Hollow Points

[lyle_destroys]

Ive used them for years on Pa whitetails. In 7mm-08 and .257 Bob. Always destroyed the heart and/or lungs. Well tonight I decided to take a large doe with a dmap tag. Shot placement was a little too far forward. Hopefully it was me and I havent bumped the scope. Doe went down, back up then out of the field. I followed the heavy blood trail, made a 90° turn which isnt a good sign. Followed another 500 yards. Blood trail got more and more faint. Picked it up on the other side of some heavy brush then lost it completely. The snow melt and rain made it very difficult.

I hate this, its only happened once before in archery. I was using 100 gr .257 hollow points. No more of them for me. Im going back to ballistic tips or soft points.

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[MadDawg]

Man I suggest using soft points, ballistic points are cool until you don't get an exit.

 

[lyle_destroys]

Man I suggest using soft points, ballistic points are cool until you don't get an exit.

Soft points usually are my go-to. Ive been using hollow points because someone gave me several boxes of them and Ive been hand loading them. No issues until now, ill be using the rest of them for target practice. I know I hit that shoulder bone and that HP exploded. Lesson learned.

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[topher89]

I have had great luck with 100gr Ballistic Tips with my 257 Roberts. 2 Antelope and 1 Deer. All one and done shots.

 

[bowkill02]

I was just out tonight here in n pa with my 257 roberts loaded with sierra 90gr gamekings, i.e. Hollow points. I've used both 100gr nosler ball tips to in the past. I've never had a problem with either bullet performing on deer. Shot placement is always key but I definitely prefer the gamekings I both accuracy and terminal performance for my application.


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[elkguide]

A .25 caliber HP is usually an accurate bullet and more than adequate for a whitetail as long as it is placed correctly. My problem is that the darned deer never want to co-operate and give me that perfect, broadside shot.
I'm one of those "heavy for caliber" bullet users. I also am one the doesn't understand the word, "overkill." While I am fortunate to have a large selection of rifles and calibers but when I head to the woods for whitetail, mule deer, bear or elk..... out of the safe come a .300 Win Mag with at least a 180 grain bullet.

 

[lyle_destroys]

A .25 caliber HP is usually an accurate bullet and more than adequate for a whitetail as long as it is placed correctly. My problem is that the darned deer never want to co-operate and give me that perfect, broadside shot.
I'm one of those "heavy for caliber" bullet users. I also am one the doesn't understand the word, "overkill." While I am fortunate to have a large selection of rifles and calibers but when I head to the woods for whitetail, mule deer, bear or elk..... out of the safe come a .300 Win Mag with at least a 180 grain bullet.

I agree with you on the accuracy part. I was shooting 1/2 moa groups with the 100gr HPs. I had waited for a nice broadside shot and screwed it up. I must have jerked when I squeezed the round off. I get excited shooting deer, antlers or not.
Im back to using 117gr SSTs in the 257. Really the only 2 bullets Ive shot from it. My 7-08 on the other hand has eaten everything from 120s to 175s. 145gr soft points worked beautifully on whitetails.

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[belly-deep]

I shot two does with an 87 gr Sierra HP out of a .25-06. Both went down hard, but the internal damage was so massive, I decided not to use them anymore. Too much meat destroyed. I could definitely see them blowing up on bone.

 

[bowkill02]

Another deer down with the 90gr sierra bthp from the 257 roberts. Bullet went through both front sholders. Internal damage was impressive but meat loss was Minimal. I believe impact velocity is the key with light bullets. I'm only running 2980fps but I think the faster they are pushed the more explosive they become.

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[bowkill02]

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[lyle_destroys]

I ended up taking 2 does last week with the .257. Shooting 117 gr SSTs. Double lung and a heart shot. Much more comfortable with these.

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[bowkill02]

Good for you man, I'm glad you sound more confident with your new projectile. Confidence is more than Half the battle. Where in pa you hunting?

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[lyle_destroys]

Good for you man, I'm glad you sound more confident with your new projectile. Confidence is more than Half the battle. Where in pa you hunting?

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Near Brookeville/Brockway area. I own some property that is adjacent to my in-laws dairy farm. Plenty of deer. Missed a monster that I kicked out of some brush on Wednesday after the season opened.
How about you?

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[bowkill02]

Ok, I used to hunt in tionesta. Great coutry

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[LcMoeller2]

Fellow PA hunter here just about an hour and change southeast of brookville....I just loaded up for 85gr Gamekings for the wife to shoot this year and I was very impressed with the bullet on a nice 9 pt this year with not a ton of damage and a high shoulder shot found on the opposite hide. What kind of speeds were you getting out of that bullet?

 

[camping1601]

A .25 caliber HP is usually an accurate bullet and more than adequate for a whitetail as long as it is placed correctly. My problem is that the darned deer never want to co-operate and give me that perfect, broadside shot.
I'm one of those "heavy for caliber" bullet users. I also am one the doesn't understand the word, "overkill." While I am fortunate to have a large selection of rifles and calibers but when I head to the woods for whitetail, mule deer, bear or elk..... out of the safe come a .300 Win Mag with at least a 180 grain bullet.

I'm back to this side of the fence. I got tired of all the meat waste and went to low expansion bullets that resulted in having to track deer. Now it's back to driving Accubonds out of the wsm and stw as fast as I can.

 

[setch]

I have run sierrra gamekings SPBT 140grn for over 12 years now and have found them to be devastating out of my 270.

BTW...fellow PA hunter as well - I do my hunting in SGL 54 NW of brockway, PA

 

[lyle_destroys]

I have run sierrra gamekings SPBT 140grn for over 12 years now and have found them to be devastating out of my 270.

BTW...fellow PA hunter as well - I do my hunting in SGL 54 NW of brockway, PA

Thats funny. Im from Brockway, live out in sugar hill now and hunted quite a bit in SGL54 this year. Lol small world.

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[Molon Labe]

So nice to see so many people using the 257 Roberts...my favorite caliber.

I run 100gr Barnes bullets out of mine. Almost always a pass through with solid wound channel.
I've only recovered two bullets...one quartered to me punched through front shoulder and hip socket found bullet under hide in rear right leg.
Bullet weighed 99.3grs. Perfect mushroom.
Other travelled through neck spine and rear left leg found under skin...bullet weighed 97.1gr...one of the pedals was broken off.

I have not lost a deer yet that a bullet impacted. You will not drop them in their tracks unless you hit shoulder but you will have great blood to follow with lung shots.

 

[tyeager2964]

I always wonder how many clearfield and Jefferson county people are on here.

I prefer heavy for caliber controlled expansion. Shot a doe with 180 grain 06 eldx I hand loaded destroyed both lungs but still went 100 yards. Bullet performed well not unusual amount of meat damage.

Sometimes animals dont want to die