Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters New production Grand Slams

Anyone used the current crop of Speer Grand Slams? Specifically .284 and .308 diameters.

Wondering about terminal performance on larger/tougher critters such as elk & bear.

Gunner has been sticking a few into water jugs at some pretty extreme speeds and they look to be holding up pretty well. I wouldn’t be scared of using one in an appropriate rate for the cartridge being used. Price isn’t bad lately on them either.

Shoot quite of few of them, .264"/140 gr./6.5x55mm and .277"/150 gr./.270Win.

Muzzle velocities at ~ 2700 and 2800 fps, respectively.

Good precision, performance, and usually a pass-through, w/ good exit wound.

My workhorse bullet for both cartridges.


For an expensive hunt, or at considerably higher velocity, might go w/ a little better bullet, like a Partition or TSX.




GR

Have mentioned this before, but in my experience shooting water jugs is one of the least reliable ways to test big game bullets for reliability on big game larger than deer. Though it's a lot of fun!

Would also note that just about any cup-and-core bullet works well (especially on deer-sized game) at muzzle velocities no faster than 2800 fps.

I recently picked up some of these in 160 gr for my 7mm Rem Mag. I normally shoot either Partitions or Accubonds in 160 gr but am having a hard time finding them. Curious to see how they group and work.

MD,

Do you have any personal experience with the new production Speer GS? Do you have an opinion on how they compare with other bonded controlled expansion bullets?

Wildcatter,

I basically gave up on Grand Slams when the third version appeared, which was a while back. Essentially it was another version of the Mag Tip, without any of the features that made the second (improved) version appeared, such as the two-part core, with harder lead alloy in the rear.

I tested five of the third version in dry newspaper, my standard test media for "premium" big game bullets. They were 200-grain 30s started at 2900+ fps from a .300 Winchester Magnum. Three of the five worked well. The other two lost their cores, and penetrated poorly. There was no way to tell which version you bought, since they all came in the same plastic box--and I wasn't going to re-test every batch of Grand Slams before going hunting. I was already weary of re-testing Grand Slams.

Maybe the latest version works as well as the second generation, which was great. But with all the various "premium" big game bullets available today, I simply don't care anymore.

Thanks, John, very useful information.

Based on your experience, I'll stick with Nosler PT, Swift AFs and Barnes TTSXs for heavier game and Hornady ILs for deer class game. These have worked well for me and it doesn't sound as if the Speer GSs are a good reason to change.

For a 21¢ bullet, the Speer GS is great for practice and has killed a pile of game.




GR

Where are you finding them for that price?

Be very, very careful……using water jugs in this crowd is thought to be blasphemy! Any respect and integrity established is now destroyed! 😉 😂 memtb

I hear that!

I wouldn't call it blasphemy, but I would describe its relevance as over estimated by its practitioners.

I’ve only used “Hot Core” SPEER bullets lately if I’m using SPEER at all. I used Grandslams when they first came out and never tried them again. I had a 280 that only shot heavy SPEER Mag tips well, better than any other bullet that I tried.
Those hot cores I shot was 250 grain out of a 350 RM. certainly not a tough application.
I wish SPEER well, it seemed to me that they were the only 25 caliber bullets that I could buy a while back.

They had a big factory rebate a while back, before the Communist coup.

Stocked'em high 'n deep.


Still, a lot less than premium - and will do most of what they do.




GR

Don't know what generation these 375's are,but they come with a pretty extensive list of how their made with a 5% antimony base.

I like the line they put in that makes you want to believe they’re a bonded bullet, a rumor that still won’t die.
“The HotCore process produces a high level of adhesion between the jacket and core.”

Pure salesmanship.

Those are earlier Gen., dual core Grand Slams.




GR

As opposed to a lubricated slug?

Adhesion and bonding are different words, w/ different meanings.

They only used one of them.

So who's the salesman?




GR

The foam that they sat on stuck to the bullets,so I assumed they were old.