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Bullet selection. (ELDX/Accubond/Barnes/Hammer/)

3 moose taken

1) 7mm-08 140 TSX range 65 yards MV 2840, bullet penetrated both shoulders and exited. DRT
2) 308 Win 168 TTSX range 21 yards MV 2775, heart shot bullet exited. Moose ran about 65 yards. Necropsy showed top of hear destroyed.
3) 30-06 168 TSX range 165 yards. Frontal chest shot. Bullet path stopped left rear hip, could not find slug. Moose wandered in circles. Follow-up - Double lung shot, moose collapsed.

Have been shooting almost nothing but TSXs and TTSXs for 15+ years. No complaints. I switched to the TTSX almost exclusively, I rarely recover them. For you 300 rum, I would go wiyh either the 175 LRX or or the 212 LRX (you need a 1:8 twist).
 
That's what we are hashing out. It's hard imo to monos to be absolute at all those ranges.

It depends upon their bc and how fast that you launch them! The LRX's are supposed, I can't verify it though, they will open at lower velocities than the TTSX.

I'm only starting mine @ 3000 …..I should be above 1800 to just beyond 800. memtb
 
Just a bit of information I've found & help from some incredible minds on how & what occurs on the best preformance pills we have available today & one that on what's coming forward today from various companies is showing some pretty interesting results from yesterday

Yes the bar is moving & in a good direction with most imo

Choose wisely just as you would with a c&c

No time for pictures sorry

Cheers

Excellent info. This is extremely helpful!
 
Maybe just a tad off topic we're getting. So just to go over my original question, if I were to try a cutting edge, hammer, Barnes, etc., what weight would I go with in the 300 PRC and 300 ultra? I'm also a little lost on bullet selection. As far as which Barnes …. The TTSX, the LRX, which hammer or cutting edge, Hornady CX, etc to try? Do I want to go down in weight to increase velocity to get them to open?
I would say the majority of the moose were shot under 400 yards. But I also need something that will work if need be up close at say 50 yards, and or out to 700 yards.
With that sort of performance envelope demand, IMHO the easiest answer is the Accubond. They will absolutely tolerate the close range shots, and they will absolutely expand and give full penetration on the long range shots. Their only comparative deficiency is they won't expand as much on long range shots as an ELDX. But they will hold up better and guarantee penetration on close range shots. That's why I refer to them as the best compromise.

I have extensive experience with both across all ranges. I still use the 338 ELDM in my big 338 for long range elk, but the smaller caliber bullets don't hold together as well. The 143gr ELDX is my first choice for a 200-600 yard deer rifle (6.5-06AI), but I wouldn't use it on bigger game. Great expansion/penetration on deer but not enough to guarantee penetration on bigger game. I stopped using the 6.5 Accubond in this setting as I'm doing crop damage permits and it's a major issue if the deer run. I want them down ASAP. The Accubonds will reliably give an entrance and an exit, but don't do the same level of internal damage. They're overkill for deer. With a 300 magnum at 600 yards, on elk, the 200gr Accubond is a great bullet and will do even better at 50 yards.

I must defer judgement on modern copper bullets. I shot the first generation and my experiences were dismal. I admit they have come a long way but I haven't shot them. I use 458s subsonic and know they can be made to open well at low velocity, but I don't have the experience to comment on how a single bullet can perform across a wide variety of ranges.
 
3 moose taken

1) 7mm-08 140 TSX range 65 yards MV 2840, bullet penetrated both shoulders and exited. DRT
2) 308 Win 168 TTSX range 21 yards MV 2775, heart shot bullet exited. Moose ran about 65 yards. Necropsy showed top of hear destroyed.
3) 30-06 168 TSX range 165 yards. Frontal chest shot. Bullet path stopped left rear hip, could not find slug. Moose wandered in circles. Follow-up - Double lung shot, moose collapsed.

Have been shooting almost nothing but TSXs and TTSXs for 15+ years. No complaints. I switched to the TTSX almost exclusively, I rarely recover them. For you 300 rum, I would go wiyh either the 175 LRX or or the 212 LRX (you need a 1:8 twist).
I shoot the Barnes 200 grain LRX out of my 300 RUM and have had really good results on everything from black bear at 20 yds to moose at 450 yds, Rarely do I recover a bullet but when I do it is almost always fully intact and expanded with 4 perfect petals.
 
I shoot the Barnes 200 grain LRX out of my 300 RUM and have had really good results on everything from black bear at 20 yds to moose at 450 yds, Rarely do I recover a bullet but when I do it is almost always fully intact and expanded with 4 perfect petals. Especially with bear in thick cover, having 2 holes to bleed out of is always better than one.
 
Maybe just a tad off topic we're getting. So just to go over my original question, if I were to try a cutting edge, hammer, Barnes, etc., what weight would I go with in the 300 PRC and 300 ultra? I'm also a little lost on bullet selection. As far as which Barnes …. The TTSX, the LRX, which hammer or cutting edge, Hornady CX, etc to try? Do I want to go down in weight to increase velocity to get them to open?
I would say the majority of the moose were shot under 400 yards. But I also need something that will work if need be up close at say 50 yards, and or out to 700 yards.
Maybe this will help simplify things for you. Forget about any issues at close range, there won't be. This is one of the strongest attributes of mono's, they don't explode at extreme velocities. You said you are heavy bullet guy, so you could just look at the maximum bullet weight that your barrel can stabilize. Assuming your 300 PRC is an 8.5 twist, and the 300 RUM is a 10 twist, the PRC will be able to stabilize larger bullets.
I have extensive experience with Hammers, and after taking bears, deer, African game from Impala to Kudu, to Zebra, all one shot very effective kills, I trust them.
The heaviest Hammer your 10 twist (RUM) is going to stabilize is the 182 Hammer HHT. If you look at the load development info on Hammers page, a 24" barrel should get about 3150 fps out of that combo.
That bullet at that velocity will carry 1800 fps (generally accepted low end velocity for bullet performance) out to about 1150 yds. At 700 yds, the velocity is still above 2300 fps, which is still well within the effective performance range of the bullet. At this yardage, there is still over 1900 ft lbs of energy, if you pay attention to energy values. I think this would be a great place to start with monos in that cartridge.
As for the 300 PRC, you could step up to the 203 gr Hammer HHT and with the right powder choice, you could achieve 2950 fps. That would carry 1800 fps out to the same 1100 yds. The 700 yard velocity is right at 2200 fps, and the energy at about 1800 ft lbs, so very similar, but not better than the 182 in the RUM.
If it were me, I would buy the 182 HHT and run them in both, and maximize case capacity by not having the additional length of the 203 gr.
Keep us posted on what you decide.
 
X100 for the 182 HHT's! I have these going RUM speed in a PRC with Pixie dust...
Made a long offhand shot on an elk, high lung and out just under the backstrap, steep uphill.

It ROCKED that bull.

tempImageE9zXLT.png
 
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Maybe just a tad off topic we're getting. So just to go over my original question, if I were to try a cutting edge, hammer, Barnes, etc., what weight would I go with in the 300 PRC and 300 ultra? I'm also a little lost on bullet selection. As far as which Barnes …. The TTSX, the LRX, which hammer or cutting edge, Hornady CX, etc to try? Do I want to go down in weight to increase velocity to get them to open?
I would say the majority of the moose were shot under 400 yards. But I also need something that will work if need be up close at say 50 yards, and or out to 700 yards.
I would go with the Barnes LRX or the Hornady CX if you need mono performance out to those distances. They are both engineered for high BC which helps with longer distance performance out of a mono by maintaining velocity.

I used the 208 gr LRX on 8 animals in Namibia this year in my 300 PRC. I think as happy with the performance, though my springbok did a lap before dying. They are a small, lightweight animal though and I struck the back half of the lungs so not surprising. Performance on eland, kudu, blue wildebeest, and baboon were exemplary. I suspect your RUM may not stabilize them though (1:8.5 recommended). Muzzle velocity was 2851 with Barnes factory ammo. I'd go down to the 190 or 200 gr which will stabilize in a 1:10 and will give you more velocity. Hornady also makes a 190 gr CX.

I will caution you that 5-600 yd + shots are asking a lot out of a mono metal - just as sub 100 yds on the shoulder out of a magnum is asking a lot of cup and core bullets on a heavy boned animal such as a moose. Out of my 24" barrel, I am over 2000 fps out to 650 yds, though Barnes claims the LRX will expand down to 1600 fps.

Have you considered the Terminal Ascent? It's a high BC, modern version of a Trophy Bonded Bear Claw. The front expands and the rear is a solid copper shank ensuring deep penetration.
 
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