Category Archives: Bullet Tests and Reviews.

Tests for accuracy and hunting performance

Reloading the 7mm Remington Magnum for my Browning X-Bolt w/ New Norma Brass

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I purchased Norma Brass this January for reloading my new Browning Rifle for moose hunting. There were no other Brass manufacturers available on the Internet, that I could find at the time… but glad I bought them.

I purchased a lot of 50, packed in plastic bags and boxed. How did they weigh-out? 

Accordingly, I weighed 10 case random sample and did a Standard Deviation, Average and Extreme Spread. 

Std Dev.  0.74 grains

AVG Wt. 214.83 grains

Extreme Spread of 2 grains in the ten cases. That is excellent!

 

 

 

I took a photo of the flash hole from inside this unsized case. Notice that there is no apparent burr. Some manufacturers like Norma drill the flash hole instead of punching. Drilling is better!

I found this informative review below of Norma Brass on line. 

Norma 7mm Rem Mag Brass Review

 

Adding the primers with my press was much more difficult as they were new and difficult to seat. The good news is that these primer pockets will firmly hold the primer and make reloading the case less susceptible to loose primers. Norma says the brass can be reloaded  up to 10 times according to the above article. 

I used my RCBS Rock Chucker Press, RL-22 powder and loaded Nosler 7mm 175 grain AccuBond Long Range. The bullets are boat tail thus I thought it would make it a bit easier to press the bullet.  They still pressed hard but did not hurt the case.

I shall chamfer the inside of case necks on the next batch to make the bullets press easier. 

I shot enough to zero at 100 yards (groups 1 1/4″) then chronographed them at 2615 fps. I expected a much faster bullet. I was hoping for 2900 fps says Nosler data with 1:9 twist and 24 inch barrel. My barrel is 1:9.5 twist with a 26 inch barrel. Accordingly, I will experiment with powders to see what I can safely wring out of these bullets. Inspecting the fired case and primers look normal. 

The trigger still pulls heavy for me (4 lbs) and soon I will have a Timney to swap out the factory trigger. 

I also loaded some Nosler 168 grain ABLR’s with IMR 4831 and they chrono’d at around 3005 fps and grouped at 3/4 inches at 100 yards. I liked that load!

This round may turn out to be better for long range moose than the 175 ABLR.

More Soon!

 

 

 

Perfect Rifle Cartridge for Big Game?

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Is there a perfect rifle cartridge for big game? Great Campfire fodder sure to keep you up at night.

Big Game Cartridges are purchased and used for many different reasons, thus for some big game animals, they are better and sometimes… they are not.

The distances we encounter and hunt big game like deer, bear, and moose as well a bullet shape and construction play a large part of a big game cartridge.  And whether the game you are hunting can be dangerous, like a brown or grizzly bear.

I believe the vast majority are deer hunters like myself , who, on occasion hunt bear, wild boar, elk, moose and such.

Many cartridges were originally designed as a target cartridge like the recent 6.5 Creedmoor. The .308 Winchester and 30-06 Springfield were designed as a cartridge used in battle in WWI, WWII, Korea and Vietnam, later valuably used as a target round and hunting round.

It was the ballistics data experts and students that realized that surplus ammo was used inexpensively for both target and hunting. Most were of spitzer bullet design for longer range.

Later post WWII hunters learned that a round nose bullet at shorter ranges inside of 200 or so yards were like the hammer-of-thor thus dropping game pronto. Lever guns like the 30-30 and 35 Winchester as well as the 45-70 cannot use pointed tip bullets and were terrific game stoppers.

Today many hunters like long range hunting and go west or south to prairies and bean fields thus spitzers are the bullet of choice for 300 to 800 yards or more.

Or some believe the use of light copper spitzer bullets at high velocities of over 3200fps with 100% retained weight to deliver hydrostatic shock and a lights out punch to game like black bear at close range. 

Here in New  Hampshire, most game like deer, bear and moose are harvested at around 40 to 50 yards or so. Spitzers are not necessary here but if you do not reload or hand-load, then spitzers are what you will find on store shelves these days.

Bore sizes like .22, 6mm/.243, 6.5mm, 7mm, .308, .338 and .375, 416, 45, and 50 caliber are common but are used on certain game for reasons of killing capacity(aka energy delivered) and distances encountered. Yes, I missed a dozen other less common calibers, but you get the idea.

The key to any big game cartridge really is the bullet and its construction, like bonded, A-frame or copper for the task desired. Coupled with this, and equally important is sectional density. It is the ratio of bullet weight (M) to the square of bullet diameter and is very important for penetration. (SD= M/D²). If you are a student of ballistics and killing power the following website will add to your knowledge for winter reading.  

https://www.chuckhawks.com/sd.htm

So in the end, if you know distances to deer for example and the terrain and forest type you are hunting them you can gear your rifle cartridge and bullet to the game,   thus making it more ideal.

 

You guessed it, there is no perfect big game cartridge. To maximize your cartridge, include the size of game, terrain, distance, bullet construction including sectional density in your calculations. Below is another website for your winter reading.

http://www.chuckhawks.com/rifle_bullet_killing_power.htm

Good Hunting!

© Copyright 2022

 

 

 

Ballistic Gel 6.5 Creedmoor Test Nosler 129g ABLR vs Hammer Hunter Copper 124g

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At New Hampshire Rifleman we tested both 6.5 Creedmoor bullets from Nosler and Hammer in 10% FBI formulated ballistic gel.   Tests were conducted at point blank range. Lets look at the ballistic gel blocks visually to see what happened.

For the test to be valid, e. g., apples to apples,  I needed a constant comparable speed for this test, thus both clock 2900 fps give or take so the wound channels would be comparable.

Below is the wound channel of the Hammer Hunter 124 grain at 2900 fps entering at left.

The dark color you see above is where the bullet burned the gel as it passed.  No simulated bone was or skin was placed on entry, just the gel. The bullet opened up at around 3.5 inches and fragments of petals can be seen flying after 8 to 10 inches of penetration  and exited the16 inch gel block. And the main bullet stopped at around 27 inches with more fragments in that second 16 inch block.

If moose size game is hit with this 124 grain bullet, the great  tissue damage along the 11 inch core damage track will bring him down as will the bullet at 27 inches. Note the bullet travel is in a straight line. 

Overall, the bullet lost 55 grains of copper in its travel but much of it would have exited a whitetail if hit broadside at that speed. 

At a slower speed, perhaps the fragments would spin off sooner aka in the middle of the deer adding to the possible DRT (drop right there)

Below is the wound channel from the 129 grain Nosler ABLR entering on the right and peaking energy we can see  at 4 to 5 inches inside. Where it can do the most damage as penetration progresses. I would opt for a much heavier bullet for moose.

 

The Nosler wound channel above appears more explosive but shorter in length. The bullet opens after 1/1/4 inches and does massive damage at five inches. Pieces of the Nosler bullet are seen in that explosive center. It lost around 58 grains of copper and lead in the first 6 inches of penetration but the core stayed together and entered the second block by 6 more inches.

Both bullets lost nearly the same weight. The Hammer bullet was able to turn those copper petals into more tissue damage.

Both bullets were recovered below.

Oct 14 target after ballistic test. Both bullets near 1/2 inch of each other at 100 yards. Nice!

Conclusion:

Both will kill deer humanely at that speed, and due to the major damage of the bullet travel cavities, the deer will likely drop right there. Expected terminal velocities on deer at 100 yards to be in the 2600 fps range. 

I like the fact that the Nosler opened up faster and delivered more energy to the ballistic gel. But both are great bullets, I would prefer heavier bullets for larger game. Of course the hammer hunter has no lead at all but finding those petals in the HH shot meat may bother me as I love my venison. 

More tests coming later for different bullet weights.

Good Hunting!

© Copyright 2021 All Rights Reserved

 

 

Hammer Hunter: New USA Made Bullet On The Market – Initial velocity/ powderTests

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The “Hammer” Copper Hunter bullet is the new kid on the block. Like other copper hollow points, one version called the Hammer Hunter, opens with propeller like blades and folds back under high velocity to release the petals into five bullets. The base unit and the four petals still continue penetration.

What makes Hammer Bullets different?  They are US patented and made on a CNC lath with tight tolerances.

The bullets are designed for hand-loaders and the loader needs to have experience with loading rifle cartridge’s  cartridge load data and work up loads in a safe manner.

The first 6.5mm bullet I velocity tested in my Weatherby Vanguard Weatherguard 6.5 Creedmoor was the 124 grain Hammer Hunter (HH) because it lookes like a great deer hunting weight.

Bullet    Powder    Grain   Seat depth    Muz-Vel

124     H4350       42         2.805            2620

124     H4350      42.5       ” ”                 2653

124     H4350      43           ” ”                2665

I realized that this H4350 powder was slow. Next I had some Superformance Powder, so I loaded and chronographed these HH  below

124     Superf     47.5      2.795             2840

124    “”              48         “”                   2873

124    “”              48.5     “”                    2922

Next  I loaded 110 grain HH using Varget Powder

Bullet    Powder    Grain Seat Depth    Muz-Vel

110      Varget      40         <2.800         2946

110        “”           40.5         “”               2947

110       “”            41           “”                2956

110       ”              41.5       “”                 3010

Next the 85 grain HH

85        “”           43             “”                3200

Heavier HH bullets have not been test fired yet.

Cleaning the barrel with Hoppes #9, I produced 8 very dirty swabs and a quick bronze brushing, followed by a solvent swab that was satisfactorily clean. I am going to purchase some Boretech Cu+2 cleaner and some nylon brushes. The Boretech adds say it does not stink and says will not harm barrel. So we will give it a try.

I have learned to prep my hunting barrel with a fast evaporating solvent degreaser like KG Industries 3, because it removes lubricant and appears to make cold shots group with later shots in a warming barrel.

Note: I observed an on-line ballistics gel test at slower velocities, like from a long range hit, traveling 1700 to 1800 fps and the petals opened but remained attached. The test observer suggests lower than that speed, the petals did not open. Higher velocities and the petals do reliably detach aka at 2600 fps as mini bullets, and create a much larger wound channel.

We will do some ballistic gel tests at some point soon. 

So far I give the tests a big thumbs up.

© copyright 2021

 

Deer Rifles: Shooter Accuracy/Shot Placement Thoughts

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The “given” here, is that the rifle you chose is capable of an ethical deer harvest.

Next is US, you and me. The best way to explain what drops a deer fast, is largely, the accuracy of WE the shooters and shot placement.

As i began the article, of course the caliber and cartridge must be adequate. For an ethical deer harvest, a delivered energy minimum is suggested at 1000 ft-lbs in order to penetrate through vitals such as heart and lungs.

Exit wounds are helpful for tracking thus, I prefer more delivered energy. With todays rifles, it’s a given, that the rifle has some bench rest accuracy at or near MOA meaning shots will group about an inch spread at 100 yards.

My favorite deer calibers for most hunters begins with the 243 Winchester for really low recoil yet adequate for broadside shots, and all the way to a 300 Win. Mag up to .375 H&H or .375 Ruger  for dangerous or very large game.

If you hand load as I do, all the better, then you can customize your load to fit the game you hunt.

The 300 Win Mag and .375 can be downloaded for deer as well. I download the .375 Ruger with a 235 grain Speer Hot Core at speeds of around 2200 fps for out to 100 yards or so. I took a 150 pound red deer at 40 yards with a 225 grain flat nose bullet traveling at 1600 fps hand loaded in my .375 Ruger. She fell dead in 10 yards with full penetration and a heart shot.

My Safari rifle, years back,  was a .338 Win Mag with 250 grain Nosler Partition bullets.  I used it on plains game animals such as blesbok, impala, springbok and Kudu. They all fell right there, to a single well placed shot in the heart/lung area.

There are several rifle attributes for many, including me, to shoot accurately. First, The deer rifle must fit when I shoulder the rifle with a hunting jacket on.

Too long a stock, and it will never make it quickly to your cheek on cold November day in New England.

Second, a trigger that is crisp and not too heavy. For me, three pounds is about right. If you don’t know when your trigger breaks to fire, then you are likely to have a difficult time placing the shot correctly.

Third, I must be able to handle the recoil.

Fourth,  if using a scope as I do, a good cheek weld in alignment with the scope is vital. I love Leupold scopes for optical quality at a fair price. They are rugged!

Fifth, is a state-of-the-art recoil pad that reduces felt recoil by 50%. Less felt recoil translates effectively to improved accuracy. I use the Pachmayr Decelerator™.

Sixth, is a gun that is not too heavy to carry all day. My limit is around 9 pounds with scope for large calibers but prefer 7 to 8 pounds with scope here in New England.

Bullet Attributes

Best in class bullets today for hunting big game begin with bullets that tend to stay together such as core-lock types but even better are partition bullets where the forward point is soft and the rear partition is hard  and continues to penetrate. Today we also have both highly effective bonded bullets, such as the Nosler AccuBond et al., where the lead is bonded to the copper and monolithic gilding copper bullets. Bullets like the Nosler E-Tip and Hornady GMX, where the bullet flares inside game with mushrooming or petals and retains nearly 100% of its original weight.

Pure copper monolithic bullets from Barnes work too and retain most weight, but I have had difficulty keeping my barrels clean of copper, so I avoid them. Some folks find them excellent in their rifle and that is fine.

Most bullets offered today for center fire rifles are pointed spitzer types often with synthetic tips that push open a hollow cavity and flare or mushroom. These are great all around bullets that are best shot in the open and at long distances. But don’t discount round nose and flat nose bullets out to 300 yards. These bullets are designed for heavy brush, shorter range and deliver great punch to drop big game. I even have a 160 grain round nose from Hornady for my 6.5 Creedmoor. However I must hand load them as there are no commercial off-the-shelf rounds widely available for deer size game.

I prefer either Nosler or Hornady bonded or monolithic for spitzer styles and core lock copper jacket styles offered by Hornady for round nose short range brush.

There is a movement perhaps toward monolithic copper, I believe because, it maintains nearly 100% of its bullet weight in game. I prefer both the Nosler gilding copper E-Tip or Hornady gilding GMX.  Experimentation will determine if you like the accuracy from them in your rifle.

Shot Placement

In a perfect world the game is standing broadside. Bullets should be placed in the heart/lung area which, if broadside is just behind the front leg about a third up from the brisket.  Shots that are facing are iffy if you can’t place the bullet in the center of the chest to take out the heart and damage both lungs. Best shot placement, besides broadside, often require a more powerful rifle above the 243 Winchester when the animal is quartering away or towards and capable of breaking bone and reaching vitals. Neck shots as vital vertebrae and arteries are a guessing game for me, so I resist that shot.

Bullet Speed and Energy

Bullet speed has only one terminal ballistic requirement, that delivers sufficient energy to reach and damage vital organs for a quick death.  As I said earlier, many have evidenced that delivered bullet energy in the 1000 ft-lb is a minimum for deer. Talk about hydrostatic shock for a very fast bullet for an instant deer dropping kill has some proponents, but again, shot placement is key. Equally are those who shoot large diameter bullets that go much slower.  Both will kill humanely.  The greatest example of large and slower is the 50 caliber muzzleloader which launches a 250 to 400 grain projectile at just over 2000 fps.

Shot placement is key for a quick humane kill!

I shot a trophy Texas buck with my T/C 50 cal. muzzleloader right behind the front leg with a 295 grain bullet at 2300 fps. He fell as if pole axed with his legs in the air.

And on occasion, the hydraulic effect of driving fluids like blood from a heart shot to hydraulically damage the brain from a chest wound does happen on occasion. This effect can turn the brain off like a switch for an instant kill.

In closing, the key here is still shot placement.

Good Hunting!

©Copyright 2021

 

 

 

 

 

6.5 Creedmoor: Hand-Loaded Nosler 129g ABLR and Hornady 160g Round Nose Deer Hunt Combo? Update at 150 yards

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On my northern Maine deer hunt this fall,  I want options.  I am sold that my Weatherby Vanguard 6.5 CM with my Hornady 160 grain round nose is great for a shorter range woods hunt. The round nose has more knockout punch inside of 100 yards and is not as deflectable in brush as a spitzer. However, it limits me to just short range of say 150 yards.

Ok, suppose I am in an elevated stand that overlooks a clear-cut that is 300 yards of open stumps and out walks a wall hanger buck at 280 yards.

With just the 160 grain set-up, I would not be able to attempt a  shot.  Accordingly, I loaded up some 129 grain Nosler AccuBond Long Range bullets that I had in my cupboard to see where they would impact my 160 grain round nose scope set up at 100 yards. Guess What? The 129 grain heads hit the exact same spot as the 160 grain heads. What? Yes they did! What does that mean? It means that I can use either bullet at closer range but, more importantly, it means that I can use the 129 grain Nosler ABLR for longer range open shots with minor elevation adjustments. Wow!

I hand loaded the 129 grain Nosler ABLR’s with a near-max load of Hodgdon H4350. COL was set at 2.75 inches.  The bullets exit the barrel at just over 2800 fps and group at 1 MOA at 100 yards. I put the data into JBM Ballistics Trajectory calculator. And if I adjust the elevation to 1.8 inches high at 100 yards it is basically zeroed for 200 yards. My maximum point blank range (MPBR) is 280 yards. At 280 yards, as seen below, that 129 grain bullet delivers 1500 ft-lbs of energy. Plenty for a big whitetail deer.

UPDATE: After writing this article, I bench-rested one cold shot of each load at 150 yards with a 100 yard zero waiting 10 minutes between shots and degreased the already clean barrel at each shot. The 129 grain Nosler ABLR was dead center low by 1 inch. The 160 grain RN Hornady fell just over 2 inches from dead center. Both bullets were just over an inch apart.

Honestly, I think it is astonishing that both a light and heavy bullet of different head designs and loaded with different powders, different speeds/ballistic coefficients and cartridge overall lengths can be so close to one another, essentially striking the same spot out to 150 yards. I think a clean barrel that has been solvent degreased contributed to the accuracy of these cold shots as well and eliminated a barrel cleanliness variable. Gravity and the aerodynamic drag (BC) of the round nose beyond 150 yards will make it fall faster (19 inches) and lose deer killing energy at 300 yards. The 129 grain Nosler ABLR will lose little energy, and drop 7.5 inches at 300 yards. And can reach beyond 400 yards with sufficient energy as seen in the 129 grain data below. Which bullet do you think, inside of 100 yards will deliver more energy inside the deer? I think the round nose wins that one. But from say beyond 150 yards the 129 grain Nosler takes over the most energy delivered inside the deer. 

See the JBM Ballistics Output Data below. https://www.jbmballistics.com/cgi-bin/jbmtraj-5.1.cgi

 

Output Data
Elevation: 5.314 MOA Windage: 0.000 MOA
Atmospheric Density: 0.08269 lb/ft³ Speed of Sound: 1073.7 ft/s
Maximum PBR: 280 yd Maximum PBR Zero: 239 yd
Range of Maximum Height: 135 yd Energy at Maximum PBR: 1549.1 ft•lbs
Sectional Density: 0.264 lb/in²
Calculated Table
Range Drop Drop Windage Windage Velocity Mach Energy Time Lead Lead
(yd) (in) (MOA) (in) (MOA) (ft/s) (none) (ft•lbs) (s) (in) (MOA)
0 -1.5 *** 0.0 *** 2810.0 2.617 2261.4 0.000 0.0 ***
25 -0.2 -0.9 0.0 0.1 2764.4 2.575 2188.6 0.027 0.9 3.6
50 0.7 1.4 0.2 0.3 2719.3 2.533 2117.8 0.054 1.9 3.6
75 1.4 1.8 0.4 0.4 2674.7 2.491 2048.9 0.082 2.9 3.7
100 1.8 1.7 0.6 0.6 2630.6 2.450 1981.8 0.110 3.9 3.7
125 1.8 1.4 1.0 0.8 2586.9 2.409 1916.6 0.139 4.9 3.7
150 1.6 1.0 1.4 0.9 2543.7 2.369 1853.1 0.168 5.9 3.8
175 1.0 0.5 2.0 1.1 2500.9 2.329 1791.3 0.198 7.0 3.8
200 -0.0 -0.0 2.6 1.2 2458.6 2.290 1731.1 0.228 8.0 3.8
225 -1.3 -0.6 3.3 1.4 2416.6 2.251 1672.5 0.259 9.1 3.9
250 -3.0 -1.1 4.1 1.6 2375.1 2.212 1615.5 0.290 10.2 3.9
275 -5.1 -1.8 5.0 1.8 2333.9 2.174 1560.0 0.322 11.3 3.9
300 -7.5 -2.4 6.1 1.9 2293.2 2.136 1506.1 0.355 12.5 4.0
325 -10.4 -3.1 7.2 2.1 2252.9 2.098 1453.5 0.388 13.6 4.0
350 -13.7 -3.7 8.4 2.3 2212.9 2.061 1402.5 0.421 14.8 4.0
375 -17.5 -4.4 9.7 2.5 2173.4 2.024 1352.8 0.455 16.0 4.1
400 -21.7 -5.2 11.1 2.7 2134.2 1.988 1304.5 0.490 17.3 4.1

 

22-Jul-21 07:55, JBM/jbmtraj-5.1.cgi

Even if I don’t make any adjustment to the scope for the 100 yard zero using 160 grain scope setup , I am only 3.5 inches low at 200 yards with the Nosler, still in the kill zone, but I need a steady field rest to make those distant shots. I have a walking stick with a pop up V  rest that I have used before from an elevated stand that works well. I used it similarly from an elevated stand to take a lone spike buck at near to 300 yards a few years back. It looks like I will take both bullets on this hunt. Brush hunt with the Hornady RN and Clear-Cut hunt with the Nosler.

Good Hunting!

©Copyright 2021

Reloading Data Sites to Remember

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For those who do research on line for hunting bullet load data you may already be aware of load data from the following sites from a powder perspective and a bullet perspective as well. Enjoy!

https://www.hodgdonreloading.com/reloading-data-center   

The second site is Alliant Powder and similarly has rifle, pistol and shotgun load data.  https://www.alliantpowder.com/reloaders/index.aspx

Nosler has a load data site too for rifles that has great data for Nosler bullets. Click the Load Data below. 

https://load-data.nosler.com/

Speer also has rifle load data for Speer bullets below.

https://reloadingdata.speer.com/SpeerReloading/Rifle

Hornady has load data that has not been published in their handbook yet so it is limited.  In fact, the Hornady handbook #11 has loads and powders not shown even in their limited load data site.  Note: Hornady’s 11th Edition Handbook is specific to Hornady bullets. 

https://www.hornady.com/support/load-data/

There may be other sites I have not highlighted here but these sites cover much of the rifle load data except for companies that will not fully publish and desire you to purchase their handbook. 

Sierra has a limited load data site. 

https://sierrabullets.wordpress.com/category/load-data/

 

Hunter Value of Hornady 6.5mm 160 grain InterLock Round Nose Loads in Forest Terrain

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This 6.5mm InterLock® Round Nose was designed for shorter ranges say under 150 yards in forest terrain on deer, bear and even moose. This round nose, maximizes delivered energy (like a hammer) more so than a spitzer for the same distances.  With some luck,  I did find some bullets on-line and made a purchase. One of the outstanding attributes of heavy 6.5mm bullets is that the Sectional Density (SD) of say 160 grain 6.5mm bullet is about 0.328. It translates to bullet penetration, in spades. Couple that wallop of penetration at the get-go with a round nose and you get a huge mushrooming bullet that acts like a plow that resists deflection and exits leaving a significant wound channel and blood trail that is easy to see.

I endeavored to find an accurate load for the Hornady 160 grain for my 6.5 Creedmoor rifle. I worked up and hand loaded 43 grains of WIN 760 powder per the 8th Edition Hornady Manual. and achieved a one inch group at 100 yards delivering over 2635 fps. This powder produces one of the fastest and accurate loads.  This is slow compared to say a 130 grain spitzer traveling at 2900 fps but the slower, heavier 160 grain has far more penetration on larger big game. The Swede’s use it on their moose in the 6.5×55 Mauser cartridge that is very similar to the 6.5 Creedmoor! Just keep your shots short to say 150 yards.

This bullet fills a niche for shorter range big game and I hope it stays. It is a great New England round in the northern spruce of New Hampshire or Maine for those who hand load the 6.5, like myself.

I have found that Hodgdon has a helpful on line load listing for Pistol, Rifle, and Shotgun by going to the reloading data center at https://imrpowder.com/

Below is an article I have written on Flat Nose and Round nose bullets that adds to your understanding.

Flat Nose and Round Nose Bullets for Big Game

There are new powders to try too. Have fun!

Good Shooting!

©Copyright 2021

 

 

The Venerable 30-06 in a T/C Encore Pro-Hunter with Nosler E-Tip

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The Nosler Expansion Tip (E-Tip) Hunting bullet is a copper alloy monolithic (solid) hollow point spitzer designed for long range but has both short and long range benefits. No, it does not have surface shock like a round or flat nose but it is capable amazing energy transfer and no lead to deal with.

As I said in my last article that round and flat nose are great brush busters however for bottleneck cartridges they are in very short supply at this time. It just so happens that I own a T/C Encore Pro Hunter Muzzle Loader and a 30-06 Springfield Interchangeable barrel. Honestly, I had it set up for muzzleloader and it shoots real sweet so I resisted making the conversion to 30-06 until now.  I gave in to the temptation because in my ammo cupboard I just happen to have some store bought Nosler 168 grain Expansion Tips (aka E-Tips) cartridges.  I successfully used them on a 350 pound wild boar hunt a few years back. The shot was 30 to 40 yards max.

I will show you what it did. Here is the entrance wound.

Busting through the super tough shield on both sides, here is the exit wound below! Keep in mind that the boars “shield”  forced the bullet to fully expand just on entrance and give up a ton of energy inside the animal before exiting. I would not expect this massive damage in a thin skinned whitetail.

Energy delivered was on the order of 2600 to 2700 ft-lbs. More than enough for Moose but you see the copper alloy stays together up to 95% intact says test data. These images are from the Nosler website; www.nosler.com

E-Tip Lead Free Bullet Mushroom Effect

Gel test below by Nosler.

Lets take it to the range! I knew that it was likely not going to shoot MOA because I remember mumbling about the 2 to 2.5 inch groups at 100 yards. Yep, that is what I got 2.5 inch groups at 100 yards. I did notice that the cold shot was dead on. Although I prefer moa accuracy, this works well for hunting in the thick stuff like the boar above. If I hand loaded this, I can get it to MOA for sure. The boar certainly did not know the difference!

Good Hunting!

©Copyright 2021 All Rights Reserved.

 

 

 

 

 

 

6.5 Creedmoor Superformance Load Data with Lapua Mega 155 grain Soft Point Flat Nose

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As I have written in recent articles, round nose and flat point bullets in short range thick brush environments, can deliver more immediate impact energy to the big game you are hunting at shorter ranges under 200 yards than with some of the long range designed spitzer bullets. The reloading issue is, to get a round or flat nose bullet in a bottleneck cartridge, you must find the bullet and hand load it. Sadly, many round/flat nose bullets are no longer manufactured or are reduced to special manufacture runs. The Lapua Mega 155 grain flat points have a brass jacket and are very hard to find, if at all. The Lapua Reloading Manual is no longer available.

Accordingly, I had to determine the cartridge overall length – COL to the lands in my rifle,  which are 2.68 inches and then I back off the lands to 2.64 inches. I used a spent case and pinched the opening to hold a bullet marked with black magic marker and loaded it in the rifle and closed the bolt. Note: Hornady says COL Max is 2.8 inches for the spitzers. My max COL is much less. Caution: Each rifle may be different. These calculations and data are for my rifle only, a Weatherby Vanguard Weatherguard with a 24 inch barrel topped with a Leupold VX-3. 

My research of reloading data found that Sierra and Hornady had some data for 150, 153 grain and 160 grain bullets. Powders were typical, such as IMR 4350, H4350, IMR 4831 but one powder stood out, it was Hodgdon’s Superformance powder. The powder was published by Hornady for the 153 grain A-Tip Match up to 42. 9 grains max load providing 2650 fps. Superformance allowed me to work up a load safely to higher energy than the other powders but not at max load. 

I did so in half grain increments beginning with 39.5 grains and looking for any signs of overpressure like a really flat primer or gas leaks. I did so with 2 shots for each 1/2 grain increment followed by case and primer inspection, all was normal. I stopped at 41 grains and loaded three rounds for group. I did not chrono these but based on the 153 grain data by Hornady I was in the 2550 fps range. The primers were still rounded and not flattened.  Here is my group at 41 grains of Superformance at 75 yards, no wind. Looks like 1/2 inch group. Nice!

Below is the Trajectory and Energy table at 2550 fps. Delivered energy for elk is said to be 1500 ft-lbs, thus we are good for elk at 180 yards. 

This load is for Northern Whitetails with a flat-point, should mushroom very well. It will be devastating on a 300 pound whitetail buck at under 100 yards at 1800 to 1900 ft-lbs,  A Hammer in anyone’s book!

Calculated Table
Range Drop Drop Windage Windage Velocity Mach Energy Time Lead Lead
(yd) (in) (MOA) (in) (MOA) (ft/s) (none) (ft•lbs) (s) (in) (MOA)
0 -1.5 *** 0.0 *** 2550.0 2.375 2237.6 0.000 0.0 ***
25 -0.3 -1.2 0.1 0.2 2487.5 2.317 2129.2 0.030 1.0 4.0
50 0.5 1.0 0.3 0.5 2425.9 2.259 2025.1 0.060 2.1 4.1
75 1.0 1.3 0.6 0.8 2365.2 2.203 1925.0 0.092 3.2 4.1
100 1.1 1.0 1.1 1.0 2305.3 2.147 1828.8 0.124 4.4 4.2
125 0.8 0.6 1.7 1.3 2246.3 2.092 1736.4 0.157 5.5 4.2
150 -0.0 -0.0 2.5 1.6 2188.1 2.038 1647.6 0.191 6.7 4.3
175 -1.2 -0.7 3.4 1.9 2130.8 1.985 1562.4 0.225 7.9 4.3
200 -2.9 -1.4 4.5 2.2 2074.3 1.932 1480.6 0.261 9.2 4.4

 

I compared this Energy data to my earlier article on my downloaded .375 Ruger. See below. 

Speer Hot Core Semi-Spitzer 235 g 375 Ruger Downloaded for Big Northern Whitetails Or…

The 6.5 Creedmoor with the Lapua Mega 155 grain Flat Point is the clear winner for energy, and will mushroom on the entrance of the hide, but either cartridge and bullet will do the job well for the loads discussed. 

Good Hunting!

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