Old school Winchester Silver Tips

[lefty315]

Grandad used to swear by the old Winchester Silver tips. I've got a bunch of then loaded up specifically for a sporterized 03 Springfield with a Williams peep sight on it. I've been thinking about using it this year if I draw a spring bear tag for Western Washington. Anyone ever use them on tougher critters like a black bear?

 

[JD338]

I've used the WW 30-06 180 gr Silver Tips on WT deer in my youth and worked.
Put it where it needs to go and you will be fine. It's a cool classic bullet.

JD338

 

[1100 Remington Man]

The one and only Black Bear I shot was with my 300 H&H Mag with 180gr Silver Tip.
Just FYI they would shoot one inch groups at 100 yards.

 

[Anonymous]

I used a lot of the old 125gr Silvertips in the '06 for some depredation work. Behind the shoulder they dropped deer like Thor's hammer.

I see no reason not to shoot a bear with one unless you try to break them down with shoulder shots. Black bear are pretty lightly built, especially in the spring when they are thin from their nap.

 

[gerry]

I used the 180 and 220 gr Silvertip's in my 30-06 on moose and bears in the early 1990's, they worked but were pretty soft. Not sure how they were before that but I switched to the Speer G.S. after that with excellent results.

 

[Elkman]

My grandpa used them in his 300 Savage for many years, for both deer and elk. Penetration was lacking because of bullet disintegration. One elk I remember particularly was quartering away, and took a bullet just forward of the hindquarter. That side of the rib cage was totally bloodshot as well a major portion of the shoulder. I hate to think of what one would do out of a 300 mag.
Dad with his 06 had penetration problems with the 180 gr Sierra. Both of these occurrences were in the late 50's. Dad switched to the 180 Partitions in the early 60's and never used another hunting bullet after that.

 

[lefty315]

It's not like I don't have plenty of .30 cal bullets that are tougher. There's just something a little nostalgic using some old 180 grain Silver tips out of classic rifle. I've never used them before and had heard they were a bit on the fragile side. Didn't know how they'd hold up against a larger bear if I took a quartering towards or shoulder shot.

 

[Elkman]

I have called in a few Arizona coyotes while I have been down here this winter. My rifle of choice has been a Remington Tactical in .308, using 168 gr Nosler CC. These bullets are extremely accurate in this rifle, but I will not use them again for hunting. I have had two coyotes shake off a dead on hit and run off out of sight. . Next year I will be using a soft point bullet. I really think it works the best when when you match the bullet for the application.

 

[Guy Miner]

Maybe reserve those old Silvertips for deer? And go after your bear with Partitions or Accubonds?

Guy

 

[truck driver]

Dad used them in his Pre War M70 30-06 and swore by them for deer. They would really mess a white tail up.

 

[35 Whelen]

What makes me think the tip was just Aluminum?, Is that possible???? I remember some old timers claimed that the Silvertips would" really knock them" mostly from 30/30s.
LoL now that I think back on it, most of them only ever had two or three crotchorns or a lamb deer hanging in their front yard ,all the time I knew them. So not sure one should probably put a lot of weight on "their" choice of projectiles. :?
Love to have a dollar for every time some nimrod told me about all the deer some relative has shot in his lifetime. A common reference was " if you had them all in one pile" it was a sight to
Behold indeed!

 

[lefty315]

Maybe I'll just keep them for paper punching till they run out. There's just something weird about seeing a ballistic tip style bullet in the magazine of an open sighted gun. It's needs something more blunt. I might have to dig around on the shelf and see what else I've got.

 

[Polaris]

I shot a few deer with them in .308 win and they acted like a conventional soft point, but somewhat more erratic. Cross sectioned one out of curiosity, and the tip was an aluminum cap folded under the jacket.

A guy in our hunting party used some in .35 rem, and had the FMJ experience. They seem to not like lower velocities. If you want a cool old school bullet for your 06, find some Norma Alaskas. 180 gr RN specifically built for tougher game at '06 velocities

 

[Cleveland48]

I used a lot of the old 130 grain silvertips and they were mean medicine on deer. Probably my favorite 270 bullet


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[REDGREEN]

I have shot whitetail with the 180 grain out of the 300 mag. Don't worry about shooting a scrawny black bear with them. It will fall over, and your work will begin.

 

[LzquierdoMadeleyn]

Grandad used to swear by the old Winchester Silver tips. I've got a bunch of then loaded up specifically for a sporterized 03 Springfield with a Williams peep sight on it. I've been thinking about using it this year if I draw a spring bear tag for Western Washington. Anyone ever use them on tougher critters like a black bear?

For a spring black bear, I'd probably lean the same way as Guy mentioned and save them for deer, honestly. If you've got some Accubonds or Partitions on the shelf, that's what I'd grab. Those old Silvertips are cool as hell for the nostalgia factor, but no sense taking a chance on a bear tracking job when you've got better options, right? I ended up pulling the ones I had and just use them for plinking now. They still shoot great, but I feel better knowing I've got something tougher in the mag if I'm heading into the woods.

 

[Blkram]

I have taken game (deer, black bear, and moose) with Silver Tips in different cartridges (30-30 and 30-06) over the years.
While most of these animals were taken at relatively close range (under 100 yards) and the moose was at about 200 yards, with proper bullet placement, they all died quickly.

As stated, the Silver Tip is a softer bullet.
The Winchester Power Point is another bullet that was regularly loaded in their ammo, that is of stouter construction, and my personal preference to use, where available,and I have used it successfully in the 270 Win, 358 Win, and 375 Win, on big game as well. I prefer its on-game performance and still use it today. I also have ammo with this bullet in the 250 Savage, 257 Roberts, 6.5 Creedmoor, and 35 Rem, but have yet to take game with this ammo, in those rifles.
I have even found some components over the years, and one day will get round to developing a load with the 0.284" 150 gr for the 7mm-08 in my rebarreled Winchester Model 88. Make a great load for still hunting deer and bear in the timber.

I wouldn't hesitate to use on your black bear hunt, if it shoots well in your rifle, but would recommend limiting shots to reasonable, distances. If you were going after very large, heavy bears in the fall, or may need to take a shot longer than 200 yards or so, you may want to try a stouter bullet, like the Power Point, Partition, or AccuBond. Of course, there a host of other good bullets out there to try, if any of these prove inaccurate in your rifle.

 

[1100 Remington Man]

Yes I have taken one Bear with my 300 H&H Mag and 180gr Silvertips it was one and done back in the early 1980’s.
Just a foot note the 150gr Silvertips were not as accurate as the 180gr Silvertips in my gun. My Father shot a few Antelope with it and 150gr bullets and it worked well.

 

[RememberBaker]

I like the Silvertips just because I like the cool factor of old school stuff. I have 257 Robert’s and 250 Savage Winchester Silvertip ammo but I don’t hunt with it. I just bought some 348 Win ammo loaded with the 200 grain Silvertips and I’m planning to hunt deer with them this fall.

 

[Bruce Mc]

The first three shots fired from my Rem 700 classic 257 in 1982 were 100gr silvertips. They grouped near 1/2" and dead center with a bore sighted scope. I knew then the rifle was going to be special. I shot two boxes of them and took coyotes and javelinas. It took a while to get in a set of reloading dies back then.