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Rifles, Reloading, Optics, Equipment
Rifles, Bullets, Barrels & Ballistics
A-Tips, terminal performance on big game
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<blockquote data-quote="CONatureBoy" data-source="post: 2253463" data-attributes="member: 118769"><p>That is my recollection also: lots of hunters aspiring to long-range hunting years ago used SMKs. I expect there was a reason for it in their results. I just wanted to tell a story about why I switched to Bergers, and what I like about them. My shooting "system" is still what it was then, a high-quality (1/3 MOA) 300 RUM (then a brand-new caliber) with a Jewell trigger and a top-of-the-line scope. The shot placement was perfect (I saw it enter mid chest, just behind the front shoulder). Plenty of retained energy and velocity. It was probably just bad luck than the SMK didn't hit anything to make it expand. Still, I personally like the way a Berger expands when one would want it to, even if it slips between the ribs. </p><p></p><p>A 28" 30-378 shooting a 220-grain SMK in front of a max load of Reloder 33 would produce a muzzle velocity of about 3,150 fps (according to QuickLoad). Here's what the Berger ballistics calculator says about a 2,000-yard shot with that round under likely Rocky Mountain conditions:</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]288871[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>I'd say two things about that shot: (1) It was a helluva shot; and (2) I wouldn't attempt it on an elk, even if I was "that good," because of the insufficient retained energy. I'm not calling bull----. I'm saying it's not the sort of story you tell to criticize an ordinary hunter like me. I'm just a guy in the woods trying to harvest an elk ethically, at ordinary-mortal ranges. I spent a lot of money on that rifle, and I practiced with it. I made a good shot at realistic range. For whatever reason, the SMK didn't expand. So I switched to a bullet that consistently does. Felt like a story worth sharing.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="CONatureBoy, post: 2253463, member: 118769"] That is my recollection also: lots of hunters aspiring to long-range hunting years ago used SMKs. I expect there was a reason for it in their results. I just wanted to tell a story about why I switched to Bergers, and what I like about them. My shooting "system" is still what it was then, a high-quality (1/3 MOA) 300 RUM (then a brand-new caliber) with a Jewell trigger and a top-of-the-line scope. The shot placement was perfect (I saw it enter mid chest, just behind the front shoulder). Plenty of retained energy and velocity. It was probably just bad luck than the SMK didn't hit anything to make it expand. Still, I personally like the way a Berger expands when one would want it to, even if it slips between the ribs. A 28" 30-378 shooting a 220-grain SMK in front of a max load of Reloder 33 would produce a muzzle velocity of about 3,150 fps (according to QuickLoad). Here's what the Berger ballistics calculator says about a 2,000-yard shot with that round under likely Rocky Mountain conditions: [ATTACH type="full"]288871[/ATTACH] I'd say two things about that shot: (1) It was a helluva shot; and (2) I wouldn't attempt it on an elk, even if I was "that good," because of the insufficient retained energy. I'm not calling bull----. I'm saying it's not the sort of story you tell to criticize an ordinary hunter like me. I'm just a guy in the woods trying to harvest an elk ethically, at ordinary-mortal ranges. I spent a lot of money on that rifle, and I practiced with it. I made a good shot at realistic range. For whatever reason, the SMK didn't expand. So I switched to a bullet that consistently does. Felt like a story worth sharing. [/QUOTE]
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