Round Nose bullets

[ElmerThud]

... out of favour with modern day shooter? :shock:

Is that so,
or is it just that for smaller calibre rifles, .243, .257, .264 so few choices are available.
In 6.5/.264 cal. I can only find 160gn RN bullets. Nothing in 120, 130 or 140gn range in .243 very little choice & .257 nothing at all available.

I know in .264/6.5 the RN bullet is bone crunchingly deadly and used to use before discontinued, the Speer 105gn RN in .243Win. to good effect.

It would be good to see a little more choice & availability of a range of round nose bullets.
Thoughts?

 

[PJGunner]

Hmmm, thought? Oh yeah. What I see it round nose bullets are now so far out of favor that seeing more new ones just might not happen. Sierra dropped my favorite 7MM bullet, their 170 gr. round nose many years ago. I called and asked them if they would ever do another run and they said, "Not likely unless we were flooded with requests." Now Hornady has dropped most, if not all round nose bullets from their listings. I was lucky enough to find a supply of the Sierra 170 gr. bullets at a gun show and a few boxes off the web.
I used to use the Norma 160 gr. RN in my 6.5x54 Mannlicher until some low life stole out of my truck in Elko Nevada. :x It had been gifted to me by the wife of a late gunsmith friend. I still look for that rifle every time I get up that way. Someday I just might get lucky. You never know.
Sadly, I think round nose bullet are going the way of the dodo bird. Everybody seem to want high velocity and long range these days. I've been hunting some or another since 1954 and I can think of maybe three animals that were too far out for a round nose bullet, Mule Deer at 426/7 paces, cow elk at 530 yards laser measured and cow elk at 350 yards laser measured. I'm even giving serious thought to taking my 7x57 with some 170 Sierras and hunt at least part time for my cow elk this coming December. My .35 Whelen will be the back up rifle should conditions warrant.
Paul B.

 

[coop22250]

I have used RN partitions, also the protected tip partitions. They are a bit flat on the end, low BC. But boy do they both pack a punch.


I have yet to begin to procrastinate

 

[gerry]

I still use a few RN bullets and really like them In 358 Win the Sierra and Hornady 200's shoot well and I have a bear load with the 225 gr Woodleigh RN bullet. The 180 gr Speer FN isn't an RN but close enough. In 303 British the Speer 180 gr RN is a favourite. My favourite bullet in the 270 Win is the 160 gr semi spitzer Partition. I'll use that bullet as long as they still make it. Back in the day I used the 220 gr semi spitzer Partition as well and loved it.

 

[Slimfinn]

Hornady still has a 117gr round nose for 257

 

[Anonymous]

The hunting world is as fad driven as any. Give it a few years and everyone will be screaming for the "bone crunching performance" of a round nosed bullet...

I do think that for most folks, a good round nosed bullet will do anything that they need to do. Art Alphin designed a lot of his A-Square bullets with a RN profile on purpose. His take was that the RN was perfectly adequate up to about 300 yards without worrying about the BC or aerodynamic drag.

 

[1Shot]

I have killed hundreds of white tail deer over the past 49 years. Did crop damage control for 15 years. To be honest in about 80% of these kills a round nose bullet would have worked just a good as any of the sleek long range bullets because they were inside 300 yards. You just have to know your rifle and what your point of impact compared to your point of aim will be. I loaded up some 160 gr Sierra RN for a friend that had a sported Swedish Mauser carbine 18" barrel 6.5x55 many years ago before I had a chronograph. Probably ran in the 2350 to 2400 fps range. Man did that bullet penetrate and kill deer. He shot one BIG BUCK in the chest as it faced him from about 35 yards in the laurel thickets of east TN. Bullet plowed a good size hole completely through the buck and exited right beside its bung hole and dropped it in it's tracks. I have used a few RN bullets to kill deer over the years. The 30-30 Win 150 gr Rem and Win factory ammo in rifles and 150 Hornady RN in my first T/C Contender pistol 10" barrel 30-30 Win. In the 7.62x54R the Hornady 174 gr RNSP is a deadly bullet on deer. I have a stock pile of these and I hope Hornady does not decide to discontinue them because these are the only heavy .312 diameter bullets that I can find that one of my MN model 91s and a carbine will shoot because of there bores that slugged out .311 diameter but will not shoot .311 Sierra or Speer bullets and will not shoot well with 150 gr Hornady .312 spitzers but will shoot under 1" at 100 with open sights when I do my part with the 174 RN. I have used the stock military carbine for thick woods hunting where things happen close and quickly and it is deadly. Heck I think the muzzle blast and the fire ball from it could kill a deer LOL.

 

[ElmerThud]

I used to use the Norma 160 gr. RN in my 6.5x54 Mannlicher until some low life stole out of my truck in Elko Nevada. :x It had been gifted to me by the wife of a late gunsmith friend. I still look for that rifle every time I get up that way. Someday I just might get lucky. You never know. Paul B.

That’s such a shame.
I have two....one, a beaten up stutzen, the other, a ‘Takedown’ being re-barrelled just now.
Both are 6.5x54 MSch. Wonderful kipplauf’s. I use the Hornady 160gn RN bullet.

 

[PJGunner]

"Back in the day I used the 220 gr semi spitzer Partition as well and loved it."

I still have a couple of boxes of .300 Win. Mag. I loaded with that bullet especially for my first .300 Mag. Ruger #1, a B model. Three shot groups averaged .735" to .50" all day long. That's one bullet I wish Nosler had not dropped. :x
Paul B.

 

[gerry]

Paul Nosler still shows the 220 gr PT in their store.

https://shop.nosler.com/partition-30-ca ... -50ct.html

 

[ElmerThud]

Hornady still has a 117gr round nose for 257

Indeed they do, but finding any on the dealers shelves in the UK is like tracking down rocking horse poo. They just don’t bring them in.
So In my 25-06 I use the Nosler AB. They are good and reliable.

 

[preacher]

I love Woodleigh round nose, followed by Hornady, Sierra, and Corlokts.

 

[Cleveland48]

I'm a huge fan of the round nose bullets. That's all I feed my 9.3x62. Would love to find some 7mm RN for my 275 rigby. Found a few boxes of S&B 140 RN. As far as just bullets too load I think they have all been discontinued in 7mm. Still some options in 9.3 though. Some of the prettiest mushrooms I've ever seen came from RN bullets.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

[Guy Miner]

Am down to my last few, now discontinued, 270 gr RNSP .375" Hornady bullets. A shame, because they shoot very accurately.

Do have some of the 235 grain Speer "semi-spitzer" bullets too.

Am using the 350 gr RNSP Hornady in my 45/70 Marlin. It's shooting well. Have taken no game with it yet, but am quite confident in the bullet.

Have a couple of boxes of the 220 grain, 30 caliber Nosler Partitions on hand. :grin:

Also some 170 gr Remington round-nose bullets for the 30-30.

Can't think of any other round-nose bullets I have on hand, but am sad to see them gradually being dropped by the manufacturers.

Guy