Whitetail Bullet for 25 WSSM?

My hunting buddy shot a cow elk at 300+ yards with Nosler 120 Partitions and they sailed right thru her. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif

I couldn't find the right powder and charge to get 160 grain partitions to shoot MOA in my 7 Mag. The Barnes X bullets would. It's probably that bent barrel. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

I did a little experiment a couple years ago where I took some Thomas Registers (4" thick books of newpaper pages) and stacked 'em in a box so they were upright. I shot a 140 grn. Barnes X and 160 grain Partition into two different corners of the books, then evaluated the penetration and the retained weight of the recovered slug. The 140 grain barnes still weighed in at 95% of it's original weight, while the Partion was half it's original weight. The barnes, which was going faster obviously, penetrated deeper than the partition.

Now I'm no ballistics expert, I only play one after sleeping in a holiday inn, (which I haven't done in a long time), but the Barnes bullet seemed like the better choice to me. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif

So what makes one bullet superior to another? I'll let the experts tell us, 'cause I really don't know, other that what I have seen and experienced.
 
I have a Winchester Featheweight in 25WSSM,and am working up loads now.115 gr. CT nosler BT,110 gr. Accubonds,and I just loaded up some 100gr.Barnes TSX last night and hopefully will try them today.I'll post my findings.
 
I love bullet threads. Its interesting how some guys swear by bullets that others will never use. For instance the ballistic tip, I've had them blow up one time too many. Even the Nosler Reloading Guide doesn't recommend them for velocities over 3100 fps. I've got a .257 Roberts that I'm using partitions in now. But, as soon as Swift starts making scirrocos in 25 cal I'll be switching. Swift says they will be available this summer. The .308 180 grn scirroco that broke the neck of a bull from a 300 mag at about 80 yards still weighed 157 grns when I recovered it. Unless my math is wrong that's 88% weight retention. My two cents.
 
For a typical lung/heart shot why would you want a controlled expansion bullet for deer sized game, or elk for that matter if you have the proper rifle, I don't really care about exit wounds or if the bullet makes it to the hide on the offside, it does its killing in the middle.
On an 80 yd neck shot would the elk have known it was a scirroco or a Hornady spire point?
Its all in what your asking a bullet to do, I know of one cartridge that will rupture the 120 .257 partition at 500 yds shooting in water. I shoot ballistic tips cause they are adequate for whitetails, do wonderful at long range, and are amazingly accurate.
RR
 
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Fiah, you ever get a barnes x to shoot well? I never have, and I've tried them in more than a few rifles!
RR



Ridge, when i bought my Abolt II, (.270 Win ) the first factory load i put through it was Federal loaded 130gr Barnes XLC X-Bullets , and i put em in a 1" group. I dont reload but I can tell you my abolt shoots the factory rounds well. They will punch through a deers shoulder/spine like nothin.
 
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Tried a couple loads with the Barnes TSX 100gr.today,good results One .75" 3 shot group using BL-C(2) and a group right around an inch with H4895.These were first loads now I will try and tweek them and see what I can get,but not bad for starting loads.The 110 gr. Accubonds grouped at about 1.5" with IMR 4064. Fired from Winchester Featherweight 25WSSM
 
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Quote:
For a typical lung/heart shot why would you want a controlled expansion bullet for deer sized game, or elk for that matter if you have the proper rifle, I don't really care about exit wounds or if the bullet makes it to the hide on the offside, it does its killing in the middle.


Ridge Runner,I totally agree with you on this. The reason I shoot premium bullets on game is for the insurance. I am only going to shoot 3-6 rounds a year at deer.Therefore the cost of a premium bullet is negligible. I hunt where there is not allways time to wait on a good angle to take the shot. With a premium bullet, If I see a quality buck that I want to take, it does not matter the angle he is traveling. I will if at all possible, wait for a broad side shot. One of the best bucks I have ever taken was going through a swamp straight away. I was shooting a .280 with 140 partitions. I hit him in the exhaust pipe and it went out his chest. If I had been shooting a 140 Seirra I probably would have turned down the shot. I dont want him injured, I want him down. The bullet exit wound helps in tracking also.
 
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I love bullet threads. Its interesting how some guys swear by bullets that others will never use. For instance the ballistic tip, I've had them blow up one time too many. Even the Nosler Reloading Guide doesn't recommend them for velocities over 3100 fps. I've got a .257 Roberts that I'm using partitions in now. But, as soon as Swift starts making scirrocos in 25 cal I'll be switching. Swift says they will be available this summer. The .308 180 grn scirroco that broke the neck of a bull from a 300 mag at about 80 yards still weighed 157 grns when I recovered it. Unless my math is wrong that's 88% weight retention. My two cents.



I'd pick the new nosler 110gr accubonds over the scirrico's. first off it's cheaper. second off the scirrico's bullet finish isn't as good looking as the noslers bt's. and third, nosler bt's are almost alway more accurate. But if spending more $$$ for a bullet of almost the same performance is the fad, then let it be. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
Like I said, I love bullet threads. My guess is that elk wouldn't have known the difference had I been using hornady's, but I don't know because I wasn't using them. I've heard great things about hornady's from many people, I just haven't used them on elk. Just offering my experience with a product that has performed well for me over the years. And most certainly worth an extra few bucks when chasing game the size of elk. By the way, scirrocos are cheaper than partitions. Accubonds, Noslers version of bonded bullets, came out after Swift's. I haven't tried them either. I've got no reason to.
 
an exit would only helps if you miss the heart lungs, most of the blood trail is expelled from the nose and mouth as the animal breaths, all the frothy blood you see on the trail comes out the mouth, don't get me wrong if ever I go to canada, my STW will be loaded with sst's, cause I may hafta take a bad shot on a once in a lifetime hunt, but you don't need a partition to go up the pipe and exit, to simply put it, on a magnum rifle go up one weight in a regular bullet, in a hangun shooting a rifle bullet go down one weight. I thrive on pinpoint accuracy and the controlled expansion bullets will not shoot with regular game bullets.
RR
 
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