Best Cartridge for Copper

[slavenoid]

Wanting to commit to using copper bullets in a new backcountry rifle. Is there a consensus on what cartridges work best with sending copper towards game animals up to 400-500 yard ranges? I got to imagine some cartridges are just better at overcoming the challenges of effectively and accurately sending copper down range.

[Magnum_Willys]

Deer or Elk ?

Anything .30 Cal gives you best choice for copper

[slavenoid]

Deer or Elk ?

Anything .30 Cal gives you best choice for copper

Ahh yes. Mostly deer but sometimes elk.

[jrebel]

Once you shoot a good copper bullet you won’t want to go back to lead.  Only down side is the cost which is negligible if you’re not shooting thousands of rounds per year.  Hammer hunters for the win.  Shoot light for caliber bullet weight by 10-20% so you can push them fast to stabilize them. 

[kselkhunter]

I'm a fan of Hammer bullets.  Have them for 243Win, 25-06, 7mmRM, 356 Win, and 35 Whelen rifles.  Will be trying their 6.5mm next.  And Steve (the owner) is great to work with in terms of answering your questions.  I just contact Steve and tell him the cartridge and he makes a suggestion on which bullet for my application.   Hammer has lots of bullet options, so you're not really limited in which cartridge you select.   Obviously cartridges that are longer and designed to handle longer bullets are probably "better", but I'm shooting lever guns with copper bullets, LOL.   Hammer makes all kinds of bullets, matched to the intended velocity of the cartridge and application.  And are even getting into some pistol bullets now.  I'll be trying out his 150gr Jack Hammer in my 357 Magnum soon as I have that cartridge in both revolver and rifle. 

To answer your question, for deer or elk a 7mm or 30 cal is a good go-to all around caliber for copper bullets, up to 338 and bigger if more of your hunting is for elk than deer.  Pick a cartridge in those calibers that suit your fancy, with obviously the 7mmRM or 300WM being the most popular.   For a backcountry rifle a 280AI would be a good choice for trade off of rifle weight, barrel length, and option for copper bullet.  But so is a good old 308. 

[GWP]

Whatever they make them for that is designed for your fps in a caliber you own is the best one.

[jrebel]

Also…..don’t worry about going light for normal caliber weight bullets.  I would have no issues at all with shooting an elk with the 6.5 124 grain hammer.   The range I choose to shoot at would be based on ballistics and fps at said range.  You want a min 1800 fps for the bullet to perform perfectly.  I want to say my creedmoor is 500 yards. 

I also shoot a 101 grain HH in a 7-08 and would shoot deer sized game to 500 yards and elk / bear to 300 yards. 

[highside74]

My son shoots Barnes TTSX 140gr in his 7mm-08. He has killed a deer at 250 yards and an elk at 80 yards. Both were dead in less than 20 yards. They have 120, 140 and 150gr options in the .284 bullet. With handloads his rifle shoots them at 2950 fps and they are sub moa accurate out of his Savage rifle.

[MountainWalk]

338 win mag. I’m only a fan of copper for the over 30 cal crowd and for bigger stouter animals.

[Fidelk]

I'm shooting a .300 Win Mag that seems to really like Barnes VOR-TX 180 gr. factory ammo. I've read that copper bullets are less accurate than those with lead cores but the first time (and subsequent times) that I've sighted in at 300 yards, 3 shots have printed in at under 1 inch......so that is the load that I stick with. I wish I had an available range with 400 and 500 yard distances to see how that load performs at those longer distances.

[Magnum_Willys]

If Barnes TTSX/Vor-TX shoots in your rifle it tough to beat out to 400 yards.  Much better mushroom than the new Hammer types just lacks the extended range coefficient and expansion for 500+ yards. 

[highside74]

The Barnes LRX is 100% copper and designed for long range hunting. Heavier weights, longer bullets with better bc than the TTSX

[Stein]

I shoot TSX because the other ones are too long to fit in my magazine.  That said, the TSX is one of the more proven bullets out there.

Like any copper, make sure you keep the mfr recommended speed or they won't reliably open.

[92xj]

I’m enjoying 180gr HHs in my 300wm.   3140fps at muzzle.   I’m comfortable and confident in performance out to 500 easily. Right above 2000fps at 700 yds.   Killed 5 deer and a bear from 51yds to 296yds.  They died within steps of impact, farthest being 26 yds from impact.   

[CaNINE]

Ive only taken a handful of critters with copper solids…but from my experience and the research I’ve done they perform best if you use light for caliber and run them hot. A 210 Barnes out of a 338 RUM did a number of a big Mt View bull at 500 yards.  140 grainer out of 280 Ackley works great on deer at reasonable ranges. Need to be mindful of bullet expansion limitations as ranges increase.