I was wondering what everyone's favorite deer bullet is. Mine is the spper 270 caliber 150 gr. hot cor. It shoots great out of my rifle, and it does'nt make much bloodshot meat. I have only ever recovered one from all the deer I've taken. I like core lokt's too, but the speer shoots better,

My most used round has been .308 180 grain Remington core lokt.
Last ten years I went to a .3oo Savage 150 grain core lokt
Both seem to get the job done at 200 yards and under.
I don't have much chance at a longer shot.

Years back I favored 30-06 , 180 grain Winchester Silver Tips in the old red and yellow box. Too bad they improved e line up.

Same in 30-30 Winchester 150 gr, silver tips.
Can you tell I like 30 calibers?
I have others .35 and 45-70 but never connected with them.
.300 mag. not necessary for deer. It just sits in a safe.

165gr BT old boxes of 100 in a 308, Best thing I have ever used. Same bullets in 300 win not as good. Go figure.

Will a 270 kill a deer?

100 gr 257 Cal Interlock (257 AI)

150 gr RN Win Power point (30-30)

168 gr 308 cal NBT (06)

270s Bounce off

129 Hornady 6.5
85 Barnes 6mm
250 rn Hornady 35 Cal

100 gr Hornady spire in 6mm/243

150 gr Hornady spire in 300 Sav and 30-06

170 gr Hornady flat point in 32 Spl

200 gr Hornady spire in 358 Win

Currently loading 130 gr Hornady spires in the 270 but have used both Sierra and Speer boattails in the past.

Hmm, I think I see a pattern there

Dale

.257 87 grain Speer Hot-Cor - Whitetails

.284 154 grain Hornady InterLock - Mule deer

125 gr Nosler Partition in my .264. Win. Mag

140 gr Partition in my 7x57 Model 70 Featherweight.

150 gr Corelok in my .308 Ruger GSR

Nosler ballistic tip

165 gr Sierra Gameking in .30-06

160 gr Leverevolution in .30-30

140 gr Nosler Accubond in .270 WSM

Calibers in order of preference.

.250-3000 Savage - 87 gr. Speer Hot-Cor

.30-30 - 150 gr. Sierra FN

.300 Savage - 150 gr. Sierra RN

.41 Magnum - 210 gr. Remington JSP

.270 - 130 gr. Remington Core-Lokt

Hornady spire point interlock from your favorite chambering, my 30-06 favors 180 gr. but my .308 likes 165.

.358 - Hornady 200 gr Spitzer Interlock

.25-06 - Nosler 115 gr BT

Hornady spire point interlock. I use 180 gr. in my .30-06 and Norma mags. My .308 likes 150s. The .243's get 100 grainers.

Most any cup and core will work. I have used Core Lokts quite a bit too.

Partitions, Ballistic Tips and Interlocks. Any/all of these shoot very well in my rifles (or I wouldn't own those rifles). Bullet integrity matters to me regardless of what and where I hunt.

Sierra Gamekings
Speer Hotcor
Hornady Interlock

My list is the same for elk, they are pretty much just a big deer anyways.

hornady 140gn in my 270.THE BEST DEER CALIBER

130 gr Nosler E Tip out of a 270, has truly impressed me, minimal bloodshot meat, every bit as effective as a Partition, and very accurate.
Inspite of lots of loaded ammo, I feel the need to know more about these copper bullets, particularly the "light for caliber" versions. Are they accurate, and efective on game? Is it time to convert my other calibers to them? How about for moderate rounds like my Whelen and 300 Savage?
Guess I am going to have to spend some time at the bench and on the range.

Sierra Gamekings and Hornady Interlock. I let the rifle decide and if equally accurate I pick the construction best suited to the terrain I am hunting. If Speer bullets were more available in my area I am sure those would be in the mix as well.

Only the GAY ones!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That right there is funny.

For stuff below 6.5mm, I really like Partitions.

For stuff 6.5mm and above, it is Accubonds or Ballistic Tips.

Other things have worked well also, but those get the nod as "favorite".

#1-270 Winchester PP 130gr
#2-30-06 Winchester PP 150gr

139 scenar for me, no question

My favorites, 165 Sierra HPBT in my 06 and .300's, also the 150 grain Nosler BTBT in those calibers.. For my .25-06, the 100 gr. Sierra is a dandy, also the 100 grain Part. In the .270 the 140 grain Sierra HPBT has been my pick.. In the 7mm-08 120 grain Nosler BTBT have been great this fall.. Gave me a fine impression of the 7mm-08, in the 7 mags. I probably like the 140 grain Nosler BTBT and the 120 grain Vmax for small deer at long range.

and the debate continues........

130 grain NBTs in my .270, also love the Sierra ProHunters and Hornady Interlocks, the deer do not pass GO and do not collect $200

270 Win (best deer cartridge evaaaa):
130 NBT
130 Interlock
140 Nolser Accubomb

260 Rem:
125 Partition

243:
85 TSX
85 Partition

30-06:
See 270 Win above

Edit:
223:
65 SGK
64 Nosler Bonded

Federal Fusion 165gr 30-06. Works wonders out of my Remington 7600 carbine.

100 gr Partition out of a Roberts is my favorite

Not a chance-too much penetration.

.243 with 95 grain NBT, anything bigger is over compensating, anything smaller is a stunt.

6.5 130 accubond followed by 120 ttsx

Nosler Partition.

Caliber is a secondary consideration because it seems not to matter all that much within reason.

Yeah, yeah I know you don't need them for deer.....But there is only a singular degree of "dead" and Partitions put them in that condition reliably.

Whatever rifle I use, it will have Hornady Inter lock's in it.

Sierra GKs work great in all of my deer rifles.

30-06 load #1: 165 Grain Hornady SP (now SPBT)
30-06 load #2: 150 Grain Rem Corelokt PSPCL
308 WIN: 165 Grain Hornady SP
7.62X54R: 180 Grain Speer RN
30-30 WIN: 150 Grain Win PP
35 Whelen: 200 Grain Rem Corelokt CL
25-06 Rem: 117 GRain Hornady SPBT



My general recipe is to start with a Hornady SP offering and only adjust as needed.

Notes:
30-06 load #1: This is my favorite
30-06 load #2: Couldn't resist the price on 500 rds 10 years ago
308 WIN: No longer made, will be switching bullets
7.62X54R: Tried 8 different bullets before this
30-30 WIN: Long story.
35 Whelen: Accounts for more deer than any other by 2:1
25-06 Rem: 1st year in the line up. I like!


I pulled the 35 Whelen from the rotation this year, because I wanted a change. I'm currently working up a 200 grain cast load.

Some people actually do have 270's bounce off of deer because after reading the classics they are in such awe of the cartridge they believe all that is necessary is to throw those bullets at deer to kill them. If you have a great arm it may, it just won't over penetrate like normal. Your options are to start working out or maybe try a little 4831 next time ......girly man!


Merry Christmas 'Fire folks!

Ok more seriously, I seem to live by the motto "If it ain't broke- start jacking with it"

6mm Rem- went to 85hpbt years ago for dual purpose and am happy with it. Good buddy on the fire sent me tons of different 100 and 105 Speer as well as some 95npt to try out. So far so good. On deer I always get a run of typically 70yds no matter the bullet. I have dropped hogs with the 6mm but find larger calibers pack more punch on them in the body.


260- can't explain why anything I shoot with this just falls over dead. My choice is a 140 Sierra but since it is a slow twist and not supposed to work I started tinkering with 120 nbt. (what - me believe my lying eyes or what the internet tells me?) It also dropped a nice buck that I swear died before hitting the ground straight down.

270- Interlocks of 130, 140 and 150. Always a pass through and always a short run. Must have shot some hogs with it but can't recall. No complaints but am thinking of trying Sierras just cuz of my above motto.

out of the few ive tried- powerpoints,corelokts,ballistic tips,interlocks,accubonds. i was most impressed with the corelokts on deer. that was a 150gr in 270. this year im shooting partitions in my 270 and sierras in my 308. havent shot a deer yet tho

You are certainly consistent when it comes to partitions.

Over the last 10 years or so, I have used Barnes in .223AI and .22-250. In 7mm-08 and .308W have used Barnes, NBT's and Accubonds. They all ended up with 2 holes. None went very far and some fell where hit. I suspect a Partition would do the same.

I love the 257 120gr Deep Curl! Damn you, Speer!!

battue years ago after using other stuff ( still do now and then) I concluded I was in this to hunt and kill animals, not experiment with bullets.

I left that to the people whose job it was to do that sort of thing. The ballistic gack was always a secondary consideration,way down on the list of priorities.

The only bullet that would pull me off a partition was a BBC.

Today, if I specialized in shooting BG beyond 600 yards I can dig the high BC stuff (not closed minded to any of that)....shorter than that I have yet to see anything measurably better than the other two when it comes to killing animals.

Merry Christmas!

My thoughts exactly!

Merry Christmas Fred!

I have used a variety and all seem to give the same result when the bullet is placed where it needs to go. The one I seem to be loading most now is the Accubond. They are accurate, effective, and reasonably priced.

Merry Christmas back to all and lets pray we are all here again next year asking and answering the same question(s).

Don't quit guys, I was just kidding. I'm as quilty as the next.

in .270 and 30 al, I like the Nosler Balistic Tips... as stated... for deer

Sierras, Hornadys, or Ballistic Tips. Not a whole lot of difference in them in terms of terminal performance and all are generally accurate. And all will totally ruin a deer's day.

For deer:

Favorite in 7x57 is 175gr Hornady Interlock Spire Point. The 154 grainer works well too, and shoots flatter.
In 6.5x55 its 140gr Sierra Game King.
In 243 its the 105gr Speer Hot Cor.
In 30-30 Hornady 170gr FP.
In 308 we like 150gr Hornady Interlock Spire Point.
In 30-06 I have yet to find a 180gr cup/core hunting bullet that doesn't work well, including Speer, Hornady, Nosler, ans Sierra.
In 35 Whelen 250gr Speer Hot Cor.
44 mag 300gr Sierra JSP.
In 45-70 I like the 300gr Speer Uni-Cor, but any bullet works well on deer from a 45-70, including 400gr Speer JFP.
In 300 RUM its the 150gr Barnes TTSX.
375 H&H 270gr Speer or Hornady PSP.

85, 100 gr Nosler Partition in .243
130 gr Swift Scirrocco in my .264 Win Mag
130 gr Hornady Interbond in my 270 WSM
165 gr Nosler Solid Base in my .308
250 gr Barnes TMZ in my 50 cal ML

I've been shooting a lot of TTSXs the last several years. I have come to like them a lot. When deer do leave my sight they always leave easy to follow blood trails.

However, I will be the first to say that nothing I have tried has disappointed me so far. Any reasonable bullet, placed in the right general area has ended in a dead deer.

2506 115 nosler partition
270 130 nosler partition
308 150 gr speer hotcore or 150 winchester power point
3006 165 speer hotcore or 150 gr winchester power point

Ill never hunt long enough to kill more deer with something than I killed with the 130 blue box Federals for the 270... Not sure who makes that bullet (speer?) but it is boringly outstanding. the 110 TTSX has a heavy giggle claymore factor tho. 7mm08 is the 120 Fusion. 243 is a coin flip between 80 TTSX and the 95 gr NBT. When I used a 30-06 I loved a 180 RN. 300 Savage 150 Interlock. It took me enough years to finally figure out pretty much anything will drop a deer with authority if you can shoot straight LoL

The blue tipped mushroom, the deadliest mushroom in the woods

This was recovered from a doe that was ranged at 176 yds. It is a Barnes 250 gr. TMZ fired from my Savage 10ML with 66 grains of 4198 @2200 fps. She was quartering toward me on a ridge line. Hit in the shoulder, found the bullet in the far side ham under the skin. This was after her partner expired 10 mins. before in a thicket from the same bullet.

This was fired from my Browning Micro Hunter in 7mm08 into a controlled medium at 100 yds, although I have killed many deer with this bullet I have never recovered one. This is a Hornady 139 gr. GMX
Needless to say I am a fan of the monolithic bullet, they don't explode at high velocities, expansion is controlled and predictable, and because of this penetration is about as good as you get with a hunting bullet. I have killed slaughter houses full of deer with other bullets, just as dead. But many times there was a lot of meat damage, for someone that eats them, I'd rather not have that.

Sierra Pro-Hunters and Nosler Btips. Not expensive. Not flashy. They shoot well and kill stuff. Well the Noslers are a little expensive.

While you do pay a little more for the monolithic bullets it is not much especially if you reload. When you consider that you usually kill with one bullet, add that to 3 or 4 to sight in the cost is not crazy over the top. Trust me as a single income household, I am always looking for a way to save money, but
You can do lots of practice with either FMJ or cup and core bullet of similar weight if you want to practice.

I went to the Hornady sight. Looks like the cost of a monolithic bullet is about 10 cents more then the more common spire point. If you break that down into one season. A couple of shots for one or 2 deer, 3 to 4 shots to confirm scope is sighted. Somewhere around 60 cents more for one year of deer hunting.

What rounds and how fast?

DF

tsx barnes 165 in pre 64 30-06
tsx 130 in cooper 270
130 accubond in p 64 264 win mag
165 accubond in 300 win mag
120 partition in 25-06

The ones my current rifle shoots "adequately" (not necessarily BEST)and is of equally adequate construction.

That said they say "Hot Cor" or "Interlock" on them unless neither will group.....which hasn't happened yet but I might consider selling the rifle if it did. HA

Does my old heart GOOD to see all the votes for ye ol cup and core bullets!! If it ain't broke............!!

God Bless

Nosler Partitions regardless of caliber

I have a custom .308 that only likes the plain vanilla Horn 165 gr. spire point, and it REALLY likes them. Have shot my share of Partions too, great bullet.

Thought they "bounced off"...

DF

Partition
Accubond
Ballistic Tip