Whats your best deer bullet?

[WyleWD]

The one that really did a good job was a Sierra 85 grain HPBT in a 6mm or 243. It is a real good deer bullet. Good blood loss and usually an exit.

+1

Yep! All a fella needs right there. My go to bullet for deer and hogs out of my 243 since 1974. WD

 

[FeMan]

Hi FeMan. If you stick a 6mm 85/95/100 gr Partition behind the leg (Deer) for a lung shot you won't loose or blood shoot any meat hardly at all, bullet go's in, opens up BIG TIME in chest cavity, sheds the front and plows on through usually leaving a great blood trail

If you stick it in the shoulder or other bone/muscle area it will do some meat damage, that's just common sense for a projectile of this design (Partition). I've used many different kinds of bullets but NEVER have I found one as reliable as a Nosler Partition 8)!

Agreed. My .243 still accounts for more deer than any other rifle. I shoot the old 85 grain Nosler Solid Base in the .243 and they work great. I have used the 6mm partitions too with great success. I tried the Barnes in that rifle and wasn't impressed with those results on game. In the 270, 7, and 300 I do prefer the TTSX though. Not all my animals cooperate and stand still broadside but they usually still fall over

 

[alf]

Montana whitetail - 6.5-284 - 130 VLD @ 3150fps - 350 yards - hard quartering away shot.

Both lungs trashed... top of the heart gone...no exit.

 

[fredo]

Shot thru at the back edge of one shoulder, shattered a rib, heart and one lung was gelatin, came out the front edge of the opposite shoulder shattering another rib and shoulder blade. Not one drop of blood. The coke bottle analogy dont work here. Ive been doing this way too long to drag deer from a thicket on my hands and knees- i know when a bullet does its job. I even spent one semester culling deer in college shooting truckloads every nite. This lot of bullets suck and me and 3 others are feeling the wrath until i can get a replacement. I never had problems with trophy bonded bullets or partitions killin stuff. Why does federal or speer not sell the trophy bonded component bullets anymore?

How can ANY bullet be expected to ensure whether animal bleeds internally, or out of the entry/exit hole it makes(s)?

Can a bullet control how much blood the animal's fur soaks up at it leaks out of entry/exit holes?

If a bullet causes internal destruction, is it not reasonable to expect that hemorrhaging will be constrained to inside the body cavity?

IMHO, the necessity of a "blood trail" to recover a fatally (rifle) shot deer is ludicrous. If a hunter cannot recover said animal within a hundred yards or so of where it was hit, there's a larger problem to address than bullet selection...

If you don't want a deer to move after the shot, place the bullet where it'll blow their circuit breaker & fold 'em up like a lawn chair. I'd have assumed man who's shot many deer would already know that & adjust their POA accordingly?

Is it much of a stretch to accept that by simply shifting a bullet's POI, the terminal performance of ANY bullet can be altered, drastically?

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Once you shoot a deer with a bullet with no knockdown power and crawl thru briar patches in a 125yd radius where you could miss a deer laying 10' from you then youll know. I can anchor em where they stand with a 55gr soft point from a 22-250. I thought i was upgrading with this premium killing bullet. Some know where im coming from.

 

[fredo]

If you're hunting in such an impenetrable jungle that you can't find a deer 10' away from you, then shot distance should similarly be CLOSE. That engagement should easily allow for pinpoint bullet placement with a rifle. Done right, you'll more than likely end up with the deer headed 36" into the ground, at the acceleration rate of 9.8m/s/s...

Complaining about bullet performance of a lung shot deer on a death sprint after the shot is akin to complaining about the Sun setting in the West. I'd be surprised that if a deer DIDN'T run like a scalded cat after that type of hit. Why anyone would aim for the ribs/lungs/boiler room as the best POA for anchoring a deer RIGHT THERE, is beyond me?

Things are only as difficult as you wanna make them...

 

[white121]

Accubond!

 

[bobinpa]

In the past 20 - 25 years I've used:
308 Norma Mag with 165 gr Ballistic tips or 180 gr Hornady Interlocks.
308 Win with 165 gr Hornady Interlocks
300 WSM with 180 & 165 gr Ballistic tips
All with great success.

I also tried 180 gr Sierra Pro Hunter's out of the 308 Norma and I was disappointed. They did the job but I feel they were too tough for deer. They gave a small (1"- 2") exit wound. Where as the 180 gr Interlocks and 165 gr Ballistic tips usually gave 2" or better exit wound and fantastic internal damage. A lot of deer never took another step.

In my opinion, another great deer killing bullet is the Remington Core Lok.

 

[Joe Maisto]

.270-130 speer. I always go for a lug shot as well. Can't run if they can't breath.

 

[Joe Maisto]

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.

I would venture to say that the Rem Core Lokt Bullets have taken more white tail deer than any other bullet. They are excellent bullets. My father and uncles used them for 40+ years - they didn't reload - just used Rem Factory ammo. They took a ton of deer over those years with a 30-06 and 30-30.

+ 1 on the core locks, but not the pspcl...

 

[captn t]

Having herd how well 85gr. 6mm serria hpbt bullets worked, I tried in 6.5mm (130gr.)They stop deer quick,getting a blow through most times. Leaving a good blood trail. The Gameking HP also comes in 7mm, 140 and 160gr.They shot small groups and work great on game.
Captn T

 

[Hntndad]

I'm gonna go with... The most appropriately designed bullet for the caliber that you choose and the max range you will be shooting. The 85 gr Sierra hpbt 243 is an appropriately designed bullet for whitetail. 85 gr Hornady v max is not. I've had 100% success with 117 Sierra boattail at 2900fps from a 257 robts.. At 10 ft to 400 yards. The 117 gr Sierra flat base has a heavier jacket and is designed for closer range. It does not blow up on deer at close range like the boattail but does not expand as well at longer ranges.
A nosler ballistic tip in the .270 in the 130 range will anchor the largest whitetail with authority. The accubond will be more likely to have minimal expansion in comparison.
Im not a fan of bonded bullets for whitetails. Once experienced an all day tracking event to find a 120 lb doe shot by a young man with a 243 and a scirocco at 40 yards. Deer was found with a pencil hole entrance and exit. Perhaps if you wanted to hunt pigs or 300 lb black bear this bullet would be appropriate.
In summery, just about any jacketed lead bullet will kill any whitetail deer that is not all hopped up on cocain. Given it produces enough ke to do the job. Pick one that shoots best for you in your particular firearm.

 

[Hntndad]

Is it much of a stretch to accept that by simply shifting a bullet's POI, the terminal performance of ANY bullet can be altered, drastically?

[/quote]

I've seen what the average Whitetail hunter's "shift" looks like... And most times it is not intentional. But being that we are on accurate shooter I'm SURE I'm not speaking of any of us!
We can kill whitetails with a 22short. Hit em in the ear and bang flop. I wouldn't choose it as my whitetail rig but it would be effective. Lung shots are always going to be your highest percentage kill shots. Stay off the front shoulder and you still have damn near 8" bull to hit.
Whitetails aren't elk. You don't need a premium all copper bonded heat seaking projectile to put em down within 40 yards. no need to hit em with 180 grain anything. In 30 cal. I would choose a 150gr range in the game king or nbt or similarly designed.
If all else fails and the deer runs the Brooklyn marathon.. Just blame the bullet right? Just keep it in perspective. I put down 10+ deer every year with a broadhead on a stick.

 

[ricksaw]

You don't need expensive bullets to kill deer,myself and three buddies have used hornady interlocks for decades with superb results,165 in 30-06 162 and 154 in 7mm's their deadly when put behind shoulder.In 1997 my son dropped a 300 plus mulie with his 7-mag,hit the big buck on a running shot way back and the 162 gr.spitzer boattail dropped the big boy,the 162 is my favorite in the 95% of the time it's bang flop!

 

[Gabe22BR]

My best bullet is one that makes contact with it. I've used 22lr's to 45-70... All it takes is a hole....

 

[Cold Bore]

My best bullet is one that makes contact with it. I've used 22lr's to 45-70... All it takes is a hole....

Nope, can't agree with that statement, if we are talking ethical hunting.

 

[Deton8tor]

I currently shoot Nosler AccuBonds in a 7 mag and '06. I either get a DRT or little to no blood with a run off. In the past two other bullets worked great; the Nosler partition or the Hornady Interlock. The interlock always left blood and will tear up meat. That said, that is why I shoot the AccuBond. Even on shoulder shots, I lose very little if any meat. For blood the Interlock is great.

 

[jsthntn247]

Anchoring a deer is all about shot placement. I've had small does run off after being hit with a 208 amax from a 300 Win at 60 yards and drt'd big bucks with a 243. Take their front wheels out and they can't go far.

 

[Gabe22BR]

Nope, can't agree with that statement, if we are talking ethical hunting.

Define your ethical ??......

 

[LHSmith]

Nope, can't agree with that statement, if we are talking ethical hunting.

Define your ethical ??......

Why? ....it would be waste of time to explain what "ethical" means to someone who uses a 22 LR on deer.