Whitetail Bullet for 25 WSSM?

Okie Hunter

Okie Hunter

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It is time for me to start working on a load for the 25 WSSM for whitetail. What bullet would you guys recommend? Hunting in west Oklahoma and west Texas the whitetail are full grown with an occasional mule-deer thrown in the mix. I would like to use the same load/bullet for antelope.

What bullet do you guys recommend for 100-250 yard shots?

Thanks for your input
 
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If you are apt to take more 100yds or less shots, I would go with the partitions. If more 250yd+ shots may occur, the ballistic tips--2MG
 
I would stick with the 100 grain Nosler Partition. I think they are heavier than you need but it is the lightest partition they make in the .25.

I have killed many deer with that bullet, the last two out of a WSSM. Every one was a "one shot kill" and not a bunch of ruined meat.
 
I took 6 deer last fall with the 115 nosler ballistic tip, all of them pass throughs, why shoot a premieum bullet when the regular stuff goes clean through. I even purposely stuck a couple broadside through the shoulders to see if I could recover the bullet, no dice.
RR
 
RR-I find this to be very interesting info. I must admit, I have never been a big fan of ballistic tips. I have not used them a lot personally, although I have seen many deer that were shot with them first hand. I have never seen any pass-thru's on shots that have struck bone. At close range they always seem to make a bloody mess of the deer. I am gradually starting to like them more, but still find myself using them only when a longer shot will be in order--2MG
 
its all in the velocity 2mg, my STW won't shoot through one till you get beyond 350 yds, my 7 mag slows down enough to get full penetration at about 300 or a lil less, same bullet just 300 fps slower. The 25 cal balistic tips had to be built around the 25/06 cause it was the average 25 cal rifle the 25 WSSM is a lil slower. I discovered years ago hunting with rifle bullets in hanguns that when driven slower the quick expanding bullets behaved more like controlled expansion ones.
RR
 
Many people have a hard time understanding that(within reason) the slower a bullet hits, the better it will penetrate.
The higher the velocity, the less likely you will have an exit.

Jack
 
RR--just as I suspected. They were all at pretty long ranges. I have killed them with .270 and 7mm-08. I have drug out many (shot by friends) that were shot with 270 and 25-06. None of the shots were over 200yds. Thanks for the info--2MG
 
No one has brought up the Barnes Triple-Shock X-Bullet.

According to Barnes the bullet offers all-copper construction, no fragmentation, maximum weight retention and 28 percent deeper penetration than other lead-core bullets. On impact, they claim, the bullet face opens to create four razor-sharp cutting edges. (sounds like a broadhead at 3200 fps)

They claim the Triple-Shock X provides significantly greater velocities, lower pressures and less fouling. They also claim the bullet delivers a triple impact-one when it first strikes game, another as the bullet begins opening, and a third devastating impact when the specially engineered cavity fully expands to deliver extra shock with maximum transferred energy.

In .25 they offer a 100 gr. with a BC of .420 and a 115 gr. with a BC of .429.

Any thoughts on this for deer size critters?
 
same here. I've never gotten good groups with the x-bullets either...don't know why but I've never heard of barnes bullets having superb accuracy especially for how much it costs--especially in the .224 class. you can basically get the same amount of bullets in 243 cal 90gr for the same price.
 
The "old" Barnes X bullets were hit and miss on accuracy, same as the Nosler partition from what I have seen. Some guns shoot 'em, others don't.

The Triple Shocks on the otherhand are alot less picky and seem to shoot much, much better.

Nosler used to make a solid base bullet that was awesome in the .25-06. They have brought back some calibers, but still no .25's.
 
I have heard people talk about accuracy problems with the Nosler Partitions but I have never seen that. I have shot them in everything from the .223 Rem. all the way up to the 8 mm Remington Mag. and they all shot good. I shot them back when they were turned out on an automatic screw machine and they shot good then too.

OOOfff, I think I just dated myself!
 
the 60gr partitions shot through my mini14 bbl will easily get .75 groups. It's the most accurate soft points that I've ever used. the only thing bad is that the tip can get battered up if used in a semiauto rifle.
 
Okie I am gonna throw my 2 cents here. I shot a 25-06 for years and tried it all. the nosler partition in 115 gr went through every thing i shot ( except one) with minimal meat damage. I was over 65 bucks when i found a 6.5x55 swede. have been using it lately and still shoot the partition. The slug i recovered from the one deer was under the skin on the back of his butt. he stepped out in a pipeline facing me and i hit him high in the chest, it broke his spine between his shoulder blades traveled through his chest cavity, went through the paunch, through his hip and stopped under the skin. It left the gun weighing 115 grains and weighed 70 grains when i recovered it. perfect mushroom. The accuracy was great.

Bottom line is get a box of 115 partitions and if your gun shoots them well sit back and grin. Pick a shot from any angle that will intersect his vitals and he will go down.
 
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