On premium bullets and calibers

[moltogordo]

Hi. New guy, but experienced hunter. Thought I'd jump in with my two bits worth on our favorite topic - hunting calibers.

Trouble is, I don't have one. I'm much more concerned about the bullets I use. After taking over 50 deer and 50 black bear in my hunting life, with everything from .22 Hornets to .458 Mags, I'm of the opinion that one is better off with a .22-250 with an appropriate bullet and precise bullet placement (say a 55 gr. Sierra Gameking or a 60 grain Nosler Partition) than a .458 Winchester with a 500 grain bullet and poor shot placement.

Fact is, the only two deer I've ever lost were hit
1. too far back with a 485 gr. cast lead bullet out of a .458 Lott, and
2. another deer, a small doe, I hit in younger days with a 250 grain Speer Grandslam out of a .338, once again too far back. Ugh.

Proper bullet construction (and premiums are, to me, not always the best choice) and placement trump caliber every time. The only grizz I've ever taken was with a 105 grain Speer out of a 6mm Remington. He was minding his own business tearing apart a stump, going after something edible, I presume. Hit him in the middle of the lungs with the tiny pill and he dropped like a stone. No, I'm not recommending .243's for grizz, by the way.

I've noticed lately a lot more of my buddies complaining about deer going too far after a good hit, with the new super premiums. I tried a couple of seasons with Accubond 140's in my 7x57, and went back to my standard 140 gr. Sierra after hitting deer with good shots and having them go 40 yards farther than they should. The lighter, more frangible Sierra/Hornady/Speer standards seem to kill deer faster. Anyone else noticed the same thing?

And yes, I love guns, and own over 30 rifles of different persuasions. My favorite? A custom .375/06 improved built on a Ruger M77 Action. 260 grain Nosler at 2600. Use it for most everything but deer, where I favor my 7x57 Single Shot Ruger 1, with 140 grain Sierra flat bases, or my .22-250 Savage with 55 grain Barnes triple X's or 60 grain partitions. Drop in their tracks almost always. Hey, remember, I'm 60! Cannon days are over!

[baysider]

Finally somone agrees that these more exspensive rounds arent always better. Its funny, and maybe its just my guns and how they shoot, but ive found the same in many cases. I have a friend that went out and bought an 870 with a Luepold scope and rifled barrel. I shoot the same groups using sluggers out of a smooth bore with rifle sights at 125 yds.
I have a 742 woodsmaster that i enhirited from my grandfather. Nice gun. I went through countless rounds trying to get the gun to keep a tight group. Finally i found that the core-lock rounds performed the best for me.

Shot placement is everything. No matter what you shoot. Look for the best performing round out of your gun. Not the best advertized.

I will say that i have some friends that handload thier rounds. they have their rounds, speed, and grain dialed in with thier guns and they are hard to compete with. My deer look to be just as dead though.

[Pistolrifle]

Shot placement is everything. No matter what you shoot. Look for the best performing round out of your gun. Not the best advertized.

You got that right. And a lot of the well advertised ammo out there is really nothing more than snakeoil.

I will say that i have some friends that handload thier rounds. they have their rounds, speed, and grain dialed in with thier guns and they are hard to compete with. My deer look to be just as dead though.

Whatever works for you man. Me I like to roll my own, not just because of what I can do with a home rolled round, but because I enjoy the solitude of sitting out in my shop without anyone bugging me. Now it has been my experience that even "good" factory ammo can vary anywhere from 10 to 20% in regards to muzzle velocity. That can make a big difference. My target ammo gets between 6 and 8% and my hunting ammo sits solid at 3%. 20% is a huge gap when you are talking about a round that is marketed at 2800 ft/s. That can mean a difference of around 500ft/s or +/- 250ft/s.

Don't get me wrong, Im not knocking anyone who uses factory ammo. Just so long as you are happy with it, and it puts your game down.

[baysider]

Factory ammo should be fine for most in a hunting senario. I agree with what you say though PistolRifle in that much more can be accomplished with hand loads. Mass production of anything cuts down on quality.