Selecting the "right" bullet for reloading

[jasnt]

Practice and know your rifle.  Learn how to calculate ballistics and read wind.

It took me missing two bears in the Wenaha to get serious about my shooting.

Now I won’t even send one unless we are shooting 600+.  Ammo and bullets are too expensive 😆

I’d start there.  Download a ballistic program, buy a kestrel and learn how to dial.  Throw those ballistic dials away.


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Man, I'd do just the opposite except for the go shooting part. Ditch the gear and just go shoot stuff.

For bullets I'm on a lead free kick right now for all my hunting guns. I've had great luck with Barnes bullets, but I don't shoot nearly as many big game animals as a lot of guys do. I typically use the TTSX bullets though which solve a lot of the problems that the TSX and original X bullets had. I shoot a lot smaller stuff like porcupines to test bullets though and I've had some pretty spectacular results on those.

I'm really loving the Hammer bullets for the last 2 years. They shoot as well as Bergers do in all my guns with less load development and higher velocity compared to other similar weight bullets. I've yet to have one fail to expand in all my completely unscientific testing with impact velocities as low as 1650 fps, as long as they were properly stabilized. The same goes for the Berger bullets I tested too though.

For lead core bullets it's really hard to beat Accubonds. Those were my go to hunting bullet before I went lead free and they always performed and shot really well for me.

If you are shooting long range, especially long range at animals I think you’ll save yourself a lot of headache and frustration if you learn to dial.

Using hold over at varying elevations at range is just being plain lazy IMO.

I’ve been on that side of the equation—and since I’ve gone this way I realized how bad it was.

I’m not going to get into a bullet discussion...but I’m shooting a 28 Nosler with Hand Loaded 195 Berger’s, and been happy with the performance on game I’ve killed.


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He’s only planning to shoot 3-400 yards. There’s no reason to invest a bunch of money in equipment that’s really unnecessary at that range. With a little practice it’s easy to make consistent hits on kill zone sized targets using simple hold overs and a duplex reticle. Keep it simple and affordable and people will shoot more.

Sometimes I dial and hold

That’s when you know you’re having fun. When you’re out of adjustments and you have to dial down the magnification on a second focal plane scope so you can get enough holdover. 

i got 22 min in the rectile if I dial back to true half way point

[SilkOnTheDrySide]

Why is it that in so many of these threads, when a person is talking about 300-400 yard shots on game others have to show up with useless info about 700+ yard equipment and shooting? Nobody cares! It's irrelevant!

Hey guys, I'm looking to get a light pickup for daily driving...
You need the Ram 3500 Cummins, blah blah blah...
Um, no.

Essentially the same thing.

Because some guys have to let the world know their brilliance of choosing a 3500 Cummins for a daily driver (guys that actually have use for that kind of truck on a daily basis excluded). Truth is there's a lot of bullets that work for the application, just like there's a ton of cars that work as daily drivers, from cheap to expensive. Still, it's fun to turn the mirror on guys that say any other way than there's is "lazy" or "unethical".

It literally has nothing to do with that.

Your example is absurd and not comparable in the slightest to the original question.

You should be practicing at longer ranges so that when presented with a 400 yard shot it’s a chip.  Anytime someone starts talking about “stretching” their effective range, it’s a worthy conversation to have concerning learning about ballistics and elevation dialing.

I didn’t recommend he build a custom rifle.  I recommended he get some basic equipment and learn about ballistics.

Just keep doing your Kentucky windage.  👍👍 I’ll instead work on being as effective as possible.




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[Taco280AI]

Nice ignorant statement there  you know nothing of my shooting or equipment, but please, continue to make an ass of yourself.

[BULLBLASTER]

This is gettin good. 

[Karl Blanchard]

Anyways............have I mentioned accubonds and imr4350 lately

[Taco280AI]

Anyways............have I mentioned accubonds and imr4350 lately

Really can't go wrong with that

[theleo]

Why is it that in so many of these threads, when a person is talking about 300-400 yard shots on game others have to show up with useless info about 700+ yard equipment and shooting? Nobody cares! It's irrelevant!

Hey guys, I'm looking to get a light pickup for daily driving...
You need the Ram 3500 Cummins, blah blah blah...
Um, no.

Essentially the same thing.

Because some guys have to let the world know their brilliance of choosing a 3500 Cummins for a daily driver (guys that actually have use for that kind of truck on a daily basis excluded). Truth is there's a lot of bullets that work for the application, just like there's a ton of cars that work as daily drivers, from cheap to expensive. Still, it's fun to turn the mirror on guys that say any other way than there's is "lazy" or "unethical".

It literally has nothing to do with that.

Your example is absurd and not comparable in the slightest to the original question.

You should be practicing at longer ranges so that when presented with a 400 yard shot it’s a chip.  Anytime someone starts talking about “stretching” their effective range, it’s a worthy conversation to have concerning learning about ballistics and elevation dialing.

I didn’t recommend he build a custom rifle.  I recommended he get some basic equipment and learn about ballistics.

Just keep doing your Kentucky windage.  👍👍 I’ll instead work on being as effective as possible.




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The basic combination for becoming a more effective mid range hunter hasn't changed in decades and doesn't involve entering data in an app. 

[bullfisher]

I say you buy a cummins and start shooting a mile, it's a good life... 

[theleo]

Anyways............have I mentioned accubonds and imr4350 lately

Just for the sake of conversation, why would you start off with Accubonds? Why not 165gr Interlocks, Hot-cors, or Game Kings? Part of the beauty of the 308 is it doesn't require premium bullets for premium results.

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[Taco280AI]

Don't know his answer, but mine would be because I've never had a bad result with them. I get a little better accuracy with my LRX load, but I'd still happily rock the Abond if I had to.

Premium as in price or other? If price, bullets are still very low in cost compared to everything else. If in terms of performance without high velocity, they'll still open up very well at slower speeds and still hold together well should you find yourself 30 yards away. 

[Crunchy]

Anyways............have I mentioned accubonds and imr4350 lately

Just for the sake of conversation, why would you start off with Accubonds? Why not 165gr Interlocks, Hot-cors, or Game Kings? Part of the beauty of the 308 is it doesn't require premium bullets for premium results.

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Probably because he knows that combo works.  A lot of good advice from people that have worked up good loads from years of trying different combos. 

[Karl Blanchard]

Anyways............have I mentioned accubonds and imr4350 lately

Just for the sake of conversation, why would you start off with Accubonds? Why not 165gr Interlocks, Hot-cors, or Game Kings? Part of the beauty of the 308 is it doesn't require premium bullets for premium results.

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I for sure agree with you that there are a plethora of options. In fact one of my most favorite bullets that gets a lot of hate is a Nosler ballistic tip at slower speeds. It's a little more devastating then an accubond but at the slower velocities even up close they do not come apart. It's my go-to bullet for my youth Hunters as I always make them reduced recoil loads. They can shoot more but the bullet still performs very well

But like we said above I recommend it because I've seen dozens and dozens and dozens of animals taken with accubonds and not once did they fail to expand even one that I shot in Colorado where I know for 100% certainty that it was below their recommended performance velocity but it's still opened up and performed flawlessly. It's just a rock solid bullet in anything you stuff it in.


I also think that due to social media and everything else people really overthink all this stuff. We are not shooting rhinoceroses, we are shooting deer and Elk and they aren't that hard to kill. I've been a part of hundreds of animals demise and I've yet to encounter one of the bulletproof Critters that you read about

[theleo]

Don't know his answer, but mine would be because I've never had a bad result with them. I get a little better accuracy with my LRX load, but I'd still happily rock the Abond if I had to.

Premium as in price or other? If price, bullets are still very low in cost compared to everything else. If in terms of performance without high velocity, they'll still open up very well at slower speeds and still hold together well should you find yourself 30 yards away. 

Premium as in a bullet built to withstand high velocity. I don't have a problem with Accubonds, love the 140's in my 280ai, I was just curious. I've used Interlocks rite in that velocity range, including 165's through my 308, and have yet to have one disappoint. From my 308, 338-06, and my dads 280 (165gr, 200gr, 139gr) all recovered have mushroomed well and had 70-80 percent weight retention. Accubonds are my go to for muzzle velocities over 3,000 fps.

[Karl Blanchard]

I've got interlock 30 cals in 150, 165, and 180's on the shelf as well as 140's for my wife's 270 and one last half box of 100gr for the .243 that wont be replaced.  Great bullets.  Big hornady fan

[theleo]

I've got interlock 30 cals in 150, 165, and 180's on the shelf as well as 140's for my wife's 270 and one last half box of 100gr for the .243 that wont be replaced.  Great bullets.  Big hornady fan

Ever get one back from a 243 intact? Every deer I've ever shot with mine they've come unglued.