Bullet Worthy of a Once-in-a -Lifetime Trophy?

[lerch]

Whoa, if you new me better you would never call me wise!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Having confidence in your load and your gun is more important than anything else IMOP. When you know a bullet is gonna land where you tell it the feeling when you grab ahold of that rifle is one of pure confidence and I really feel that is key. I dont see a need to classify any particular bullet type as ineffective for hunting. My buddy Bill once said that SMK's should never be used for hunting after he saw some 168gr SMK's punch .308 diameter holes in water jugs at 300 yds with now expansion. He was **** near burned alive by some people on the board and some other praised him almost like he was preaching from the pulpit. he later shot a buck with the 240gr SMK from his 300rum and the damage from a near full body length pass through was horrifying, big **** hole!!!!

All in all it doesnt matter, use what you feel good with and know where to take advantage of a bullets flaws and weaknesses. I like the polymer tipped bullets with bonded cores but I know a lot of guys who do great with the SMK's and like bullets.

take it easy
steve

 

[Buckmaster]

Fishry, the gamekings suck and Hornady doesn't shoot well in all guns.

Matchkings work on game, no doubt about it. But, that is not the issue here. The issue here is that the 190 MK & the 308 are not an effective combo for what you want or may need.

Try the Accubonds, you may be pleasantly surprised.

If I was shooting a potential trophy of a lifetime I would probably shoot something else other than a 308 to 1000. You said 600-800, I see no reason why you couldn't get within 600 yards in the Wyoming country.
Inside 600 with a 165+ Accubond or other premium bullet and you should have no problems. The 180 should get you to 1000, but you may lack the energy you need with 308 velocity.

Accubonds are a fantastic bullet in any caliber, they shoot well is most guns, they are not finicky, and they perform well at max loads. The Hornadys seem to perform best when you back off the loads a bit.

I do not have a problem with MK's for hunting, but If I do not have to, then why? Remember we are not talking about the big Mk's in mag calibers here, we are talking about a 308.

 

[jwp475]

by Lerch
My buddy Bill once said thatSMK's should never be used for hunting after he saw some 168gr SMK's punch .308 diameter holes in water jugs at 300 yds with now expansion.

What's Now expansion??????????????????? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[duckinalaska]

fishry,
Maybe I can help you out. Hey, try 42.5 grains of 4064 with the same setup you have. You'll gain over 100 fps with this load. You might feel a little crunch but not to worry, this is a safe load. It is exactly what I use. Also, note that if you hit it in the boiler room, it will die!
Hope this helps,
Brandon

 

[lerch]

"Hornadys dont shoot good in all guns."

I have seen and heard this from a few different people and you really never hear about people using the SST or InterBond for long range hunting. It really sucks because they use a VLD nose profile and I really like them but you cant argue with results, I wish I knew what the problem was. I really wish I would hear better results with them.

steve

 

[lerch]

The expansion was pretty impressive to say the least. The deer was severly quartering to us and the bullet entered the front shoulder and exited on the offside hip at 503yds. the exit wound was around 9" in diameter!!! I will post the pic later.

I was impressed with the fact that the bullet held its core. Previous experince had shown otherwise. I guess that shows you that it is really hard to predict what a bullet will do on impact.

steve

 

[James Jones]

from the deer I'm shot with the SMK's all i 175gr all out of a 308 running close to 2700fps MV. All bullets expanded and all bullets exited now the biggest deer shot was a big old cow horn around 200lbs on the hoof but the average is our 60-100lb coastal does' we get to shoot alot of them during the off season for "game management" 95% of the shots are at deer that have seen us and are about to leave so a fast lung shot is usualy used and even when hitting the thin ribs the 175 expand.
The doe I shot at 618yds was broad side feeding the bullet slipped in behind the shoulder hit a rib on the way in and broke two on the way out quarter sized exit but a good softball sized wound channel , she ran about 30-40yds both lungs were realy damaged.

if the buck of a lifetime stepped out at 1000yds I would not hesitate to take the shot , assuming I lazered the range and had a good idea on the wind direction and it was under 15mph.
If you uniform the meplat just a bit it will make for a slightly wider impack area helping to ensure expansion. what I have seen when I true up the tips is that they actualy shoot higher at 400yds , I haven't shoot groups at anything over that to see how bad it drops their BC but I can't see it being enough to worry with so long as you know what it is

So have you tried the 178gr A-max bullets?

 

[dimecovers3]

Not that it matters a bunch, but I bought an entire case of SST factory loaded Hornady in the Light Magnum load because they go faster than anything I can safely load and they shoot into the same hole with the first three shots in my .270 I do notice I start to flinch a little as this rifle is Mountain profile light and that compressed load is noticeable, whereas the regular Federal Partition load is not even felt. Try some Black Hills .308, my partner shoots them into an aspirin. The Light Mag Hornady .308 will get you up quite a bit in velocity. You could spend the time learning the load rather than finding the load if you went this route since time is a factor

 

[Buckmaster]

Lerch it is unfortunate about hornady. The would be great if my gun would shoot'em.

Fishry is going into an area where he has a great chance of getting a dream deer. The topic is not "will a MK work?".
We all know MK's work. But the facts remain; he is not shooting a magnum. If he goes for a higher weight and BC bullet he will lack energy at extended range and if he goes lighter he wont make it at all. There are situations where MK's are not the best choice. Even the most die hard MK fans will tell you that.

Shooting a good group at 1000 yards isn't always enough. There is a big difference between 600 yards and 1000 yards.
The 308 is a 600 yard rifle on deer. Not paper - deer. Even inside of 600 I think the Accubond is a better choice than the MK. I think the accubonds are some of the best bullets ever made. The hold together close and have high BC farther out. I have switched over in every rifle I have that shoots them well. So far thats every rifle I have! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

[lerch]

I agree with you that it does suck that hornady bullet tend to not shoot good in a lot of rifles, i wish i new the reason but either way it does suck. they are good bullets and it a few test I have seen the interbond retain more weight than the AB.

I am not a big fan of the SMK's as hunting bullets. I like a stiffer jacket and a bonded core if it is offered. This ol' boy came on here asking for advice with a specific caliber for extended range. He said the 190gr bullet offered great accuracy and due to that fact alone I said go with it. Bullet wight at long range helps out a ton. I was hard to realize this fact since for a long time I was determined that speed did the job. If you lob a big bullet out there a long way with a high BC you will get the job done, period.

If he had time, money, etc I would have him shoot a RUM and flatten that bad boy with a AB or one of the bigger SMK's or even better a WildCat bullet, I gotta rep for my northern buddy /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif.

the bottom line is that our boys in the sandbox use the 168gr bullets from the 308win to dust people at 800-1000yds fairly frequently and that should be enough to down a whitetail. Now he is shooting a bigger bullet with a higher BC with better energy retention.

The big thing is he feels confident in this load and that is worth a lot when you step in the field.

good luck Fishry and post us some pics

steve

 

[keithcandler]

If you have a hunt of a lifetime on deer and antelope using a 308, a 150g Hornady SPBT is all you will need it is a very accurate bullet. Deer will be dead right there! Max load of IMR 4350 or 748 will put you at unreal accuracy and velocity.

I have no idea of your hunting techniques, but it sounds like you are in a Western state, I hope that you will not have to shoot over 300 yards.

The last bullet I would use to cull does is a heavy slow Match King must less on a trophy hunt of a life time, use a hunting bullet that is designed to expand.
It sounds like you have an accurate rifle, you don't seem to be worried about unzipping one from hitting low due to a heavy bullet and slow velocity, but that is exactly what you should be worried about. Deer will pop up at unknown ranges, you do not always have the time to range the distance, adjust your scope. You have a split second to guess the range and fire. Of course, I have no idea of your hunting style.

I would like to add that a 30 Cal 150g Barnes Tripple shock bullet really opens a deer up like a can opener, and if you shoot it through the shoulders, you will throw away both shoulders.

One thing that you have to remember, the RPM's that a bullet is doing is a contributing factor in making the bullet jacket open up. At 2500 fps, the rpm's is very slow, and at longer ranges (300 yds) the hydrostatic shock is MUCH less than at 100 yards.

I would like to read of your success, and not a heart breaking story of unzipping one with it running off, never to be found.

Best of luck to you!

 

[longgunshooter]

first congrats on the tag!

but let me share sumthin' with ya...

i had a not so good exp on a mulie last year with the 190 SMK's being shot out of a 300RUM. or i should say i was witness to a not so good exp...

range was 417yds slightly quartering to us on a not so "big" mulie (4x4 but only dressed 150lbs). my buddy hit him square on the shoulder socket trying to break him where he stood. the bullet entered precisley where the shooter wanted, then did a "slide between the ribs and skin" routine. burrowing a home through the GI region and exploding in the rear quarters = effectivly killing him, not penetrating the boiler room but causing severe unintentional damage.(not so nicely dicing the hinds in the process.) /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif had to pack a pile of "j-e-l-l-o" to the truck.

i for one havnt attempted to kill any game with the SMK's but after seeing that i wont be...

the new barnes MRX's are promising. they only come in the 180's (30cal) right now. ive had 3/4 moa @ 100 yds so far. going to try to get out in the next couple of weeks to test the same load @ 300-600 & a few 600+yds to see if it calms down a bit at extended ranges.

didnt meen to get the soapbox out... just wanted to share a -not so good experience- with ya before its too late to really rethink your options.

GOOD LUCK to ya any how.
need an "extra" to "pack" for ya???/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Fotis]

If you're worried about the SMK's why don't you try the 150, or 165 Accubonds or even Ballistic tips. Both are said to open up at 1600-1400 fps respectively and I have never seen a decent 308 Win not shoot at least one or two combinations.

 

[longgunshooter]

[ QUOTE ]
If you're worried about the SMK's why don't you try the 150, or 165 Accubonds or even Ballistic tips. Both are said to open up at 1600-1400 fps respectively and I have never seen a decent 308 Win not shoot at least one or two combinations.

[/ QUOTE ]

they do... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif very well in fact, just want a "Do all" for LR elk/sheep/deer. the solid core cant be beat.

just playin'really... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif afterall the MRX's are new and shiney /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif