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Possibly the best Deer bullet?

The A-Max is a target bullet and is very fragile at high speeds, whereas Berger makes both target and hunting models of the same exact bullets.

Mudrunner,-

Completely agree with your post. I haven't used A-Max for hunting, but the Hornady site lists them as "explosive expansion with limited penetration ". They do not recommend them for hunting (though I have read some posts where folks swear by them for LRH).

Just for sake of clarity, note that the Berger's line is opposite - their target bullets have thicker jackets and are less likely to expand than their hunting bullets. I'll bet you know this but figured I'd put it out there in case anyone draws inferences due to the comparison to the A-Max.

Brandon
 
all my buddies here in bama have switched to bergers with those same results. however our shots are less than 300yds and im still having good results with cheap core lokts. but most of them are shooting 300 mags and 7 mags. i still shoot 30-06.
 
I have never even hunted antelope but have killed a few hundred white tail deer with about everything from a 22lr up through a 45-70. First and foremost is bullet placement. It does not matter what bullet that is used and what caliber it is chances are that a deer will run off a little ways if you behind the shoulder heart/lung shoot them. On average I would say 60% of the time. I have shot them with bullets that totally pulp everything in the chest cavity and leaves exit holes the size of baseballs and still have them run off 50 yards or so. Take the same bullet and caliber and place it in the center of the top 1/3 of a front shoulder and over 90% of the time it will drop in it's tracks because you have traumatized the spine either by the bullet or fragments of bone from the shoulder which usually takes out the lungs at the same time. If you slow that 125 Nosler ballistic tip down to under 3000 fps impact velocity and place it in a shoulder it is one deer killing bullet. I shoot it in my 308 Win and 30X47 rifles and 30-30AI T/C Contender pistol. For full house loads in a 300 Win mag the 150 or 165 Nosler ballistic tip is a real killer. Just my observations from 48 years of killing stuff. :D

The only for sure drop an animal in it's tracks shot is a brain shot. Don't matter which bullet you use either.

Exactly and exactly what my friend did on the last day of season here in Michigan on my 'up north' hunting property.

44 Remington Magnum with Starline cases loaded with full house Unique powder pushing a 240 grain Sierra Sportsmaster at 50 yards, direct head on. Dropped like a rock and split the melon, like a melon splits.....

I'm a pretty devout Sierra person (I loaded the 44's btw). I took a doe at 127 yards with my 308 and a 165 grain Gameking. She went, maybe 15 yards, through the heart. Saved me dumping the blood after gutting, she pumped it all out of both sides.....

I had a friend drop an 8 point with a 10-22 ruger carbine with one shot last year. Not a deer rifle but an eyeball shot is always a good bet as well.....

Shot placement is everything.
 
all my buddies here in bama have switched to bergers with those same results. however our shots are less than 300yds and im still having good results with cheap core lokts. but most of them are shooting 300 mags and 7 mags. i still shoot 30-06.

What part of bama you in?
 
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