Which open tipped bullet do you have experience with taking game....

[300WSM]

I value the real world opinion of shooters on this forum. Most here don't fib about knowing things they don't really have knowledge of.
That all said...I need to pick up some bullets on stand by...30 caliber to be used in 300WSM's
These will be for Whitetail sized game at this point with a possible black bear in there and perhaps mule deer and perhaps elk. The focus right now is on Whitetail deer.

I hate saying this but Nosler is a tough company to rely on these days with product availability. Better than covid days but it's light years from how Nosler once had product on the shelf.

My supply right now is "OK" but there will come a day when I am out and it's a very REAL possibility I can't obtain what I need, for my needs, at the time I need them


Sooooo...
Three bullets I am interested in...and only these three. I have vast experience with many bullets from good old core-lokt, to yellow box Winchester Silvertip, to Barnes X bullets circa mid 90's... and about anything in between.

Specifically I am interested in terminal performance of these three and only these three...
Hammer bullets...which I need to read and learn more about..

Present day Barnes TSX 165, 168, and most likely 180gr...The present offerings are much more forgiving than the original X bullet

Sierra Game King 175gr HPBT..
I've a lot of experience with the Matchking and according to Sierra it's a plug and play if you have experience with their match king 175 30 cal the game king is same same, just tougher construction.

Notice all the above are all open tipped bullets and I am insistent on this. Other than that ...Opine away...

Thx for any replies on this

 

[rjm158]

I know it's not the exact bullet you mentioned but I have used the 30 cal. 165 grain Sierra HPBT out of a 308. Accuracy was very good, and I killed a doe with it at 88 yds. A small sample size but it worked very well on paper and critter. The HPBTs use a Matchking jacket with the main difference being the nose is not squeezed shut as much as on the target bullets.

Ron

 

[flyingagg]

Barnes 30 cal 180 TSX shoots great with IMR7828 in my 300WBY. but I have never hunted with it yet.

 

[JD338]

My buddy at the farm uses the 175 SMK in his 30-378 Wby on crop damage deer. He's taken a few hundred deer with this set up and never lost a deer. I do recall seeing one where that 175 SMK just penciled through but the deer was recovered. All the other ones that I saw showed expansion.

JD338

 

[hunter24605]

The only one I've used is the Hammer. The 119 Gr absolute in 7mm-08 and the 140 Absolute in a 280 AI. The 119 from the 7-08 claimed 3 hogs and a whitetail doe. all were incredibly fast kills with massive internal damage. All but one hog fell within a few yards. The other hog was hit a bit far back and made it about 100 yards and went down. The 140 Absolute from the 280 AI has taken two deer. One in the shoulder crease dropped at the spot and one with a pretty steep quartering away enter at the last rib and exited through the off-side shoulder and the buck went about 20 yards and dived. Again, massive internal damage and the base passed through on all shedding its petals. I am very pleased with their terminal effect. Accuracy wise, they are easy to dial in and usually sub MOA in quick order following their advice to run up until you see pressure, back off 1 grain and shoot for groups. The absolutes generate some very impressive speeds, if you throw out what you know about the powders that are considered staples for any given cartridge and used faster burning powders than you generally would. I'm a fan, other than the cost. I have found that in cases with smaller volumes, like the Grendel and ARC, the absolutes don't really generate much speed increase over their Hunter line of bullets due to case capacity and fill rate. Also they don't seem real picky over COAL, but naturally tweaking jump can work well.

 

[RL338]

With Hammers I’ve seen personal mixed reviews. Last year my son shot a buck with 90gr AH out of a 257 Wby and the doggone thing went 30yds into nasty tall grass and brush. Never underestimate an animals will to live. Lungs were soup plugging the small caliber exit hole leaving no blood trail.
404gr SH out of the 460 Wby turns a deer inside out. Those are the 2 Hammer bullets we taken game with so far.
I have several hundred 500gr TSX but never take game with. Very accurate on paper. I opt for the TTSX instead and taken many deer with them in several calibers.

 

[300WSM]

My buddy at the farm uses the 175 SMK in his 30-378 Wby on crop damage deer. He's taken a few hundred deer with this set up and never lost a deer. I do recall seeing one where that 175 SMK just penciled through but the deer was recovered. All the other ones that I saw showed expansion.

JD338

That's good info on the Sierra.
Your friend is using the actual match king or the game king replica of the match king?

 

[JD338]

Match Kings. I don't really have any pictures of his rifle or ammunition. Just this one of my daughter shooting his 30-378 Wby at 800 yards a few years ago
JD338

 

[Blkram]

I have taken coyotes with the 90 gr Sierra HP in a 270 Wby (doing close to 4000 fps out of the B-78's 28" barrel)...massive damage...blew them wide open from throat to under the tail...no need to field dress!

Took one moose at 100 yards with a Barnes 140 X Bullet in a 6.5x55. Dead on its feet, but not yet down, so it got another round to finish it. It landed just a few feet from where it took the first shot. I haven't actually taken any game yet with the TSX.

DrMike shot a decent sized black bear once with a TSX out of the BLR 358 Win (a very accurate load in that rifle). Shot appeared to be good in the chest, broadside. Want to say it was about a 140 yard shot, but cannot recall for sure. I had stayed back to watch as he made the final stalk to a good shooting position and rest.
We tracked that bear for several hundred yards, until the sparse blood trail ran out in the black spruce. Never did find it, and Mike spent a number of days in the area looking afterwards. No signs found.
Made me wonder if the bullet had gone through that space above the lungs, below the spine, on the bear's exhale where the lungs were deflated, and where it did not hit any vitals.

I have taken game (caribou, mule deer, whitetail and mtn goat) with the Ballistic Tip with the 270 Win, from 95-150 yards, but never with the Silver Tip, which is the same bullet with the lubalox (IIRC) coating, although I have tried the ammo in a couple fo rifles over the years. I would have no worries with taking game with it, if it performs well in your rifle. I just found that the regular BT worked better in my rifles I tried it in, than the Silver Tip did.

 

[DrMike]

I remember that track with dismay, Gil.

 

[300WSM]

I have taken coyotes with the 90 gr Sierra HP in a 270 Wby (doing close to 4000 fps out of the B-78's 28" barrel)...massive damage...blew them wide open from throat to under the tail...no need to field dress!

Took one moose at 100 yards with a Barnes 140 X Bullet in a 6.5x55. Dead on its feet, but not yet down, so it got another round to finish it. It landed just a few feet from where it took the first shot. I haven't actually taken any game yet with the TSX.

DrMike shot a decent sized black bear once with a TSX out of the BLR 358 Win (a very accurate load in that rifle). Shot appeared to be good in the chest, broadside. Want to say it was about a 140 yard shot, but cannot recall for sure. I had stayed back to watch as he made the final stalk to a good shooting position and rest.
We tracked that bear for several hundred yards, until the sparse blood trail ran out in the black spruce. Never did find it, and Mike spent a number of days in the area looking afterwards. No signs found.
Made me wonder if the bullet had gone through that space above the lungs, below the spine, on the bear's exhale where the lungs were deflated, and where it did not hit any vitals.

I have taken game (caribou, mule deer, whitetail and mtn goat) with the Ballistic Tip with the 270 Win, from 95-150 yards, but never with the Silver Tip, which is the same bullet with the lubalox (IIRC) coating, although I have tried the ammo in a couple fo rifles over the years. I would have no worries with taking game with it, if it performs well in your rifle. I just found that the regular BT worked better in my rifles I tried it in, than the Silver Tip did.

Well...the Ballistic Silver Tip for me has always shot every bit as good as the regular BT but...
The fouling ....
The lubalox coating absolutely helps in ridding any and all foreign matter in the bbl. That was my findings.

I am really finnicky about cleaning (not saying you aren't) but that is why I had stayed with them in any caliber I can...and where applicable. I demand a mirror finish when I clean the bore of any of my weapons including my trap guns which would be the weapon that can get away with filth and keep trucking...but even that I get to mirror like fiinish.

That all said I'm trying to get a backup plan in place and rather than chasing my tail...or rather the dogs tail would be more appropriate...on researching 100 different bullets before settling on one I have simply picked three bullets out and will decide on one and get some to be on standby. ( unless I can't get it to shoot)

Jd338 has me leaning toward the Sierra 175 grain HPBT but in the game king variety.
Sierra claims this about that GK version of the 30 cal HPBT
The exact duplicate of the renown 175 grain Matchking. The 175 hollowpoing boattail Gameking has the same ogive profile and dimensions of the MatchKing. This allows you to have a true Match bullet and a Hunting bullet that will require no seating die changes. This bullet was designed to give reliable expansion in midrange velocities on hogs, deer, and bear sized animals. It sports the same .505 (G1) B.C. and the Matchking. Accuracy has been as phenomenal as it’s Match twin. Give these an opportunity to prove the match accurate hunting bullet qualities it provides. Sold in 100 count (#2175) and 500 count (2175C) boxes.

Given that JD338's mate is harvesting well with the matchking version, the GK replica of the MK should prove to be every bit as good and possibly better assuming it's a more dedicated hunting bullet versus the target version JD's friend has had such success with.

I am leaning this way at this point but still open. I need more info on the Hammer bullets.

This is all just to have a backup plan on my shelf because if my supply was what it is today back during covid I would've been in major trouble. In other words when Nosler had no product going out or seemingly mostly only using bullets for their loaded ammo...
Combined technologies be damned because there wasn't anything in the calibers I shoot minus one..
I was able to get 25 caliber Ballistic Silvertip 115 gr but that is for a gun I keep for my grand kids or any new shooter in our crew...
I couldn't find anything 30 caliber except maybe the 30 cal RN bullets in the 150 gr and that weird 45 cal ...regular BT or BST or AccuBond...I couldn't find anything and I have some amazing resources having worked deep in the industry for a long time.

So I need a backup plan and have experience with SMK bullets in matches 600 yards out...

We will see and thx for the reply

 

[300WSM]

Match Kings. I don't really have any pictures of his rifle or ammunition. Just this one of my daughter shooting his 30-378 Wby at 800 yards a few years ago
JD338

Thx for sharing...

What is the weapon that 30 kong is chambered in?

I can't make out the stampings on the receiver. The spiral fluted bolt I recognize but not with that style of safety.

 

[JD338]

Thx for sharing...

What is the weapon that 30 kong is chambered in?

I can't make out the stampings on the receiver. The spiral fluted bolt I recognize but not with that style of safety.

Yes, the rifle is a custom made by McMillan and based on a M700 action. I don't recall the barrel maker and it has a Vias brake that is very effective. My daughter weighs 100 lbs and has no issues shooting it.
It is chambered in 30-378 Weatherby.
I'm not a fan of using target bullets for hunting. I have seen countless deer taken with the 175 SMK so it works if put in the vitals. Having said that, I would feel better using the SGK version.

JD338