Bullet Selection

[TwoSixFourWins]

Soon I will be working up loads for my 264 win in Ruger No.1 and would like some input based on experience from hunters and reloaders.
My candidates are as follows

140gr Berger VLD
140gr Accubond
140gr Partition (love this bullet but would like to try something else too)
140gr Sierra Gameking
140gr Speer Deep-Curl
156gr Norma Oryx
160gr Hornady round nosed interbond

Not interested in barnes right now. Would like suggestions based on experience. Would like to hear some on the speer and sierra since i am a big fan of both companies.

[bobcat]

I assume this would be for elk since you posted in the Elk Hunting board? If so, I would go with the Accubond (or the Partition).

[Wanttohuntmore]

I assume this would be for elk since you posted in the Elk Hunting board? If so, I would go with the Accubond (or the Partition).

 

[carpsniperg2]

I have hunted with a partition ever since I started hunting. They are a outstanding bullet the last few years I have started going more into the accubond and the etip. You cant beat nosler

[400out]

nosler accubonds all I use never had a problem with them   

[cem3434]

You can't go wrong with Nosler's. With that being said, figure out what your gun likes. Every rifle is a little different and I have used most of the choices that you have listed in several different rifles. Good luck and besides, it give you a reason for a little more bench time which never hurts!

[Figure8]

Accubond it is the only bullet I has use now and have never had a problem with them.

[Jellymon]

PARTITION!

[RB]

You can't go wrong with Nosler's. With that being said, figure out what your gun likes. Every rifle is a little different and I have used most of the choices that you have listed in several different rifles. Good luck and besides, it give you a reason for a little more bench time which never hurts!

Have used partitions for years and love them, but as stated above find what your rifle shoots the best best of luck 

[TwoSixFourWins]

I have never used accubonds but a friend of mine that hunted elk a lot swore by them. Partitions have always been a heck of a good bullet and are very dependable in my 257Rob. The sierra gameking i used in my 7mmWSM when i still had it (traded for 264 lol) worked ok on deer but was pretty devastating and i don't know how they would react to a larger animal. Speer hot-cor is shooting very well in my bolt action 264 but the ammo and rifle are with my dad 3600 miles away so i'm starting from scratch again basically with my No1.  I could not get hornadys to shoot in my bolt and the 120 grain nosler BTs were just so-so accuracy wise but i didn't get to play with them much. I had been loading with Hogdon but am back to IMR now and like it a lot better. I have no experience with bergers at all but they get good reviews. So many choices......How does the accubond hold up at high velocity through heavy bone and muscle?

[400out]

They do great! I have broke shoulders and with good weight retention. see if your gun likes them and your set

[hillbilli]

The deep curl is probably the least expensive bonded core bullet out there.. worth a try.
 the gameking is a pretty soft cup and core softpoint, havent shot deer with them, but from what i've seen shooting water jugs and such with them out of the 7mm, i would use them for deer, but wouldnt be my first choice for elk, or other heavy boned stuff..
the berger is a match target bullet adapted to game, it punches a pencil hole, then produces a bunch of fragments..before you use them check out www.ballisticstudies.com/ there is a fair amount of terminal ballistics info on the bergers there, including pictures.. it works, but not my first pick for elk sized animals..

[TwoSixFourWins]

I just may have to go with the Accubond after talking to nosler today and finding out that a 140 grain Ballistic tip is in the works . I love my Ballistic tips and the accubond is supposed to shoot about the same POI for the same loading.

[carpsniperg2]

That have the 140g already out As well as the 130's In the accubonds already.

Then they have the 100 120 and 140 in the btip.

[high country]

How far do you want to shoot?

[carpsniperg2]

http://www.nosler.com/Bullets/Ballistic-Tip.aspx

They have them in the 2012 books so they are out of the works stage and you should be able to get them soon

[TwoSixFourWins]

Midway has them both. I was surprised to see the Ballistic Tip in 140 grain there that is why I asked nosler about it. Have yet to see the new deep curl from speer in 140 grain .264 anywhere. I wish they had the grand slam as well. That bullet is a moose killin' machine in Dad's '06.

[TwoSixFourWins]

How far do you want to shoot?

   


 I'm new to WA and as such have no places to hunt yet so I'm not sure but would like to be prepared for 500 yards if I am comfortable with the No1 as i am with my bolt 264. Who knows I may hunt a place where I never shoot farther than 40 yards. Another reason to have multiple loads.

[elkslayer069]

May i suggest barnes tssx in a weight of your choosing or swift scirocco bullets

[TwoSixFourWins]

Neither one comes in 140 grain.

[bobcat]

Neither one comes in 140 grain.

You don't need 140 grain in a Barnes. 120 grains would be more than enough.

[TwoSixFourWins]

I have yet to go "Unleaded" in the bullet department haha. May get some to try. They are pretty spendy though.

[high country]

If you aren't going to stretch out the distance, the berger might as is not going to shine as bright as if it were long range.  Any of the bullets listed will work great. You will get a lot of input that says you need a premium, but in a 6.5 they are all good performers. I have personally pushed the cup and core bullets 4/4 on elk and at some range I won't post....but they flat work.

[Karl Blanchard]

I have been killing with the hornady interbonds in my 30-06, .270, and 300win for years and all have performed outstanding!  Bonded bullet the same as an accubond but you get hornady quality and customer service and they don't rape you on cost just because the box says nosler on it.  Call em up and ask them for some samples to try!  I will snap some picks from a few that I have recovered.  I use imr4350 for all three calibers.

[Karl Blanchard]

tried 4 times to post a pick but it won't let me

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Biggerhammer]

The 140 Acubond. It will spanking them good. , the Accubond in my experience acts no different then a Partition upon impact but is a sexier, sleeker, higher BC bullet. Should be about perfection with a .264 Win Mag case behind it and accuracy has come easy for me with the Accubond in .30 cal,.270, 7mm, 6.5, .338 and .375.

I usually carry a Accubond of one diameter another around in my pocket, just to fondle here and there. No joke! I think better when I'm rolling a 260gr .375 Accubond around in my fingers. Gives me perma-grin, thinking of that wonderful sound they make when they hit. Like getting a good two step, full swing with a Conoue paddle and smacking a wet cow on the ass.    Next fall can't get here fast enough!

[W_Ellison2011]

personally wouldn't hunt elk with that small of a load or that small of a rifle.. but to each their own. For a good all around bullet I'd go with the 160 hornady. Reason being. Its the right size for both elk and deer. your rifle should give it good power even down range. Also I've always used hornady ammunition and never had a issue.

[addicted]

buy leaded bullets, lead free bullets just give more power to the anti's.

I've been shooting the mormas for the last couple years on big game and small. They are alright. THey still come apart on some shots.

accubond, partition, or deep curl out of the choices you presented. Toughest for sure.  If you are looking for better long range ballistics then the accubond. If your really fancy in the long range department and dead sure of your aim then the VLD's.

[coachcw]

Hammer Nice analogy !

[addicted]

personally wouldn't hunt elk with that small of a load or that small of a rifle.. but to each their own. For a good all around bullet I'd go with the 160 hornady. Reason being. Its the right size for both elk and deer. your rifle should give it good power even down range. Also I've always used hornady ammunition and never had a issue.

  That 12% lighter bullet just isnt enough.  Heck, here is a 129grainer.

[TwoSixFourWins]

I like the coyote kill.....bang flop. Elk died within a few seconds and the bullet exited. I am impressed.

[GoldTip]

I've used accubonds on deer, elk and Moose from several different caliber of guns and have been nothing but happy with them.

[Bob33]

The fact is that differences in bullet effectiveness on game tend to be quite small.  I’m speculating completely, but would guess that if you took a very large sample of animals killed with various bullets and rated their performance, with 100% being “perfect” performance, the best bullets would score in the high 90s while the worst bullets would score in the upper 80s or low 90s.

It’s easy to assess bullets when they perform “well” and kill an animal.  It could be argued that every retrieved bullet worked perfectly, because it killed the animal.

It is very difficult to assess bullet performance when an animal does not die: did the bullet fail, or did you miss a vital area?  Bullet failures are not easily evaluated, so the data tends to be less reliable.

Using small sample sizes to assess bullet performance is another problem.  "I shot the animal with 'a' bullet and he died right there, but when I shot another animal with 'b' bullet he ran 50 yards.  I'll never use those horrible 'b' bullets again".  That type of thinking violates statistical validity.  If you google any bullet ever made, you will find lots and lots of "bullet failure" stories, and lots and lots of "this is the most wonderful bullet ever made" stories.

[TwoSixFourWins]

Such is the sad case of the Nosler Ballistic Tip. I love them...world seems to hate them. 

[coachcw]

Haven't seen the nosler ballistic tips work to well at hi velocitys in the magnams. once they slow down to 2400 - 2700 fps they work well.

[TwoSixFourWins]

I load them in a 308 which is slower than the magnums obviously. They can be quite effective in mags though. Let a buddy use my 7mmWSM on deer with 140 gr BTs. Amazing internal damage. But I do agree that punching them through bone at magnum velocities is a bad idea. On deer though the BTs are magic. At least for me.

[whitetailslyr]

I have used both the gamekings and accubonds in my 7mm rem mag. Both great bullets. Id take the accubonds, better bc.

[coachcw]

I have used both the gamekings and accubonds in my 7mm rem mag. Both great bullets. Id take the accubonds, better bc.

[SI Eagle]

I like the Sierra Gamekings, very accurate, not as sexy, less expensive, and every bit of a killer as the rest.

[W_Ellison2011]

my issue with smaller bullets is that my brothers mother in law was shooting a 308 chambered with 160 grain rounds... she had to put 5 bullets into her bull elk a few years back to get through the back edge of the shoulder. I've never had that issue with my 30-06 with a 180 grain it just plows right through. its same size bullet other then the bit of extra weight and more powder pushing the round down range.

[bobcat]

It's really not so much the weight of the bullet that determines penetration ability. It's more in the construction of the bullet, and the velocity when it hits the target.

[W_Ellison2011]

200 yards with a 308 with a 168 grain barns in a hand load which is shooting 3k fps from the muzzle... pretty sure it still packs a lot of punch at that range. I personally feel more comfortable with a bigger bullet because its kinetic energy at 200-300 yards is going to be better. thats true and that does also have a huge factor in penetration. I'm not saying go out and buy a 300 ultra mag or something. Just saying its what I'm comfortable with. I will also say this again.. 264 is a good gun for deer but I just think its a hair small for elk. with that small of a gun your shot placement needs to be perfect so even a small margain can cause a issue.

[Curly]

.264 is not too small for elk...........especially with the really good bullets available today.

[TwoSixFourWins]

I never once thought 264 was too small for elk as I took it moose hunting I know it will do the job if I do mine. I used 140grain soft point to drill a hole in a 9/16" thick piece of mild plate at 125 yards. I'm sure an elk would be no problem. I like to have others input and experiences though and usually a larger group will give me more ideas than I can think up on my own. You have all been great in the ideas you have offered. Keep them coming

[TwoSixFourWins]

Just did the math and the 264 with a 140 grain bullet at 3200fps has about the same muzzle energy as a 30-06 with a 165gr @ 3000fps. On top of this the 264 carries energy longer meaning it hits harder at longer ranges than a bullet 25 grains heavier in the '06. Bullets i used in my math were both hornady A-Max.

[olaf]

swift a frames are my choice never had a bullet come apart 23 bulls before switching to a bow. very good knockdown and retension i shot 225 grain out of a 338.

[kevinlisa06]

I reloaded Nosler partitions for quite a few years with great success and the bullet performed flawlessly but I acquired a bunch of X bullets so I now shoot them in my .300 win mag and they perform great and break shoulders on Elk just like the partitions.