Looking for personal experience with GMX performance on elk

[Deleted member 107796]

I like the Barnes TTSX and can dial them in as well as the GMX. This here is a GMX taken from an antelope buck last season at about 250 yards with a 270Win. Excellent expansion

. Any of these all copper guys will stay intact, and lose less mass than any exposed point such as a Nosler Partition, without core centricity issues.

 

[FrogFire7]

That's a beautiful thing, right there!! I'm starting to lean towards the Barnes bullets of some variety

 

[RockyMtnMT]

From my point of view as a bullet maker the impact vel is a more important number than the energy at impact. Energy is a good number for comparing different cartridges.

All of our bullets test lower than 1800fps. We advertise 1800fps as a min only because it is our opinion that it is a good min vel to use for good quick kills with any bullet other than the big bores. The min impact vel is the only place that we let our opinion dictate our marketing. If someone is comfortable with using our bullets at lower than 1800fps on game that is fine, they should do their own impact testing to determine how low they are willing to go. Hope that makes sense.

Steve

 

[Deleted member 107796]

Steve,
As a retired guy with no income, I am hoping that your bullets are as cost effective as, say, the lead free guys we're mentioning, or the Bergers. Just sayin'.

 

[willyqbc]

Steve,
As a retired guy with no income, I am hoping that your bullets are as cost effective as, say, the lead free guys we're mentioning, or the Bergers. Just sayin'.

Unfortunately, "cost effective" and mono's don't go together....hammers, barnes, GMX all seem to be a buck a bullet, some a tad more than that, at least they are up here north of the border. Not bullets you wanna use in your high volume plinkin rifle!

 

[Vortex!]

My hammer bullets for 270 are $1 each

 

[FrogFire7]

From my point of view as a bullet maker the impact vel is a more important number than the energy at impact. Energy is a good number for comparing different cartridges.

All of our bullets test lower than 1800fps. We advertise 1800fps as a min only because it is our opinion that it is a good min vel to use for good quick kills with any bullet other than the big bores. The min impact vel is the only place that we let our opinion dictate our marketing. If someone is comfortable with using our bullets at lower than 1800fps on game that is fine, they should do their own impact testing to determine how low they are willing to go. Hope that makes sense.

Steve

Thanks Steve. I haven't heard it put that way before... I'll have to think on that a bit. None the less, I appreciate your insight. I have looked on your website, your products are very appealing!

 

[FrogFire7]

Unfortunately, "cost effective" and mono's don't go together....hammers, barnes, GMX all seem to be a buck a bullet, some a tad more than that, at least they are up here north of the border. Not bullets you wanna use in your high volume plinkin rifle!

True that! Actually, my plan is to find "the bullet" I plan to use for elk, and then hopefully find a cup and core bullet with very similar bc and use that for higher volume practice. Obviously compare actual in field results on paper and make my ballistic Calcs based on the hunting bullet. But seems like a more effective way to practice!

 

[willyqbc]

Frog....One thing I have found with the barnes....they don't work and play well with others. If you shoot a bunch of cup n core bullets through your rifle, then try to shoot your previously very accurate barnes load....you're not gonna be happy! I have found this to be true across many bullet weights, different rifles etc. Not the end of the world, but you do need to really clean your barrel well after shooting cup n core to make the barnes happy again. No idea why this is....just seen it enough in my rifles to know it is.
Maybe they are the elite snobs of the bullet world and don't like sharin a barrel with some "cheap" 30 cent bullet!!

 

[LoneTraveler]

Be sure to check the accuracy with the GMX bullets.
I tried 30 cal. GMX 168 GR. in my 300 WSM. They are longer than 180 Gr Jacket/Core bullets. 2" at 100 yds. in a rifle that will shoot less than 1" with J/C bullets.
Back to 180 Gr. Nosler Part. for my hunt.
Good Luck on this adventure and happy shooting.

 

[WildRose]

Steve,
As a retired guy with no income, I am hoping that your bullets are as cost effective as, say, the lead free guys we're mentioning, or the Bergers. Just sayin'.

There are several good mono's on the market that have been mentioned, all will perform.

How cost effective it is depends on how much you plan to shoot.

These bullets are made one at a time on a lathe, not stamped out of sheet's, heated and filled with lead on an assembly line like traditional lead core bullets.

Most of these mono's being mentioned will go through 3-6 or more different machining processes before they are complete.

You simply can't do that for the same money you can make traditional lead core jacketed bullets.

To me what makes them "cost effective" is the fact I don't end up trying four or five different bullets before I get lucky and find one, maybe two that my rifle likes and knowing that as long as I do my part at the reloading bench and behind the trigger the bullets will do the job every time.

How "cost effective" is it to spend your precious few days off a year or pay for an expensive hunt out of the country or guided hunt in country if the half price bullet let's you down when that critical shot at a "one in a lifetime trophy" or worse, on what you were going to be living off of for the next week while continuing to hunt?

I've always been a cheapskate that'll haggle a rattlesnake right out of his skin but I won't let the cost of bullets deter me from shooting a quality bullet I know will do the job every time.

 

[WildRose]

True that! Actually, my plan is to find "the bullet" I plan to use for elk, and then hopefully find a cup and core bullet with very similar bc and use that for higher volume practice. Obviously compare actual in field results on paper and make my ballistic Calcs based on the hunting bullet. But seems like a more effective way to practice!

One great thing about the Peregrines is that for every VLR there is a corresponding target bullet at about half the price which will shoot identically to the VLR.

You can do your load workup with the cheap target bullet and when you're done simply then change bullet keeping all else the same.

 

[WildRose]

Frog....One thing I have found with the barnes....they don't work and play well with others. If you shoot a bunch of cup n core bullets through your rifle, then try to shoot your previously very accurate barnes load....you're not gonna be happy! I have found this to be true across many bullet weights, different rifles etc. Not the end of the world, but you do need to really clean your barrel well after shooting cup n core to make the barnes happy again. No idea why this is....just seen it enough in my rifles to know it is.
Maybe they are the elite snobs of the bullet world and don't like sharin a barrel with some "cheap" 30 cent bullet!!

Just clean the snot out of it before switching back with the best copper remover you can get.

 

[jjmp]

While Hornadys GMX is an ok bullet it's their version of Barnes TTSX bullet that's been tremendously popular across the board . Try what you can afford, lots of great options gd luck !