Amax for hunting?

[matt_3479]

You hear about people having a load for close shots and a load for longer shots. In most rifles I haven't had it work out so well. But this year I think my custom 260. Rem is coming with me on my hunt and I have loads that have almost identical point of impacts at 100 yards and a touch different out too 400 yards. Past that the amax shoot lights out? Trying to develop a load using the 140VLD's to replace the amax so I can get a long range load using the bergers and the accubonds for closer.

Any luck with amax on big game at ranges 400+ in case the bergers don't shoot. Or just stay away from amax for hunting and stick with them for targrt

 

[WildRose]

You hear about people having a load for close shots and a load for longer shots. In most rifles I haven't had it work out so well. But this year I think my custom 260. Rem is coming with me on my hunt and I have loads that have almost identical point of impacts at 100 yards and a touch different out too 400 yards. Past that the amax shoot lights out? Trying to develop a load using the 140VLD's to replace the amax so I can get a long range load using the bergers and the accubonds for closer.

Any luck with amax on big game at ranges 400+ in case the bergers don't shoot. Or just stay away from amax for hunting and stick with them for targrt

With so many top quality hunting bullets on the market it simply makes no sense to me at all to be shooting a frangible target bullet especially at short to moderate ranges.

The Accubond,Sirocco, Accubond LR an ELD-X should work well for you.

For short to midrange work this season I'm going to see if I can get the same kind of performance out of the Peregrine VRG-4's that I got from them in Africa last year. The one thing I know they won't do is overexpand or fly apart with a high velocity close range hit.

 

[bigngreen]

Well having actually seen Amax 140's put on elk I'd shoot them all day for 400+ yards from a 260, my brother starts them at 3170 and he wrecks elk inside 400 yards with them, his bull last year took on at the water line and made it 20 wobbly feet with his lungs and heart violated and a broke shoulder. I don't think I personally know any elk guide or serious elk hunters who shoot Accubonds or Barnes, I know of one who won't allow Accubond LR's in his camp cause of how badly they sucked last year. The ELD seems to be shooting good, pretty comparable to what I've seen the Amax do.

 

[CoachChris]

, I know of one who won't allow Accubond LR's in his camp cause of how badly they sucked last year.

Can you elaborate on this?

 

[jpd676]

Everyone has their opinion, but I only shoot the Amax for hunting. I took an antelope at over 900 yards last year with a .260 (140gr Amax) and it never took a step. I have shot many deer, antelope and elk from ranges of 60 yards to over 900 with an Amax (.264 and .308) and have never lost an animal. The Amax seems to devastate at any feasible range. Now that they are discontinued, I'll be looking at the ELD line. The only downside is the Amax can cause some meat damage, depending on shot placement. There are many accounts about the Amax and it's ability to kill; Google is your friend.

 

[backyardsniper]

I killed my elk with a 285 amax out of a 338 ackley and it killed him DRT. Not even a quiver

 

[matt_3479]

Thank you. The accubonds shot okay out of my rifle, good to 300 but I'd rather look for more accuracy for confidence out past that. And the amax or bergers is where it's at for my rifle. If I could only find 143gr ELD-X that would be the next thing I'd test.

 

[jskmtd]

So far this year we have killed 2 antelope and a bull elk with the 162 amax. None of them took a step. Shots were 100 and 168 on the antelope and 420 on the bull. I say if they shoot well in your rifle use them just be careful of heavy bone.
Jon

 

[300 Driver]

I'd say it really depends on what your hunting.

I've personally taken two whitetail deer at 500+ with a 105 Amax out of a 243 win. Dropped in there tracks. Both does around 100-115lbs live weight. I Like them for whitetail deer.

 

[TacBlade]

I have at least 20 boxes of the 6.5 Creedmoore 140gr AMax that I'm not even going to use and I didn't even know they had been discontinued? Do the ELD's explode like the AMax do? I like the AMax as it kills coyotes dead where they stand and I could care less what it does to the hide.

 

[johnnyk]

I have used the 140gn AMax @ 3038fps from a 6.5-284 Norma on deer from 40yds out to 725yds, and all were one shot, DRT propositions. I have also taken one deer w/my .300WinMag using the 208gn AMax @ 3092fps. That particular shot was approx. 125yds and the 8pt was very DRT. I mean he didn't wiggle, kick, flounce or anything. Straight down. Devasting bullet/cartridge.

IMO the ELD-M is the same as the AMax w/the addition of the cryptonite tip. My rifles shoot both just as accurately and I actually backed off a grain of powder with the 6.5 load but I think this was due more to swapping out the Savage 26" barrel with a Lothar Walther 28" barrel.

By the way, the Savage barrel has approx. 900 rounds through it and it's still shooting sub 1/2 " with no velocity lost that I can detect.

I have .264 143gn and .308 212gn ELD-X's but I have been too busy with work, a .270 Allen Mag and various other pistol and rifle projects. All labors of love of course. I'll get to 'em, hopefully. JohnnyK.

 

[ATH]

I wouldn't use them on elk personally, but on everything from deer to antelope to prairie dogs, the 6mm 105gr AMAX has worked well for me. Just took an antelope at 390 yds. Pass-thru with no signs of explosiveness.

 

[adrexco]

At one point in time Hornady had a statement on their website that the Amax was not to be used for hunting.

When the Amax was first released I loaded up the 168gr in 308win for my AR10. Accuracy was excellent. I used the AR10 for whitetail that year and took a large bodied Missouri Buck at 50yds running full tilt. Two sets of double taps, all 4 into the boiler room, none penetrated. Yes died 30 yds from the first set, but all 4 rounds blew up with minimal penetration.

My feeling is high velocity and short distance makes the Amax too fragment-able for dependable penetration.

 

[ATH]

At one point in time Hornady had a statement on their website that the Amax was not to be used for hunting.

When the Amax was first released I loaded up the 168gr in 308win for my AR10. Accuracy was excellent. I used the AR10 for whitetail that year and took a large bodied Missouri Buck at 50yds running full tilt. Two sets of double taps, all 4 into the boiler room, none penetrated. Yes died 30 yds from the first set, but all 4 rounds blew up with minimal penetration.

My feeling is high velocity and short distance makes the Amax too fragment-able for dependable penetration.

Honest question, if the animal was down in 30 yards from the first trigger pull with minimal penetration and none penetrating, what was the cause of death? For an animal running full tilt, that's pretty much DRT.

Another important point is "Amax" is not "Amax". For years on this board and others, I've seen discussions lumping branded bullets together when really you need to look individually at each bullet.