Barnes 250 gr. or 290 gr.?

[wyohunter]

Which do you prefer and why? My primary game is whtetail deer and I'm going to use the 250 gr. T-EZ this year. Any opinions on this?

[grouse]

I don't prefer either, but a 290grn bullet is really over kill for Deer when using a good bullet.

[rj47302]

My personal preference, is a 290gr barnes tmz. while may be a little over kill they shoot great. and at long distance they seem to stabilize a little better than a lighter bullet. and knockdown power is there. but that's me and in my hunting situations.

[wilmsmeyer]

Either bullet, 250 or 290 will almost always fully penetrate a whitetail every time. That being said, the extra speed of the 250 will do a little more damage in terms of hydrostatic shock. So, a 290 gr version is not overkill in my book. I have shot a pile of deer with the 250 TMZ and a few with the 290 TMZ. The damage appeared to be greater with the lighter bullet and I have yet to recover one. Also, unless you hit structure, don't expect "lights out" kills, even with high impact speeds. Do expect a death run with heart/lung hits...then a death stumble...and finally a death tumble...usually within sight and before you have a chance to think about reloading

I should add that all the TMZ's I've shot were using a Savage smokeless ML. I never found outstanding accuracy, but for hunting I was very happy with 1 1/2" - 2"groups all day long with either bullet @ 100 yds

My advice is to shoot the one that is the most accurate. I personally didn't see much of a difference in that department and I've shot 100's of each. IMO, they are the ultimate bullet if you can shoot them accurately. They make big holes all the way through and you can take a quartering on shot at high speed and simply crush the shoulder...followed by complete penetration of the vitals.

There are several other good bullets that also do this well I might add....most are made by the same company. Others include Nosler partitions and a variety of hardcasts. Grouse was also using some fancy all brass slugs a while back and they probably do the same thing.

[grouse]

Sept 5, 2010 0:46:06 GMT -5 wilmsmeyer said:

Grouse was also using some fancy all brass slugs a while back and they probably do the same thing.

The Parker ballistic extremes are a great choice as well. Very good performance on game.

[mike3132]

Sept 3, 2010 19:50:20 GMT -5 wyohunter said:

Which do you prefer and why? My primary game is whtetail deer and I'm going to use the 250 gr. T-EZ this year. Any opinions on this?

Use the one that shoots the best in your gun. All bullets kill, its the placement of the shot that counts. Mike

[Deleted]

i'd go with the 250

[frogee]

I would choose whichever one shoots the more accurately out of the gun you will be using. Shot placement is more important than bullet performance. Having both is best.