Best and Worst Bullets You Have Used

[CowboyTutt]

We have had some great discussions on bullets and penetration lately, and I thought it might be an idea to share what bullets have performed well and not so well in various arms. I'm talking about bullet qualities such as penetration, durability, accuracy, extreme range accuracy, whatever your personal experiences have been and how it was meaningful to you. Maybe we can all learn something in the bargain.

For me, the Hornady 300 grain XTP mag in 452 have proven over and over again to be one TOUGH bullet when used in my 454 handgun or rifle. Of the bullets I have recovered from the ground I have never seen one separate from the jacket. Also very accurate.

The Barnes 275 grain bullet for my 460 S&W is also one very tough customer and did not shed any weight at all when recovered from the ground.

The Belt Mountain Punch Bullet (a solid) in 452 is the toughest bullet of them all and works as advertised. They almost always look like they could be reloaded.

I haven't hunted yet, but I would trust these bullets to work well.


The Sierra Pro-Hunter in 311 and 180 grains (a flat base spitzer) has proven to be extremely accurate in my 2 groove Enfield and will make holes that touch when I do my part (thanks JReed!)

I might have more to add later but I think I'm going to go riding on the Mendo Coast today.

Oh yeah, years ago, before Grizzly Cartridge bought Cast Performance, I had their 360 grain bullet completely shatter in dry paper out of my Puma. I read a similar report on Beartooth Bullet's forum. Too much antimoney made for too brittle a bullet. Hopefully, Mike at Grizzly has changed all that. Personally, I would not hunt with that bullet until I tested it again.

Talk to you guys later!

-Tutt

[86er]

300gr and 400 gr Hawk .458 were horrible, breaking up, and barely penetrating on big animals.

.311 Sierra 150gr at 2400 fps - hold together well and penetrate great plus very accurate for a cup and core bullet.

[mescalero1]

Years ago, my friend Hairy Eye Ball, shot Sierra 50 gr. super explosive out of a Reminggton .22-.250.
I do not remember the load but on high humidity days, the bullets would vaporize in flight, with only a few fragments hitting the target, if at all.

[crs]

Best premium for big game penetration would be the .338 Winchester Fail Safe and the .405 WCF North Fork SS, CPS, and FPS bullets.

[AJMD429]

The .44 Mag Winchester 240 grain jacketed soft point is "IT" around here for whitetail. Accurate, and goes clear through them, opening 'just enough' to make a bit larger hole than .429"...

[morgan in nm]

I 've had very good luck with Sierra .257 75grn hp for my roberts. Nailed a coyote once in the shoulder and left an 8"diameter exit. Definately would have not wanted to take a kid on this hunt with the gore caused by that wonderful rifle. The absolute worst was some 86grn cast I ordered one time for 25-20 that were uneven and too soft. Would lead with low-velocity.

[Kansas Ed]

Best bullets were the .411 Hawk with a .025 jacket. Accurate and awesome results on whitetail. Second best was the Leadheads GC .411 diameter out of the 40-82. Resized to .4085, shot thru lengthways.

Worst bullets were the Nosler Hunting Ballistic tip. Throwaway the whole front end on a lung shot buck at 195 paces out of the 25-06. Insides mush, but he still traveled quite aways. Worst waste of meat I've ever seen. Never again...

Ed

[cowboykell]

Can't say I've had a worst bullet, but one of the best is Woodleigh .412 300 gr. Weldcore round nose. Mushroom great and really knock an Eland off his feet !!

[2ndovc]

I've never had a deer walk away from a Sierra 125 or 165 Spitzer.
Excellent accuracy and performance. Don't use anything else in my .30-06s



jb

[BigSky56]

Ive had very good luck with hornady in 30-30 and 348. As for cast bullets for hunting Ive had good luck with Beartooth they hold together I believe his mix is only 3% antimony so the bullets dont breakup and turn to dust I have used then in a 30-30 and 348 and gotten better better penetration than hornady's. Overall I could live with cast bullets for all my shooting and not be handicapped at all. danny

[pharmseller]

I missed a bull a couple of years ago with a Remington Core-Lokt .30-06 180 gr PSP.
That's what I call lousy performance!

P

[86er]

Best expanding bullets for 45-70 = Kodiak 405 gr. Best solid = Punch 405 gr or 430 gr

Best expanding bullet for 375 = Rhino 380 gr. Best solid = Dzombo 380 gr or Nosler Banded Solid 300 gr

[mescalero1]

pharmseller, please explain?

[El Chivo]

Nailed a coyote once in the shoulder and left an 8" diameter exit

just curious, how could this happen, did a bone shatter and blow a hole through?

Or did the bullet break up with the pieces cutting that hole, like a shotgun blast?

I ran across a description of a paper-patched lead bullet that is very soft lead, and will expand to the size of a silver dollar. Paper keeps the lead from sticking to the bore.

[morgan in nm]

Nailed a coyote once in the shoulder and left an 8" diameter exit

just curious, how could this happen, did a bone shatter and blow a hole through?

Or did the bullet break up with the pieces cutting that hole, like a shotgun blast?

I ran across a description of a paper-patched lead bullet that is very soft lead, and will expand to the size of a silver dollar. Paper keeps the lead from sticking to the bore.

Quite a bit of both. The entrance was 1/2" so the bullet must have expanded in flight. The coyote was facing slightly toward me from a perfect broadside about 200 yds. The bullet entered high on the shoulder and with the increased elevation I was to the animal, it exited out below the back strap. This was some of my develpmental loads with this rifle that I kinda liked for speed and knockdown as it puched that little bullet close to the 3600 fps. I have since quit using it because I like the rifle and wanted to save the throat. Honestly, there was matter sprayed all over the bushes behind the animal. I apologize for the graphic detail but that was the way it happened.

[Streetstar]

At one time, i thought i would experiment with a .300 Weatherby "coyote load" ( )-- without much real thought given to barrel twist rate or any of the other factors that go into working up a real custom load.

So off i go and load up 25 110 grain Hornady soft points (.308) with 83 grains of applicable powder behind them. The results at the chronograph were pretty cool (3900 fps IIRC) , but at 100 yards --- they were turning into little spinning boats when they hit the paper (key-holing) -- despite the keyholing, everything remained within about 4" of each other though

I personally dont think there are too many bad bullets, just bad applications, like my example (since then, i have gone no lighter than 165 grain with the big .300)

[Old Shatterhand]

Worst: Norma Vulcan 180 grs, disintegrated, and RWS TUG 180 grs, bad penetrator, both .30-06.

Best: Barnes X 180 grs, .30-06, Barnes X 50 grs, .222R. Also like Barnes FN, 255 grs, .375W.

Pete

[Nath]

100grn Hornady 243 out of a Rem 700 stainless barrel, acted just like a varmint bullet as in exploding.
The same bullet out of a Weatherby barrel-perfect expansion!

N.

[piller]

Don't really have a worst, but best was Winchester Silvertip 130 grain .270 factory load in my Rem. 700. Every deer shot with it was a 1 shot kill and no more than 30 yards on the longest run after the shot. If anyone knows where to find these bullets nowdays, please tell me. I can't find them around here and they worked best in my rifle.

[model55]

So far that would be the 36 grain barnes varmit granade shooting out of my TC-first time anything has gone through side ways but it's early yet going to try a rifle next.

[gon2shoot]

Tutt, the best bullets are what works in your gun.
For me it's cast, (with all the hair pulling necessary to find the right formula) with cast you can tailor, weight,hardness,nose type, etc.

[RANisbet]

Best were Barnes-X in my 375 H&H. Put both into a big herd bull while hunting up in Colorado. Bull took both rounds and ran 30 yards. Both bullets recovered under far side skin. each had perfect petals and had held almost all weight. Currently have one recoverd bullet on my key chain.

Worst have been 180 grain Nosler Partitions from my 30-06. Shot 2 elk and a moose with them, and none of them was ever recovered. (Was hunting with a professional guide and we both did our level best to find those animals.) All three had excellent placement hits at ranges from 25 yards to less than 60 yards. All three animals took off running and each was faithfully tracked for a full day, but we never turned them up.
Did put one elk down with that bullet. First shot was broadside through the lungs at 120 yards. Thirty cal entry and a thirty cal exit hole. Elk didn't know where shot came from, and turned straight toward us and came running. Second shot was in the brisket at 40 yards. Bullet later recovered from his heart. All that was left of that bullet was the back end, a half weight thirty cal billet with the whole front totally gone.

[pharmseller]

pharmseller, please explain?

Jus' tryin' to be funny.
I guess it didn't work.


P

[Bill]

If I have just one bullet it would be the 540 grain Garrett Hammerhead (45/70)... - - I have used Garrett's great ammunition in Argentina, Canada, and Africa. - - When I do not really know how big, how stubborn, or how ornery the critter I'm hunting will turn out to be until he pops out of the brush; Garrett's 540 grain Hammerhead is the answer.

Oh yes, to be sure - Garrett makes quality specialized bullet/loadings that are more specific for certain animals and conditions, but if I hunt tall grass, at dusk, or anyplace where things can quickly get "up-close and personal", I want Garrett's 540 grain Hammerhead in my 45/70... Crushing power and penetration - first time and every-time...



Argentina - March 2007, using my 45/70 Marlin Cowboy with a 26" barrel. - I made a hunt to Argentina. A tough old Asiatic bull was the game of choice… I hit my buffalo (~70 Yds.), behind the left shoulder and it blew straight through exiting his right shoulder. He spun away from me and I immediately popped him in the tush - passing lengthwise through his body and exiting his chest. - - “Game Over!” - - {Both Garrett Hammerhead 540 grain projectiles were last seen headed towards Patagonia in south Argentina.}

[Travis Morgan]

Years ago, my friend Hairy Eye Ball, shot Sierra 50 gr. super explosive out of a Reminggton .22-.250.
I do not remember the load but on high humidity days, the bullets would vaporize in flight, with only a few fragments hitting the target, if at all.

Those bullets were probably rated for a .223. The .22-250 pushed 'em to fast. With varmint bullets, they come apart if you spin them to fast by using the wrong twist or too much velocity.