Bullet Choice for Mule Deer Hunting...

[WildBob]

Just trying to decide on what type of bullet to use on my mule deer hunt this October...

I've used Accubonds with great success on Antelope, and for hunting whitetails at 200 yds and less I'm partial to Nosler Partitions, but I'm using stock ammo and do not reload my own.

Any thoughts on this? What would y'all recommend? Oh, by the way, probably going to be using my .308 with either my 25/06 or .300 Win Mag for back up on the hunt. Thanks for any input.

 

[DallanC]

I have much love for the Nosler Partitions... just exceptional performance, you always get expansion, you always get penetration... and they are dang accurate.

In your more powerful rifles you need to be concerned with bullet disinteration and choose sturdier bullets. Pretty much though anything you use on antelope can work on deer, assuming you arent tipping the goats over with overly light rounds (ie: 80grn in a .243, 100grn in a .270 etc etc). Pick a weight above the "varminter" weights... (100grn in .25, 130grn in .270, 140 in .280, 150 in .308 etc etc) as the minimum.


-DallanC

 

[YukonDall]

DALLEN, I COULD NOT AGREE MORE ABOUT THE PARTITIONS. I SHOOT THEM IN MY .338,7MM, & .300WSM THEY ARE ACCURATE & ALWAYS PERFORM. I THINK SOME GUNS JUST LIKE THEM. ...YD.

 

[canhunter]

Partitions for sure. Some guns really like them and most shoot them decent. On game performance is super consistent and predictable.

 

[ICMDEER]

Amen, well stated gentlemen. And I would only recommend that you STAY AWAY from ballistic tips. They come apart and do not penetrate - in my experience.

 

[slamdunk]

I totally dissagree! I shoot the 180gr ballistic tips out of both a 300 Weatherby mag and a 30-378 WBY and have had nothing short of the "wow" factor on both deer and elk. Granted, the original BT's were for varmints, but they are WAY tuffer now due to request's by big game hunters to make the most accurate bullet out there, more durable for thick skinned game. I have had NO animal losses or even exsessive meat damage like some people claim (not that it doesn't happen on occasion with ANY bullet).
However, i am a huge fan of the accubonds, they really amaze me. I am a guide for deer & elk hunters and have seen just about every bullet and caliber combo perform. About the only bullet i personally won't ever shoot in an X bullet. They hold together TOO good and tend to punch clear through without much "shock". Granted, i have never seen an animal get away using an X bullet, but so far we have had to either track or shoot the animal again.
Just my two cents, we all have our favorites in anything.

 

[7wby]

I've had great results with swift sciroccos.They should be really close in performance to your accubonds.

 

[elk_horn]

sciroccos...for me!

 

[Show_Me_Your_Rack]

I would recomend a wac em

 

[rumproast]

I believe Federal has come out with an Accubond in .25-06.

 

[Califelkslayer]

ICM, I had the same experence with the Ballistic Tips back in the early 90's. Blew up like lil grenades, even 200 grainers in .338. Heard they came out with a "second generation" one and tried it cause they were accurate in my gun. These hold together very well, not like a premium bullet, but I like expansion on deer. My experence is with 140 gr in 7mm @ .280 velocities and 200 gr. in .338.

 

[littlebighorn]

There are many good bullets out there, and I used to shoot Nosler Part. all the time. But since the mid 90s I have used nothing but Barnes X and every (yes every) animal I have shot with them have gone down in their tracks (mule deer, antelope, elk, bighorn sheep). They hold together and penetrate better than any bullet out there. I reload, but there is also factory ammo out there that use the X bullet...so one more option to think about.

 

[Lien2]

Nosler Partitions are tried and true.
With that said, I tried the Federal Fusion Bullets last fall, and I was EXTREMELY impressed with them. They held together great and did some huge damage! I will shoot them again next year.

Lien2

 

[old_man_of_the_hills]

Any of the bonded bullets are perfect for deer. Nosler accubond, horandy interbond, swift scirocco, take your pick. Mine is the Accubonds. I started shooting them in 2004 and since then have switched over to accubonds in almost all of my rifles. they are just as accurate as ballistic tips, yet they hold together just fine, especially in the calibers you mentioned. I've recovered 4 of them; two out of deer, one from an elk, one from an antelope. 3 of the 4 weighed probably as much or more than a similar partition would (partitions usually retain about 60% of their weight) with a much larger frontal diameter which does more tissue damage. The one that I dug out of an elk only weighed about 40% of what it did when I cut it loose, but then again, it broke BOTH shoulders of a bull elk and was shot out of a 7mm STW. I have also shot critters and not recovered 7 of them. They are the most veristile bullet, period.

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This is my post

I've just pissed in my pants.......and nobody can do anything about it.

 

[BigPig]

Shoot whatever bullet your rifle shoots best. Any of the bullets designed for big game hunting from any of the major manufacturers will work just fine if your rifle shoots them well. Accuracy builds confidence and that is what is most important. Deer are not dinosaurs and when hit right, they all go down quickly regardless of Accubond vs Partition vs X vs Coreloct, etc.

 

[littlebuck]

LAST EDITED ON Feb-02-07 AT 01:02PM (MST)[p] the most important thing is to be able to shoot the gun and hit where you shoot. You dont need a $40 box of slugs to kill a deer.

 

[BCHunter]

I used my 308 on everything from yotes to Elk using the Federal 180 Premium bullet. It worked fine. I have since bought a 325 and will use it on Elk.

Now to my question (you thought I would never get here), Since I will not be using it on Elk I have opted to switch to the Hornady LM 150 SST. Does anyone have any info on this bullet?

Thanks

 

[camuleycrazy]

I agree with BigPig. Accuracy is most important but I have had excellent results with Swift Scirocco's. I wouldn't shoot ballistic tips out of a super high velocity rifle though.

 

[peakfreak]

Another vote for the accubond. Most acurate bullet I've shot. My only complaint on the partition is the soft point that gets dinged or flatened in the magazine after you shoot the first round or two. Can't go wrong with either. I sure like the Winchester ammo.