Can I Hunt With A Match Bullet

[zwickeyman]

The 7mm 180gr ELD-M @ 3275 is devastating on game.

That is freakin cookin

[jeffro]

Shot a cow elk with my .308 using Federal match 160s, I believe, about 10 yrs ago.
Good solid high shoulder shot from 50-60 yds
Found her about a mile away with 2 other guys finishing up gutting process
Started reloading. Haven’t used anything but nosler partitions since for hunting
2 years after the cow episode got a nice spike, died where he stood, never even twitched
Last year that I elk hunted, 6yrs ago,  got a nice bull, flipped him clean over
Use expanding bullets, avoid fragmenting stuff
 

[huntnnw]

Match bullets are just like mechanical broad heads. People shoot them because they fly just like their target loads, but they just aren't designed to break bones. Bullets that are bonded, partitioned, or mono metal are the way to go.

says the elk as it punches thru shoulder blade and spine...

[MHWASH]

Here’s my take, if you shoot a lot and know where to place your bullet, use what you want.  If you only shoot a box or two a year, use a bullet designed for hunting, because your not as likely to hit exactly where your aiming.

[Karl Blanchard]

I think everyone should stop using Berger bullets!!!! Like immediately!!!! Specifically the 185gr, 215gr and 230gr 30 cal, the 195gr, 180gr and 168gr 7mm, and 140gr hunting vld, 140gr hybrid, and the 156gr eol in 6.5mm! If you get tempted to buy them resist the urge





Then pm me a link and I'll scoop them all 

[Igor]

I'm just not sure why anyone would use a bullet designed for target shooting to kill big game, rather than a bullet designed specifically for big game.  Hunting bullets are designed to mushroom, penetrate, and retain maximum weight.......target bullets are not.  Just my 2˘.

[Karl Blanchard]

Short answer...because they kill in spectacular fashion.  Ive been a part of hundreds and hundreds of big game kills. I'd say pushing better than half of those have been bergers. Ive never seen a failure from 10 yards to numbers I won't mention.  Shoot heavy for caliber and keep them under 3100fps and they just flat out work. I refuse to use anything else.

Vast majority of "failures" we read about online end up being unrecovered animals so blaming the bullet is dishonest. To say otherwise is also being dishonest.  Ironically the few bullet failures Ive witnessed (recovered animals) have been "hunting" bullets. Barnes and eldx. Give me a heavy for caliber berger and I'll kill anything from any angle. I'll put it behind the shoulder, in the shoulder, in the neck, etc. They work. They flat out work.

Lots of fluff in the hunting space. Marketing hype and sales gimmicks have us thinking their is only one way to skin a cat. Its just simply not true and I've personally witnessed it hundreds of times.

One thing I will say about bergers is you do have to check tips when initially loading. There is some sort of media that can gunk some of them up. Its leftover from the manufacturing process. Simple little twist with a tiny drill bit or sewing pan and they are good to go.

Shokt what you want. Don't worry about anyone else 

[Karl Blanchard]

Carpsniper testifying the opposite in 3...2...1...

[Igor]

Short answer...because they kill in spectacular fashion. 

Yeah, well........a .450 Rigby will kill a 200 lb. mule deer in "spectacular fashion", too.  Doesn't mean it's the right tool for the job.

Just shoot what you want. Don't worry about anyone else.

[b23]

Basically there's two different theory's to hunting bullet design.  The one where a bullet has that classic mushroom and retains as much weight as possible aiding it in deeper penetration.  The other is the bullet penetrates in to the cavity then intentionally comes apart in an attempt to create as much blood less as possible as quickly as possible.

When bullet design is talked about we always hear of the bang flop kills.  IMO, if you get a bang flop instant kill on a animal it had way more to do with where that bullet hit than it does with the type of bullet it is.

I used to not be that big a fan of Berger bullets on game animals.  I was raised around the theory that if you dug a bullet out of a dead animal and it didn't have that perfect mushroom look it was an epic bullet failure.  Then I started using more and more Berger bullets and even though they never had that perfect mushroom look to them not only were they consistently shooting better than what I'd previously used but they had no problem putting animals down equally as well or better.

[Karl Blanchard]

Short answer...because they kill in spectacular fashion. 

Yeah, well........a .450 Rigby will kill a 200 lb. mule deer in "spectacular fashion", too.  Doesn't mean it's the right tool for the job.

Just shoot what you want. Don't worry about anyone else.

if it kills the deer then it sounds like it was exactly the right tool for the job  so do we now have to shoot only bullets with the proper title of "hunting" in their description but also only certain calibers that aren't "too big"?

[Mudman]

IMOP it is all about location/placement of the shot so accuracy and judgement/skill should be first on list and then a ammo/firearm that does this job as best ya can.   .22 will drop most animals if it is in right spot.  So best accurate choice available.  Best bullet ya can afford that shoots good in the largest caliber you shoot is great.

[Karl Blanchard]

Most "hunting" branded bullets are nothing more than a basic cup and core design. We argue about the nuances between an sst, ballic tip, or any variance manufacturer "X", but they are all essentially the same. Its a whole lot of marketing fluff. Like mudman said, hit em in the right spot and it makes a lot less difference.

[fishngamereaper]

Shot placement is top priority in my world.
If I have a match bullet that carries equal to or more velocity and energy than an X bullet, consistently group's .5-.7 better at 100....its going to be my go to round, especially when real world experience backs it up.

"Hunting" rounds are for guys that can't shoot ...


Kidding

[Okanagan]

Of course you may hunt game with match bullets.  Use what you want.  Generally it is wiser to use tools designed for the task.  A man can build a house with a tack hammer but framing hammers exist for a reason.

Lots of anecdotes about bullets, especially on deer, which are pretty easy to kill with purt near any bullet.  Rather than base a bullet choice on a best performance, consider its worst performance, because that’s all we can count on. It will not always perform at its best.  Our mileage does vary.

The single most significant comment in this thread is from buckfvr who said, “None of them (bullets) are perfect all the time.”  If we choose a bullet based on one or a few stories of excellent performance on game, can we count on it to perform that well always?   

I look for a bullet that is the most consistent in performing well.  IME Swift Aframe is the most boringly consistent game bullet of any of the bullets I’ve used or done postmortems on.  At its worst it has been excellent: expanding, retaining weight, penetrating deeply in a straight line.   For comparison, Nosler Partition is very good but has not been as consistent IME, and once in awhile does not do as much damage, expand nor retain weight etc.

For years I used a Sierra boattail that was wonderfully accurate, but as I examined wounds on animals killed with it, a nagging concern grew on me because it was so inconsistent in damage and penetration.  But it was SO accurate I loved it… till one day I shot a 6 point bull elk with it at an angle where I needed its best performance and it gave me its poorest.  Went to a less accurate Nosler Partiton and never used the other bullet again.

Last week my son shot a 125 lb. tom cougar nearly broadside at 20 yards with a 145 (?) grain Barnes long range bullet in 7mm magnum.  The bullet did not exit. It destroyed the near side shoulder, and that whole side and insides were bloodshot jelly. That is not typical of Barnes stories I have heard, nor Barnes wounds examined but it happened.  Killed the critter of course, bullet lodged in belly muscle side wall just behind the last rib on the off side.   

You asked.  I’d say pick a bullet that will get the job done on its worst day.