Disruptive bullets for medium calibers

[MoeFaux]

For those of you who hunt with match bullets or other bullets that favor more disruption over more penetration, do you have recommendations for 6.8, 7 mm, and even 30 cal?

Nearly all of what I've read so far focuses on 5.56, 6, and 6.5. I assume that if the TMK performance from 223 is scaled up to to 7RM, for example, there would be an undesireable level of fragmentation and meat loss. I'm wondering how to get similar performance from the larger cartridges already in my stable.

NOTE: please do not turn this into a debate on the merits of hunting with match bullets or a platform to extoll the virtues of monos or accubonds, etc. I'm familiar with all those arguments already - I'm asking to learn more about the other side.

I'm curious if @Formidilosus has any data from bigger bullets?

 

[grfox92]

30 cal. 168 gr TMK and 178gr ELDM
7MM 162 ELDM and 160 TMK

Ive killed a bunch of stuff with 162 ELDM out of a 7mm08 and the damage is almost too much on deer and antelope.

I switched to a 6.5 with 143 ELDX this year but I think I ultimately want a 6mm or .25 Creed as my deer and antelope rifle and ill keep my 7mm08 for elk.

The 6mm or .25 would be fine for elk, but I love my 7mm08 X Bolt. Im going to try 160 TMKs next.

 

[MoeFaux]

30 cal. 168 gr TMK and 178gr ELDM
7MM 162 ELDM and 160 TMK

Ive killed a bunch of stuff with 162 ELDM out of a 7mm08 and the damage is almost too much on deer and antelope.

I switched to a 6.5 with 143 ELDX this year but I think I ultimately want a 6mm or .25 Creed as my deer and antelope rifle and ill keep my 7mm08 for elk.

If you found the 7 mm ELDM nearly too much, why recommend the TMK? Isn't the TMK a bit shallower and more explosive by comparison?

 

[grfox92]

If you found the 7 mm ELDM nearly too much, why recommend the TMK? Isn't the TMK a bit shallower and more explosive by comparison?

Well you asked for recommendations for larger calibers. The fragmenting bullets your asking about are best used in heavy for caliber applications to take advantage of BC.

My experience with the 162s was a little excessive on deer and antelope IMO. It worked great on elk this year. I also am not overly concerned with meat loss like some guys are to be honest. I want the animal dead quick. If I lose a little shoulder meat, I am fine with that.

If you are stepping up to fragmenting bullets with those bigger calibers the wound channels are going to grow as you go. 212 ELDX on mule deer out of a 300WM was a 2 liter soda bottle sized wound channel through the buck. It was honestly just overkill. The buck was certainly deader than dead so thats a plus.

 

[KsRancher]

I shot the Berger VLD's in my 308 for years. All I shot was deer. It was deadly. But the damage was a bit much for me. Usually lost most of both shoulders. Went to head shots on does. Have since migrated to all copper for meat damage reasons alone. But I will recommend the Bergers if you're after disruption.

 

[Slickhill]

We killed elk last year with the 160TMK and the 180EldM out of a 22” standard 280Rem.

The TMK was pretty gnarly. It did land directly on the knuckle of the shoulder and that’s rough on most bullets. The entry into the ribs under the shoulder was about beer can sized. Inside the chest was souped and the offside rib cage had a peppering of fragments but it came completely apart.

The 180 went through the back edge of the shoulders, top of the heart and both lungs almost perfectly broadside. The core exited and the jacket was under the hide on the off side. Wound channel was roughly 1.5 diameter all the way through.

Good chance we shoot some more stuff with one or both of those bullets this year as well as the old 168 Amax out of a 308 or 30/06 since I stumbled into a pile of them.

 

[wpeach1912]

I killed several elk with the 212 ELDX out of a 300 WSM. Nothing crazy graphic for wounds, but certainly quite effective. The picture below was at 630 yards with an impact velocity of approx 2000fps. It didn’t hit any bones on the way in or out and it was caught in the far side hide.

 

[Jstumbaugh]

Well you asked for recommendations for larger calibers. The fragmenting bullets your asking about are best used in heavy for caliber applications to take advantage of BC.

My experience with the 162s was a little excessive on deer and antelope IMO. It worked great on elk this year. I also am not overly concerned with meat loss like some guys are to be honest. I want the animal dead quick. If I lose a little shoulder meat, I am fine with that.

If you are stepping up to fragmenting bullets with those bigger calibers the wound channels are going to grow as you go. 212 ELDX on mule deer out of a 300WM was a 2 liter soda bottle sized wound channel through the buck. It was honestly just overkill. The buck was certainly deader than dead so thats a plus.

What velocity were you pushing those 162's out of the 7mm-08? I have my son's rifle set up with an extremely accurate load running 2550. I was kind of holping the lower velocity would make them not as violent as some have posted.

 

[Old3Toe]

...

 

[grfox92]

What velocity were you pushing those 162's out of the 7mm-08? I have my son's rifle set up with an extremely accurate load running 2550. I was kind of holping the lower velocity would make them not as violent as some have posted.

2660 fps

 

[J_Jacobson]

I run 162gr ELDMs at 2550 from an 18" Tikka. By far the most disruptive bullet I've used, even poor shot placement is forgiven by enormous wound channels. I'm a fan.

 

[MoeFaux]

I'm pushing a 145 ELD-X right now at 3000 fps. Only seen its performance in one animal, and that hit the onside leg bone, blew the shoulder up, then carved a 2 inch swath through lungs and heart. 230 yards, so impact velocity around 2600

I'm happy with that performance in that situation, but asked this question here to get a feel for alternatives. I think I've read that the ELD-M acts a little tougher and penetrates a bit deeper than the X?

What about other soft cup-and-core hunting bullets like the SST and the NBT? Don't those blow apart at higher impact velocities and do damage similar to the ELD-M and TMK?

 

[CJ_BG]

You want something in between monos and a match bullet?

Tipped gameking, Accubond, sciroccos, terminal ascent



But when you start the post asking people who like disruptive bullets to give recommendations and then rebut every disruptive bullet recommendation I can't say I see the point

160 TMK from the lowly 7-08 at about 2400 impact.

You can't destroy too much tissue in my eyes, my recommendations are the heaviest TMK you want to shoot for the gun except for the 6.8/270 because they don't make them. For those go 145 eld-x, or heaviest ballistic tip or berger you want/can.

Or a partition, it's really hard to beat a partition almost 80 years later

 

[MoeFaux]

But when you start the post asking people who like disruptive bullets to give recommendations and then rebut every disruptive bullet recommendation I can't say I see the point

My intention is not to rebut, but to learn from other's experiences and opinions. I asked one question about one poster's recommendation to get more perspective. It wasn't supposed to be argumentative, but I apologize if I came across that way.

Thank you, though, for chiming in with your opinion and your photo. I'm starting to lean towards your view of "no such thing as too much damage".

 

[KsRancher]

I'm pushing a 145 ELD-X right now at 3000 fps. Only seen its performance in one animal, and that hit the onside leg bone, blew the shoulder up, then carved a 2 inch swath through lungs and heart. 230 yards, so impact velocity around 2600

I'm happy with that performance in that situation, but asked this question here to get a feel for alternatives. I think I've read that the ELD-M acts a little tougher and penetrates a bit deeper than the X?

What about other soft cup-and-core hunting bullets like the SST and the NBT? Don't those blow apart at higher impact velocities and do damage similar to the ELD-M and TMK?

The 165gr SST out of a 308win at 455yds was still very disruptive. Too much so for me. This was on my oldest son's first elk in 2023. Dont get me wrong, dead is dead. But I would have preferred a little more penetration. I really figured that at that range it would be going slow enough to hold together good. But they didn't.

 

[HandgunHTR]

My general rule-of-thumb (note, mine, not everyone's) is to go as heavy as you accurately can. Don't chase velocity. Find a bullet that you want to use, find the load with it that your gun likes, and roll with it.
The ELDX and M tend to work very well as do the TMKs, and Nosler BTs. The BTs are the one bullet where in some cases the lighter ones are even harder than the heavier ones, the 120 grain 7mm vs the 140 grain is the most well documented.

A big caveat to what I am recommending. If you hunt in a location where your shots are typically less than 300 yards and you want to use a larger cartridge, then I would suggest going with one of the heavier constructed cup and core bullets, such as the TGK, NBT, ELDX, or even the good ol' Rem Core-Lokt. They will expand decently if a longer shot presents, but won't destroy as much on a higher velocity impact at shorter distances.