.257 Faster opening

[Divernhunter]

I am going to take my 257Weatherby pronghorn hunting I do not want to use BT bullets as I have in the past and am not all that happy with them. Which would open more and faster the 110gr AB or the 115gr PAR? Both would be pushed fast.

 

[JD338]

Both will open up fast, pick the one that shoots the best.

JD338

 

[Divernhunter]

Thanks. Both shot ok. So now to load up somemore and see which works best at the range.
I have 3 tags so any suggestions for a bullet for 6.5X55 and one for 7mm-08? I was considering the 120gr BT in 7mm as it is suppose to have a heavier jacket. Or what PAR bullets for these?

 

[nitis]

what bout the 100 gr Partition?

 

[JD338]

Divernhunter

For the 6.4x55 Swedish Mauser, 120 gr BT, 125 gr PT or 130 gr AB will all work great.
The 7mm-08 will work great with the 120 gr BT. Other bullet options would include 140 gr BT, AB, or PT.

JD338

 

[Oldtrader3]

what bout the 100 gr Partition?

+1 for the 100 gr Partition bullet. They have always opened fast for me in the 25-06.

 

[Guy Miner]

Just picked up some 115 gr Partitions for my son's .257 Weatherby... :grin:

 

[JD338]

what bout the 100 gr Partition?

Another great bullet for the 257. I have had great luck with the 100 gr PT in my 257 Roberts.

JD338

 

[nitis]

another bullet that I cant afford to test but would love to in both my bee and 06 is the scirocco 2 100 gr from swift it looks deadly and has a high BC

 

[BK]

I agree, but I'm afraid either (or both!) of my .25s will love 'em, and I'll be stuck buying bullets that cost over a buck apiece!

 

[R Flowers]

Well, all I can tell you is that my dad and I are going to New Mexico next month hunting antelope and we will both be shooting .257 Wby Mags loaded with 80 grain Barnes Tipped TSX bullets.

I saw my dad shoot an antelope with that load last year at a lasered 586 yards and that buck never even twitched! DEAD RIGHT THERE!

My dad was shooting RL 19 powder, not sure of the load.

I have since bought an identical rifle to his (15 numbers apart on the serial numbers, Remington 700 LSS rifles).

My rifle shoots well with a max load of H4350 powder in a Wby case and using a Fed 215M primer. The velocity is a little over 3800 fps.

For a backup I am taking my 25-06 loaded with that same 80 grain Barnes Tipped TSX at 3600 fps.

 

[nitis]

I agree, but I'm afraid either (or both!) of my .25s will love 'em, and I'll be stuck buying bullets that cost over a buck apiece!

actually they are 50 cents ea but you have to buy 100 at a time!

 

[Mickey]

I am going to take my 257Weatherby pronghorn hunting I do not want to use BT bullets as I have in the past and am not all that happy with them. Which would open more and faster the 110gr AB or the 115gr PAR? Both would be pushed fast.

I wouldn't think the AB would open faster than the BT, as the AB bullet is a bonded bullet. Correct me if I'm wrong.
I've had guys tell me not to use the AB in my 257 Roberts, on whitetail deer, as it won't open. The 110 grain AB shoots great in my 257, and I plan on using it anyways.

 

[DrMike]

Mickey,

Welcome to the forum. We value your presence and trust you will share out of your experience so that we can all benefit. I encourage you to use the 110 grain AB in your 257. It is the primary focus of my attention in my own 257 Bob. It will open just fine at reasonable velocities, and if you do your part, you will have venison in the freezer this fall.

 

[R Flowers]

As a follow up on my comments about using the 80 grain Tipped TSX I observed what I thought was miserable performance from a 110 grain AccuBond from a .257 Wby Mag on that same hunt.

One of the guys had a new .257 Wby Mag and was shooting factory loaded 110 grain Accubonds. He hit that antelope on the shoulder and it killed the hell of the animal all right, BUT the whole side of that animal was blood shot!!!! I have never seen such a thing. It was the worst bullet performance I observed of the dozen or so antelope I saw skinned.

I have shot a number of antelope with the 100 grain Partition and the 115 grain Ballistic Tip in my 25-06. I have NEVER seen such damage.

 

[Colin]

I've shot 1 Mule Deer and 1 Antelope with the 110gr AccuBond in my .25-06. I've shot 1 200lbs Wild Boar with the 115gr Partition.

The Mule Deer was running, quartering away at about 200-215 yards. The bullet hit near the rear rib and was lodged in the 1st vertebrae, right next to the skull. Very good performance in my eyes.

The Antelope I shot at about 185 yards broadside. I hit him high on the shoulder. There was a nickle sized exit hole.

The Wild Hog was shot, running quartering away at about 100 yards. The bullet hit him in the rear ham and was lodged in the sternum. Again, very good performance in my eyes.

I did not like the performance of the AccuBond on the Antelope, as I felt the bullet was a little too tough for the animal. Next time I go for Antelope I will use the 100gr Ballistic Tip.

On that same Antelope hunt my buddy shot a buck, running, quartering away at 200 yards with his 7mm-08 using the 140gr Ballistic Tip. The bullet entered behind the shoulder and exited the neck. The buck continued on for close to a mile. Once we finally got to him and started cleaning him, we noticed that his esophagus was severed and the insides were mush. We still have no idea how he went that far. It wasn't bullet failure in any way.

 

[DrMike]

Colin,

I appreciate the clarification. Antelope are not big animals, and they do not require a big bullet to kill them. At 257 Wby velocities, it is difficult to imagine expansion that will not be violent, and especially if the bullet hits dense material, and especially if it hits bone. It is difficult to draw broad ranging conclusions based on anecdotal evidence.

I have witnessed meat that was horribly blood shot from game that was killed with monolithic bullets, and I have seen clean kills with cup and core bullets. I often use a 358 or a 356 to take game, and though the big, slow projectile seldom destroys a lot of meat, I have had instances when it did massive damage to the meat. There is a "guide" in this general area that will not permit clients to use Nosler Partitions, demanding that they use TSX bullets. He bases his decision on anecdotal evidence. I worked up a load for an individual that insisted that a 338 WM was not enough gun for moose because he had one go at least twenty yards after he shot it. This year he is toting a 375 Ruger. The bottom line is that no bullet is perfect. Few perform as designed when impact velocity exceeds maximums designed for that particular bullet. Likewise, they do not expand properly when impact velocities are lower than certain design minimums. When you get good weight retention and deep penetration, hydrostatic shock is less pronounced. When you observe violent expansion you are less likely to get the deep penetration required to reach the vitals on bigger game.

The bottom line is that it is a good idea to match the bullet you select to the game you are hunting and the cartridge you are using. We are fortunate to live at a time when we have a great number of choices, and that means that unlike the situation until the past couple of decades, we should be able to choose something that is much closer to perfection than ever before in the history of hunting.

 

[Colin]

DrMike,

As usual, you are the voice of reason!!! I agree and would take it one step further and say that (true, no bullets are perfect) but also no 2 situations are the same. For instance, was the animal hydrated or dehydrated. Where the lungs full of air or empty, was the stomach full or empty? (Not to mention bones or tendons) See what I am getting at? There are just too many factors...most of the time, what one deems bullet failure, is not bullet failure.

Maybe the 100gr Ballistic Tips "working velocity" is right at the edge of the .257 Weatherby velocities?

I just have a hard time believing that any company making bullets now-a-days is making a poor product. Sure, mistakes can be made during production, but typically the problems is corrected quickly. I, also, am not suggesting that bullets don't fail, but most times, talking to those claiming failure, are just blowing smoke over poor shot placement.

Although, I have not seen the amount of game taken as DrMike, I've seen my share and have drawn my own conclusions from what my eyes have seen.

 

[DrMike]

There are just too many factors...most of the time, what one deems bullet failure, is not bullet failure.

+1

There are so many variables that we actually work within rather narrowly defined parameters which work very well indeed most of the time.

The bullets offered by modern manufacturers are designed for a particular purpose, and so long as we do our part as shooters, they perform according to the engineered specs.

If impact velocity for a cup and core bullet is 3000 fps, then any bullet exceeding that velocity is unlikely to perform as we would anticipate.

 

[enfield fan]

My own experience with the 257 wm and the 115 grn bt came with a broad side shot @ 150 yards , shot placement was perfect but the bullet exploded on impact. Deer did an 80 yard circle then died, impact side was a hamburger mess with no bullet penetration,just one huge bloody mess. I definitely was not happy.