The Most DISSAPOINTING Bullet there ever was...

[Mike Matteson]

Nosler Custom Competition in .223, 6mm , and 6.5.
I’ve burned way too much powder trying to get these to shoot accurately in five different rifles and a good friend has tried them in at least four different rifles.
Ordinary cup & core hunting bullets from Speer and Hornady are more accurate in our rifles than these things.

Ed

Not all rifles like all bullets. That part of the reloading that the fun part. Putting a load together that works in that rifle. I am not a match shooter, just hunting and building loads for those rifles I use. There are lots of reason for a rifle not to shoot straight. I have come across a couple of rifles that I couldn't get then to group like I want. Both I did manage to tighten up the groups, but not what I call any great. One was a 243 with a plactic stock. I had to take out some of the forarm and that did reduce the grouping quite a bit. I think the stock needed to be changed out to something more stable. Another was a Ruger M-77 in a 22mag. I took out about 1/4" out of the forearm. and got it to group to about 1" at 100yds. My 17WSM like the 22mag are built by compressing the barrel into the action. I don't like them. I have from L,R.H, learn that smiths can help that out. Which both of those rifle are going back to a smith that I have to get them worked over.

 

[APDDSN0864]

Not all rifles like all bullets. That part of the reloading that the fun part. Putting a load together that works in that rifle.

That’s me!
Trying to find the best loads for a number of rifles is how my friend and I became dissatisfied with the Nosler Custom Competition bullets.

Ed

 

[Allen Kitts]

7MM 140 Grain Barnes X Bullet, moly coated from the factory. I used them in 1999 on a Caribou hunt in Alaska. Shot a beautiful bull at 75 yards while he was sleeping in his bed. At the report of the rifle he stood up as if nothing had happened and started to walk off. I put another one in the breadbasket and then a third as he acted like nothing ever happened. He then turned 90 degrees away from me so I sent one last shot up the poop shoot. He disappeared over the ridge. I couldn't believe what I had just witnessed. My buddy and I walked over to the edge of the ridge and he was laying in the bottom of a draw, head still up so the next one went into the brain pan. When we skinned him out for the shoulder mount all three of the first shots could have been covered by a silver dollar right behind the shoulder but it was just three tiny holes in and three tiny holes out. That same year my buddy shot his mule deer with the rifle at 514 yards quartering away the bullet hit right behind the last rib and lodged on the far side of the neck just under the hide. The deer ran about 300 yards before laying down and by the time we got to it he was dead. We skinned him out and found the bullet and only one small petal has turned back from the tip, literally 1/16 of inch. I sent that bullet to Barnes for an explanation and that is when I learned that if the hole in the end of a hollow point is not fully clear they would not open at all. They offered me a replacement box of bullets. I threw away the box I had and the replacements. It took a very long time for me to trust Barnes again but the newer stuff is good to go and I have used it in lots of hunting applications.

 

[cabelasken]

7MM 140 Grain Barnes X Bullet, moly coated from the factory. I used them in 1999 on a Caribou hunt in Alaska. Shot a beautiful bull at 75 yards while he was sleeping in his bed. At the report of the rifle he stood up as if nothing had happened and started to walk off. I put another one in the breadbasket and then a third as he acted like nothing ever happened. He then turned 90 degrees away from me so I sent one last shot up the poop shoot. He disappeared over the ridge. I couldn't believe what I had just witnessed. My buddy and I walked over to the edge of the ridge and he was laying in the bottom of a draw, head still up so the next one went into the brain pan. When we skinned him out for the shoulder mount all three of the first shots could have been covered by a silver dollar right behind the shoulder but it was just three tiny holes in and three tiny holes out. That same year my buddy shot his mule deer with the rifle at 514 yards quartering away the bullet hit right behind the last rib and lodged on the far side of the neck just under the hide. The deer ran about 300 yards before laying down and by the time we got to it he was dead. We skinned him out and found the bullet and only one small petal has turned back from the tip, literally 1/16 of inch. I sent that bullet to Barnes for an explanation and that is when I learned that if the hole in the end of a hollow point is not fully clear they would not open at all. They offered me a replacement box of bullets. I threw away the box I had and the replacements. It took a very long time for me to trust Barnes again but the newer stuff is good to go and I have used it in lots of hunting applications.

I also had issues with Various Barnes bullets manufactured in the 90's. Apparently their tooling was the issue and was corrected right around the turn of the century. Since then, I have experienced good performance with both the tipped and non tipped x bullet and now my favorite is the long range x bullet. Of the last 25 animals I have taken, none have required more than one bullet.

 

[dm406]

Hornady eldx. I've recovered too many that acted more like a fmj.

We have the other extreme, blow up on the hide of elk no penetration through the ribs to the vitals, 6.5 PRC 143 eldx, 250 yds with a muzzle velocity of 3030 fps

 

[HSmithTX]

I've only seen one animal shot with the 7mm 162 ELD-X, impact velocity 3350ish, 90 pound hog with a perfect crease shot, 4" exit hole and a yard sale of heart and lungs that extended probably 20 yards beyond where the hog was shot. Biggest piece of lung left was slightly bigger than a golf ball and hanging outside against the hair by a thread. Hog still made it 25-30 yards. Some small jacket and lead fragments in the offside shoulder, like coarse ground black pepper. Hogs are tough.

 

[Turpentine21]

By your handle I’m assuming that you use a creedmoor? I have a very good load for my 6.5 CM using 140 eld-m’s. So I should have no reservations about using this combo?

I use the 123s in 6.5 Grendel, 147s in 6.5-06 along with a few 140s. All Eld-m's. Killed 4 does last Thursday from 300 to 640 yards with 140s. Caliber in, 2"out. The one at 640 went through both shoulders. Killed 4 yesterday with the 147 from 288 to 525. Same caliber in, 2" out. Killed a box car load the last 2 years with the Grendel from 30-450 yards. Most fold like a lawn chair. The 168 Amax in my AR10 does the same thing. For some reason it doesn't shoot Eldm's well. You won't have any trouble with the 140 in your Creedmore.

 

[Coldfinger]

Sierra Match Kings. They shoot great but don’t shoot an animal with them… save them for paper and steel..

Hmmmmm I shoot match kings at everything I hunt they seem to have worked great the last 35 years. Sierra must have changed something in the last few minutes.

 

[Phil Rizzo]

I understand that all bullets have a preferred velocity zone and possibly a location on the animal to target or avoid.
But inconsistency from blowing up on hair and hide to pencil holes and pass throughs is too much. There has to be a better option than that crisis waiting to happen.

 

[Aussie Hunter Steve]

At a gun show I bought a few older packets of Winchester .375 H&H. There were a packet of 300gr FMJ (Solids) that didn’t penetrate timber properly and came apart in the process - their penetration was less than a standard Woodleigh SP! That sort of thing could get a person killed against dangerous game.

 

[Perman5]

Barnes here as well. When California mandated lead free we all just shot Barnes. First thing a hog guide told us was to hit bone or else it wasn’t good. I seem to either have them “blow up” or pencil which means it’s a hollow point diameter issue. All were shot with higher velocity cartridges such as 270 win or 300 Weatherby. I’ve also gotten erratic penetration in the sense of bullet path. A buddy hunted Idaho and Kansas this year and out of 3 deer 1 was lost, 1 took till next morning to find and the last penciled through but was in open country and could be seen. So from coyotes to pigs to whitetail to mule deer to elk every single type/size of animal has had erratic performance when noslers or sierras have been far more consistent over approx 50 animals.

 

[Mike D Texas]

Many swear by the eld-m for hunting. No personal experience with them yet but may give them a try this year on whitetail.

They don’t have the nickname ELD Murderers for no reason.

Ultimate Reloader has a video on YouTube comparing the ELDX and the ELDM in gel tests. While no, gel isn’t an animal, it is a consistent medium to show comparison between different bullets.

 

[Mike D Texas]

For me over the years, the Nosler Partition has by far been the most consistent, reliable killer. It is the only bullet I’ve never lost an animal to.

But the BC sucks on them. I’m currently trying the Terminal Ascent bullet for longer ranges and it is showing great results so far.

 

[Greyfox]

My most disappointing experience occurred with Berger 210gr Hunting VLD’s used in my 300WM. While accuracy was superb(<.5MOA out past 1000 yards, the bullet “penciled” through with over a half dozen medium game animals including big bodied Alberta Mule Deer. Fortunately, all game was recovered, and performance of the bullet confirmed. Interestingly, performance of the Berger 215 Hybrid was quite different, exhibiting good expansion and accuracy under comparable conditions/shots on game. Velocities with both bullets was 2850-2900FPS.