Hunting Washington Forum

Equipment & Gear => Guns and Ammo => Topic started by: fishunt on September 04, 2013, 10:37:37 PM

Title: Copper Bullet advice
Post by: fishunt on September 04, 2013, 10:37:37 PM: Got drawn 4 a cow tag in a refuge (Turnbull) and the rule is if u shoot a lead bullet, u have 2 pack out the guts. If u shoot a copper bullet, the guts can stay. I have no experience with copper bullets, so I am looking 4 advice. Oh I almost forgot, shooting a model 700 - 7 mag. Thanks 4 all the help
Title: Re: Copper Bullet advice
Post by: JLS on September 04, 2013, 10:40:14 PM: Get some Barnes TSX bullets. I have had outstanding results with them over the years.
Title: Re: Copper Bullet advice
Post by: snowpack on September 04, 2013, 11:03:24 PM: barnes TSX or TTSX are good. http://www.barnesbullets.com/products/components/ (http://www.barnesbullets.com/products/components/)
Hornady makes some all coppers. http://www.hornady.com/store/GMX-ammunition/ (http://www.hornady.com/store/GMX-ammunition/)
Cutting edge makes a really good bullet too. http://site.cuttingedgebullets.com/pages/available_calibers (http://site.cuttingedgebullets.com/pages/available_calibers)

All have good reputations.
Title: Re: Copper Bullet advice
Post by: hub on September 04, 2013, 11:56:39 PM: Nosler makes there E TIP in 140 and 150 weights for the 7 mag. All copper. No lead. They are designed to expand well while maintaining 95 percent weight. I,ve never used them myself however the reviews on the nosler forum are very good.
Title: Re: Copper Bullet advice
Post by: Jerbear on September 05, 2013, 12:35:51 AM: According to an ad in this months Predator Magazine, Remington now offers a rifle round with a copper bullet. That bullet is the all copper Barnes TSX bullet. They don't give any info on calibers, weights and so on. Check their web site.
Title: Re: Copper Bullet advice
Post by: Don Fischer on September 05, 2013, 09:19:26 AM: Only maker I know of that use's copper is Barnes. Hornady and Nosler use gilding metal, same stuff as the jacket's of their other bullet's. How much difference there would be I don't know. Have to pack out the gut's when shot with lead core bullet's? Who made up that rule?
Title: Re: Copper Bullet advice
Post by: Curly on September 05, 2013, 09:42:12 AM: Federal premium likely has 140 gr Barnes. That would do just fine on elk. You can go lighter with copper bullets than what you normally would with lead core since you will get close to 100% weight retention.
Title: Re: Copper Bullet advice
Post by: JLS on September 05, 2013, 09:43:21 AM: Quote from: Don Fischer on September 05, 2013, 09:19:26 AM
Who made up that rule?

Probably the USFWS and/or the Turnbull Refuge.
Title: Re: Copper Bullet advice
Post by: hub on September 05, 2013, 01:46:38 PM: Quote from: Don Fischer on September 05, 2013, 09:19:26 AM
Only maker I know of that use's copper is Barnes. Hornady and Nosler use gilding metal, same stuff as the jacket's of their other bullet's. How much difference there would be I don't know. Have to pack out the gut's when shot with lead core bullet's? Who made up that rule?
The nosler E tip is a solid copper alloy. No mention of gilding metal on there web site.
Title: Re: Copper Bullet advice
Post by: BULLBLASTER on September 05, 2013, 02:38:39 PM: That sucks that you have to shoot a copper bullet. I'd look at the nosler or cutting edge. (Not a barnes fan but havent shot hornady or nosler unleaded) Congrats on the cow tag!
Title: Re: Copper Bullet advice
Post by: CoyoteChuck52 on September 05, 2013, 02:53:14 PM: 140g or 150g Barnes TTSX and never look back :tup:
Title: Re: Copper Bullet advice
Post by: fishunt on September 05, 2013, 06:54:53 PM: Quote from: Curly on September 05, 2013, 09:42:12 AM
Federal premium likely has 140 gr Barnes. That would do just fine on elk. You can go lighter with copper bullets than what you normally would with lead core since you will get close to 100% weight retention.

I was wondering why I couldn't find a 175 grain copper bullet. Thanks for the advice. I am going to reload some and se how they shoot. Anyone ran into problems reloading copper?
Title: Re: Copper Bullet advice
Post by: lhrbull on September 05, 2013, 09:34:10 PM: used the e-tip on 7 animals in Africa they did just great have used barnes also in some my other guns and they also did the job 280 remmington loves barnes and the 300 weatherby doesn't
Title: Re: Copper Bullet advice
Post by: arrowflinger on September 05, 2013, 10:24:59 PM: Barnes sell the 140 ttsx in already loaded cartridges. They shoot great out of my 7mm. They are called Vor-tx.
Title: Re: Copper Bullet advice
Post by: predatorpro on September 05, 2013, 10:29:56 PM: id probly go with nosler....i will never shoot another barnes bullet out of any of my guns ever again...
Title: Re: Copper Bullet advice
Post by: Wacenturion on September 06, 2013, 09:30:45 AM: Quote from: predatorpro on September 05, 2013, 10:29:56 PM
id probly go with nosler....i will never shoot another barnes bullet out of any of my guns ever again...

and why is that?
Title: Re: Copper Bullet advice
Post by: hub on September 06, 2013, 10:38:36 AM: I think the thing that attracts me to the E-TIP is that it is acually designed to expand while still retaining 95 percent of weight. The barnes is a simple solid designed to pencil thru. The designs are completely different it seems to me.
Title: Re: Copper Bullet advice
Post by: JLS on September 06, 2013, 12:42:31 PM: Quote from: hub on September 06, 2013, 10:38:36 AM
I think the thing that attracts me to the E-TIP is that it is acually designed to expand while still retaining 95 percent of weight. The barnes is a simple solid designed to pencil thru. The designs are completely different it seems to me.

Barnes TSX are not designed to pencil through. They are designed to mushroom and retain a very high percentage of their weight. The few I've recovered have been textbook.
Title: Re: Copper Bullet advice
Post by: Curly on September 06, 2013, 12:53:22 PM: I have no experience with the E-tip (http://www.nosler.com/e-tip/). I have only used Barnes TSX and the old Barnes XLC (blue coated). One thing I wonder about the E-tip, is how is the copper fouling? TSX and TTSX have the rings/grooves which reduce the surface area and thus reduce fouling. Does the E-tip foul more than the Barnes? :dunno:
Title: Re: Copper Bullet advice
Post by: Curly on September 06, 2013, 12:58:53 PM: One tip I can give on copper bullets (Barnes anyway) is that seating depth seems to be more important than with lead bullets. Sometimes a rather large jump to the lands is more accurate than getting up close to the lands. Barnes says to start at 0.050" jump and that seems to be good advice with even more of a jump sometimes even more accurate. :twocents:
Title: Re: Copper Bullet advice
Post by: fastdam on September 06, 2013, 01:12:36 PM: Barnes bullets out of my 7mag shoot under half inch if I do my part, seated .01 off the lands.
Title: Re: Copper Bullet advice
Post by: hub on September 06, 2013, 07:00:05 PM: Quote from: JLS on September 06, 2013, 12:42:31 PM
Quote from: hub on September 06, 2013, 10:38:36 AM
I think the thing that attracts me to the E-TIP is that it is acually designed to expand while still retaining 95 percent of weight. The barnes is a simple solid designed to pencil thru. The designs are completely different it seems to me.

Barnes TSX are not designed to pencil through. They are designed to mushroom and retain a very high percentage of their weight. The few I've recovered have been textbook.
OOPS, I blew that one. I was looking at the groved solid on the barnes web site. The TSX is designed to expand. I think I will try a box of e-tips and TSX,s. Our wa. state polititians will probably ban lead one of these days. I want to know if they will shoot well in my rifles. Can,t hurt to stay one step ahead of the polititions.
Title: Re: Copper Bullet advice
Post by: Don Fischer on September 06, 2013, 08:27:56 PM: Quote from: hub on September 05, 2013, 01:46:38 PM
Quote from: Don Fischer on September 05, 2013, 09:19:26 AM
Only maker I know of that use's copper is Barnes. Hornady and Nosler use gilding metal, same stuff as the jacket's of their other bullet's. How much difference there would be I don't know. Have to pack out the gut's when shot with lead core bullet's? Who made up that rule?
The nosler E tip is a solid copper alloy. No mention of gilding metal on there web site.

Gilding metal is a copper alloy.

http://www.nosler.com/e-tip/ (http://www.nosler.com/e-tip/)

Scroll down the where you see the box the bullet's come in. They are solid gilding metal. It is on theirt web site.