Do “ premium “ bullets really make a difference? Fact vs hype

[S-3 ranch]

Ok what’s the difference between say a .270 140gr interlock @ 3070fps @ $27 per box and Berger hybrid same spec @ $48 or ELD-X @ $47 ?
the S.D = the same , B.C is a little bit different on the three

I get it with a accubond , partisions , ttsx , A frame

but the rest just seems like a marketing strategy.

my grandfather shot piles of stuff from elk to whitetails with Winchester super X and silver tip and I can’t remember ever hearing a bullet debate growing up like now days, what am I not understanding?

 

[Rob5589]

Form posted up info on hit probability which showed a more aerodynamic bullet/match/higher bc equated to more hits on target. Whether or not that is meaningful to your particular needs, only you can answer.

 

[S-3 ranch]

Form posted up info on hit probability which showed a more aerodynamic bullet/match/higher bc equated to more hits on target. Whether or not that is meaningful to your particular needs, only you can answer.

I am leaning more towards penetration , there can’t really be much difference between the old cup core bonded and the new hyper expencive except B.C ?

 

[XLR]

Ok what’s the difference between say a .270 140gr interlock @ 3070fps @ $27 per box and Berger hybrid same spec @ $48 or ELD-X @ $47 ?
the S.D = the same , B.C is a little bit different on the three

I get it with a accubond , partisions , ttsx , A frame

but the rest just seems like a marketing strategy.

my grandfather shot piles of stuff from elk to whitetails with Winchester super X and silver tip and I can’t remember ever hearing a bullet debate growing up like now days, what am I not understanding?

It all depends on how far you are shooting. I would have a hard time believing the SD on Hornady Whitetail is the same as the ELDX lineup but I have also never tested it. If you are only shooting out to 3-400 yds the SD would have a small effect on the impacts though. If you are shooting 800 yards then the ELDX lineup is going to increase your hit percentage due to higher bc, more consistent bullets (weight and BC), and a little less wind hold. Even if you are only worried about penetration, you still have to hit where you are aiming otherwise penetration is irrelevant.

Remington Core Lokt ammo has probably killed more animals than most and its just an old lead tipped bullet. Does it work? yes! Would I pick that bullet if I was hand loading? Absolutely not. It all depends on your comfort zone for shot distance.

 

[t_carlson]

my grandfather shot piles of stuff from elk to whitetails with Winchester super X and silver tip and I can’t remember ever hearing a bullet debate growing up like now days, what am I not understanding?

300 yards was a long shot for your grandfather and he was lucky if his rifle shot 1.5” 3-shot groups.

 

[eric1115]

It all depends on how far you are shooting. I would have a hard time believing the SD on Hornady Whitetail is the same as the ELDX lineup but I have also never tested it. If you are only shooting out to 3-400 yds the SD would have a small effect on the impacts though. If you are shooting 800 yards then the ELDX lineup is going to increase your hit percentage due to higher bc, more consistent bullets (weight and BC), and a little less wind hold. Even if you are only worried about penetration, you still have to hit where you are aiming otherwise penetration is irrelevant.

Remington Core Lokt ammo has probably killed more animals than most and its just an old lead tipped bullet. Does it work? yes! Would I pick that bullet if I was hand loading? Absolutely not. It all depends on your comfort zone for shot distance.

I'm thinking he was talking about sectional density. Grandfather never shot anything far away enough for velocity spread to make any difference whatsoever, probably.

 

[dla]

Far too many guys get all hung up in the minutiae of long range shooting before they get enough trigger time to really understand the process.
So when I hear somebody with total of 50 rounds downrange musing about the BC of $1/shot versus a 25 cent/shot bullet - I shake my head.

IMO, it is more important to learn to shoot - need to get the rounds in. And since this a hunting forum, shooting has to be more than prone with a bipod.

Cheap bullets get you more trigger time. Handload to save $ and dial in a load for you rifle. Buy those Hornady interlocks when they go on sale and get out and do some shooting.

And by the way, don't discount all the game taken with bullets that don't make pretty mushrooms.

Off my soapbox now

 

[KenLee]

Farthest shot I have is 375 yards. I would not care between those 2 bullets from my 270s

 

[MThuntr]

I would have a hard time believing the SD on Hornady Whitetail is the same as the ELDX lineup but I have also never tested it.

Section Density is the ratio of mass to it's cross-section so a 140gr in .277 will be the same whether a soft point or tipped.

Ok what’s the difference between say a .270 140gr interlock @ 3070fps @ $27 per box and Berger hybrid same spec @ $48 or ELD-X @ $47 ?
the S.D = the same , B.C is a little bit different on the three

I get it with a accubond , partisions , ttsx , A frame

but the rest just seems like a marketing strategy.

my grandfather shot piles of stuff from elk to whitetails with Winchester super X and silver tip and I can’t remember ever hearing a bullet debate growing up like now days, what am I not understanding?

In the terms of Interlock vs ELD-X, they're not that different in construction. Sure one has a lead tip and one has plastic but the core is still traditional cup-core lead construction. I'd wager terminal performance is the same within most hunting ranges. I'm not sure if the powder/primer combo in the expensive ammo is different...maybe more consistent charge? better primer? better powder used?

The obvious difference in BC is again negligible for most hunting situations and really only comes into play for long range shooting and at that point you're better off loading your own to control as many variables as possible. Spending more time at the range with the cheap stuff and trying different shooting positions would trump "premium" ammo gains.

 

[Axlrod]

Ok let me turn your question around. What is the difference? .21 cents per bullet- in your example. If I add up what all my hunting gear cost me, and what I spend on hunting, it's insignificant. Might as well shoot what I have found to be the best for me.

 

[Wrench]

My experience shows that matching the bullet construction to the impact velocity has far more to do with performance than headstamps or brands.

A 270win is the perfect cartridge...EVERY average, non premium, non designer....whatever you want to call it bullet was made to expand at its velocity. If you chose to shoot a tougher bullet to expand, it may work fantastic in the 270wby, but be lacking in win.

This is my belief on why we see so many success stories with 6.5/140's in the +1800 to sub 2800fps impact velocity. Perfect SD, lots of weight for frontal and decent expansion.

You crank it up into rum /378/lapua....etc and premiums because completely necessary to simply survive the impact unless the target is way the hell out there.

 

[Macintosh]

I dont know this to be true, but it would not at all shock me if it were. Any manufacturer that does QC and has failures has to do something with the rejects, or else it's expensive waste. In many cases, rather than invest in better quality tooling or slower manufacturing processes or smaller batches in order to maintain consistency for high-quality products, it's cheaper to invest in some qc "test" to differentiate the top-quality ones from the rest, and market/package them differently even though they came off the same production line. So, as an example, if the magic whizbang 140gr bullet production has a very accurate scale at the end, it sends all of the bullets between 139.9grains and 140.1 grains into the "good" bin to be made into the top of th eline cartridges at $60/box. The rest that vary too much to meet spec, they make a line of less$ ammo at $25/box. Obviously the numbers are made up, and there could be other parameters other than weight, but this happens in many industries, and I have been told by a number of people of ammo manufacturers doing this in .22 rimfire ammo, so would not at all shock me if some of the centerfire ammo was like this too--same exact stuff, just not as consistent.

 

[MThuntr]

I dont know this to be true, but it would not at all shock me if it were. Any manufacturer that does QC and has failures has to do something with the rejects, or else it's expensive waste. In many cases, rather than invest in better quality tooling or slower manufacturing processes or smaller batches in order to maintain consistency for high-quality products, it's cheaper to invest in some qc "test" to differentiate the top-quality ones from the rest, and market/package them differently even though they came off the same production line. So, as an example, if the magic whizbang 140gr bullet production has a very accurate scale at the end, it sends all of the bullets between 139.9grains and 140.1 grains into the "good" bin to be made into the top of th eline cartridges at $60/box. The rest that vary too much to meet spec, they make a line of less$ ammo at $25/box. Obviously the numbers are made up, and there could be other parameters other than weight, but this happens in many industries, and I have been told by a number of people of ammo manufacturers doing this in .22 rimfire ammo, so would not at all shock me if some of the centerfire ammo was like this too--same exact stuff, just not as consistent.

The lines of ammo he's talking about are two vastly different bullet types so your example isn't applicable

I'd wager bullets that don't fall within acceptable "first" range get tossed, recycled, and the cost of error is incorporated into the ammo due to liability. I know blemishes and defectives are sold as factory seconds on MidwayUSA and, in the case of Hornady, at Grand Island Loan and Pawn. Some of those seconds are not as weight consistent so there is some merit to your assumption. One batch of 6.5 CX bullets I got from GI Loan have wonky tips.

 

[peterk123]

Interesting question. I'm in the process of trying to figure this out with my new AR15. Is it me, the ammo or the scope? Shooting 200 yards. Rifle is on bench and bags. Using wolf steel case rounds. I just bought a box of hornady match. If I'm still spraying then I have scope issues. If not, well then ammo matters.

 

[Rob5589]

Ok what’s the difference between say a .270 140gr interlock @ 3070fps @ $27 per box and Berger hybrid same spec @ $48 or ELD-X @ $47 ?
the S.D = the same , B.C is a little bit different on the three

I get it with a accubond , partisions , ttsx , A frame

but the rest just seems like a marketing strategy.

my grandfather shot piles of stuff from elk to whitetails with Winchester super X and silver tip and I can’t remember ever hearing a bullet debate growing up like now days, what am I not understanding?

Funny but the Silvertip was once considered "premium." I'd bet others were as well. Now they're considered "regular" bullets.

 

[Macintosh]

right, SOME ammo. But also could be applied to the jacket-portion of a cup and core bullet, brass, powder, raw material ductility, etc. At some level I know it happens enough places that I think it's a fair assumption in some cases. Obviously in other cases it's nott, i.e. finished bullets with wildly different constructions, etc.

 

[S-3 ranch]

Funny but the Silvertip was once considered "premium." I'd bet others were as well. Now they're considered "regular" bullets.

Yeah remember bronze point the Old school tipped bullets

 

[49ereric]

Of course it is marketing strategy.

 

[MattB]

Ok what’s the difference between say a .270 140gr interlock @ 3070fps @ $27 per box and Berger hybrid same spec @ $48 or ELD-X @ $47 ?
the S.D = the same , B.C is a little bit different on the three

I get it with a accubond , partisions , ttsx , A frame

but the rest just seems like a marketing strategy.

my grandfather shot piles of stuff from elk to whitetails with Winchester super X and silver tip and I can’t remember ever hearing a bullet debate growing up like now days, what am I not understanding?

He didn’t have the internet.

 

[Rob5589]

He didn’t have the internet.

Funny but, 100% true. Outdoor Life or word of mouth "back in the day" is what sold stuff. My Grandfather was all about the Sierra Game King.

@Axlrod makes the perfect point; a few cents more for a premium bullet is but a small portion of the overall hunt cost. Not to mention, the TTSX is about twice as much as the ELD-X and I wouldn't exactly call the TTSX a "premium" or high end bullet. I only shoot them because CA is dumb.