A-Max Hunting Bullet?
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ICANHITHIMMAN
Well-Known Member
I know a lot of guys use the AMAX for hunting.
I would say the highest 30cal BC I have seen in a hunting bullet is the 210g JLK but its a custom. I know there are others but this is the highest I can think of at this time.
Jon
I would say the highest 30cal BC I have seen in a hunting bullet is the 210g JLK but its a custom. I know there are others but this is the highest I can think of at this time.
Jon
Johnboy
Well-Known Member
hey if its for a 30 cal use the 208 A-max and watch it go to work.it has a BC of .648 and flies great while bucking the wind.
but no matter cal you are loading for use the A-max.they will kill just as good as any hunt'n bullet.
but no matter cal you are loading for use the A-max.they will kill just as good as any hunt'n bullet.
Can you provide some description of close range, high velocity impacts on large game (deer-sized on up game animals)? I know what to expect after they slow down at long range. But how quickly do they unravel at higher velocity impacts - say 2400 fps and faster?
sniperjwt
Well-Known Member
I can give you my experience with the A Max and it was not a good one at close range. I was shooting a 162 A Max out of a 7mm STW at over 3300 fps. Had a nice buck walk out 50 yards away from me. Put one well placed shot through his boiler room and he jump kicked and went into the woods. I figured i would find him piled up in the woods but that was not the case. We followed a drop, drop, drop blood trail for over a mile before we finally lost it. I never did recover the deer and i have yet to shoot any more A Max's at deer eather. I am inclined to belive that the bullet penciled right through him and did not cause a lot of damage and the deer probably is still walking around today. Take it for what its worth this has been my experience with them. lots of other people use them and love them for hunting i however will not use one again on deer.
gunner45
Active Member
I use the 140 AMAX in my 6.5 wsm at 3250fps on deer. Out of over 40 or 50 deer and hogs I have not had one take a step.
I had a buddy build one and loaded the AMAX to use on elk. It was a total failure. Blew up on shoulder shots. Therefore I would not reccomend it for anything larger than deer.
I had a buddy build one and loaded the AMAX to use on elk. It was a total failure. Blew up on shoulder shots. Therefore I would not reccomend it for anything larger than deer.
kiwi3006
Well-Known Member
I used the 162 a-max in a 7mm mag at 3067 fps. I restricted it to shots over 300yds on deer (not many elk in NZ) and all were one shot kill, most DRT. Longest shots 638 & 639 yds.
It is an excellent long range bullet, but I wouldn't use it on close shots for some of the reasons already stated, I use 160 accubond for the close stuff.
Stu.
It is an excellent long range bullet, but I wouldn't use it on close shots for some of the reasons already stated, I use 160 accubond for the close stuff.
Stu.
boomtube
Well-Known Member
"they don't call them match bullets but there is a disclaimer on the Hornady website."
Wonder if that means they REALLY don't recommend them for hunting? And if, maybe, they know what they're talking about?
Wonder if that means they REALLY don't recommend them for hunting? And if, maybe, they know what they're talking about?
Stu,
Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm going to begin using the same bullet in my .280 RCBS Improved. Your experience is more or less what I expected to receive for feedback. They have a thin fragile jacket, a plastic (expansion initiating) tip, and soft lead interior. I expect them to expand at fairly low impact velocity. Just wasn't sure where high velocity would become overly risky as far as producing bomb-blast, surface-crater type wounds. Thanks again.
Still hoping for additional feedback!
This report is very odd . I 'm not trying to discredit your experience with the 162 AMAX but my dad uses the 162 AMAX in his 7mm Ruger #1 with the little short barrel and never has bullets to pencil through . What happens when you place an AMAX in the boiler room at 50 yards is ONE BIG MESS of DEAD deer ! I have shot deer within bow range with a 300 RUM using 155 AMAX and 208 AMAX I rarely ever have one run at all but if they did I could watch them pile up from my stand ! When I shoot deer close up the bullet blows up like a bomb (some don't like this ) but in the end dead is dead . Usually I have to rake out the heart as it is blown into little chunks it makes a big mess . I have and my dad shot enough deer with the AMAXS that I will say that if someone looses a deer or watches one run off and never find it it is because they "thought" they made a well placed shot . I have heard several reports of the BERGERS pencilin through but I've never heard of the AMAX doing this nore has it hapened to anyone in our hunting group . Just my experience sorry to hear that you lost your deer.
BigBuck
Thanks BigBuck and others that have posted. It looks like most user experiences resulted in expanded bullets on game. I'm comfortable enough now to use the 162 Amax in my 280 RCBS Imp. Maybe this spring bear season I'll have a report of my own.
Your welcome Phorworth, Good luck with the Bear Hunting . I also forgot to mention that I've killed 1 Elk and 1 Muley with the Amax the muley was running at around 60 yards and I hit him very well, he had blood comeing out of his nose every time he would take a breath he would blow out a puddle of blood in the game trail . He ran about 55 yards I'm thinking maybe because he was already wound up from other shots fired in the same canyon or maybe it just happens some times. Then their was the Elk he dropped in his tracks and slid down the side of the MTN (He was within 40 to 60 yards) . Both of these were killed with 155 AMAX out of a 300 Win Mag. I wish I had the recording equipment to take along with me and hunt close up only, just to show some folk what happens when a white tail deer is hit up close with the AMAX running high speeds . The only regret that I have is while gutting them !(messy) Then again what's to regret when you've got one down
BigBuck
Varmint Hunter
Well-Known Member
I've killed a number of deer with the 162gr A-Max launched from my 7 STW. Shots on the shoulder or behind the shoulder both resulted in very dead deer, every time.
The A-Max bullet is a "match" bullet (just like the Bergers). Hornady DOES recommend its use for hunting soft skinned big game (just like Berger). However, the A-Max has a hard plastic tip which just about guarantees the onset of expansion which the Berger does not. I've yet to see an A-Max pencil through a game animal. A high velocity impact causes more rapid expansion of the A-Max, rather than a bullet which fails to expand. Normally, it is impacts below 1,600 ft/sec (or so) that cause bullets to plow through without expansion.
The A-Max bullet is a "match" bullet (just like the Bergers). Hornady DOES recommend its use for hunting soft skinned big game (just like Berger). However, the A-Max has a hard plastic tip which just about guarantees the onset of expansion which the Berger does not. I've yet to see an A-Max pencil through a game animal. A high velocity impact causes more rapid expansion of the A-Max, rather than a bullet which fails to expand. Normally, it is impacts below 1,600 ft/sec (or so) that cause bullets to plow through without expansion.
