105 gr A-Max ?

[Gman]

Is the 6mm Hornady 105 gr A-Max a good bullet to use on PA whitetail deer ? (in a .243 Win) Will it expand or just poke a hole through the "behind the shoulder shot" ? The body weight of the deer will be around 120-150 lbs, but we do hear of an ocassional buck weighing 200-220 lbs that is harvested. I have always used 100 gr Sierra Game Kings, (with good results) but was curious if the extra 5 gr of bullet weight will give a noticeable amount of killing energy. Thanks

 

[Kenny474]

No, the A-Max is about as poor a bullet as you could want to use. Stick with the game kings.

It states right on the Hornady site, and I believe the box as well, "For Target Use Only".

Use a bullet designed for hunting, you will be much happier.

 

[Skunce]

My Hornady manual lists the 105 A-max as Target-Match, Varmint, and Medium Game. I haven't used them on deer, so I can't say how they preform.

 

[RonAKA]

The Sierra GameKing is a good bullet for your application. If you want better, I would suggest the Nosler Partition in 95 or 100 grains.

 

[Erik Cortina]

As a matter of fact, deer become "targets" when hunting! ;D

Alot of people use A-Max for hunting with good results, I myself am going to use them this year on my 6.5x47 Lapua for deer.

Don't forget that the Berger VLD's were a "target only" bullet at one point!

 

[Dgd6mm]

I killed 3 less then a month ago with a 140 Amax in a .260. I went to Longrange hunting and did a search. Hundreds apond hundreds of posts on the success they had useing them. I read about the first 50 and stopped, not one was a negative post about performance. The 3 I shot had terminal damage as if I used the Nosler BT's that I've shot Deer with. Dead is dead, they were not going anywhere. And yes they are also intended for hunting medium game. I'll use them in all my Deer hunting calibers. I built some 105 Amax's for my brother, he passed on all the Deer that weekend. He wanted horns, I wanted meat. ;D

 

[Preacher]

Sorry Kenny, but the 105 A-Max will kill any deer your apt to shoot at if you put it close to where it belongs...
I've even killed a few deer with the .224 cal 75 grain A-Max..... you just need to put em where it counts.....

 

[6BRinNZ]

The 105 A-max seems to be a pretty good all round bullet, we are using it in a 6BRs for rabbit shooting between 200 - 600yrds.....it does a lot more than just drill little holes on a rabbit....kinda suprising given its main purpose appears to be for matches. On that note it doubles as a cheaper round for F-class club days.

Just wish I could get some...I am down to my last 100....sigh...

 

[djtjr]

the a-max is an amazing bullet it has match accruacy but is also devestating on game. it has really become a go to bullet for me in lr plinkers that i also hunt. i use it in almost all of my long range hunting guns. i have used the 105 and 140 on many deer and some of the larger ones up to the 208 on everything bigger in africa etc. if you heard they are not good on game i can assure you thats not true. great combo of bc and terminal performance.

 

[Kenny474]

I used a 208gr A-Max on a deer in the past. (accidentally brought the wrong box of bullets) I will never use one again. I am not a big fan of 6"+ diameter exit wounds on an animal whose meat I intend to eat. Lost a whole shoulder and then some. If I had used my normal 180gr Nosler BT, that never would have been nearly as bad.

 

[Erik Cortina]

I used a 208gr A-Max on a deer in the past. (accidentally brought the wrong box of bullets) I will never use one again. I am not a big fan of 6"+ diameter exit wounds on an animal whose meat I intend to eat. Lost a whole shoulder and then some. If I had used my normal 180gr Nosler BT, that never would have been nearly as bad.

Sounds like it killed the deer! ;D

 

[Kenny474]

I used a 208gr A-Max on a deer in the past. (accidentally brought the wrong box of bullets) I will never use one again. I am not a big fan of 6"+ diameter exit wounds on an animal whose meat I intend to eat. Lost a whole shoulder and then some. If I had used my normal 180gr Nosler BT, that never would have been nearly as bad.

Sounds like it killed the deer! ;D

Dead is an understatement. It was one of the most horrific kill sites I have ever seen.

I could fit my entire fist into the exit hole with room to spare, and my hands aren't exactly tiny.

I'm not saying they won't kill deer or other game, only that the damage has been excessive in my experience.

But, it was pretty cool looking, and it sure did make one hell of an awesome mess!

 

[ollie]

Amax is the best hunting bullet for deer sized game no matter what the hornday web site says.

 

[HillbillySniper]

I know of buddies shooting deer out to 800 plus yard with the amax and the results are the same Bang Flop!!!

 

[65BR]

200 yds, spine shot, bullet blew completely in 1-2", which is WHY I shot her there, I knew speed was still high. DOA/DRT

400 yds, buck, double lunged, golf ball sized exit, struggled hard to stay on feet, down in 20 yds.

Head shot 45 steps....another DRT.

6BR, 2850 mv

Yep, they kill fine, you just don't want to try penetrating much to vitals on closer shots, at say 300/350+, it gets better and it's a bullet that you can count on expanding, something not all bullets do as well at reduced speeds.