Are Hollow Point bullets a poor choice?

J

JerryinPA

New member
Hi fellows,

I just finished reading all 88 pages of archived info on this board. Wow, I sure did learn a lot. Also, I sure have a lot more questions too!

It seems like most fellows seem to prefer a polymer tipped bullet to a hollow point bullet for coyotes and foxes. Did I understand this correctly, or do the polymer tipped Ballistic tips and V Maxes just get talked about more?

I stumbled into a very accurate load with my 243 and a Sierra 60 grain flat-based hollow-point bullet. I'm wondering if this is a bad idea, or if guys just don't talk about the "old-fashioned" hollowpoint bullets as much because they're just not as exciting?

Thanks in advance,

Regards,

Jerry.
 
I use VMax rounds (poly tipped) in my .223 and 6mm for pdog hunting simply cause I usually hunt in cattle country. I've never had a VMax ricochet, or even "bounce". I did, though, once fire a Sierra hollow-point Varminter that I saw hit the ground 4 times before ending up god-knows-where! I started using VMaxes after that incedent.

3 of the last 7 ranchers that gave me permission to hunt their dogtowns actually asked if I was shooting "Plastic tips".

Please don't take this as knocking Sierra bullets. I'm not doing that at all. It's just while in cattle country, I want to know my round is gonna splatter to kingdom-come as soon as it touches anything at all.

JMHO

Mike
 
Just wondering if HP bullets are more fur-friendly than poly-tipped bullets. Been shooting v-max in my 22-250 since I bought it and if I do my part it leaves minimal pelt damage but if the target is close and hits bone I have a big sewing job to do when I get home. Have yet to tag a yote with my .223 55gr hp handloads so I have no experience what HP's will do on fur. Or is it all a matter of bullet placement?

Shoot straight.

ruger300
 
Polymer tipped bullets are actually hollow point bullets with a little polymer "spear tip" stuck into the "hollow". They are often more accurate because they allow for a better BC (wind resistance). The polymer tip also helps the bullet expand more efficiently by being forced into the "hollow" on impact.

Hollow point bullets come in many varieties, some of which are designed for hunting and some not.

For instance many long match bullets are designed with hollow points in order to remove weight from the front of the bullet to provide stability by moving the center of gravity further back. These are generally NOT suited for game as they are not designed to expand on impact.

While there are many factors in bullet design it's probably a fair generalization to say that when comparing two HUNTING bullets of the same weight, polymer vs. hollow point, the polymer tipped one will have better expansion in soft tissue but would be more likely to "spatter" if it hits bone instead of driving on through. This also makes them less likely to ricochet of course.

At the end of the day most would agree that polymer tipped bullets are, for the most part, an improvement on a proven design, but hollow points have taken countless numbers of meat and fur animals successfully.

Shot placement it goes without saying is always critical. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
Welcome to the board Ruger300.

Unless you are looking for a fur-friendly bullet most polly tip bullets except nosler are made to expand rapidly. BT'S have thicker jackets. Most HP'S are not fur-friendly however you want them not to exit which means high velocity. What to look for here is non-exit. I can't speak for your 243 load as I have not shot it. I would expect it not to exit if the jacket is thin enough. The V'MAX/Blitz'Kings even in a 243 should tear up a coyote. Nothing wrong with HP'S you just have to find the right one. Have you shot a coyote with a 60 gr. load yet?
 
On coyotes I've had great luck with the Sierra HP varminters. I shoot the 60 gr out of my ar now and shot hundreds of coyotes with the 75 gr out of my 25-06. I can't come up with any complaints against using that style bullet. If you reload, then using poly-tipped bullets MAY give you fits as far as OAL and fitting in the mag (when trying to seat just off the lands.) Alot of that depends in the caliber and throat, etc-etc.
 


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