Bullet Performance

[Tiny Tim]

I'm new to this site and am looking for input from other shooters concerning a good "all around" 7 mm bullet for white tail deer hunting. I shoot a 7mm RM. I have used 140 and 160gr Nosler Ballistic Tips for several years. They seem to deliver, but at close range and under less than ideal conditions they come apart (such as <50 yds and facing straight away). I've read a lot about the Burgers, but I wonder if they would have similar results. Looking for others experiences and recommendations for a bullet that will reliably expand at long range, yet hold together if a close range shot should present itself. I also have a Remington 700, 243 Win that does double duty for coyotes and a back-up gun for deer hunting. Any suggestions for this gun. Don't particularly care about pelts and would like to shoot one bullet/load all the time. It makes remembering trajectory data easier.

 

[Engineering101]

Tiny Tim

Did you see the opening scene to the movie The Last Of The Mohicans? Daniel Day Lewis swings on an elk with his trusty musket. He has to keep swinging after the hammer falls to allow time for the black powder to ignite. It does and he drops the elk - with a lead ball. We are lucky compared to old Daniel as we get to use modern rifles with amazing modern bullets. But as you point out there are a lot of choices.

Now you have bullets for all kinds of niche uses. There are tough bullets, medium tough bullets, soft bullets or really soft bullets to name a few. An example within each of those categories respectively would be a Barnes TTSX/LRX, a Nosler Accubond, a Berger VLD Hunting bullet and a Nosler Accubond Long Range.

I tend to favor a tougher bullet to minimize meat damage, especially when shooting up close which, if we are honest, happens a lot more than shots past 600 yards. My recommendation for you would be to switch to the 140 gr and 160 gr Nosler Accubonds. The load data you are using for the ballistic tips should be directly applicable. Bergers at close range are going to behave along the lines of the Ballistic Tips and the Accubond LRs are softer than the Bergers.

I used the 100 gr Sierra Game Kings in my 6mm Rem for many years and that bullet should be just right for deer in the 243 Win.

 

[HARPERC]

As you've found terminal velocity is a big factor for how a bullet performs. Ask yourself how far you plan to shoot, take the rough BC's available to the ballistic table at the top of the page, plug in rough numbers, and this will give you a rough number you can compare with some of the advertised performance manufactures sometimes make available.

The Nosler Partion 100 grain, or the 90 grain Accubond work for how you use your .243.

Both the Partitions, and the Accubonds will cure your short range whitetail blow up issues, and work to "moderate" ranges. I haven't used the Long Range Accubond, and remain skeptical about the 1300fps threshold for expansion.

 

[North Idaho Hunter]

Dont count out hornady SST's. they have done well for my friends, i am trying them this year in 6.5mm.

 

[Creedmoor shooter]

Dont count out hornady SST's. they have done well for my friends, i am trying them this year in 6.5mm.

+1 I've seen what the sst does out of a 30-06 and 6.5 Creedmoor and its almost immediately lights out to whatever it hits.

 

[Bigeclipse]

I'm new to this site and am looking for input from other shooters concerning a good "all around" 7 mm bullet for white tail deer hunting. I shoot a 7mm RM. I have used 140 and 160gr Nosler Ballistic Tips for several years. They seem to deliver, but at close range and under less than ideal conditions they come apart (such as <50 yds and facing straight away). I've read a lot about the Burgers, but I wonder if they would have similar results. Looking for others experiences and recommendations for a bullet that will reliably expand at long range, yet hold together if a close range shot should present itself. I also have a Remington 700, 243 Win that does double duty for coyotes and a back-up gun for deer hunting. Any suggestions for this gun. Don't particularly care about pelts and would like to shoot one bullet/load all the time. It makes remembering trajectory data easier.

If money is not an issue get yourself some accubonds. I use the 160s in my whitetail 7mm rem mag gun. Have shot many deer from 25 yards to 400 yards. All pass throug with minimal meat damage. Exit wounds were about 1-2 inches in diameter depending if I hit bone. What I like about the accubond is the tip acts kind of like the ballistic tip but the base of the bullet will stay together like the partition. I have only recovered one bullet and that was on a buck who was facing directly at me. I shot him center chest. We dug the bullet out of the bucks rear pelvic bone. It was fully intact and mushroomed nice. Keep in mind this bullet traveled almost the entire length of the deer. Accubonds are expensive but are well worth it. If you are shooting beyond 600-700 yards, depending on your velocity, then maybe I'd look at something else.

Nosler states the accubond needs 1800fps for proper expansion and there are many people who state this is true so enter your velocity in a calculator to determine maximum distance for proper expansion. With my current load I can go to about 650 yards.

 

[tjr]

I use the Berger 168 g vld in my 7mm rem mag. Shot elk from 65 yards to 700 yards the key is bullet placement. Same with the 243 95 g Classic hunters shot deer out to 350 yards.

 

[dmj]

I've used the 168 vld hunting berger bullets in my 7mm rm. They did a good job both far and near. The bullet I use the most is the 180 nosler AB in my 300 win mag. These bullets have worked well on elk from 50 to 750 yards. I finally got a hold of some 200 nosler AB and am anxious to see how they shoot in my rifle. I'm sure there are others that would work well also, these are just a couple that I have experience with that have performed well for me. Good luck