Bullet Choice (S2H podcast ep35)

[Beetroot]

Just listened to the podcast “Bullet Ballistics: A hunters guide”, seems like something funny is happening in the background as it got recast on my app and doesn’t appear in the previous episodes.

Anyway, basic premise of the discussion is that heavy for calibre match bullets (ELD-M, TMK, Bergeron, etc) are the best option for game. Which is a pretty simple recommendation, but I’m left with a few questions.

1, What’s the important part, the heavy for calibre part or subsequent lower velocity?
-Example given was a 100gr 6.5mm ELD-M at 3500fps is bad, 147gr ELD-M at 2800fps is good.
I assume this is because of the very fast velocity leading to bullets “blowing up” at close distance.

2, There’s was also a lot of talk of velocity ranges given for non match bullets (bonded, monos etc), is there a velocity range you need to stick to with match bullets?
-For a 223 would 88gr ELD-Ms be too slow, or would 73gr ELD-Ms in a 22 Creed be too fast?
-What about a 300blk or short barrel 308? Would you be better to for for a 200gr+ ELD-M or a 125gr TMK?

3, What do you do if you can’t use heavy match bullets?
-A lever action requires non pointed bullets, so for a 30-30 what would be the best option?
Many older cartridges, pistol calibres, lever action cartridges aren’t capable of the break neck speeds, so would you be better off with a 150gr bullet at 2500fps or a 180gr at 2200fps?

4, if you just hunt close range are the heavy match bullets still best?
-If I’m hunting 100yards and in 100% of the time, what is the best option? Ties in with the above question as there are many states where you need to use pistol cartridges, or for close distance hunting might it be better to just go for a very big/heavy bullet (35cal, 44cal, 45cal, etc).

 

[Macintosh]

IMO with more or less all necked centerfire rifle cartridges this is all more or less irrelevant inside 200 yards. This is largely for the 400-1000+ yard crowd. If you cant use match bullets then dont use match bullets—they may make a bigger hole in a critter, but other bullets also work well especially at close range like you mentioned.

 

[Wyo_hntr]

Bullets don't "blow up". They fragment. The more bullet present to fragment, the more damage will occur.

 

[mlevimadden]

Just listened to the podcast “Bullet Ballistics: A hunters guide”, seems like something funny is happening in the background as it got recast on my app and doesn’t appear in the previous episodes.

Anyway, basic premise of the discussion is that heavy for calibre match bullets (ELD-M, TMK, Bergeron, etc) are the best option for game. Which is a pretty simple recommendation, but I’m left with a few questions.

1, What’s the important part, the heavy for calibre part or subsequent lower velocity?
-Example given was a 100gr 6.5mm ELD-M at 3500fps is bad, 147gr ELD-M at 2800fps is good.
I assume this is because of the very fast velocity leading to bullets “blowing up” at close distance.

2, There’s was also a lot of talk of velocity ranges given for non match bullets (bonded, monos etc), is there a velocity range you need to stick to with match bullets?
-For a 223 would 88gr ELD-Ms be too slow, or would 73gr ELD-Ms in a 22 Creed be too fast?
-What about a 300blk or short barrel 308? Would you be better to for for a 200gr+ ELD-M or a 125gr TMK?

3, What do you do if you can’t use heavy match bullets?
-A lever action requires non pointed bullets, so for a 30-30 what would be the best option?
Many older cartridges, pistol calibres, lever action cartridges aren’t capable of the break neck speeds, so would you be better off with a 150gr bullet at 2500fps or a 180gr at 2200fps?

4, if you just hunt close range are the heavy match bullets still best?
-If I’m hunting 100yards and in 100% of the time, what is the best option? Ties in with the above question as there are many states where you need to use pistol cartridges, or for close distance hunting might it be better to just go for a very big/heavy bullet (35cal, 44cal, 45cal, etc).

1) You're correct. No bullet performs well at all velocities, so bullets are designed and constructed to perform best in a certain velocity range. If you're shooting monolithic bullets, you're better off going with a lighter for caliber bullet to keep your MV higher since those bullets work best above 22-2400ish fps and some guys run them all the way up to 4000 fps MV. Thin jacketed, match-type bullets are designed to expand down to lower velocities 18-2000 fps, but can have too much fragmentation to get the penetration if you start pushing to extremely high MV. I generally try to keep my MV under 3k fps for match bullets since I take a fair number of close shots.

2) See velocities I listed in my first bullet. Evaluate what the furthest distance you would shoot at a game animal is, and use a ballistic solver to find what bullet and MV you would need to stay above the effective velocity for that bullet at your maximum range.

3) Most people are still just shooting the standard cup-and-core bullets for lever actions because of the shorter effective range. The only "pointed" bullets I'm aware of are Hornady's Leverevolution line with special polymer tips. They are still flat-bottomed bullets with abysmal BC's though, so it won't be a long distance system, but I don't know of any lever actions intended for that purpose.

4) The vast majority of my shots are still under 200 yds, but I do go on hunts in more open terrain where longer shots are a possibility. I still shoot heavy for caliber match bullets and keep the MV around 2800. In my 6.5 PRC, this gives me a maximum effective range around 700 yds which is way further than I will be shooting anything. I used to hunt with a 45-70 shooting the 405 gr core-lokts when I was still hunting timber for whitetails. I see way quicker kills with match bullets than I did with those slugs, so I wouldn't go back personally. I've never hunted a state requiring straight-wall cartridges though.

 

[NSI]

The point is that errors in wind call have the greatest effect on projectile placement. Thus, minimizing wind error impact by using high BC bullets has the greatest effect on lethality. Generally, heavier match bullets have higher BCs than light ones.

-J