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

[dancoman]

Don't know how many it take to be concidered a EVERY TIME BULLET, but for me the 150scirocco's have been great out of my sendero7rum. Score Scirocco 22 Deer 0

 

[jwp475]

[ QUOTE ]
Don't know how many it take to be concidered a EVERY TIME BULLET, but for me the 150scirocco's have been great out of my sendero7rum. Score Scirocco 22 Deer 0

[/ QUOTE ]

maybe the Deer can score in the secound half and make a game out of it........... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Rymart]

OK, does someone want to offer any potentially accurate loads for the 180 gr Accubonds out of the 308 with either Varget or RE15 (preferrably RE15). Since I always start low and work up carefully, I would also like help with starting loads and book recommended max loads for this combination, as I don't want to buy the Nosler reloading manual until/unless they include data for the 338 Lapua.

I imagine someone will suggest that I should have gotten the 150 gr or 165 gr Accubonds instead of the 180's. My reasons are: my rifle typically preferrs the heavier bullets, I prefer the higher ballistic coefficient, and I would like to try them in the wife's '06 also. I'm still not sure if time will permit a complete work-up of the Accubond load, but we'll see.

Or maybe I'll end up bagging one during the archery season... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif..

Thanks for the input and advice.

 

[Michael Eichele]

If this is a factory rifle, try 41 to 43.5 grains in 0.5 grain increments. You will find a good load there at top speed.

No need to go with the 150 or 165 AB, the 180 will do well. I am glad to see you are concidering a more concistent bullet well suited for that once in a lifetime buck. He deserves no less.

 

[deerkiller]

My Nosler #3 shows Re15-42.5grs max for 2640fps 24"bbl.

DK

 

[Kenny Reed]

i have shot a lot of deer with SMK's SGK's Nosler BT and every bullet Hornady makes , and have learned something, match bullets may work fine most of the time but sooner or later they will fail .A friend of mine owns an apple orchard in VA. and gets a kill permit every fall , I kill on average 45 deer a year , and use this for checking loads, I have seen SMK's kill deer like double forked lightning , and have watched them run as if they were missed and leave no blood ( thats always fun ) My advice is to try Hornady bullets , they do as promised , the Nosler BT works well at long range but wrecks a lot of meat and comes apart up close. Stay away from match bullets from anyone, they are made to punch paper not meat , they will tell you that. Hope this helps.

 

[Kenny Reed]

Another thing , my ICON in .308 likes the heavy bullets just like yours , but for some reason it LOVES 150 grain Hornady interlock boat tail bullets, im loading 46 grains of Varget in Nosler case with Fed 215m primers ( yes I know thats a mag primer ) @ 2.808" and it shoots .0112" 5 shot groups at 125 yds and .507" at 300, leaving the muzzle at 2986 fps from the 24" 5r barrel it is a deer slayer. Oh yea, the only thing I have done to the gun was a touch of glass bedding in the three recoil lug slots , go TC

 

[Hicks]

I have witnessed SMKs out of a factory SPS .308 blow a fist sized hole out the far side of 6 antelope, and a hole you could put both fists in from a 220gr smk out of a .300RUM. I would never hesitate to use a smk on anything up to deer size. Elk might be pushing it with a .308. No, I think I'd still use it.

Hicks

 

[Rymart]

i have shot a lot of deer with SMK's SGK's Nosler BT and every bullet Hornady makes , and have learned something, match bullets may work fine most of the time but sooner or later they will fail .A friend of mine owns an apple orchard in VA. and gets a kill permit every fall , I kill on average 45 deer a year , and use this for checking loads, I have seen SMK's kill deer like double forked lightning , and have watched them run as if they were missed and leave no blood ( thats always fun ) My advice is to try Hornady bullets , they do as promised , the Nosler BT works well at long range but wrecks a lot of meat and comes apart up close. Stay away from match bullets from anyone, they are made to punch paper not meat , they will tell you that. Hope this helps.

Funny how this thread came back to life years later... I ended up killing a 'not-so-once-in-a-lifetime-buck' with my 338 Lapua mag and a 250 gr SGK. Wasn't too impressed with the performance as the deer made it over 100 yards with a solid shoulder shot... not much blood either. Here's the link to the story on this one:

http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f17/follow-up-once-lifetime-trophy-deer-hunt-18808/

Since then I've killed a few animals with the 190 gr SMK's and was happy with the results, including an ~830 yard shot on an antelope. All were DRT. Here's what I think on the SMK's now...

They usually use the same jacket on multiple bullets, like with the 250 gr SMK and the 300 gr SMK, thus the heavier/larger bullets have the jackets streched more and the jackets are typically thinner. So what I'm saying is that the heavier bullets often have thinner jackets and open up just fine even if the impact velocity is lower. I've now put enough animals down (as in DRT) with the SMK's in various weights and calibers to not doubt their performance on game... I have not been as fortunate with a couple of the more commonly accepted hunting bullets on the market.

I'm just now working up a load for the 190's using RE-17, so far I am at 2618 fps with no pressure signs but am running out of case capacity. I'll probably end up around 2640 - 2660 fps. Not shabby for a 190 gr out of a 308. Now I just need to try the 208 Amax's with the RE-17... I'm hearing crazy stuff about that combo, like velocities up to 2650 fps.

 

[Kenny Reed]

Here is the point I was trying to make , he said a once in a life time hunt , that to me means ONE SHOT THAT HAS TO COUNT. Now I have shot deer with nearly every type of billet made from target to solids. When it counts REAL hunting bullets do what they were made for ( kill ) . I have had fantastic DRT reseuls with match bullets as well, normally because the bullet failed and blew to peaces , and blew the boiler room of the animal up, but it still failed. I know that with a HORNADY interlock or NOSLER partition , if I'm sitting there on the last day, two seconds of light left , looking at the trophy of a life time , and the only shot I have is a classic Texas heart shot at 300 yds. I brought enough gun and enough bullet to shoot through an animal end to end and make a humane kill. I know that response is going to get some grief , but I have a 163 3/8" 11 point on my wall that was shot less than one inch from the A-hole and the bullet exited the left side of where the neck joins the shoulder . DRT and I knew I could put it there and the bullet ( 180 gr Hornady interlock ) would do the right thing when delivered. THATS A HUNTING BULLET. Hunting bullets work from 5 feet to 800 yards, Have you ever been set up for a long shot over a bean field , only to have a deer walk under your stand , I have , SMK's explode, terminal performance is down the toilet, Yes the animal dies , most of the meat is thrown away because its to blood shot. Just my opinion , but bullet makers spend a TON of money in R and D , they do so to make bullets that do as advertised, Hunt with hunting bullets , punch paper with target bullets. thats what they are made for. And when you blow a shot and make a bad hit ( say in the ham ) hunting bullets will punch a nice hole with good performance and do there best to dispatch the animal, target bullets will blow on impact or pencil through , you either spend the rest of the day tracking a wounded animal, or you think you missed because you couldnt find anything and leave your trophy in the woods .

 

[Michael Eichele]

I'm just now working up a load for the 190's using RE-17, so far I am at 2618 fps with no pressure signs but am running out of case capacity. I'll probably end up around 2640 - 2660 fps. Not shabby for a 190 gr out of a 308. Now I just need to try the 208 Amax's with the RE-17... I'm hearing crazy stuff about that combo, like velocities up to 2650 fps.

2618 with a 190 and RL17 loaded into a 308 case wont offer you any high pressure. I am not sure if you can get enough RL17 in the case with a 308 and 190 to get high pressure. That said, the 190 in a 308 is an awesome accuracy combo. You have an opinion on them for hunting and I am not going to try and change that. Mine is very different but we will let a sleeping dog lay.

The AMAX line of bullets despite being 'match' bullets I dont mind using for hunting with slower calibers. Unlike other brands, I have had consistent, predictable and positive results every time. As far as the 208 in the 308, I couldnt be happier. The windage is seriously reduced and they legitimately expand at lower velocity ranges. I have shot the 208 at 2715 FPS in a 26" barrel. I did feel that the pressure was a bit high. 2600-2650 is a much better, realistic and safe number. My only complaint with using RL17 was that in order to get 2600-2650, the OACL was pretty long. Push come to shove, using it as a single shot will suffice, but I strongly prefer to load them in the magazine. With that in mind, I developed my load using VV N550. It takes a few grains less and the grains are physically smaller allowing the powder to settle in the case better allowing more of the bullet to be seated in the case. With a Wyatt box mag, I can load them and feed them in and out of the magazine with ease.

 

[Rymart]

2618 with a 190 and RL17 loaded into a 308 case wont offer you any high pressure. I am not sure if you can get enough RL17 in the case with a 308 and 190 to get high pressure. That said, the 190 in a 308 is an awesome accuracy combo. You have an opinion on them for hunting and I am not going to try and change that. Mine is very different but we will let a sleeping dog lay.

The AMAX line of bullets despite being 'match' bullets I dont mind using for hunting with slower calibers. Unlike other brands, I have had consistent, predictable and positive results every time. As far as the 208 in the 308, I couldnt be happier. The windage is seriously reduced and they legitimately expand at lower velocity ranges. I have shot the 208 at 2715 FPS in a 26" barrel. I did feel that the pressure was a bit high. 2600-2650 is a much better, realistic and safe number. My only complaint with using RL17 was that in order to get 2600-2650, the OACL was pretty long. Push come to shove, using it as a single shot will suffice, but I strongly prefer to load them in the magazine. With that in mind, I developed my load using VV N550. It takes a few grains less and the grains are physically smaller allowing the powder to settle in the case better allowing more of the bullet to be seated in the case. With a Wyatt box mag, I can load them and feed them in and out of the magazine with ease.

I ended up at 2668 fps with the 190 gr SMK's and 50 grains of RE-17 in Winchester brass. Anything more would have been too compressed for my liking. Accuracy was good, but not as good as my RE-15 load. I think I'll re-try 49.5 grains.

I'm very interested in seeing what happens with the 208 A Max and RE-17... but I still have about 1000 of the 190 SMK's to finish off.

So far I've had nothing but great results with the 105 gr A Max out of my 243 on deer and antelope, even at higher velocities.