Back to Scotland soon deer stalking.The down side is..got to use copper bullets.thats the way it's going over this side of the pond.i use 120grn Bergers exclusively in my 6.5x47 Defiance. Bartlein barrel and it shoots tiny groups.Kills deer great aswell.so i purchased some copper bullets over the weekend.Virtus Precision.110 grn.type MERLIN.BC G1=.365.BC G7 =.187.they recomend a jump of 50 to 70 thou off the lands!I loaded some last night and tried them in the tunnel tonight.36.6grain of Varget 40 thou jump.bottom group.37 grain of Varget 50 thou jump.top group. 1cm click left and 1cm click down.puts the impact point the same as the 120 Bergers..interested to see what they are like on deer.(supposed to be very good!)they are CNC machined and show promise consistency wise with very little load development.
Copper hunting bullets.
- Thread starter Carl S
- Start date
Coyotefurharvester
Silver $$ Contributor
Your range will be limited by velocity, solid copper bullets require higher velocities than lead core to start expansion. Some bullets need 2000 fps(609 mps) and that will not be a complete mushroom.
I am told the Merlins expand at 1500fps..time will tell.
Ive loaded 90 gr. GMXs in a 257 weatherby. Shot under an in. 3. Figured that 257 would shoot fast enough to open them up. Havent shot any critters with them yet. They shoot good. Doug
I have found that the long jump is the only way for me to get consistent results with monometal bullets. Close to the lands would give good results and poor results, seemingly at random. Some of my barrels like the monometal bullets, and some of them don't like them at all. My best results have been with stiff loads and fairly high impact velocities.
I've also had good luck with the Hammer bullets. However, I have noticed that they don't always incapacitate whitetails as quickly as I expected. Solid hits have resulted in deer running farther than typical cup & core hits. They do everything that's claimed, so maybe it's just a few random results that I saw.
Lately, the Badlands Bulldozer II bullets have my interest. They appear to perform like Barnes bullets but are machined much better and have higher BCs. They reportedly expand at lower impact velocities too.
I agree that in many situations cup and core will incapacitate whitetails and other thin-skinned game faster than bullets that have more controlled expansion. I used to shoot crop damage deer, think a stack of tags for anterless deer, and found that the bullet cartridge combo that would drop them fastest was my 270 pushing a 130 core lokt. The 130 core lokts would expand explosively doing massive damage on broadside shots that did not hot the shoulder bones. The exit holes were quite impressive in most cases as long as the shoulder was not hit.
I would use cup and core bullets exclusively on deer if I could guarantee I would get a straight broadside shot on any deer I want to shoot. Unfortunately sometimes the trophy will not give use a classic broadside shot, that is why I would hunt with bullets that provide more controlled expansion so I can assure the bullet is intact after it plows through the shoulder on its way to the vitals.
I have only used Hammers on black bears with great results, a dead bear within 20 yards.
Same. Testing their tiny 17cal, 21gr & 4555 this week on Coyotes and hogs. (Wildcat caliber). Love them hammers. I learned you can also custom order in their design models. Having them build an Absolute Deadblow Hammer for my PDog hunt this summer.
Lonny in ID
Gold $$ Contributor
Thanks for the reports on the Hammers.
I've read in many places how easy they are to get to shoot well. I want to give them a try in a short-barreled, suppressed, 6.5 CM. The nice fellow at Hammer told me had good success on game with the lightest .264 bullet they make, the 85 gr, in his shorter barreled 6.5 rifles.
I've read in many places how easy they are to get to shoot well. I want to give them a try in a short-barreled, suppressed, 6.5 CM. The nice fellow at Hammer told me had good success on game with the lightest .264 bullet they make, the 85 gr, in his shorter barreled 6.5 rifles.
If you just want to have a little fun with the Hammers, it's possible to run the 85HH bullet with Varget at 3,700fps from a 6.5Creed. I was using the 124HH for hunting but the little high-speed demon is fun!
If there's anybody out there with a 6mm / .243 that wants to try copper hunting projectiles let me know, I have a new box + 44 in another box of the new Hornady CX in 90 grain that would not stabilize in my .243. I would get rid of them on the cheap.
Lonny in ID
Gold $$ Contributor
For those that have used the Hammers on game (deer-sized critters) Was there excessive meat damage versus say a bonded-core bullet? Lots of variables with every shot, but just trying to get an idea how they perform compared to what I have used on game. Thanks
wedgy
Gold $$ Contributor
Very little blood shot meat with the Hammers, much less than lead bullets.
Lonny in ID
Gold $$ Contributor
Thank you!
I have had no issues with TTSX & Absolute Hammer bullet for large body whitetails.
Last season was a first time around for me using the Absolute Hammer in the 6mm ARC. Only 2 deer so far with the Absolute Hammer. Chest cavity Heart shot resulted in a 80 yard death run. Neck CNS shot was a DRT result.
As for avoiding blood shot - loss, the neck shot has been as good as it gets in terms of no lost meat.
Last season was a first time around for me using the Absolute Hammer in the 6mm ARC. Only 2 deer so far with the Absolute Hammer. Chest cavity Heart shot resulted in a 80 yard death run. Neck CNS shot was a DRT result.
As for avoiding blood shot - loss, the neck shot has been as good as it gets in terms of no lost meat.
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DeerHunter82
Gold $$ Contributor
This is a good thread. Living in Adirondack region of NYS, there is millions of acres of public lands. Our esteemed politicians are focusing on banning lead ammo on all public lands. So I’ve bought a supply of TTSX to start experimenting with to stay one step ahead.
24” Barrel is 3300-3500FPS. Unless you’ve got really long barrel you’ll be pushing it.
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