Old rifle liked 180 Corelokt
New one likes Hornady Superformance180 SST
I'd like to find some Hornady Precision Hunter but all my shots have always been under 350yds so the aforementioned have performed great.
Ive grown to like the ELD-X's, currently shooting 178's but if I could only have one, it'd be the 200 gr. I have yet to try the 215 gr bergers, but prefer the lighter bullets. I don't typically reach WAAAY out there though.
I tried almost a dozen different brands and weights through my Bergara and could not get the groups I wanted out of anything over 185 gr. It could be the 26" barrel with the 3 1/2" brake. 185 Bergara Hybrid Hunters are shooting phenomenal. .477" 3 shot group at 100 yards and shooting less than 2" 3 shot groups at 400 as of this past weekend. I don't reload, so I'm more than OK with that from a factory round.
So, you said for everything. That means you may need to stop a grizzly or brown bear that wants to cuddle. In that case, I would load a 200gr Terminal Ascent, Nosler AB, or Barnes LRX. I don't believe any of the softer options are suitable for a frontal shot on a large bear.
These three will also provide good performance on everything else, but may be a slower killer and not perform as well at long range.
If you saw my reloading room, you’d see plenty of 180gr Accubonds and TTSXs. But I’ve invested heavily in the Berger 215gr and that is our go to bullet. That is what we shoot out of 2 300s and we’re getting a third this winter that will shoot 215s.