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Post by holstonangler on Jul 11, 2011 9:13:53 GMT -5
Hey guys, just thinking about deer season and was wondering what everybody's favorite deer hunting bullet was and why. Thanks
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Post by rangeball on Jul 11, 2011 9:24:30 GMT -5
Assuming they shoot for you-
.50 sabotless- 250gr Thor (made by barnes)
Saboted .45- barnes 250gr TEZ (the flat base one)
In my mind you can't beat a barnes terminally up close and fast or long range and slow. It's a wonderful hunting bullet.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jul 11, 2011 10:37:02 GMT -5
Rangeball,
I've got some Barnes 290 Tmz's with the blue sabots from barnes.
What sabot would you suggest on the .50 barnes tez,tmz's?
Holstonangler,
Most on here prefer the Barnes Bullets for deer hunting,but there were quite a few post last year about the 325ftx hornady's.
They seem to group well and kill deer.
I will be interested to see what replies you get also,GOOD QUESTION.
Greenhorn
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Post by rangeball on Jul 11, 2011 11:00:25 GMT -5
greenhorn, those are boat tail based, right? I think harvester makes a yellow one for them? Not sure though as I've never shot the boat tail.
If you have flat base my bore likes the harvester RCR.
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picks
8 Pointer
Posts: 182
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Post by picks on Jul 11, 2011 14:01:46 GMT -5
I like the .458 300gr b/o with a black crushed ribbed sabot,and 72 gr of 10x for deer,elk and moose.they shoot under 1.5" at 100y all the time .the bullet expandes nice and stays together well.never recovered one on a deer yet but the one out of a 6x6 320 inch bull elk,it still weighed 287 grs and expanded to over an inch(227yard shot), with the same resalts on a 50 inch bull moose @ 204 yards, both bullets were hanging out the hide on the opposite side..
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Post by redpep on Jul 11, 2011 15:47:03 GMT -5
Smokeeter's 300gr .458 modified remington with an orange mmp, game over after you pull the trigger
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Post by tar12 on Jul 11, 2011 15:59:18 GMT -5
Here is a surprise...the BO hands down! ;D
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Post by mountainam on Jul 11, 2011 16:08:02 GMT -5
Everybody has their favorites,so here's mine. Remington .458" 300gr HP bulk bullet using a MMP orange .458x.50 sabot. You'll get 3 shots for $1. Second is .458" 325gr FTX Hornady using the same sabot. You'll only get two shots for $1 on that one. Barnes seem to be really popular,but I wish I had every dollar back I ever spent to get Barnes to group for me. And I'm talking hundreds of $$$. I've yet to have a .451" or .452" bullet outperform a .458" bullet in any of my .50's or .54's. The two I listed will flatten ANY whitetail that you'll ever encounter. I too am a 10x believer. Good shooting!
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jul 11, 2011 16:48:49 GMT -5
in the .50 the 290 tez is a stone cold killer, and it shoots well too. the bo is a good bullet for the really big stuff but on whitetail I would stick to shoulder shots....
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Post by Chris Champion on Jul 11, 2011 17:20:39 GMT -5
Here is a surprise...the BO hands down! ;D NO!!!!! Really?!?!?!  What he said!!! ;D |
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Post by youp50 on Jul 11, 2011 17:59:33 GMT -5
I like the 458 Hornady in a BCR sabot. The 300 BO in a BCR sabot. Hands down winner, for me, is the 250 TMZ Barnes in the old style yellow smooth supplied sabot. Its a boat tail bullet and many have not been successful in getting them to group satisfactorily. I need to knurl the Barnes bullet. I trust H4198 for a powder with the 300 gr bullets, but duplex under the 250s.
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Post by wilmsmeyer on Jul 11, 2011 18:15:09 GMT -5
If I had to juggle price, speed, penetration, accuracy at sane ranges and uncanny repeatability...I would vote for the 325 FTX in a BCR sabot. Probably any jacketed .458 for that matter. 2nd choice would be any Barnes bullet that shot good enough to hunt with.
The 325 FTX really shoots awesome at any range I've tried with no fliers. All pass throughs this past year without much blast damage....little or no tracking.
If ranges are short, a heavy flat nose hard cast works wonderful and does way more damage then I imagined it would...on 4 deer 2 seasons ago from Ozarks old gun at 1,400 fps or so.
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nic58
8 Pointer
Posts: 237
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Post by nic58 on Jul 11, 2011 18:56:47 GMT -5
The Hornady 300 gr. SST-ML in a short black Harvester is accurate and flies well at distance for me. BTW, it puts the deer down well too!
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Post by GMB54-120 on Jul 11, 2011 20:26:56 GMT -5
Another vote for a the 325gr FTX in whichever sabot works for you. I get them for $36/100 so i am a bit biased but they shoot great and are PLENTY for deer. You dont need a ton of speed at impact either. Another one i like is the Barnes 458 300gr SOCOM but its a boat tail and that can be a problem with smokeless sometimes. They are a tiny bit cheaper than other Barnes in bulk at $44/50 or less on sale. I dont really have a favorite for a 50cal though..just too many good options....My 54cal though is another story.  |
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Post by dans on Jul 11, 2011 21:27:14 GMT -5
Any 300 grain bullet /sabot combo you can get to fly well will do it in the .50. I like the 225 grain Barnes 45 pistol bullet in my NULA. I like the 250 or 300 Barnes Expander in my Savage 50s.
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Post by cuda on Jul 12, 2011 0:32:53 GMT -5
A .458 dia 300 grain Remington in a BCR with 69 grains of IMR 4198 and Win 209 primer. Is what mine likes to kill deer with.
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Post by orionsoracle on Jul 12, 2011 5:00:42 GMT -5
325 Hornady FTX( Thanks Willmsmeyer) with 60 grains of N120 with Harvester BCR sabot. The BO second but much more costly
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Post by GMB54-120 on Jul 12, 2011 8:37:08 GMT -5
My NULA (Chucks old gun) shoots this bullet incredibly well also out to at least 175 yards. I will likely use it in the NULA this year unless i can get the Lehigh 458-275gr to shoot well enough.
The 325gr FTX might be a bit more recoil than i care for in a sub 7lb gun but the 225gr-260gr class are cream puffs to shoot. In the Savage though the 325gr FTX isnt bad until you get close to 2300fps, then it gets noticeable. I dont know how fast mine are moving in the Savage but it and i like 63gr of Re7 or maybe a tad less N120. My guess is that load will knock the snot out of any whitetail or muley well past my current ability range.
I really haven't tried any other loads in the Savage since its destined to become a 45cal and im more interested in hunting with the NULA atm or my brush gun.
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Post by fowlplay on Jul 12, 2011 11:35:37 GMT -5
I don't post much anymore because my gun has become boring. I'm still shooting 44g. of N110 with a Barnes 250 TMZ, and a CCIM primer.
It has been a very accurate load for me out to 200 yards. I use my Savage for all my gun seasons. I have tried many powder and bullet combinations, and my gun likes this one the best. Now that I have arrived there is no desire to try to fix what is not broken.
Steve
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Post by 10ga on Jul 13, 2011 20:17:01 GMT -5
300 gr flatnose "tough" home cast bullet. RCR sabot. 42 gr of 4759. EXIT wounds from every angle and range I've shot.
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Post by jims on Jul 13, 2011 22:26:52 GMT -5
To Fowlplay: Boring can be very good, it will put deer meat on the table.
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Post by Rifleman on Jul 14, 2011 6:57:48 GMT -5
Under 200 yds- no big deal shoot a 300 gr Hornady .452 XTP with 45 grs AA5744 and MMP short black sabot. It is a factory recommended load, it is cheap, and it is very effective. I have tested this load in with either the 250 gr XTP or the 300 gr XTP in about 12 rifles, and it always shoots to the factory accuracy guarantee of 3 shots - 1 1/2 inches. I do not feel the 250 xtp is the best bullet choice as penetration occasionally can be an issue, but that is resolved with the 300 gr version.
Over 200 yds- I vote with Tar12- Barnes Original (BO) .458 300 gr. Semi Spitzer, 60 grs N120, Black Harvestor crush rib sabot. MV 2250-2280 sight in 3 in high at 100, dead on at 200, and 18 inches low at 300. It has been the most consistent long range killer in the 50 cal of which I am aware. A good shooter with a rifle set up right can keep this load under 2 moa at 300 yds. This load has many kills in excess of 250 yds. A few years back we kept a score board of deer killed with the BO on this board, and we had over 100 deer reported. Interesting thing was that out of over 100 deer killed, we only had 1 bullet recovered. Reason for this is that regardless of angle, deer size, or distance out to 300 yards, the BO almost always gets complete penetration.
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Post by corvair on Jul 27, 2011 19:56:39 GMT -5
On both my NULA and my Savage HB I shoot the Parker 275gr BE w/supplied MMP sabot. Load is 42gr 4759 on the Savage and 43gr on the NULA.
I have found the Parkers to be extremely accurate giving me 175 yard moa accuracy in both rifles. That is about as far I have bench tested them. Killed many deer in the last several years with these loads.
Many dropped in their tracks, none traveled further than 40 yards.
Good to be posting again as I have been absent for awhile.
Hey rifleman, how's it going?
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Post by holstonangler on Jul 27, 2011 22:49:33 GMT -5
great reply's, Thanks! Which harvestor black sabots are you guys using for .458 bullets?
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Post by wilmsmeyer on Jul 28, 2011 4:58:15 GMT -5
Black Crush Ribs
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nic58
8 Pointer
Posts: 237
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Post by nic58 on Jul 28, 2011 7:07:34 GMT -5
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Post by holstonangler on Aug 5, 2011 21:34:40 GMT -5
i went to grafs and saw prob 4 different black harvestor sabots, their discription on them sucks
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Post by Chris Champion on Aug 5, 2011 22:25:41 GMT -5
i went to grafs and saw prob 4 different black harvestor sabots, their discription on them sucks This might help. The only black sabots you'll need in the 50 cal are either the black crush rib for .458 bullets or the HP EZ load (also referred to as smooth black) for .452 bullets in tight bores. Some use the smooth black if the BCR loads too loose with .458 bullets. There are two styles of these. The short ones for bullets up to 300g and the longer one for bullets 300g and up. The short are what most use that use the smooth black. Also, if you want to shoot a .451 or .452 bullet try the Red Crush Rib. |
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Post by Chris Champion on Aug 5, 2011 22:36:13 GMT -5
Oh by the way don't let the description fool you. Even though the Black Crush Rib says for .451-.452 bullets these are the ones everyone uses with .458 bullets.
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floyd
Button Buck
Posts: 24
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Post by floyd on Aug 9, 2011 9:45:22 GMT -5
I've found the 250 .45 xtp/black mmp does too much damage for deer at close range (25 to 50 yards). Since this is my typical shot distance I'm going to try barnes (tmz 250) this year and hope it will reduce the amount of meat loss. I find they shoot as well as the xtps too, just much more expensive.
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