A Good Deer Bullet

[Uncle John]

On Black Friday my 137th deer fell cleanly and without movement to a 62 yard shot with a 30-06. Over the years I believe I have shot a deer with every popular deer cartridge and shotgun load. At Foremosthunting.com I have written a book on knock down power and others sorts of ballistic information that readers think highly of but I cant say it is gospel. But over and over as deer fall to different cartridges I have come the the conclusion that advertised deer bullets are not exactly what they say they are. I am only interested in one thing when I pull the trigger....Dead Right There. The acronym DRT is important as it makes the hunter what he is, an ethical sportsman. The shot must be a clean one with no exceptions. The bullet has allot to do with it.

For the average hunter with the average rifle which by the way may be the best one being a 30-06, a 165 grain Winchester Soft Point will surprise you at how effective they are. They seem more accurate than the Remington Corloct, and internally will do the same thing. The more high priced ammo even by the same company does not take down a deer like the lowly soft point, trust me on this. Try some they are very low priced as well. Pass it on.

 

[Gus McCrae]

I've had good luck with the federal soft points and corelokts. I've made good shots, but never had DRTs.... I did have a buck come up to my stand and laydown though.
Never had deer go very far though (50 yards at the most). Though I have not really "tested" it, my impression when sighting in with the Federal soft points for the first time this year is that the Federal Soft Point is indeed more accurate with similar results as the corelokts.

 

[mickey]

Barnes
Triple shock

 

[oleheat]

I'm a bit partial to the 165 gr Remington Ultra Boat-Tails in my .30-06....but my brother swears by the Winchester SP you speak of. It's very hard to argue with his results.

How do you feel about 165 gr bullet weights in a .308? He uses those in his .308 BAR, as well....Seems to be a very accurate deer killer...

 

[sandman7925]

I use the same ammo in 30.06 and agree with you

 

[bayoupirate]

Hornady SST
DRT!

 

[drumz2129]

Hornady SST
DRT!

+1
Before the SST was out I used 147grn Hornady BTSP in my .270, It also was a pretty good DRT bullet but did not hold together as well as the SST does.

 

[lsu fan]

.270 win. 130grn Corelokts are plenty accurate out of my Ruger no. 1. That gun likes those bullets, and it liked the Federal Trophy bonded bear claws ( just not the High energy cartridges ).

I've only shot one deer with it, and she was DRT. The hogs were all DRT, but they almost always get shot in the head.

 

[dzelenka]

Everyone has their personal favorites, but the reality is that virtually all modern expanding bullets of suitable caliber and weight are more than sufficient for deer. They just don't take that much killing. DRT has as much to do with bullet placement, impact velocity and what the deer is doing as it does with bullet design. I have seen DRT shots with any number of bullets. Likewise, I have seen deer run a short way with the same bullets. One afternoon I shot 4 does with 165 Nos. BTs out of a .300 Jarrett (3400 fps muzzle velocity). The shots ranged from 75 to 100 yards. All shots were broadside through the ribs without hitting the shoulder or spine. The bullets exited and did substantial internal damage. 2 were DRT and the other 2 ran about 30 yards. What does that tell us? Nothing except that well placed shots result in dead deer even if the run a bit. Nothing will give you DRT every time. If you want your deer to drop on the spot every time, you need to either break both shoulders or hit the central nervous system. Anything else and the deer is just as likely to run a short distance as to drop in place.

There should be no surprise that a 165gr SP in a .30-06 is very effective on deer - if the hunter does his part.

 

[shoalsfugro]

1st -Federal with barnes bullets, blackhills ballistic, hornady superformance 270 win. for best grouping

 

[sraiford]

I used to use Remington core-lokt for my 7mm. Now i use Winchester soft point because winchester has an iPhone ballistics app. I'm not too much on the apps but gave it a try. I sighted in at 50 yds, app says it should it -.1 inches at 200 yds ( bullet was dead on). The app said that at 400yds the bullet shoots 24 inches low. I made the correction and rang the steel deer at my range at 400 yds. This Saturday, dropped a cow horn at 75 yds. I'm not saying this is the best bullet out there, but it works just I expected it to.

 

[Uncle John]

This is a good discussion and it is true almost all companies make a thin jacketed 30 cal bullet at 165 to 168 grains for deer hunting. The original Nosler Ballistic tip was another but some claimed clones of this bullet gave the Plastic Pass through which I have experienced when using this kind of bullet. You really should not use a bullet designed for elk hunting on a deer, such as a Nosler Partition bullet. It is too heavily constructed, meaning it requires a larger animal to give it enough resistance to properly expand. An average Louisiana deer is not that big and requires a light constructed bullet to expand, which means a thinner jacket. The Winchester Soft Point is as close as you can get. while other bullets even the Power Point which appears to be the same is actually a thicker jacketed bullet but still a good choice. The Power Point and Corloct are almost identical in performance.

As a deer bullet in my 325 WSM I use the 220 Power Point which one would seem to be the bullet for elk and moose, but in this cartridge it is the 200 grain bullets that are more heavily constructed, an exception to the rule.

I am a fan of Hornady and Winchester bullets, I like the Remington Corloct but truthfully have myself and seen others with accuracy problems which was not serious but a flyer was always present no matter the gun or caliber.

Deer 137 was a prime example of all the right stuff in one package with interesting results. It was a spike buck about 110 pounds, facing head on at 62 yards (Bushnell range finder). There was no waiting for it to turn broadside the buck was looking right at me. The shot was perfect as told as the deer did not move at all, I thought the shot went low and brain shot him. As it was, it missed the spine and all vital organs inside but exited the right shoulder smashing it. This would indicate the animal's body was turned slightly to the right. Never the less there was so much shock to the base of the neck and shoulder the animal was killed instantly without any part of the bullet connecting with the spine, lungs, or heart. Coupled with the fact there was almost no bleeding it was a true DRT Shot. I'll take it but you would think even with a smashed shoulder the buck would have made it a few yards, but this is the difference in the Winchester Soft Point on this particular type of light animal.

Now to answer the 308 question, yes the same bullet would be good as there is only 150 fps difference in the 30-06 and 308. To let you know however the plastic pass through I got was with a 308 and a 150 grain ballistic silver tip, a perfect lung shot and the doe went 150 yards way to far. I went to a 180 grain Power Point and DRT the next deer with an identical shot. So it is not so much the weight but the type of constuction and the thickness of the jacket that counts.

 

[dzelenka]

This is a good discussion and it is true almost all companies make a thin jacketed 30 cal bullet at 165 to 168 grains for deer hunting. The original Nosler Ballistic tip was another but some claimed clones of this bullet gave the Plastic Pass through which I have experienced when using this kind of bullet. You really should not use a bullet designed for elk hunting on a deer, such as a Nosler Partition bullet. It is too heavily constructed, meaning it requires a larger animal to give it enough resistance to properly expand. An average Louisiana deer is not that big and requires a light constructed bullet to expand, which means a thinner jacket. The Winchester Soft Point is as close as you can get. while other bullets even the Power Point which appears to be the same is actually a thicker jacketed bullet but still a good choice. The Power Point and Corloct are almost identical in performance.

As a deer bullet in my 325 WSM I use the 220 Power Point which one would seem to be the bullet for elk and moose, but in this cartridge it is the 200 grain bullets that are more heavily constructed, an exception to the rule.

I am a fan of Hornady and Winchester bullets, I like the Remington Corloct but truthfully have myself and seen others with accuracy problems which was not serious but a flyer was always present no matter the gun or caliber.

Deer 137 was a prime example of all the right stuff in one package with interesting results. It was a spike buck about 110 pounds, facing head on at 62 yards (Bushnell range finder). There was no waiting for it to turn broadside the buck was looking right at me. The shot was perfect as told as the deer did not move at all, I thought the shot went low and brain shot him. As it was, it missed the spine and all vital organs inside but exited the right shoulder smashing it. This would indicate the animal's body was turned slightly to the right. Never the less there was so much shock to the base of the neck and shoulder the animal was killed instantly without any part of the bullet connecting with the spine, lungs, or heart. Coupled with the fact there was almost no bleeding it was a true DRT Shot. I'll take it but you would think even with a smashed shoulder the buck would have made it a few yards, but this is the difference in the Winchester Soft Point on this particular type of light animal.

Now to answer the 308 question, yes the same bullet would be good as there is only 150 fps difference in the 30-06 and 308. To let you know however the plastic pass through I got was with a 308 and a 150 grain ballistic silver tip, a perfect lung shot and the doe went 150 yards way to far. I went to a 180 grain Power Point and DRT the next deer with an identical shot. So it is not so much the weight but the type of constuction and the thickness of the jacket that counts.

The Nosler Partition is not a heavily constructed bullet designed for elk hunting. The purpose for and beauty of the Partition is its versatility. That bullet is designed to expand rapidly no matter the velocity (they will expand as slow as 1900 - 2000 fps) but this expansion is limited by the partition which guarantees that 60% of the weight will be retained. In deer calibers the bullet works great and is more dependable then almost anything else out there. It is the standard by which other game bullets are measured. If you think otherwise, you must not have shot many deer with it.

Please provide more of an explanation of the "plastic pass through".

 

[Tim67]

For a long time I've said that if you need a premium bullet, you're using a marginal cartridge. The older designs work just fine when you use enough gun. My 16 deer (4 of them DRT) have fallen to my .30/06 handloads with Hornady Interlocks.

 

[dzelenka]

For a long time I've said that if you need a premium bullet, you're using a marginal cartridge. The older designs work just fine when you use enough gun. My 16 deer (4 of them DRT) have fallen to my .30/06 handloads with Hornady Interlocks.

Deer do not need a premium bullet; however, a premium bullet can be of some use on a guided trip (limited time, money invested) because it allows you to reach the vitals from any angle, even from the tail or through a ham. If you only have one shot at the trophy of a lifetime and it is from a bad angle, you are going to want a bullet that will expand and penetrate - X bullets, partitions, etc.

Your Hornady Interlocks are good bullets. The interlock keeps the core from slipping and separating from the jacket for better penetration.

 

[Akajun]

For a long time I've said that if you need a premium bullet, you're using a marginal cartridge. The older designs work just fine when you use enough gun. My 16 deer (4 of them DRT) have fallen to my .30/06 handloads with Hornady Interlocks.

the reason to use a premium bullet is that I have a ton of money invested in my hunt, I'm not going to blow it by saving less than a buck on the ammo. Premium ammo is just that, premium, in construction, uniformity, accuracy. I am paying for guaranteed performance with every shot, not just 90% might do what it is supposed to. The same reason I dont shoot Privi Partisian match bullets in competition, too many fliers, Sierra's dont do that

You really should not use a bullet designed for elk hunting on a deer, such as a Nosler Partition bullet. It is too heavily constructed, meaning it requires a larger animal to give it enough resistance to properly expand. An average Louisiana deer is not that big and requires a light constructed bullet to expand, which means a thinner jacket. .

I disproved this point on Saturday. DRT, I shot a 220lb 8pt head on, the 7mag 140gr partition entered the front of the chest and stopped just under the skin right before the begining of the rear hip. I never had good luck with ballistic tips, they always blew up and destroyed too much meat. Partitions just expand, usually go through, and leave a good blood trail if they do run, which is not often, and dont explode. They are not elk bullets, they are premium bullets that perform well in medium to large size game.

 

[dzelenka]

the reason to use a premium bullet is that I have a ton of money invested in my hunt, I'm not going to blow it by saving less than a buck on the ammo. Premium ammo is just that, premium, in construction, uniformity, accuracy. I am paying for guaranteed performance with every shot, not just 90% might do what it is supposed to. The same reason I dont shoot Privi Partisian match bullets in competition, too many fliers, Sierra's dont do that

Amen

I disproved this point on Saturday. DRT, I shot a 220lb 8pt head on, the 7mag 140gr partition entered the front of the chest and stopped just under the skin right before the begining of the rear hip. I never had good luck with ballistic tips, they always blew up and destroyed too much meat. Partitions just expand, usually go through, and leave a good blood trail if they do run, which is not often, and dont explode. They are not elk bullets, they are premium bullets that perform well in medium to large size game.

Where did you find those "blown up" Ballistic Tips?

Also, what were you shooting them out of?

 

[HiCapMag]

I have been using ballistic tips in my '06 for years -- almost never exit, but the damge on the inside is impressive to say the least.

If anyone has any direct experience with Barns TSX (autopsy photos would be great) I would appreciate your input.

Good thread.

 

[Akajun]

Where did you find those "blown up" Ballistic Tips?

Also, what were you shooting them out of?

Out of the same 7 mag. I bought it and did not have time to reload for it. Was shooting some factory 140gr. Always core jacket seperation, always a lot of blood meat.
Same thing when I shot them out of my 06. 150 and 165 gr behind 4350. Too much meat damage.

 

[WINGBONE2]

I shoot a Remington 7600 Carbine 30-06. I started hunting with the -06 when I was a Junior in High School, and I'll be turning 29 in Feb. I have killed between 40 & 50 deer with my little rig. The second year I hunted with it I switched from 150 Win Power Points to 180 Core-Lokt's because with the Power Points deer was running off. I haven't had any trouble since the switch. I know the Carbine isn't a long range setup and I don't use it for one, but have killed deer 300 plus with it. Remington's sales pitch......"Deadliest Mushroom In The Woods" has filled my family's freezers a few times for cheap!