Speer Bullets thread

[gerry35]

I always liked Speers, and still shoot a few. One of my favorites was the 130 gr HP from a .308. Fast killer on whitetails. Same for the 115 gr HP from a. 284 win. Worked really well on deer and pigs mostly short ranges within 150 yards or so. I shot a few deer with the 165 gr hotcor out of a .300 win mag, but thought maybe it was a little too stout, for deer anyway. I also had good luck with the old 120 gr boattail from a. 25-06.

I'm surprised how many used their HP bullets for deer but it makes sense. Wish I would have tried those 130's for deer when I still had a 30-06.

 

[saltfork]

I didn't purposely load those for deer originally, but I used to coyote hunt with a heavy barreled. 308, so thought I'd try those Speers on coyotes. Wasn't long until I shot a deer with that combo, and I realized they worked great.

 

[BjornF16]

Speer bullets are great for whitetail etc, thin skinned animals. They are not bonded so they open extremely quickly. So penetrating a thick skin black bear I would use penetrating bullet.

Bears are not “thick skinned”; ELD-M have worked just fine on black bears. The Speer bullets will do just fine.

I’ve just bought a few boxes of Speers for hunting SA Plains game

 

[35WhelenAI]

Hot Cor is the process of pouring the molten core into the jacket of their flat-base and Mag-Tip (current Grand Slam construction process from what was said earlier in this thread) bullets. Eliminates the potential for air (oxidation) between the core and jacket and creates a much better grip between the two vs cold lead core cut from a length of lead. Not bonding in the sense most guys are familiar with, but much better core/jacket integrity than putting a cold lead core into a jacket like most all traditional "cup and core" bullets from other companies.

 

[prm]

The 200gn .338 Hot Cors shoot well enough. I have yet to shoot a critter with them but they seem reasonably tough in my informal damp paper tests. Pretty much act like a soft-ish bonded bullet.

 

[OrthoNPBeau]

I am just finishing up on a 500 count box of .30 cal 150 grain grand slams. I must have bought them 30 years ago in bulk before they changed the design. Love 'em! I also bought 1,000 of the 180 grainers at the same time and have probably 950 left. I suspect they will be run thru my .300 WSM as a test load with RE 26 made some really small groups! In retrospect I should have bought a few thousand 165's and just been done with it.

 

[prm]

Bears are not “thick skinned”; ELD-M have worked just fine on black bears. The Speer bullets will do just fine.

I’ve just bought a few boxes of Speers for hunting SA Plains game

Some of the SA plains game have thick hides. I shot a Waterbuck at close range and it caught the bullet (TTSX) in the far side hide. I think the hide was about .25” thick. Much thicker than elk or deer.

 

[BjornF16]

Some of the SA plains game have thick hides. I shot a Waterbuck at close range and it caught the bullet (TTSX) in the far side hide. I think the hide was about .25” thick. Much thicker than elk or deer.

270 gr Speer out of 375 H&H…should do well

 

[prm]

270 gr Speer out of 375 H&H…should do well

Ha ha, adequate!

 

[ozyclint]

So how were the old grand slams constructed? what's the distinction between old and new?

 

[gerry35]

So how were the old grand slams constructed? what's the distinction between old and new?

Old ones were a dual core, bottom was harder and crimped in. New ones are one piece with a heavy jacket not too much different than the old Remington Core Lokt was. They both were made with the Hot Cor process mentioned earlier.

 

[35WhelenAI]

Old ones were a dual core, bottom was harder and crimped in. New ones are one piece with a heavy jacket not too much different than the old Remington Core Lokt was. They both were made with the Hot Cor process mentioned earlier.

The top of bottom core had a "button" of lead extending upward. Softer molten lead was poured on top of the bottom core, to create a mechanical bond between the two cores. Old advertisements for the Grand Slam show the cannelure area on the softer upper core doubling as the crimp to help with jacket/core separation in addition the the above mentioned harder bottom core having what Speer called "heel folds" to lock the base of the core to the thick jacket.

 

[gerry35]

The top of bottom core had a "button" of lead extending upward. Softer molten lead was poured on top of the bottom core, to create a mechanical bond between the two cores. Old advertisements for the Grand Slam show the cannelure area on the softer upper core doubling as the crimp to help with jacket/core separation in addition the the above mentioned harder bottom core having what Speer called "heel folds" to lock the base of the core to the thick jacket.

You're right, forgot that the bottom core melted to bond with the softer front core.

The smallest diameter they made with the dual core was the 277. The 6.5, 257 and 243 GS bullets were always a one piece core. It was too hard to do a dual core with them and they found the heavy jacket combined with the cannelure kept things together.

 

[35WhelenAI]

Yes, forgot that point about the smaller calibers being a single core and thick jacket, basically the same as the Mag-Tip of the time.

 

[USAF Ret]

I just got a HOWA 30-06. I am a huge fan of the Speer Gold Dots for hunting. Speer does not supply load data for the 168 grain Fold Dot for 30-06 because it is a "self defense" round. Anyone got a load for this bullet and caliber combination? Thanks.

 

[ihookem]

I only used one Speer for hunting and that was my sons 1st deer. It was a .243Win /100gr. boattail ( # 1220) he hit way forward and high. it was a real big old doe . The shot was 50 yds. and the deer went about 50'. The bullet was found and there was not much left but it sure did the job.. I only bought the SPeer cause I reload and in 2009 , it was the only 243 cal. bullet on the shelf.. I have bought more. Recentyl, I found a bunch of 30 cal. at a gun store . The guy died and wife sent them there . I got a few hundred 150 fr. 30cal. for 10 cents each . I dont even use 30 cal. anymore much but at that price..... Everyone sais they used to work... They still do.

 

[gerry35]

I just got a HOWA 30-06. I am a huge fan of the Speer Gold Dots for hunting. Speer does not supply load data for the 168 grain Fold Dot for 30-06 because it is a "self defense" round. Anyone got a load for this bullet and caliber combination? Thanks.

I don't you'll probably just have to use their data for 165's and just start low.

 

[Luke S]

I want to try a 375 boot tail. Anybody try thesm?