Whats your best deer bullet?

[Coleridge]

Berger hunting VLDs. You won't have a trail. Bang flop, DRT, They go NOWHERE.

Somebody should tell all the deer around here that. Obviously somewhere around half the ones local have no idea of this phenomenon, and about half of those decide not to bleed any (or VERY little); especial for the first 30 yards or so.

There's no accounting for poorly placed shots. :-X

;D I was expecting a reply from that...

I utterly agree that shot placement is beyond importance. I also think that shot placement is more key, than the bullet used to "dropping" deer. Yes some of the more fragile bullets will send more "shrapnel" around & hence giving a better chance of CNS hit. But any bullet in the right place will result in a folded deer.

I have shot a bunch of deer, with the VLD-H. We have very liberal limits here in NC (you can kill over 1000 in one season if you like skinning that much) & we also have a target rich environment. If you haven't had one take off & go for the gold yet... just keep shooting!

I never said that the Berger was a bad bullet. The deer will be laying there within 50 yards typically, but you get a PINHOLE going it (like you have to really look damn good to find the entrance on the outside of hide) & if it doesn't exit there is no blood until it starts coming out of the nose (usually around 30-40 yards).

I like the Bergers & with a little tinkering I don't think you will find a hunting bullet that will outshoot them; close or far. But if you want blood trails EVERY time; there are better bullets out there.

 

[savagedasher]

When choosing a bullet a person should pick one that will work in the worst sierino
Any will work with a well placed shot. Larry

 

[CharlieNC]

From my research terminal performance for drop dead is at odds with pass through, and bullets are designed to excel primarily for one of those factors. Large wound channels kill best. On that basis I like the Berger vld. But I shot a hog with a little 125gr Sierra Pro Hunter in 308 and it did the most damage I have ever seen, blew the side of his head off at 100yd.

 

[swd]

I'm always a fan of the Nosler Partition. A classic big game bullet if there ever was one. It put 2 in the freezer this year.

 

[hogpatrol]

Now if you want a really good blood trail, go with a 3 & 1/2 inch 12 gauge ounce & three quarter (766 gr) slug. ;D ;D

 

[WindSurgeon]

Nosler Partition, Sierra Game King both have always done the trick and provided a good blood trail. Much is made of "retained weight", but my feeling on this is that the loss of weight contributes to the overall mess of things inside the animal and trauma. Trauma = blood! If shot in the boiler room, there is always blood somewhere. Maybe 50 yards from the point of impact, but there will be blood.

 

[Cold Bore]

Im talkin killing ability and good blood trails. Been using barnes triple shocks and while the deer is dead those that run off never leave a spot of blood. Happened 3 times this week- found the deer 50-100yds away with no trace of blood. Entry and exit good and insides pulverized.

If you are "pulverizing the insides", and getting good entrance/exit wounds, the lack of blood trails is not the fault of the bullet.

Some things just can't be explained, but to blame it on a specific bullet (and a quality one at that), is misguided.

 

[Cold Bore]

But I shot a hog with a little 125gr Sierra Pro Hunter in 308 and it did the most damage I have ever seen, blew the side of his head off at 100yd.

A closed vessel (skull), being impacted by a high velocity bullet, is going to be dramatic.

Shoot a milk jug full of water with a 40 grain Ballistic Tip out of a 22-250.

Results will be spectacular, but it is a pizz-poor choice for hunting anything larger than groundhogs, and certainly not deer.

 

[FatBoy]

I have had excellent results with Nosler Ballistic Tips. 95gr for 243win and 165gr for 308. A buddy also uses the 165 in 30-06 and he had one pass through a 6" maple, hit the deer mid-rib quartering away. It went 40 yards and dropped. In the last two years we've taken 9 deer, recovered all of them within 50-70 yards or less.

I recently stared muzzle loading and thought a similar bullet (sabot) would work similarly. Not the case with the Thompson Center 250gr Shockwaves. Complete pass through, both lungs and the heart on each, one with a far shoulder hit. No blood or hair on either. One went 35 yards, one 60. I was sweating finding the buck as he went in thick pine. We skinned them down and found zero expansion. I will never use them again.

 

[people]

Ballistic tips have worked very well for me. Recently I have been using the SMK. Devastating is the best way to put it.

 

[K22]

Shot placement is paramount - if place correctly any bullet designed to take a deer will work fine within reasonable ranges for that caliber.

For the 308 I've used the Sierra 150 grain Pro Hunter bullet for may years and taken many white tails. This is a no-frills bullet but it works.

For the 243 I've used the Nosler BT's 90 grain, 85 Sierra BTHP, and the Sierra 100 Pro Hunter. With the 85 BTHP I go for a lung shot which will drop them in their tracks. Of the three, I like the Nosler the best, it's very accurate, flat shooting, and had excellent terminal performance.

 

[SS427]

Nosler Ballistic Tips is what has worked the best for me on deer. Amazing how much damage these bullets can do inside a deer...like their lungs have been run through a blender.

Have always had great results with cheap Remington Core Lokt bullets too before I started reloading again. Several family members have killed more deer than anyone I know with those rounds.

 

[5spd]

My go to for deer/antelope out here is Noslers 95g hunting BT in all my 6mms.
I have yet a need to track/find any one Ive ever shot as they have all dropped on the spot or within 6 steps.

 

[Jaybo]

I have had really good luck with 180 Berger in a 284 win so far all have been drt. And also been using the 140 Berger in a 260 same thing drt i don't think you could go wrong with a Berger. There's lots of good bullets out there but this is what i like for whitetail deer and hogs. Now if I'm going after Bear I'll pick a little tougher bullet like the partition .

 

[jghoghunter]

I have been using since the 90's either a 100gr. speer boat tail in my 257 bob or a 405 gr. hardcast in the 45-70. Both of these bullets have performed very well for me.

 

[AckleymanII]

Im talkin killing ability and good blood trails. Been using barnes triple shocks and while the deer is dead those that run off never leave a spot of blood. Happened 3 times this week- found the deer 50-100yds away with no trace of blood. Entry and exit good and insides pulverized.

I hunt deer in what most would consider a Jungle situation, very thick.

For this reason, a bullet needs to leave a blood trail. Hornady Flat base bullets do an excellent job of leaving a blood trail, pick a caliber...

Nosler partitions are also great at leaving a good blood trail, as a general rule of thumb.

Lung shot deer run, most of the time. If you don't like deer running, shoot their running gear out from under them(shoulder shots), neck shoot, or head shoot.

I like to not have to track a deer, so some of the SST bullets really work well, and I like heavy for caliber in the SST's because when they say super shock tip, they mean it!

Here's my picks:

22-
60g partition-massive damage with a 22/250, complete penetration-this is one of the best deer killing loads that I have ever used, bar none. This bullet will shoot 1 1/4" groups in a 14 twist but will shoot tigher groups with a 12 twist. At 3550, deer flop like a toilet seat.

243- 95g partition
100g Hornady

25 caliber-100g Speer BTSP
100g Nosler partition
117g Sierra

6.5- 100g partition, 125g partition, 129g Hornady Sp(one of the best killing 6.5 bullets made)

270-130g Hornady SST-ungodly massive damage, sometimes will not penetrate on quartering shots, most damage of any 270
caliber bullet I have ever shot
130g partition

7mm-140g Nosler Ballistic tip
140g Nosler partition
150g Sierra
154g SST
160g Sierra BTSP

30-150g Hornady flat base
150g partition
165g SST

All these bullets leave a good blood trail. Berger bullets often do not penetrate, depending on the weight. Also, Tripple shock bullets Rarely if ever leave a blood trail, lots of factors. If you have ever had to track deer down on your hands and knees though briar patches, you want to have a bullet that penetrates with massive internal damage. This usually means speed, fast bullet expansion, and bullet construction which allows complete penetration on quartering shots through at least one shoulder. On a broadside shot that is a lung shot, it is foolhardy to not expect a deer not to run like a scalded cat at the bullet impact.

A 22/250, 220 swift, 22/250 AI pushing the 60g Nosler partition is one of the meanest killing guns you could ever take to the woods. A guy here owns an apple orchard and has a depredation permit, you can't imagine how many deer a year this guy kills as they tear his trees up attempting to get apples after they have cleaned up the ground. The 22/250 with a 60g partition at 3550 does the same damage as a 270 with a 130g SST, which is saying a lot.

Many deer here are lost that run 75 yards, lung shot deer = running deer, and you can't eat what you don't find.

 

[fourpower]

well after 6 years and a lot of animals we only shoot bergers. all animals (dit) dead in tracks with very little meat loss and no cornmeal on bone hits. on some shots under 65yds you can get some real damage if you don't place your shots off heavy bone but you get that with any bullet! just got back from Africa and got 6 big animals and all bullets stopped in 15in or less and animals down no tracking shots were out to 400yds. if anybody is looking to go to Africa check out TWO WATERS SAFARIS. best prices I found and they treat you like god!

 

[Barlow]

I have used various bullets over the years in a variety of diameters, but have used Hornady IL's by far the most the last few years. Not saying they are the end all, but they work well on deer and a few elk I killed and they are reasonable to buy. Barlow

 

[jsthntn247]

Pick a lead based non bonded/target bullet with an sd over .275 for whatever caliber you want and shoot it below 2900 fps and you will be happy with the results from 20 yards to as far as you can hit one. It will have a high bc and not come apart on closer shots.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Im talkin killing ability and good blood trails. Been using barnes triple shocks and while the deer is dead those that run off never leave a spot of blood. Happened 3 times this week- found the deer 50-100yds away with no trace of blood. Entry and exit good and insides pulverized.

If you are "pulverizing the insides", and getting good entrance/exit wounds, the lack of blood trails is not the fault of the bullet.

Some things just can't be explained, but to blame it on a specific bullet (and a quality one at that), is misguided.

It happened again today. Entry and exit wound. Exit would of about 2". Deer ran 75yds and never bled one single drop. This was a 120gr tsx out of a 6.5x284 at 230yds. I cant get rid of these bullets fast enough!!