Would a 168gr match bullet work on deer size game? Velocities would be about 3000fps @ the muzzle.
I talked to a guy the other day and he said he has used match bullets on deer with great success.
I'd just like to see what some of you experts would have to say.
Bad idea, and it is strongly recommended against by Sierra. Use game bullets for game, leave the target bullets for paper. Match bullets will not expand consistently with their tiny hollow points and their thin jackets and soft cores. Why even use them in the first place - any tiny accuracy advantage is lost on big game hunting. Good luck to your guy, but he has made a foolish choice IMO. I can talk to "guys" who say they have had great success with .22RFs on deer too....... :wink:
I agree with lonestar-use game bullets on game-keep the match bullets for their intended use. I've seen and heard of people using match bullets on deer successfully. All I can say is sooner than later those match bullets are going to let you down. With so many good quality hunting bullets on the market today it amazes me that people wany to use match bullets on game. Just use an AccuBond and you'll have great accuracy and performance.
I think guys that hunt w/ match bullets are just rolling the dice. They may work great for 90% of your shots, after all, dead is dead right? The problem for me is that 10% of extreme failure, and when they fail they fail big. http://forums.accuratereloading.com/gro ... /569104303
Now think of driving that bullet @ 3000fps & imagine how much would be left? The reason Nosler came out w/ the Partition was to build a better hunting bullet, why bother using match bullets? The really funny part is most people shoot their deer under 250yds. I can get any bullet to shoot well enough to take deer @ 250yds, you don't need match accuray for that.
I agree that some people have used Match bullets to take game but I would not advise anyone to do so. We get customers that are getting sub MOA with our bullets. As a matter of fact I just shot .320" three shot group with our 30-180 AccuBond bullet today. So I suggest trying a bullet that is designed for hunting and find the one that gives you the groups that you’re looking for.
I forgot that I took a Texas Whitetail with that ammo. Thanks for the reminder 147 grain. About a 50 yard shot with a Sako Mannlicher .308 Winchester. I'd match the bullet to the range and velocity that you are going to be hunting. With a 3000fps velocity and a long range shot I'd take a 30-165gr Ballistic Tip, if there is a chance for a close in shot then I'd pick the 30-165gr Partition.
