Help with bullet selection

[firedawg60]

I am looking for a good bullet choice for close deer range-less than 100 yards with many shots around 30-50 yards. I picked up an Accura V1 from Midway late last year and zeroed it with 250 gr. T-EZs and 110 gr. BH209. Between not enough hunting time and only seeing a few small deer, I didn't have a chance to see how it performed. Since then I have seen some posts about expansion issues at close ranges with the T-EZ. Other loads I had thought of trying were Deep Curls, 300 gr. XTPs, or getting some Nosler HGs from Wideners. Any insight on bullets, weights, and powder charges would be appreciated.

 

[Moose1]

You will have a better performer in Barnes Expander , Hornady XTP or Speer Gold dot.
moose1

 

[GM54-120]

I would at least get some of the Partitions at Wideners before they are gone. Half price for a no fail bullet is hard to beat.

Up until this year the only Barnes coppers i used were the Barnes Expander MZs or the XPB pistol versions in loose. This year i used the Barnes 458 300gr SOCOM and im very happy with its performance and 50 bulk packs for about $41.

Its does like to be driven hard though for best accuracy in my guns. 1900fps is a near duplicate of its cartridge muzzle velocity.

If you dont want or need to pay a fortune, the DeepCurls/GoldDots will work extremely well too. I prefer the 300gr to insure a pass through at nearly any angle even at moderate 100gr velocities. Then you can also use the 300gr softpoint for a slighter cheaper practice bullet. Part #4485

Another bullet ive been trying out are the Hornady 458 325gr FTX made for 45/70 and 450 Marlin. They hold up far better than any other 45 FTX/SST and hit like a freight train....from both ends.

I see them at gun shows for $30-35/100 quite often.

 

[rat trapper]

I'd go with the Barnes 300 grain expanders. They have a hollow point that looks big enough to be a ash tray! In my rifle they shoot real well and perform excellent on deer.

 

[Lee 9]

Over the years I have tried a lot of bullets, there are several that I have never had any problem with.
The best of the lot is the 250gr Gold Dot or Deep Curl[since they changed the name]
The 260 gr Nosler has never fail to do an excellent job.
The Lehigh bullets and the 300gr deep Curl are very good for bigger heavier animal like the elk and moose because of their added penetration.
They have all served me well, while some other have worked but not to complete satisfaction.

 

[robt]

I would try the 300 gr Barnes MZ Expander. I've been shooting this bullet for six years and have killed MANY deer with it. Most boom flops, all dropped with in 30 yards. I have never recovered a bullet to comment exactly what the bullet expansion ended up at but I can tell you to expect complete pass thru at ranges from 25 to 100 yards. It is very accurate out of my Knight, 3/4" groups at 100 yards, and my friends who shoot them with different rifles have similar results. As far as the load...you would have to tinker with that to see what your gun likes, we shoot any where from 95 to 100 grains of pyrodex. This season I'll be shooting BH 209, so far it looks to be just as accurate. The down side is they can be hard to find locally, supplied sabot may or may not be right for your gun and your paying a buck a bullet. If your gun likes them the bullet is definitly a killer.

 

[fliowa]

I have not used the deep curls but have seen how 300 grain xtp's , 260 grain nosler partition, and 300 grain nosler partition perform on deer. You can't go wrong with any of the three. At the distances you listed anything in the 80 to 100 grains of powder will work. You will have to experiment with which sabot to use but all three will shoot accurately out to 100 yards.

 

[BuckDoeHunter]

My son has taken 6 deer (3 last year, 3 this year) with the Barnes 250 gr TEZ bullet. Ranges were 1 at 105, 2 at 60, 1 at 30, and 2 at 20 yards. I know they all expanded. You could tell by the exit holes on the inside of the deer. The 105 yard shot didn't exit but the bullet was recovered from the does hip.

His shots were all with 80 grains of BH209 powder. One thing I did notice, when I increased the charge to 110 grains of BH209 (setting up the gun for someone else to use), the blue TEZ sabot didn't like the higher charge. It sheared off the pedals after fired and the base cup looked overstressed. Accuracy went from 1 inch to about 5 inches so I swithced to 290 grain TMZ bullets with the yellow sabots. Accuracy came back and the sabots looked good after firing.

If your shots at deer are going to be at 100 yards or less, I wouldn't hesitate to drop your charge down some. I'm not sure what kind of accuracy you have had so far but I would be curious to see if it gets better with a lesser charge. I would have to look at the charts again but I think 80 grains of BH209 and a 250 grain bullet is lethal out to 120-130 yards.

 

[firedawg60]

Thanks for the information gentlemen. Accuracy for both 100gr. and 110gr. of BH resulted in 1.5" groups, which is more than enough for my needs. I was surprised that a 10gr. difference resulted in approximately 7" difference in elevation. I will try some 260 HGs and some Speers. It appears both the 250s and 300s in the Speer will be fine for performance. BDH, your information makes me feel better about the T-EZ, which I stll haven't ruled out to try on game. Also, has anyone tried the White 320gr Powerstar in a non-White rifle with Blackhorn?

 

[Okie Hog]

The placement of the bullet is much more important than the particular bullet that you use. No bullet is going to turn a marginal shot into a bang flop.

 

[firedawg60]

I am not really worried about turning a marginal shot into a "bang flop", as I don't intentionally take marginal or raking shots. That coupled with the ranges I shoot mostly mean "gimme" shots. I am just looking for a solid performing bullet that won't core/jacket separate and will always expand. I have enjoyed many so-called bang flops using a lead conical out of a G-series Whitetail since the mid-90's or so. Something just go into me wanting to try something different, mainly Blackhorn and the break action rifle.

 

[SJAdventures]

I watch a test video on the TMZ and it expanded at close range after hitting only a tomato suspended on a string. If a Barnes will expand on a tomato no one is going to convince me it won't expand on a deer.

 

[firedawg60]

I just found where a poster on another forum called Barnes, who stated the T-EZ is an Expander with a polymer tip. The Expanders seem to do well so why wouldn't they with the tip? Plus, I don't understand how a bullet could get so many positive reviews at extended ranges, when it is running out of steam, but not expand at close ranges when going closer to max velocity. But I'm not an engineer...