Bullet weight for hunting?

[TRIGGER]

I spent some more time with my new rifle yesterday. It loves 150 grain and likes 180 grain. The 180's shoot almost MOA. I know the weight vs velocity argument has been beat to death all over the internet but thought I would get y'all's opinions. I have 1 spot that could be 300 yards the rest are 200 max.

 

[timberjack86]

Either is fine IMO

 

[Remi]

Pick a well constructed bullet that expands reliably and gives sufficient velocity and have at it.

.

 

[backyardtndeer]

Guessing you are shooting a .30 caliber? I really like the 178 grain eld x for my 308's. My 308's seen to do better with the 165's to 180's. I hand load, but the Hornady ammunition is supposed to be pretty accurate, and those bullets in my experience have been very effective.

 

[knightrider]

Its a deer, it really doesnt matter, which everyone your gun shoots the best and carry on

 

[TRIGGER]

Its a deer, it really doesnt matter, which everyone your gun shoots the best and carry on

Your right. I'm over thinking it. I'm just moving to the .308 from a .270. I have shot the 150 grain bullets from my .270 for years with success.

 

[Andy S.]

I have shot the 150 grain bullets from my .270 for years with success.

Sage advice above. I've shot 130 grains in my .270 for right at 30 years with 98% success. I'd attribute the 2% to poor shot placement (Me), not the gun/bullet/etc. To add, my bud killed a pile of deer with .257 110 grain Barnes for years. He killed deer from TN to Canada with his setup. Very few of his deer ever took a step.

 

[ImThere]

I shoot 130's out of my 270 and 150's out of my 308 with great success. I shoot coreloks, hornady and Winchester. They all do the job. I will say the hornadys broke up inside a couple of deer

 

[dhpro]

I don't personally feel a deer shoulder or rib will be able to tell the difference between 150 or 180 . I shoot 180 in my 30/06 in a good bullet because that's what my gun likes . Shoot what the gun likes

 

[Rubberduck270]

Remi is spot on. Bullet construction is more important than it's weight (in most cases). At 300 yards max I would take the more accurate bullet over the heavier bullet. I would guess both will arrive with close to the same amount of energy.

 

[Remington700]

Either will do fine. A 100 grain bullet out of A 243 has killed a lot of deer. It's all about shot placement.

 

[PickettSFHunter]

It's about the construction of the bullet and what your rifle likes.

 

[Smells Like Sulfur]

I shoot muzzleloaders exclusively, both a 177 grain ball and a 350 grain bullet will drop a deer, or anything else, with a decently well placed shot. Both loads require different powder charges, move at different velocities, and have different recoil.

There's a lot more than just bullet weight at play. Speed, ballistic coefficient, and the ability to spread out and dissipate its energy into the target are all factors.

 

[DaveTN]

I thought the main factor in determining the best bullet weight was barrel twist rate?

 

[Harold Money jr]

The worry of long range shooting is unfounded. The bullets designed for long range shooting are almost always heavy for caliber. I like 2 holes in the deer I shoot so I'd suggest a quality bullet that expands reliably and penetrates deeply.

 

[BigCityBubba]

I thought the main factor in determining the best bullet weight was barrel twist rate?

If its the bergara the OP listed in another thread, its 1:11.

 

[TNRifleman]

At those ranges, whichever one shoots better, assuming they are both a well designed bullet.

 

[Cull Buck Hunter]

More concerned about bullet construction than weight, either will work fine with the right bullet. But 180's tend to be heavier built and prone to punching thru deer if the bullet is to tough. Barnes TSX has been my choice for over 20yrs.

 

[Boll Weevil]

To the OP, either is fine.

The comments about bullet construction are spot on. With some of he modern monolithics like Barnes or Hammer speed is unbelievably terminal with good shot placement. A 22-250 or 220 Swift humpin' along over 3800 fps is like a lil grenade.

 

[Tenntrapper]

Pretty sure you are talking about 180s in a 308 win. Check the trajectory... quite a bit of drop at 300 with that combo. Might want to take that into consideration.

 

[mike243]

I have killed a pile of deer with 100g 243 and the only time I had runners were with premium bullets that left 2 holes every time, I shoot 150 corelocks in my 300wm, have had 2 runners that were heart shot, 2 holes on each, 100y couldn't believe it tapped the 2nd deer 1/4 away and hit within a inch of the first shot. I rather leave all the energy dumped into the deer. Elk I would say 180g but not needed for deer size game

 

[ROVERBOY]

I've killed deer for years with my .308 and .30-06 handloaded with 150 gr. Hornady Interlocks. On closer shots, like max 50 yards, and shoulder or neck shots, they usually don't exit. I'm gonna try 180 gr. Interlocks this season in my .30-06.

 

[Remi]

Here is a very long read with a lot of bullet testing, mainly .30 cal.

Unfortunately the pics are gone but the data is still there. Some surprises in performance, the 168 Nosler Ballistic Tip did extremely well.


https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/7219652/1

 

[Gravey]

Whichever shoots better is the one I'd go with. I shoot 130-grain Fusions in my .270 and 95-grain ones in a .243.

 

[Lost Lake]

I'd go with whatever your rifle likes best. It'll kill deer well!

But in the .308, there's just something about a 150 grain bullet that seems to be the best of both worlds, at least for me.

Good luck with it.