Best bullet over 115g for hunting?

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plant.one
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Re: Best bullet over 115g for hunting?

Post by plant.one »

when did the SST get revised to 1800-1850? i could have swore this was documented at 1600 on the effective range thread?
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dellet
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Re: Best bullet over 115g for hunting?

Post by dellet »

plant.one wrote:when did the SST get revised to 1800-1850? i could have swore this was documented at 1600 on the effective range thread?
The only Hornady bullets I know of that are designed to expand below 1800 are made for 30-30. I have tested the 150sst and at 1700 through 30" gel you can load it and shoot it again.

Hornady has a generic video for the SST line that has 1850 minimum. Sorry can't get a link to work from the phone.

If you have different info it would be good to know.
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plant.one
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Re: Best bullet over 115g for hunting?

Post by plant.one »

viewtopic.php?f=145&t=97188

maybe you could download a 125 sst to around 1600 and test is for us?


that 1600 FPS number has been floating around here on the forum for the 125 sst for some time now that i recall reading.
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Re: Best bullet over 115g for hunting?

Post by MinimalistNutter »

On the Hornady subject, I was reading earlier the ELD-X(178gr) is also supposed to expand down to 1600, Hornady has photos of the bullet and gel after around a 1725fps impact.
We know that the 175 gr SMK out of a 16" barrel can move at a decent pace to make major so if one could launch that ELD X at 1850 MV it would make it to 175 yards before dipping below 1600. Maybe somebody has already played with it and discounted it as a viable option, I don't know.

Just thinking out loud. Numbers don't mean real world performance.


Source: "a technical discussion of the ELD-X" PDF
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dellet
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Re: Best bullet over 115g for hunting?

Post by dellet »

125 SST, 1650 fps at impact. It did tumble tho.

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dellet
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Re: Best bullet over 115g for hunting?

Post by dellet »

MinimalistNutter wrote:On the Hornady subject, I was reading earlier the ELD-X(178gr) is also supposed to expand down to 1600, Hornady has photos of the bullet and gel after around a 1725fps impact.
We know that the 175 gr SMK out of a 16" barrel can move at a decent pace to make major so if one could launch that ELD X at 1850 MV it would make it to 175 yards before dipping below 1600. Maybe somebody has already played with it and discounted it as a viable option, I don't know.

Just thinking out loud. Numbers don't mean real world performance.


Source: "a technical discussion of the ELD-X" PDF
I tried the ELD X when it came out. It's much longer than an SMK, so it robs a lot of case capacity. I had expansion to just under .450" at 1750 and figured that would be the bottom end of the effective range. Going with the 168 makes more sense, if they made a 155 it would be wonderful..

If you're adventurous 2050 is possible in a 16" barrel with the 178 ELD X. Bolt action only and it's a duplex load.
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plant.one
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Re: Best bullet over 115g for hunting?

Post by plant.one »

dellet wrote:125 SST, 1650 fps at impact. It did tumble tho.

Image

well there we go.. wonder what we can do to update the bullet info thread....

thank you for putting some real world results on what now looks to be erroneous data.
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Re: Best bullet over 115g for hunting?

Post by cwlongshot »

Right off the bat Ill say Hornady 125 SST as I have used it for years now and dozens of animals taken always does what I have needed it to.

I have used a number of bullets over 115g on deer/coyotes. none have failed, some are better then others. Truth told, I have only a few with bullets LESS than 115! :shock: :roll:

Sierra 125 FP HP bullet. I have used it in the 30-30 before on deer and my friends boy took a hand full with it years ago. So when I got a 300 it was my first choice. It was very good on first deer, but not so on the second. Long shot 155-160 yards angled away. The bullet broke the leg but failed to enter the chest cavity. it traveled under the skin up into the throat and exited. I got the deer fine, but this was my reason to limit the range on the lil 300 to 125. Not a bullet failure as much as a power failure.

Speer 130FP. This is a tough lil bullet and a good one for deep penetration. It will expand but not violently like some others. Two deer and one Coyote, with this one.

Sierra 135 HP Varmint. I have only used this one on a Coyote, but see no reason it wouldn't be as good on deer. Others here have reported it as fragile, so maybe avoid big bones up close...

Nosler BT 125. This is also a real good bullet. With its tapered jacked should hold up well to bones. We have used it on 2-4 deer and never a problem or a recovered bullet.

All of my experience is with 16" guns and 125g velocities about 2200 fps & 130's just over 2000. Real world, hands on personal experience on NE deer averaging 125# for does, 150+ for bucks & 50# for Coyotes.

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dellet
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Re: Best bullet over 115g for hunting?

Post by dellet »

cwlongshot wrote:Right off the bat Ill say Hornady 125 SST as I have used it for years now and dozens of animals taken always does what I have needed it to.

I have used a number of bullets over 115g on deer/coyotes. none have failed, some are better then others. Truth told, I have only a few with bullets LESS than 115! :shock: :roll:

Sierra 125 FP HP bullet. I have used it in the 30-30 before on deer and my friends boy took a hand full with it years ago. So when I got a 300 it was my first choice. It was very good on first deer, but not so on the second. Long shot 155-160 yards angled away. The bullet broke the leg but failed to enter the chest cavity. it traveled under the skin up into the throat and exited. I got the deer fine, but this was my reason to limit the range on the lil 300 to 125. Not a bullet failure as much as a power failure.

Speer 130FP. This is a tough lil bullet and a good one for deep penetration. It will expand but not violently like some others. Two deer and one Coyote, with this one.

Sierra 135 HP Varmint. I have only used this one on a Coyote, but see no reason it wouldn't be as good on deer. Others here have reported it as fragile, so maybe avoid big bones up close...

Nosler BT 125. This is also a real good bullet. With its tapered jacked should hold up well to bones. We have used it on 2-4 deer and never a problem or a recovered bullet.

All of my experience is with 16" guns and 125g velocities about 2200 fps & 130's just over 2000. Real world, hands on personal experience on NE deer averaging 125# for does, 150+ for bucks & 50# for Coyotes.

Good luck,
CW
I'll agree this was a power failure, but first and foremost it was a bullet choice failure. It has a BC that is terrible and even in a 30-30 at 2500 fps, it's basically only a 200 yard bullet.

With a muzzle velocity of 2200 fps, at 150 yards that bullet (Sierra 125 HP/FN) had less than 700 pounds of energy and likely below the velocity required for reliable expansion.

A 125 SST at the same muzzle velocity would have hit at about 1000 pounds and been well within expansion velocity. Same with a Barnes 110 at a MV of 2400.

Bullet choice and an understanding of ballistics are critical in a low powered cartridge, as is shot placement.
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Re: Best bullet over 115g for hunting?

Post by rebel »

I'll weigh in here.
In the early days, everyone was scrambling around looking for a good load for hunting. Most started off repurposing 30 cal bullets designed and built with 30/30 or 308 velocities in mind. 30/30 velocities are closer to 300 Blk, but the bullets tend to be flat nosed, or like the FTX, the ogive isn't really optimum.These bullets shed velocity FAST due to lousy BCs. Here we are in 2018 and have a few more choices. 300 Blk specific designed projectiles are where the best performance lies.

Now most here that have followed any of my posts know I shoot many different cartridges and calibers. I also hunt and target shoot. Do I mind being called a "fanboy". Not really as I shoot so many cartridges, all have merit and their place. I find the 300 Blk fills many roles well, knowing it's limitations and advantages, as with any cartridge, serves one well in the field. So call me a fanboy, I sincerely doubt most would were they sitting across the table from me.

All that being said, with hunting a 200 yard broadside to the vitals, with a properly designed bullet is no problem. Think of it as the difference between a recurve bow and a compound bow. They both kill the same, one allows you to make longer shots easier because it is faster. I find derogatory terms used to describe the cartridge shows a lack of understanding of ballistics and with hunting, if one feels that they need bigger and faster, perhaps they should reassess their ability and skill level.
OK rant portion and possible derail over.... :roll:

To the OP, with the parameters I listed, in wooded terrain where average shots ( were the truth known ) under 50 yards and a long shot was 150 yards, I wouldn't trade the killing ability of the Blackout for the legendary 308. This assumes the shot placement is good and both bullets are well designed. If I thought I needed more gun because of terrain, fine. If I thought I needed more gun because I couldn't drop a southern whitetail. I'd quit hunting.
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