Just for fun........Best All-Around Bullet

[cayuga]

I understand that a lot of this depends on the kind of hunting you encounter. And even the rifle you use.

the muzzleloader genie grants you an unlimited supply of just ONE bullet,everything from coyotes to grizzlies(not going africa here).What do you pick....................

So in this case I would use the most accurate, well constructed bullet possible. It would from my EXPERIENCE shooting the different bullets on my range be a Barnes MZ Expander. Almost every inline rifle I own shoot this bullet very accurate. The bullet is well constructed. The bullet is a very lethal bullet due to its construction. And can be effective from any where from 85 to 150 grains of powder, depending on the rifle. Some very close seconds, and they could be a first choice... the Parker Extreme 275 grain. Again, very accurate and easy to use. The Lehigh 250 grain. (I believe that is the weight of them). They were very accurate and seemed to devastate the target very well. Last was some 260 grain Nosler I shot. Very accurate and very hard hitting they seemed to be. But you have to understand.. I have not used them to kill the American White Tail Deer on my land. Every time I carry one of them fancy sabot bullet, I never see anything to shoot. But let me load a roundball.. and the deer come out of the woodwork.

Now let me throw a curve ball to all of you bullet affectionatos. The bullet Genie does not exist. And you have enough to purchase limited bullet supplies. Which means the bullet you pick could run out. So what are you going to stock up on?

For me the answer is easy since I have to have a bullet to hunt anything. It would be a conical bullet mold. And a roundball mold. Lead is always around and if necessary a person could use wheel weights. Then I would cast my own. Lubes can be made from a variety of things. So in reality, I would never run out of things to shoot.

 

[Lee 9]

That is an interesting question, especially considering the unconstitutional laws some of the politicians are trying to pass.
I have stocked up on a few just in case. My choices are mostly related to what will shoot well with minute of angle accuracy in all my guns. So the 200grain Shock Wave and its spin off and the 250 Shock Wave and its spin offs were my choices along with my molds and around 60 pounds of lead with is for my Traditionals. I have kept all my molds down through the years and have a bout 36 of them in every thing from 40 to 58 caliber. I have come to believe in the 54 caliber PRB as the best option for big game its knock down power rivals my inlines, and in a pinch i can make my own powder so the other thing I stock up on is caps and primers.

 

[Hornet22savage]

I would have to agree with Lee and I would stock up on what shoots good in my gun. That would be the Hornady 265 FTX in a MMP Green 44x50 sabot. At the same time do not forget that you need sabots too so all lead projectiles might be the way to go.

 

[air_rn]

Barnes TMZ for me. 250 first choice 290 second

 

[blktailhtr]

Not many people shoot it but the Barnes .458 400gr with MMP orange sabot would be my pick for just one load. Hits like a ton of bricks with 120 of 209 behind it. 290TMZ would be a close second though but nothing wrong with the original 300gr MZ either. They all have made quick work of whatever they hit.

 

[GM54-120]

GregK

The 275gr XPB is a good shooting bullet but expansion can be problematic even at Savage speeds. A guy on Dougs even annealed a few to make them softer and shot them REALLY fast, four of them failed to expand at all. He shot them through a piece of rubber into a 55gal drum of water. Ive shot several in my NULA at a combination of wet phone book media and jugs full of water. They all expanded without a problem.

 

[GregK]

I would definitely go with a Barnes of some sort. More expensive but they are proven on everything that walks this earth. If you're on the move, pure lead can be damaged or distorted, solid copper is tough & you can beat the crap out of it & it still looks like new. Plus pure lead conicals & / or round balls aren't like;y to shoot well from many inlnes.

 

[Aquastang]

I would have to go with the Speer 300 gr. Deep Curl. I can usually get a box of 50 for $20 or so. Coupled with harvester smooth sabot, it has been very accurate out of my barrel and plenty deadly. I guess my second choice would be the 275 gr. Bloodlines.

 

[Dwayne]

For me, it is what shoots best out of my gun, and READILY available. . .
I Love the PowerBelts.. . .So does my friend. They do just as much damage as a rifle.

But what I usually shoot, are home cast REAL conicals. either 250 grains or 320 grains. both shoot extremely well out of my guns.

There are a lot of advantages having a mould and casting your own Bullets.
Are my REAL's as accurate as many of the others? Almost. . .not quite but almost. I am happy with a 3.5 inch group at 100 yards.
Could I get it better? Yeah. . I could, but the time and effort is not worth it. What is a 3.5 inch circle on a 9 inch kill zone?
I seriously doubt if I will shoot beyond 100 yards. . .thus, my REALS are extremely cheap. . .accurate enough. . .readily available. . .and can be cast out of wheel weights.
So, I have a 18 cents a pull gun. . .powder and all. . .not bad. . .compared to some guns at 2.00 a pull.

The REAL's are extremely good on deer. . . Not near as good as the PowderBelts. . .but they knock the deer down pretty darn good. . .about 40 yards is the longest running deer I have had with a REAL. PowerBelts are a "Drop Dead in their Tracks" type of conical. The deer have either dropped where they are standing, or a 20 yard run.

Best all around Bullet?

REAL's. . .for me. cheap, easy to cast, deadly, powerful, unlimited quantities, accurate enough for the job, and no swabbing between shots.

 

[flint head]

I agree... .451 300 grain Nosler PP,,, and the original 300 grain Barnes MZ is hard to beat as well.

 

[Rhinelander]

I only go after harvesting Wis. Whitetail deer with a my muzzleloader. All my muzzleloaders are using less than 90 vol. - of 209. I have harvest 11 deer with 250 gr Hornady XTP, with 2 of these deer being at just over 80 yards away. These bullets open up properly for a clean kill, are low cost, and accurate. As with any good bullet, bullet placement is always important for a clean harvest.

 

[Edwardamason]

First of all I know there are lots of variables for this that and the other.But just for FUN.......the muzzleloader genie grants you an unlimited supply of just ONE bullet,everything from coyotes to grizzlies(not going africa here).What do you pick....................

Im going with .451 300 grain Nosler partition.It has worked very well for me(albeit just on whitetails)and it was good enough for Jim Shockey to hunt the continent with.Good accuracy and proven results on the business end.

Whats your pick?(And please remember I only did this for fun,not intending to insult anybodys pick.Its summer and I'm bored )

Luckily this thread is just for fun. Trying to pick one bullet for hunting everything from coyotes to grizzlies is about as entertaining as contemplating playing 18 holes of golf with a pitching wedge. Sure it can be done but there are better tools available too us for specific job.

Playing the game as outlined I would probably go with the Hornady XTP 300 Gr as I have found it is reasonably accurate in a wide range of ML's and has held together well in large game. Granted I have not gone after Grizzlies with it and would never contemplate such a crazy notion but should I be forced to do so I feel like it would do its part if I did my part in the shooting.

 

[WV Hunter]

If I could only pick one, it would likely be a .300gr deep curl.

 

[double brow]

For me it is the 300 gr deep curl..

 

[rc67]

Harvester Scorpion PT Gold 260 gr.

 

[oldfox]

Speer 270 gr Deep Curl..

 

[LarryBud]

Do the 270 Deep Curls you speak of have a full lead point?

I bought some 44 cal 270 deep curls that I shoot with the 44/50 Harvester green sabots with great accuracy. I've yet to try them on game.

 

[oldfox]

Do the 270 Deep Curls you speak of have a full lead point?

I bought some 44 cal 270 deep curls that I shoot with the 44/50 Harvester green sabots with great accuracy. I've yet to try them on game.

Yes Larry, full lead SP.. They are very accurate in my T/C Impact..

 

[Hulions]

I really like the Speer .452/300gr Deep Curl with 110 gr. of BH 209. It will work for anything I would ever want to hunt and shoots very accurate out of my Endeavor and Omega.

 

[paul54]

Barnes .290 TMZ!!!!!!!!!!!!

Put me down for the same. From a penetration, terminal performance and ballistic coefficient standpoint, they're pretty tough to beat.

Paul