which 30 caliber bullet?

[MoBoost]

All I asked, why use match bullet over hunting bullet with similar ballistics. Again, Hornady specifically recommends not to use A-Max on game and offers VIRTUALLY IDENTICAL (.25MOA POI diffrence @ 800yrds) bullet designed for hunting (Interbond). If "cuz I can and you can't" is as constructive as you gonna get - be that way.

 

[Master Carper]

Yes, we "can" watch the bullet strike a deer at 600+ yards. Reason - custom 50X and 60X high magnification scopes. Another reason - muzzle brakes that allow for near "0" recoil, which allow you to be able to watch the bullet strike...

Drag a 15 lb. rifle across a field? These rifles are 29 lbs. and are not meant to be dragged anywhere...

Yes, we do and have let trophy deer go because they inside our proposed 600yd. minimum shooting distance...

I got back from Texas a couple weeks ago where I was able to shoot a doe at a measured 1,062 yds and a nice 8 pt. at 1,170 yds.. Both deer were 1-shot kills and was with the Hornady 168 gr. A-MAX bullet. Bullets exited on both deer with the exit hole just under a gold ball in size...

Why shoot deer at these rediculous ranges - because I can. I have the know how, knowlege and equipment to do it and because I have shot literally thousands of rounds of ammo at long range BEFORE ever putting the crosshairs on an animal. Being a retired military/police sniper doesn't hurt either....

D&T

 

[Hampton]

Sorry to get off track here but I don't know how to start a new post. Can you guys tell me what a "tactical" choke is similar to. I got a new Rem M887 Tactical shotgun today that I will use for coyotes 50 yards and closer. Carlson's makes a "coyote" choke that will put 17 T pellets in a 10 inch circle at 70 yards. I'm assuming a tactical choke is not designed to do that. Any help is appreciated.

 

[Ksmirk]

Mo, here's why I use A-Max and SMK's in my rifles accuracy! that's it dude. It's not to be cool and say I shoot deer with target bullets or to go against what a manufacture says it's all about the accuracy in my rifles.

.25 MOA yeah it's only 1/4" @100 yards hell that's nothing! BUT @400 yards that same .25 MOA is 1" at 800 it's 2" simple math I know my reason is if I have say a .5 MOA rifle when the range gets out to the 400 mark that rifle should group 2" add that .25 MOA from the bullet differences then you get a 3" group IF everything goes right! now add into the mix a wind guess of 5 and it's really 7mph and you shoot for 380 yards and it really 400 yards all of a sudden that .25 MOA really plays into the mix. Kinda get an idea where I'm going?

I'm not going to lie to ya I used to NEVER shoot game with a match bullet! NEVER! but as I started getting better and more practice at distance and more confident in myself and me rifles things started to change and I needed every last bit of accuracy I could squeeze from my equipment. Since then I have been building my rifles, I have not shot store bought rounds thru any of my LR rifles everything is loaded, I WAS shooting on average 200-300 rounds a month at ranges out to 1K so yeah I know what my rifles can do and I know what I can do, I don't have NEAR the time that D&T does behind a rifle OR the training but then again I also don't take those crazy long shots cause I know I can't make them.

I practice and practice field conditions off the ground with bi-pods and my test is a 6" paper plate, if I can't put 3 rounds into that plate the distance is too far for me to shoot and I don't try those shots. I do this several time so I know that I can make that shot 100% positive that when I touch off the round deer is done! this is done several times not just one day and call it good.

So after all the rambling my reason I shoot A-Max and SMK bullets is the degree of accuracy they offer over conventional hunting type bullets and I feel I owe the game I'm after the quickest dispatch I can and when a well placed bullet is needed these bullets can offer me that confidence where I've not been able to gain that with the hunting bullets and yes I have tried them.

That's my story dude I hope it made a little sense. Later,

Kirk

 

[dugby]

Sorry to get off track here but I don't know how to start a new post. Can you guys tell me what a "tactical" choke is similar to. I got a new Rem M887 Tactical shotgun today that I will use for coyotes 50 yards and closer. Carlson's makes a "coyote" choke that will put 17 T pellets in a 10 inch circle at 70 yards. I'm assuming a tactical choke is not designed to do that. Any help is appreciated.

Look for the Blue "New Thread" button at the bottom left of the listing of subjects.

 

[MoBoost]

Actually it did make sense. So you are saying Interbond or SST just didn't give desired accuracy?

Here is a good comparison of Interbond and A-Max terminal performance. At 100 yards, even in gel more than 33% of A-Max fragmented; however there is seems to be a consesus that that at longer distances (slower) it retains MUCH better.

 

[dugby]

Here is a link, Just click it and scroll to the bottom looking for that button.

http://www.okshooters.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=17

 

[Ksmirk]

Out to say 300 yards about any bullet will work well in the hunting bullets you just have to remember that there are many more folks shooting deer at 50 to 150 yards than guys shooting them at 500 or more so the bullet manufactures are not going to build a hunting bullet just for the 10% of folks that hunt at long range.

I will agree that the target bullets at close range out to 300 or at least the A-Max bullets do tend to really cause heavy devistation to deer! my 284 Win is pushing the 162's HARD and you may as well figure that a 12" circle around where the bullet impacts is going to be ruined so NO neck shots! don't ask me how I know it wasn't pretty. I know what the books say about target bullets as I do quite a bit of research on bullets, powder, ballistics cause well I'm just anal but I have yet to have a A-Max OR SMK not pass thru a deer in Oklahoma and I'm not braggin' but this number is well over 30 deer harvested.

The target bullet debate is a sticky one to say the least but there are a handful of us guys that shoot deer at ranges that most find stupid or something that can't be done but we are the ones that shoot many rounds, practice our shots, know what we and our firearms can and can't do, I'm not saying it's a just cause I can do it and you can't thing cause with much practice anyone that wants to shoot LR can you just have to study and lots of trigger time out in the field.

I have been shooting LR since I built my first rifle in 1997 and a 600 yard shot is still on the edge of what I feel my abilities can perform, I don't have the time to practice near as much as I feel I need to make these shots 100% of the time so right now I have made this my max range, hopefully this summer if things go well I can get back out and get more practice so I can get out to 800 yards but if I can't keep em' in that 6" plate then I'll not take that shot.

Mo, glad that made sense and can see where my use of target bullets is coming from. D&T is right about the tech at Hornady stating the A-Max is becoming one of the most used bullets in LR hunting, as much as I shoot and my income just doesn't allow me to purchase and shoot the volume of Berger bullets. Later,

Kirk

 

[dugby]

I see the Nosler custom competetion 155's only cost about 75% of what the sierras do (In volume).

Have you had any experience with them?

 

[Ksmirk]

I have but in limited volume probably 500 or so, ok bullet and shot fine just not a SMK. I found that the heavier higher BC bullets granted they don't take off real fast hold thier velocity better and thus a little flatter trajectory so I went to the 168 SMK when I had the 1-14 308. It would shoot the 155's out there to 1K good, the 168 would start to get funcky holes in the paper at 800 and go South from there BUT would hit at 1K on steel. Shot that barrel out and went to a 1-10 twist stepped up to the 175SMK and have never looked back! this rifle just loves them and well when you find a good thing don't mess with it, best I have done with them was 2 1/2" group on the steel at OKC gunclub when I was a member at the 500 meter rams.

I'm pretty simple when it comes to my stuff and the SMK's just shoot well so I don't change much they didn't however shoot well in the 284 so I went with the A-Max and well the rest is history. KISS is the way to go in LR you have enough other variables to worry about in the field.

The A-Max and SMK have a heavy following with LR hunting and this is cause they work! Berger bullets work well also but some of us just can't dish out the change to shoot many of them (like me) if you check out one of the LR hunting sites most of the guys are shooting the SMK bullets and this is because they work well if they didn't you'd not hear anything about them. Later,

Kirk