Help me to choose a bullet

[Tim Johnson]

I need some help
I hunt blacktails in the northwest corner of Oregon where shots can be as close as 50 yds or as long as 500 yds i just built a custom 6.5 PRC that absolutely loves the 142 LRAB and it shoots the 140 accubonds ok but not as good as the LRAB what bullet would you use and I have no experience with the LRAB

 

[IDShane]

I have had pretty good luck 140 Berger Elite Hunters.

 

[steelheadmike]

Shoot whatever your gun likes. They're deer and not particularly large deer. My only thought is that if you're hunting in some brush country or areas with small open areas, I might want something that rapidly expands and puts them down quick (ELD-M, Berger, BT). An accubond will work fine but they may be able to run a little bit before they expire. I have hunted spots that I need them to drop in their feet because if they make it 10yds, tracking becomes very difficult.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

You found a bullet that works well in your gun but you’re looking for other options???

Give me a break man.

 

[repins05]

156 Bergers. Agree with everybody above. If you found a bullet that your rifle likes you really don’t need to find another unless you feel like the bullet didn’t perform on a blacktail.

I usually focus on accuracy first when trying to find a hunting bullet.

 

[Idahobugler]

Lrab is fine for closer shots. If your gun shoots it well why change?

 

[Taudisio]

No issues with your current setup. Shoot them in the ribs and bring a sharp knife.

 

[Tmac]

LRAB is a fine blacktail bullet. Works well for elk/bear too.

 

[fisherman983]

I would shoot a 147 eldm before accubonds any day of three week and twice on days that end in y. If you have a long throated chamber/long action use the 156 berger. If not the 147.
They are also a lot cheaper than nosler.


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[CaseyRyback]

No experience with the LRAB, only the AB. They don't expand to my liking. I'd go with the ELD-X.

 

[Halibut]

I would continue to shoot what your gun likes, LRAB is a fine bullet for blacktail.

 

[berretsteve]

If you want a blood trail, you want penetration, because holes on both sides will bleed out more and faster. At 100 yards, you don't need to worry about velocity, because you wont have any drop to worry about. I would use the heaviest bullet in either cartridge, and no need for a premium bullet. A 175 gr 7 mag or a 220 gr 30-06 will kill quickly, ruin less meat than a faster lighter bullet, and penetrate completely from just about any angle.

 

[Bextat]

Dang, that's a sick build! Try the 140 Berger Elite Hunters.

 

[Mike D Texas]

Why are you opposed to using the LRAB?


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[oliveradamx]

The LRABS are pretty good. If you want to try it, try it. The Golden Rule of life

 

[MDT31]

I'd recommend the Berger 150 Elite Hunter, but it sounds like your rifle's got a taste for the finer things in life, so maybe it's time to try the Berger 153 Grain Long Range Hybrid Target - it's the champagne of bullets.

 

[buffybr]

No experience with the LRAB, only the AB. They don't expand to my liking. I'd go with the ELD-X.

I have no experience with the LRAB or ELD-X, but the 160 gr AB is my "go to" bullet in my 7 mm RM. They have put 3 animals in the B&C Record Book for me (including the caribou in my avatar), and on one of my South African hunts, my PH, who also shot and reloaded a 7 mm RM, was continually impressed with expansion/bullet cavity damage my 160 ABs did to the PG animals that I shot with him.

Since 1978, I've shot almost all of my mule and whitetail deer, pronghorn antelope, a Mountain caribou, one of my best 6x6 bull elk, and a Dall and 3 bighorn rams with 117 gr Sierra GameKing bullets. Most were one shot kills.

Bullet placement is more important than bullet brand or diameter. Choose the bullet that shoots best in your rifle.

 

[Nhenry]

ABLRs are great. Use em if your gun likes them.

 

[Don Fischer]

Only bullet's I have ever hunted with more than one kill are 180gr Hornady SP in my 30-06 and 160gr Speer Hot Core in a 7mm mag and a 140gr Hornady SP in my 6.5x06. I am fully aware there are other bullets that have everything these two have except one thing, my confidence! My next hunting trips will be with my 260 Rem and 6.5x55 and presently using a 140gr Speer Hot Core in both. I used the 140gr Hornady SP in my 6.5x06 elk hunting several years and three dead right there elk convinced me it's about all the bullet I need. Over the years I've known a number of guy's that tell me the same thing about other bullet's and ya know what, they are right. They are right because they have complete confidence in the bullet they are shooting and in their ability to place it well. That goes a long way! I tried 140gr Sierra's many years ago in my old 7mm Rem Mag. really made a mess of the insides of one deer and on one bear that bullet blew up before getting in there. Of course the second shot took out the bear but had I had a similar shot the first shot I suspect it would have also been a one shot kill. Placement changed for the second shot!

You can talk about bullet's all you want but lack the confidence in it and smart placing of it and good chance your gonna be disappointed! Over the years I have gone from loving high velocity to heavier for caliber bullet's for big game. Light for caliber for varmints and predators and the bullet generally come apart and doesn't go far, which could be a good thing! I was shooting 75gr Hornady V-Max bullet's into targets at 200 yds and the target backing was a piece of 2" foam board. Bullets tore it up pretty good but the bullet's made it about as far as the back of the backing and shreds laid all over the ground in back of the target! Pretty fragile at best. Wonder what that would do to a deer?

I think there is not really a best bullet but most any bullet will work depending on how YOU use it. That 75gr V-Max may or may not go in the chest of a deer and kill it right there but that same bullet in the ear will drop the animal like lighting. Doesn't make a good bullet in my opinion because placement get pretty critical. At the same time shoot a deer in the leg with a 500gr 458 mag and all you will do is break it leg and probably leave it to die some other time! It is not what you use that is successful, it's how you use what you have.

 

[Evergreen]

Stick with the ABLR you’ll be fine! Close range they’ll fragment and make a mess but even at 500 they kinda make a mess. I use the ABLR in my creedmoor because I want reliable expansion at long range. In my 6.5 PRC I use the 140 AB because the velocity at 500 will expand the AB and most likely give me two holes. This is the ABLR at 425 on a whitetail my wife shot. Keep in mind it did hit the point of the front shoulder! Also a black tail she took at 120