Hornady HPBT Match bullets for game?

[centershot]

Hi gang! I've had this question in my mind for a while and we have some really knowledgeable people on this forum, so here goes. I'm wondering specifically about the Hornady 75 grain HPBT match bullet used in a 223 Remington. I have a load that runs 2750 fps from my Ruger American, gives sub-MOA groups. Has anyone shot game with these bullets? I'm thinking of using it on whitetail deer, nothing bigger. I know, many don't like the idea of .22 centerfires for deer hunting. I have used my 223 with Federal's Fusion load very successfully, it works! Yes, you must pick your shot, but honestly, the deer I've shot with that round look like they've been shot with my '06! So, I'm wondering, anyone tried the Hornady bullet in their 223?

[GunnyMack]

Match bullets tend to have very thin jackets( or used to). If I knew I could get a head shot I would feel comfortable with it but I don't think I would use that bullet for a body shot. It could blow up as a flesh wound or act like a FMJ...
Nosler 60 gr partition, the GMX, Fusion or a Barnes monolithic , Full Boar would be my choices.
I don't know if Berger makes a hunting bullet.

Take one of those 75's and cut it in half length wise, I think you'll find thin skin...

[Griff]

I like the "Ballistic Tip" line of bullets... The 140s in .284 are very lethal in my 7mmRM.

[Tycer]

No.
Predators maybe ok. Do not risk a wounded game animal. Use a game bullet.

[BrianSH]

I have wondered the same thing with match hollow points in 7RM. I'd like to try opening up the hp with a small drill bit in a t-handle tap wrench. A 168gr match hp ought to do well on deer with the hp opened up.

[BigSky56]

yes the 69 and 70 gr nosler match, predators only sometimes they pencil thru other times they blow up depends on where you hit them, chest shot they pencil thru shoulder shot they blow up. match bullets jackets can vary from thin to thicker jackets I beleive nosler & sierra hold that spot. If you want a good deer killer the norma 55g oryx(bonded) or nosler 64g which is a accubound, swift makes a 62 and 75g bonded but at .50$ each wholesale I'll pass. I use a 70g speer sp pushed with RL-15 or AR-Comp. same powders I use for the match bullets. danny

[GunnyMack]

The Nosler BTs in the big caliber so are great deer bullets, if memory serves, under .257/85 grains are VARMINT bullets.

I know someone somewhere will chime in saying they have been using such in such match bullet for years without fail. Just can't condone a match bullet for big game. Especially in small caliber.
Berger makes great bullets, but I don't think they make a hunting bullet in .224.

Personally I Like a bullet that gets inside causing LOTS of damage, if it goes through or stays inside doesn't really matter just so long as it gets inside!

I used federal fusion 200 gr 338 federal on last 2 elk I shot, 1 was a shoulder shot, dropped her. The other was a high neck shot and she didn't have a clue what happened.

I live in a shotgun/muzzle loader only state, have seen deer hit with a 12 ga slug through both lungs go 2-300 yards, or just turn to jello with shoulder shots. Same with front loaders. Buckshot is very effective! Lots of folks bad mouth buckshot, but I have been using it for 32 years, there are times I know a slug gun is needed and times buckshot is all ya need.

I guess long story short, use the correct type bullet for the game in mind.

[guido4198]

This question pops up from time to time and over the 40 + years I've been shooting, competing and reloading the answer hasn't changed.
Match bullets are not optimized for performance on game animals. CAN they be used with good effect...sure, sometimes..possibly even most of the time but WHY...????
Bullet companies do a lot of research building bullets DESIGNED for hunting. Why would someone CHOOSE to ignore that and intentionally use a product NOT DESIGNED for it.????
I don't get it.
FWIW: I had this very conversation with a Sierra representative a long time ago. He cautioned against the use of their 168 HPBT Matchking on any big game animals due to the fact that the terminal performance in an animal of any size is totally unpredictable.
The potential exists for the tiny open tip to simply close causing the bullet AT BEST to function like an FMJ. Unfortunately howver, since it NOT a FMJ, and the jacketed tip is not solid, there's also the potential for the tip to bend causing complete loss of a predictable wound channel, possibly shallow random penetration and a sadly lost wounded animal.
On the other hand...if the tip doesn't just close, you could see unpredictable "grenading" of the bullet, once again leading to completely unpredictable results.
I like to think most, if not all of us have too much respect for the animals we hunt to go afield with a product that is less than the best we can use.
On a more personal note, I can verify that the Sierra 168 gn. HPBT Matchking is sufficiently effective on "smallish" African terrorists when applied from approx. 300 yds out of a match tuned M1-A.
I didn't have a problem hunting THOSE animals with match bullets since I don't have the respect for them that I have for a Whitetail Deer.

[M. M. Wright]

Many years back I bought a couple boxes of Sierra 168 HPBT Match bullets. The proprietor told me "game bullets". When I shot a Whitetail buck with 2 of them he went down pretty good but while I was looking for him in tall grass I got a shot at what I thought was him wandering off. Much larger buck but I double lunged him and he went down after about a hundred yards. A couple of steps forward and there was the first buck, a nice 1 1/2 year old 6 point so I stopped to gut him and let the other one bleed out. My Dad came driving up in our old winch truck to retrieve my deer, (he had heard my shot) which disturbed the big one which jumped up and ran off. Blood trailed him for 1/2 mile, saw him twice but he got away. The first deer was a frontal shot and when I skinned him the bullet was just under the hide on his left ham after penetrating what, 3 feet of deer? You could have easily reloaded that bullet and used it again. No expansion at all. I then went to the Sierra 165 SPBT and have been happy with them ever since.

By the way I was shooting these bullets in my Browning 78 Hi-wall 30-06 which has 1 in 14 twist. It really likes 165 grain bullets over 47 or 48 grains of IMR 4895. (Back this off a couple of grains and work up in your rifle to find it's sweet spot.)

I've killed a few deer with the 223 and it has worked all right with the 55 grain soft points but I would never use target or varmint bullets for deer in it. I think you would get some spectacular failures with them.

[Nath]

I used Speer hpbt years ago on varmints up to fox in 222.
My reasoning is that I have seen shot deer run with many an acceptable cartridge and game bullet so I guess you will be no worse off!
If however I got the notion they are a poor choice I would not abuse any large game animal any further!

N.

[jnyork]

Why not just use the right tool for the job in the first place. Match bullets are designed for match shooting, big game bullets are designed for big game hunting. Seems simple enough.