best whitetail deer bullet

[Calvin45]

5 Year old thread but a good topic since 3 days ago I shot a 7x7 whitetail at roughly 240yds with a 200 grain ELDX and it Blew the F up and no exit.
It only went 35 yards ran slow but like it had not been hit. The last 5yds it jumped into a cedar wind break and for 40 minutes I did not know if it was still going.
But it was dead inside 5 yards of the Cedars. Still causes stress LOL a 200 grain bullet at 240yds ***????

Craziest surprise like that came to me a number of years ago. My "brush load" back when I believed in such things was a 220 hornady round nose in my 300 win mag doing 2800 fps. Shot a buck at 60-80 yards running quartering away from me - not running because of me, had no idea I was there, probably had no idea what was 5 feet on either side of him, was in hot pursuit of a doe and had one thing on his mind I guess. Entered the paunch sort of, traversed the entire chest cavity, but the bullet broke at the cannelure into two separate pieces pretty much on impact from the look of things, both chunks of bullet found just against the inside of the bone of the front shoulder. Crazy destruction inside. I have never seen a kill that instant that didn't hit the cns or even break a single bone. It was an instant off switch, you heard that heavy thump (round noses just plain hit different at close range, you can't convince me otherwise) and his legs just gave out while running, the thing flipped end over end and lay in the heap it skidded to a stop in, a loud crash. Didn't even twitch once. The most dead right there hit I've seen, and again, no spine hit, not a single broken bone. I still don't know what to think of the various hydraulic shock theories but this event stands out. Anyways, I was floored that a 220 grain round nose interlock didn't exit a whitetail deer that didn't even hit bone anywhere.

 

[HNDLDR]

Didn't catch this was a five year old post. Disregard.

 

[Northkill]

What is the best bullet for whitetail deer with 80% of your shots being 150 yds or less. Some shots as close as 20 yds and some as far 400 yds. I got a 6.5 running 3150 fps.

Hard to beat a Partition at those ranges. And you'd be amazed what a screaming mono will do too. And yeah, the 2015 date of the OP date is easy to miss.

 

[sierracharlie338]

Hornady interlock or partition is all you need sub 300 yards IMO.

 

[The_Whitetail_kid]

My dad and I shoot a 143 Eldx in a 6.5 creed. Had very good luck with it. Killed about 7 animals with the bullet so far and have had very good results. All exits except for 1, and all one shot kills except for one antelope but we determined that the second shot wasn't necessary, but never want an animal to suffer if you can put it down quicker.

 

[Holycity73]

These threads are akin to asking what the best brand of bottle water is.
"In my experience," is how all credible thread responses should start.
With that, here in SC, I have killed most of my deer and pigs in the last 7 years with an eldx, everything else was an Accubond. My personal best was with the eldx at 307y last year. Passed through and left a half dollar sized hole just behind the left leg, through the lungs. He didn't even leave blood in the bed of my truck, all drained.
Although I love the eldx, my personal recommendation for anyone who asks is an Accubond. In a 6.5 with varget it is down right nasty.
Hope this doesn't trigger anyone into having a stroke.

 

[tknuts103]

Hornady SST

 

[motrapper]

@sierracharlie338
Hornady interlock or partition is all you need sub 300 yards IMO.

Could not agree More.
Just would Like to reach out to 700 yds with ease and accuracy.
And not have to worry

 

[BigNate]

One that is accurate, penetrates through, and does enough damage to yield a quick death.
At that short range, to soft a bullet will be explosive.

 

[mark slavinski]

Nosler partition, they just work with boringly consistent results.

 

[338 dude]

What is the best bullet for whitetail deer with 80% of your shots being 150 yds or less. Some shots as close as 20 yds and some as far 400 yds. I got a 6.5 running 3150 fps.

Burger 140 VLD hunting nothing else comes Close!

 

[338 dude]

That's exactly why I don't use an SST after a year when one blew up and left a huge entrance hole on a mulie and another blew up on the near rib of a cow elk with very little penetration. Both animals were under 100 yards and the rest of those SSTs were shot at paper targets.

I stopped using SST's when I shot a deer and recovered the jacket without any lead whatsoever

 

[unclecroc]

One of my go to favorites for deer in non magnum cartridges is a Sierra gameking. If the bullet is being driven over 3100 feet then I move to a partition. This system has yet to let me down.

 

[hicountry1]

Two holes are better than one, especially if you hunt thick woods back east.

I use accubonds, and scenars.

Both create blood trails Stevie Wonder can follow.....

Can't alway pick the perfect spot for a shot, and a lot of times you have a second to squeeze one off. Lung shots with two holes are the ticket.

Ymmv