Hornady American Whitetail 150s, whatever those bullets were.
Never took it hunting. Minimal exp.rifle.hunting deer but would seem that 180s are a bit much in a .30

Know guys that love em in 760/742, see through rings and all LOL

I'd bet out of that 20" they are more along the lines of around 2450 or so. I just chrony'd a friends 308 with factory 165 Hornady Interlocks in his wifes gun (20"). Box claimed 2700. Real world: 2500.

That said, it looks like they are working fine and putting them down, I wouldn't worry about it, can't kill them any deader with a bonded or mono.

I've recovered more powerpoints than any bullet. But I've never lost an animal to one and they all mushroomed nicely, if that matters

The 1st was stuck in ribs on opposite side, the other lodged just under the skin on far side at the back of shoulder. The quartering shot did the most damage, bullet lodged in the opposite shoulder. They did the job though, 3 dead deer and no tracking.

Broad, rounded mushrooms?

I've shot a few WT's and an antelope with 100gr .243 winchester power points. Can't recall if there were pass throughs, don't really care since all dropped where they were standing.

Passed right through the paper?

I filed down a Winchester Power Point to do a cross section of the bullet,I think it was a 7mm 150gr.The first thing I noticed was how hard the jacket was.Unlike other bullets I have cross sectioned,the jacket,rather on the thin side,was more like hard brass than copper.

Me too. We have taken 4 moose, an elk, quite a few deer.

My M1917 .30-06 loves the Winchester Power Points in 180 gr.

Moose, elk, and deer that I have shot have dropped in their tracks.

For the price point, you just can't beat them.

In page 1 of this thread, I recalled a mule deer I shot last year and the recovered Power Point bullet. This year I used a 30-06 and 220 grain Power point. I waited till the deer was facing me and broke front shoulder and the bullet was recovered on opposite side under the hide near the hind quarter. Over 2 feet of penetration. Recovered weight 177 grains and picture-perfect mushroom. Grandson shot a doe mule deer with a 243 Win and 100 grain Power Point. Broadside lung shot and a complete pass through,

I run 130’s in a 270 with 58 grains of RL22 DRT. Shot through the ribs just behind the shoulder. Pass through. Accurate and deadly.

It passes through deer sized game. Just because I rarely post pics of the critters I shoot (they deserve more respect than that), you guys make smart azzed comments. Hope you enjoy the target pics too. I have many many more. When I saw this thread, I thought, the OP must not know how to make a good heart/lung shot on an animal. Trust me, it starts out with being proficient. Look at that target again, and ask who here is proficient at hitting their mark. You are more than welcome to post pictures of your groups shot with the 180gr Winchester Powerpoints. That is still one of my favorite bullets launched from the 30-06. Most of mine love that load.

It not only passes thru deer, it also passes through 2 thickness of paper:


Same load, different rifle.

Oh shiit, wait. Did I hit the orange dot again? That pisses you off doesn't it? Ha ha...

I'll bet your BSA loves that bullet. When mine was a 30-06, it loved the 165 Hornady interlock, 180gr PP, 200gr Nosler partition. If you guys shooting 30-06 are worried about not getting pass throughs, step up to the 200gr partition. That is one digging bullet.

Try some 150 grain Nosler ballistic tips.

I haven't used Win PP's in 30 years since I reload. The one time I did, it was a factory 130 in a 270. I had a 3x3 mulie quartering toward me in light brush at maybe 75 yds. My best target was the front shoulder. The bullet went under the hide but didn't penetrate. It slid under the hide the full length of the ribcage before it entered at a less than ideal spot. Luckily, when he cleared the brush he ran across a hillside of sage and grass. He ran for 300 yds or more before he went down. I had him in sight the whole time or I'd have probably lost him as he didn't leave any tracks in the grass.
It's anybody's guess on how a different bullet would have penetrated.

The last buck I shot with PPs was very slightly angled toward me at about 25 yards. At the shot he dropped but then tried to get back up. Shot him again behind the shoulder.

The first shot hit his shoulder and ran up the shoulder blade and out the top of his back. The second just behind the shoulder and blew a fist sized exit hole

150 grain Power Points from a 308. As Rock Chuck said, who knows with a different bullet. Maybe incorrectly I left with the impression of not very good on bone and destructive when not. Haven’t used them since.

Hi bsa1917hunter,

You are correct!

I never take pictures of my targets, maybe I should. Before hunting season I go to my friend's farm and take a few shots just to make sure the scope didn't get knocked around. Last time I did that my target looked like yours.

I will also tell you that they are deadly on moose even at a distance. I killed the moose below with my BSA @ 500 yards. I dropped him, he got up to my surprise, and staggered into the woods, and died about 50-70 yards from where he got up from.

The only cartridge I have ever used in my BSA M1917 has been Winchester SuperX PowerPoint in 180 grain, When my father gave me the rifle he said it shoots 165 gr. the best, but I do not see how 165 gr. can shoot better than 180 gr. since I shoot sub-MOA with the 180 gr.

You mentioned in one of your posts:

"When I saw this thread, I thought, the OP must not know how to make a good heart/lung shot on an animal. Trust me, it starts out with being proficient."

I have been a big game bow hunter for as long as I have been a big game rifle hunter. Because of that I have trained myself to shoot at the Heart and Lungs, and that is where I aim unless the animal is so close that a Neck shot is available, then I take the neck shot because I am a meat hunter and I hate wasting meat, and it makes for cleaner processing in the field. I prefer rounds that do not pass through the animal because a bullet does more damage bouncing around inside the cavity than passing through.

I have watched a ton of Americans on video-taped hunts where most of these hunters shoot at the shoulder. I understand the thinking, but I think it's silly to do that because of all of the wasted venison.

I have killed more deer with the Winchester SuperX PowerPoints in 180 gr, than I can remember.

Great shooting you posted above and wishing you and our family an Awesome, healthy, and joyous 2024!