That's awesome but wait a minute a 130g bullet won't kill an elk
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Heavy for caliber vs. high velocity monos
- Thread starter LongWalker
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LRNut
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Another interesting data point: the higher the BC, the less affected a bullet is due to atmospheric changes like temperature and pressure. Back when I lived in MN I used too shoot a lot at 700 yards, mostly with 7RM but then switched to RUMs. But I also had a .220 Swift that shot 55 grain bullets amazingly fast. I shot year round, even when the temp was -20 to -30. I noticed my Swift required much more elevation increases in the winter than my 7RM or RUMs. I then looked at a ballistics program and saw why: the 55 gr bullet's BC suffered much more in colder temps than my 7mm bullets. If you plot wind vs BC or temp vs BC, the trend really flattens out. In other words, the difference between a .8 and .75 BC is far less than the difference between a .45 and .4.
Incidentally, I rebarred that Swift to shoot 75 to 90 grain bullets. Wind drift was cut in half even tough my MV was 700 fps slower. And the difference winter to summer was reduced substantially.
Incidentally, I rebarred that Swift to shoot 75 to 90 grain bullets. Wind drift was cut in half even tough my MV was 700 fps slower. And the difference winter to summer was reduced substantially.
Your all over it Bud
shortmagshooter
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I tried out 120s in 7 mag killed a lot of bucks in the canyons very easy to shoot then tried it on elk this bull was 400yrds feeding on a hillside above me
That's awesome
yobuck
Well-Known Member
Well dont be concerned about what the (others) think.
Just do what works best for number one.
As you may know, long range hunting has been taking place in PA. for a very long time.
With all the L/R hunters ive known over a fifty year period, ive only known one man whoes word i would trust, who has killed a buck at one mile in PA.
And he did that with a 338x378 using a 250 gr bullet.
Those who know, know that the lighter bullets will out perform the 300 grain to about 1500 yards.
And especially in those 338 cartridges having a MV of about 3000 or less.
And the same is true of other popular long range cartridges as well. The heavy high BC bullets arent necessarily the best choice for the distances most LR hunters are using them.
I started running really light bullets when my daughter started hunting. She was 10 and 65 pounds, shooting a 700 titanium in .260Rem. I was loading 100 grain Partitions at 3250 and the recoil felt like about half of the 140 Partitions at 2750. Well, she started killing deer with it from 15 to 375 yards with very impressive wound channels and penetration. I started loading 130 grain TSXs in the 300Wby, 110gr TTSXs in the 270Wby, and 125 grain B-Tips in the 30-06. To 400 yards it made hitting precisely easier for all and the on game performance has been fantastic. There are bullets that can hit the middle ground, 110gr Accubond from the 257B at 3500fps has taken over for the 100 gr. TSX at 3800. The 130 Berger gets used for pest control in the wind over the 100 grain anything, but for game hunting from 500 and in (what I hunt at) the blistering monos are easier with wind calls and kill with authority. All that said, It seems I still develop loads with different bullets in most of my rifles every couple seasons and have found very few bullets that don't work as designed and can't hit well with practice. Then my favorites are determined by what I prefer in terminal performance. I couldn't say I prefer heavies, lights, bonded, etc. but rather some of all in particular chamberings and applications...I just wrote a book, can you tell it's a slow day at work?
LRNut
Well-Known Member
I never tried past 683 and killed that one but not sure why that matters. Animals are not meant for target practice; if I can get closer, I do.
How far can you shoot in Terre Haute IN? One place or unlimited?
West Terre Haute In. not Terre Haute and I never suggested target practice on animals, I can shoot a mile when the crops are out and 1500 yards any time of the year, the reason I asked is just what I figured is you are just like most including me, I hold myself to 500 yards 600 hundred if conditions are good so big heavy high BC bullets don't really enter my thought process past that and even then not that much I'll take a hold on hair to 500 over lobbing a high bc bullet all day long
I had to re-read the OP to see, but it seems he is talking about hunting bullets, or rather bullets to hunt with. If I am shooting paper or P-dogs I do prefer heavy for cal. sleek bullets, my trouble is I don't care for how most of them perform inside 300 yards on game. Don't take that to mean I don't think they kill effectively, they are typically spectacular and fast killers, just too much of a good thing for ME. Side note, doesn't matter where you live, you can find long distances with wind to shoot in.
Doodle
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I used to shoot 110 ttsx's out of my 30-06 at about 3400 or so. Killed deer with authority. Never recovered a single bullet, regardless of angle. I'm now moving on to the 124 hammer in my 300wsm, which Butterbean has kindly lent me some advice on. Haven't had a chance to make it to the range and dial in the load, but 3600 - 3700 FPS ought to do the trick on most anything I point it at.
LRNut
Well-Known Member
Fair enough; I certainly don't shoot 300 Bergers from my .338 Win Mag, which is the caliber I have killed the most animals. Unless the animal is obviously less than 200 yards, I range them and don't find trajectory to be that big of an issue unless the caliber is a question. I carried a .375 HH on my last moose hunt in AK because the outfitter said shots were not going to be over 200 and my .338 WM suddenly started shooting 2" at 100 (like that matters on a moose). I should have brought a 300 RUM; I ended up shooting that moose at 340 yards - I had not shot that .375 but a few times at 300 (and nothing farther) and wasn't terribly confident of its trajectory. I killed the moose (big target) but I wounded a nice black wolf at 325 a few days earlier (shot was low and left hair but no wolf). Lesson learned: take the flattest shooting rifle capable of killing the animal you after because you never know.
Well that's exactly my point, I'm running the 25-06AI with the 90g AH@ 3900fps, I use it for everything here from ground hogs to white tail 1.2 Mil drop@500 It's easy peasy
I have also been torn between a fast mono and a heavy high BC bullet, and have kindof been trying to have a gun for each, to have options for different hunting scenarios. If I might be hunting a long road where I wouldn't have time to range and dial, a super fast mono would be great for anything that steps out inside about 400 yards. If I might be hunting in the open where I would have time to range and dial, then the heavy lead would be a nice option.
In reality, most of my shots are 300 and in, and a high BC bullet is not needed, even for the occasional 500 yard shot. But I also like knowing that I am not going to be limited by my bullet in the rare occasion that a 1000 yard shot presents itself.
In reality, most of my shots are 300 and in, and a high BC bullet is not needed, even for the occasional 500 yard shot. But I also like knowing that I am not going to be limited by my bullet in the rare occasion that a 1000 yard shot presents itself.
