Match bullets.......Hunting bullets???

[bultinkle]

I'll stop shooting stuff with a 215 hybrid when I run out of them.

 

[Greyfox]

JLK's were never bonded as far as I know. Greyfox been around for quite awhile so I'm sure he knows what he's doing. An example of knowing your bullet and it's operating parameters.

That's correct. The JLK's were not bonded, using the same J4 jackets used by Berger, but the JLK has a rebated boat-tail which seems to help keep the lower portion of the bullet intact upon impact. It's superbly accurate in my 6.5x284's with a G7 BC of .323, confirmed, and I believe the highest in a 140 weight class, .264 caliber bullet. Typical performance with broadside shots is a caliber size entrance, 2" exit with massive internal damage. Most game taken was DRT, or down within 10-20 yards. I have taken approximately 60 whitetail, mule deer, and antelope with this bullet. I was very disappointed someone didn't pick up the JLK line of bullets.

 

[Calvin45]

That's correct. The JLK's were not bonded, using the same J4 jackets used by Berger, but the JLK has a rebated boat-tail which seems to help keep the lower portion of the bullet intact upon impact. It's superbly accurate in my 6.5x284's with a G7 BC of .323, confirmed, and I believe the highest in a 140 weight class, .264 caliber bullet. Typical performance with broadside shots is a caliber size entrance, 2" exit with massive internal damage. Most game taken was DRT, or down within 10-20 yards. I have taken approximately 60 whitetail, mule deer, and antelope with this bullet. I was very disappointed someone didn't pick up the JLK line of bullets.

Thanks for the extra details…that makes sense about the rebated boat tail affecting things too!

 

[arch408]

IMO, target bullets aren't designed for optimum penetration or expansion. I have never used target bullets for big game hunting so I cannot render a opinion, but there are many good hunting bullets and some with target type profiles. I'll keep on using bullets in situations they were designed for.

 

[bigngreen]

The issue with the label of "hunting or target" bullets is that it's pure marketing, there are bullet that are marketed both ways that are in the top class for hunting but one thing you will notice is no hunting bullets were in the top class in target shooting till Berger developed their thicker jacket line and used hunting and target designations to tell between them but in the end marketing is the deciding factor.
Very little real testing goes into a hunting bullet, it's all about market positioning.

I'm not entirely sure but I think Berger may be the only one that was basically told they have a top hunting bullet and need to get into that market by actual end users. Other than that you get a company telling you that x bullet is a hunting bullet which is pure propaganda, IMO no bullet should be trusted till YOU prove it to yourself in your equipment cause your going to have to live with the results. Took me two years with a two fist fulls of tags before I wouldn't hunt with a "hunting" bullet in the mag ready to cover for a "target" bullet, now days it's the other way around, by far my most trusted go to bullets are or were originally marketed as target bullets. Some of the worst hunting performance I've seen were bullets marketed as Hunting!!

 

[okie man]

@FEENIX where are ya man? We need to see that little critter eating his popcorn!

 

[Lou270]

I think reason "target" bullets work well is because they in general are thin jacketed and soft lead core and do lots of damage. And in the end you are zipping a hunk if metal a few thousand fps at something vital. It will probably kill quickly assuming gets inside. After all, Jack O'Connor said years ago the faster a bullet goes apart once unside the vitals the faster it kills. Nothing has changed but a generation of folks/gun writers pushed for tougher bullets so premium bullets that are almost guaranteed not to come apart are common.

All that being said there were reasons for hunting vs target bullets in my opinion. Hunting bullets are designed the way they are for a reason. Any tweak to that design will be with an eye towards the end application. Target bullets are the same. A manufacturer could tweak a jacket or core of something for accuracy or BC or whatever and change terminal performance. Berger is a great example of this. The target bullet jackets are thicker than the hunting bullets. Berger needed to beef up the jackets because people were using faster and faster twist and bigger cases and bullets were coming apart. So they beefed up the jackets to handle this but then found it impacted terminal performance so split the line into hunting and target models. Who is to say another target manufacturer beefs up the jacket or something and since it is a 'target' bullet may find out too late for hunting. In any case that is why I am leary about using pure "target" bullets, but I do use and am big fan of berger hunting bullets

Lou

 

[LVJ76]

Golf balls. They were all about the same. I do the gutless so I don't get too involved with the internals. The elk and antelope were both heart shots with no damage to the shoulder. The cow was a neck shot and she was lights out. I still got some neck meat, the bullet didn't grenade. I think the 180eldm and 7saum go together like peanut butter and jelly with a MV around 2790.

Yup, just like the 7mm-08 with the 162gr AMax, a match made in Heaven. I'm sure the 162gr ELDM would be the same.

 

[xsn10s]

Yup, just like the 7mm-08 with the 162gr AMax, a match made in Heaven. I'm sure the 162gr ELDM would be the same.

I'd like to see you shoot some 180 ELDM's through your 7-08!!!

 

[Calvin45]

I'd like to see you shoot some 180 ELDM's through your 7-08!!!

Heavy frangibles in non magnum chamberings are underrated imo. I get that they don't start out with a bowstring trajectory but even still, the performance! Nate Foster (er, "a respected ballistics expert ) long recommended that people didn't know what they were missing loading a 208 amax (now eld) in a plain vanilla .30-06. Death ray.

 

[b6graham]

That's correct. The JLK's were not bonded, using the same J4 jackets used by Berger, but the JLK has a rebated boat-tail which seems to help keep the lower portion of the bullet intact upon impact. It's superbly accurate in my 6.5x284's with a G7 BC of .323, confirmed, and I believe the highest in a 140 weight class, .264 caliber bullet. Typical performance with broadside shots is a caliber size entrance, 2" exit with massive internal damage. Most game taken was DRT, or down within 10-20 yards. I have taken approximately 60 whitetail, mule deer, and antelope with this bullet. I was very disappointed someone didn't pick up the JLK line of bullets.

Ed Faber is making the JLK bullets now. he lists 90gr 223, 105/110/115 243, and 130/135/140gr 6.5mm

i got some 75gr 223 from him last spring and am waiting on 6k 105s which should be coming soon

 

[LVJ76]

I'd like to see you shoot some 180 ELDM's through your 7-08!!!

Hhmmmmm, got me thinking. I do plan on testing some 180gr VLDH that I have for the 7mm Rem Mag. Just not sure I can fit enough powder with the limited COAL, so I am not trying them on my hunting 7mm-08's.

Msy silhouette competition 7mm-08 has no magazine, single loader, so I can seat the bullets out a bit. With some RL16 or RL17 I could provably get to 2,500 fps? Maybe some H4350, will post results when testing is done.

 

[xsn10s]

Hhmmmmm, got me thinking. I do plan on testing some 180gr VLDH that I have for the 7mm Rem Mag. Just not sure I can fit enough powder with the limited COAL, so I am not trying them on my hunting 7mm-08's.

Msy silhouette competition 7mm-08 has no magazine, single loader, so I can seat the bullets out a bit. With some RL16 or RL17 I could provably get to 2,500 fps? Maybe some H4350, will post results when testing is done.

Here's a thread I found just in case I'm sure you can glean off of some of the QL results. https://forum.nosler.com/threads/7mm-08-180-195-berger-ql-request.34959/

 

[LVJ76]

Here's a thread I found just in case I'm sure you can glean off of some of the QL results. https://forum.nosler.com/threads/7mm-08-180-195-berger-ql-request.34959/

Nice, thank you Sir