Ca approved bullets?

[duckklr]

Go to the "California Department of Fish and Wildlife" website and search for "Certified Nonlead Ammunition" which includes both loaded ammunition and bullets (projectiles) from all of the manufactures that comply.

 

[rrseahorse]

Opinions out there for types of bullets for hunting Elk, deer, antelope? Just starting the reload process, and the no-lead for CA...

Barnesbullets

 

[StumpGrinder]

I have shot Barnes and Hammers and my vote is Hammer's! They work fantastic!!!

I have shot Remington hog hammers in my 44 mag but I think they had Barnes bullets in them. Other choices not mentioned are the Lehigh defense fluted bullets and Fort Scott munitions solid copper bullets, designed to tumble on impact. I have not used either but the balistic gel video's on them look impressive.

 

[adams]

Hammers! I recently worked up a 181 Hammer Hunter load for my .300 WSM. I had a .5 MOA load in 12 shots. Their accuracy is amazing. I have not used them for hunting yet, but I have no doubt they will perform well on elk out to my 700 yd limit. Plus, they were delivered 2 days after I placed the order.

just curious if youve tried shooting thru paper out at those farther distances. i have a buddy that was working up a load for a 28 nosler in the 180's and he experienced some tumbling in extended distances. i got the 180's in the cutting edge for my 300wsm and wondering if i shouldve gone a little lighter to help stabilize although i havent shot them yet. just seeing if youve tested at all

 

[StumpGrinder]

A few of us have done a series of tests with the mono bullets here in California for the past roughly 8 years. All of us have concluded that the conventional bullet designs used in the mono core bullets perform best on class 3 game but they resulted in many hours of tracking to find class 2 game, even with normal proper shot placement. Often with very little to no blood trails. Nearly every one of that bullet design blew through and the exit holes were small. The only shots that performed well with them was shots that hit forward and broke shoulder etc. These either performed DRT or gave large blood trails.
The bullet design that has offered the best performance on class 2 and class 3 game were the Cutting Edge Raptor and the Lehigh Defense Controlled Chaos bullets. These offered more DRT kills and performed very much like the old standby bullet the Nosler Partition. The CE Raptors performed the best for each of us but they are also very expensive. But the LH Chaos works very well so most have gone to using them. The guides I know have gone to telling clients that use the conventional lead free design to shoot forward to hit shoulder so that the bone fragments can add to the effectiveness of the bullet. The conventional bullet design seem to work their best on large bodied game when deep penetration is essential.

The Ballistic studies group pretty much has the same data as what we found. There is a write up and videos on their website that helps to confirm their findings as well. Be aware that they show up close images and video of kill wounds. You can check out their findings here:

Copper bullets can be inhumane

The truth about copper bullets versus lead core bullet designs

www.ballisticstudies.com

The Black Butterfly bullets are also very impressive in gel tests. Major expansion and penetration. Expensive though.

 

[diamonddave2]

Which mono are you using? The Hornady ELD-X is great bullet for what it is intended for. Its intended to work great for the medium to longer range hunting space. It is a cup and core bullet with a lead core and a small internal locking ring. Its designed to mushroom at lower velocities than typical copper/lead bullets so it will kill efficiently at longer ranges.

If hunting in CA. he needs a lead free option like a Barnes or Hornady GMX. I' be had great results with both. Just remember to use a lighter bullet than normal.

 

[slickyboyboo]

Hammer Bullets is all you need to know!

 

[StumpGrinder]

just curious if youve tried shooting thru paper out at those farther distances. i have a buddy that was working up a load for a 28 nosler in the 180's and he experienced some tumbling in extended distances. i got the 180's in the cutting edge for my 300wsm and wondering if i shouldve gone a little lighter to help stabilize although i havent shot them yet. just seeing if youve tested at all

copper bullets are longer than LEAD bullets and may need a faster twist rate. Most bullet manufacturers are putting the twist recommendations on their bullets. Here is a twist calculation you can do that I got from this site on another thread. Bullet Dia. Squared X 150 ÷ Bullet length, all in inches. Example; I have a 200 grain all copper .338 inch bullet that measures 1.324 inches long. .338x.338=.114244x150=17.1366÷1.324=12.94, so the minimum twist rate to stabilize this bullet is 1:12.94". My 338 wm has a twist rate of 1:10" so it is plenty fast for this bullet. If you don't know the twist rate on your rifle you can Google it or use a cleaning rod with a snugg patch to test it. Start the patch into the rifleing and put a mark on the cleaning rod. Pull the rod through untill the mark has made one complete revolution. Measure from the muzzle to the mark. This is your twist rate. Select bullets accordingly.

 

[WYO300RUM]

Hammers, Barnes TTSX, TSX,LRX, Hornady GMX, Nosler E tip. Those are the only copper I've used. I lived and hunted in Ca. for a long time. I've shot a lot of animals in different states with Barnes. They've been accurate and never had a problem with them. They are bone busters for sure. Lately I've been using Hammers and I'm very pleased with their accuracy and on game. Also awesome customer service. Thanks Steve.

 

[TexHunt]

Go with Hammer bullets. All copper, easy ro get an accurate load, great terminal performance

Second on the hammer bullets, good terminal performance and I find them very easy to load, due to there consistency in construction.

 

[StumpGrinder]

If hunting in CA. he needs a lead free option like a Barnes or Hornady GMX. I' be had great results with both. Just remember to use a lighter bullet than normal.

also keep in mind the velocity that the manufacturer recommends for terminal velocity. Below that speed the bullet will not expand reliably. This will determine your maximum affective range. If you shoot at something beyond the distance where your bullet drops below the terminal velocity it is an unethical shot! Many hunters do this and then blame the bullet or manufacturers. It is the hunters responsibility to make ethical shots. That means knowing what your equipment and your skill are capable of at any given distance.

 

[Springtom]

I don't think that Perrigrine Monolithics has been mentioned. Barnes, Cutting Edge, Lehigh Defense, Nosler E tips... all very good choices. Dont forget that if you carry a sidearm, it better be filled with non lead as well.

 

[TBell]

Opinions out there for types of bullets for hunting Elk, deer, antelope? Just starting the reload process, and the no-lead for CA...

MOVE

 

[coueskiller43]

+1 for hammers