Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Difference in RN and spitzer?

The difference in trajectory is apparent, but what differences have you noticed in on-game performance? Do spitzers expand more violently? Do RN expand wider?

Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences.

rn bullets hammer game at close range as nearly as I can tell in my experience.

There is very little in on game performance between the two shapes. Spritzer may give marginally better trajectory after mabe a couple of hundred yards. The brush buster theory for RN so total myth. Shoot whatever you like and be done with it. Although in a couple of my rifles RN give better groups.

Brian Pearce did an article in either Handloader or Rifle a few years back comparing trajectory of the two in a 30-30 at 200+ yards. I remember being quite surprised at how little the difference was and imagine that difference would only get smaller with a faster starting speed. FWIW...

RN are more accurate in my 30/30 than flat nose or FTX bullets.They also seem to get higher velocity.Any deer I have shot with any kind of bullet in my 30-30 is usually DRT at reasonable ranges.

A round nose bullet is consistently reliable in fast expansion. Velocity is sometimes higher because the bearing surface can often be shorter than the equivalent weight spitzer.

An experienced hunter can call the bullet shape simply by the tone of the hit and the reaction when hit.
I have had many Aussie farmers call the shot when culling. They are hard to fool.

Yes. There is a marked difference on game with RN and spitzer in my experience. A RN will open fast and if it is a heavy bullet, will still penetrate. The damage can be suprising. They also seem to go in more of a straight line than spitzers, which can sometime end up in odd places. They are consistant in performance too.
They are also easier to find an accurate load for. Which is another way of saying they are quite accurate.

Round nose seem more consistent. Especially with older bullet designs the usually greater amount of exposed lead insured more reliable expansion especially at lower velocities.

Can't prove it but also seem to have better straight line penetration and less tendency to tumble. This could go along with using usually medium to heavy for caliber bullets with a higher sectional density when using round nose bullets.

Combine this with the more limited velocity and range and it adds up to predictable performance. That's why the 30-30 just keeps on doing its job.

People who "know", often used the 117gn RN in the .257 Roberts and I don't mean because of twist.

Not quite sure by what you mean by difference in trajectory as there is minimal difference if the same bullet weight is compared in each. At long distance the spitzer, specifically BT's will have a better BC ,but you really have to get out there aways to see it.

In my .06 I load 220 gr RN and 180 gr Game Kings. My load is such that with the same scope setting I have the 180's 2" high at 100 yards which is dead on at 200 yards and the 220's are dead on at 100 yards. If I hunt heavy timber where shots are 50-75 yards, I use the 220's and if I am sitting where shots may come at 300 yards or so I load the 180's. My thinking is at the closer shots, the GK tend to separate the core some what where as the 220's hold together better. Probably more of a factor that the heavies are going slower,rather than the bullet.

However, I have killed a lot of elk up close when I had the 180's loaded and have killed elk at further distances when I had the 220's loaded. With either I have not seen any difference in killing ability, but I am strickly a double lung shooter.

Proving once again, it is mostly where you hit them rather than with what.

Well one is an abbreviation for a Registered Nurse.. and the other is a bullet profile...

two totally opposite things that have nothing in common...

Spitzer: claims were made that he did not penetrate but it can be proved that he sexted.