Does anyone actually prefer round nose bullets?

Round nose bullets work!!!

Round nose bullets are very good for close ranges and for large animals up to grizzly bears for something like a 30-06. They have incredible knock down power. The other pointy bullets are great as well but round nose is what i prefer for close range.
 
This zombie thread keeps coming back... for decades now.

Well, it's still a valid topic.

With respect to round-nose versus pointed "spitzer" type bullets, it depends on whether they are solid or expanding/deforming hollowpoints.

A round-nosed solid is balanced with more weight forward. It will tend to keep a straighter path while plowing through a target and therefore penetrate deeper.

Round-nosed solid/FMJ etc. also allow more total mass in the bullet within a specified OAL, and therefore higher sectional density.

Pointed, spitzer solid/FMJ bullets will have lower drag in the air, but their weight-rearward characteristic will make them more likely to yaw or tumble in a target and this can limit depth of penetration.

Pointed solid/FMJ are probably better at piercing armor. They exert more pressure within a smaller area when the tip strikes.

With hollowpoints, we're not really talking about pointed versus round so much as the width of the meplat and the opening in the jacket or cavity size in the monolithic. A really fine hollowpoint could be harder to open and might need more velocity, a thinner jacket or softer metal. A wide "round-nosed" hollowpoint can probably be made to open at lower velocities and under more adverse conditions. I think this would apply to JSP and similar bullets as well.

Around the time this thread started, back when some of you were toddlers, some knowledgeble people were recommending cutting the tips off Sierra Match Kings in order to get them to open up better.
 
Around the time this thread started, back when some of you were toddlers, some knowledgeble people were recommending cutting the tips off Sierra Match Kings in order to get them to open up better.
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...... say it ain't so! There were illiterate people that thought they knew better than the bullet designers back then too?!?!?! I am certain that Sierra's 4th Ed. (published 1995) manual clearly stated that their match bullets were not for use on game, and that they sold "Sierra Game King" bullets for .......... wait for it ...... use on game!
 
Around the time this thread started, back when some of you were toddlers, some knowledgeble people were recommending cutting the tips off Sierra Match Kings in order to get them to open up better.
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When I was 12 or 13 years old back in 69 or 70. I cut the tips off of some FMJ's in my 8MM Mauser. No they didn't shed the jacket like rag writers claimed. They didn't lose a lot of accuracy either. What they did do was make hellacious holes in whatever they hit. I never shot an animal with one and don't think I'd want to.
 
jimbob86 said:
...... say it ain't so! There were illiterate people that thought they knew better than the bullet designers back then too?!?!?! I am certain that Sierra's 4th Ed. (published 1995) manual clearly stated that their match bullets were not for use on game, and that they sold "Sierra Game King" bullets for .......... wait for it ...... use on game!
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Believe it or not, the SMK was/is popular with police snipers. Apparently, the Game Kings don't offer the same flattering results in practice. Federal actually marketed ammunition featuring Match Kings for Law Enforcement use. In an effort to improve terminal performance, Martin Fackler published an article in 1995 titled "MATCHKING BULLET, Past, Present and Future" in which he described the bullet's failures in terminal performance and how to modify it to improve the results.
 
Posted by Hawg:

When I was 12 or 13 years old back in 69 or 70. I cut the tips off of some FMJ's in my 8MM Mauser. No they didn't shed the jacket like rag writers claimed. They didn't lose a lot of accuracy either. What they did do was make hellacious holes in whatever they hit. I never shot an animal with one and don't think I'd want to.
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Well, Hawg, I did just that. I got my first 98k 8x57 in fall of 1963 as a birthday present from my Dad.

I found a box of 100 cartridges 198 gr FMJ made in Egypt at one of the Western Auto stores for a grand total of $5.00. I shot some of them and they shot good.

Then I got "creative" and thought I could turn them into hunting cartridges by cutting off the end of the bullet with a pair of my Dad's side cutters, filing the meplat flat and then took a 1/16" drill bit and hollow them out.

I had a 6 point buck down at the feeder at maybe 115 yds, I drew a bead on the buck (yes, I still had iron sights on the rifle) squeezed the trigger and boom, all hell broke loose. I hit the deer where I was aiming, right behind the shoulder, he jumped, turned a full circle, and when the off side was facing me, all I saw was red on that side. He took off and ran a total of prolly 110 yds but nowhere near a straight line. He fell off into a gulley and was wedged in the fork of a cedar tree about half way down. I had a hell of a time getting him out of the tree, but after busting my butt getting him out there was a good 6-7 inch exit hole on the off side.

After that, I went and dug thru my money jar and scrounged up enough to buy a box of 170 gr Core Lokts to use for the rest of the season. They were round nose by the way.

Ain't it odd how we could dream up stuff like that when we were kids.

I don't think any youngster could even buy ammo nowadays.
 
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Believe it or not, the SMK was/is popular with police snipers. Apparently, the Game Kings don't offer the same flattering results in practice.
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I dunno ..... I've used the Game Kings for nearly 2 decades with good results .....
 
While this is all quite interesting, those who want to hunt with round nose bullets best look for what may still be on dealers shelves or hit guns shows to find some. Seems like the bullet makes are or already have discontinued them. One of my favorites, the Sierra 170 gr. 7MM round nose has been gone for years and AFAIK, Hornady has dropped just about all their round nose bullets. I got lucky at a gun show and found some of the 170 gr. Sierras. l bought every box he had. I think the only 7x57 factory ammo with 175 gr. RNs are from Federal and PPU. Might be some from other European companies like RWS, Norman and Lapua but I don't know about them. The 7x57 did make it's reputation with 170 to 175 gr. round nose bullets at a measly 2300 FPS. Current data in the latest Speer manual shows close to 2550 FPS which should work even with the round nose bullet. I'll have to give those load a try.
Paul B.
 
Now 18 years old, but still mighty interesting. We are all here to have fun talking guns, right?

Myself, my sister, and a former girlfriend all killed plenty of deer with a .257 Roberts and 117gr round nose bullets. Both the Winchester +P at 2900 fps, as well as the old Remington 2600 fps load. Killed quite a few out to 300 yards. Back then that was as far as any of us had any business shooting, under ideal conditions.
 
OK I'll contribute to the 18 year old thread .
Yes , no reason to abandon the RN just yet . I fixed myself up a budget deer hunting rifle with a 7X57 Model 95 Spanish Mauser purchased from Montgomery Wards .
Had the military barrel cut to 20" , new sporting iron sights installed , drilled & tapped for scope mounts and the bolt handle forged low to clear scope. I wanted it rebarreled to 358 Winchester but the gunsmith said no , 358 Win. had too high a pressure for the model 95 action and probable feeding problems ...advised to leave it 7X57 .
A walnut Herter's Mannlicher style stock was fitted and finished by me and my first hunting rifle was complete . I worked up handloads after shooting up a box of Remington 175 gr. RN ammo .
The military barrel was throated for the long 175 grain round nose military round .
Wanting a little more speed I discovered 154 grain Hornady RN would shoot just as well as the 175 grain RN bullets . None of the spire points shot well .
Leaving that little rifle in 7X57 and handloading 154 gr. RN Hornady bullets for it was two of the smarter things I have ever done .
If you have a rifle that for some reason has a generous throat ... don't give up on it ... try some round nose bullets in it .
Gary
 
Supposedly folks made 22 LR bullets more effective on small game by cutting a flat meplat on the bullet.

In simplistic terms,it might be that a bullet harder to drive through a target transfers more energy.

For temporary cavitation,I think the round nose bullet will provide for more lateral acceleration of the fluids than a skinny VLD

A rock makes a bigger spash than a javelin thrown into a pond.

There is another factor...the 257 dia 117 gr rd nose as case in point.

Some riflemakers ,among them Remington,were known to emphasize lighter bullets/higher velocities for marketing.Often the rifles came cursed with slow twist barrels.

Stabilization with twist is about length,not weight. A flat base round nose will stabilize in a slower twist than a boat tail spitzer,bullet weight being equal
 
Wow! This thread is 20 years old, and I actually posted on it in year 2000. Apparently, I posted under another name back then, not my current name. I think I had some computer changes or something and for some reason had to open under a new handle.

Back then I posted that I loaded 200gr roundnoses in my 350 Rem mag with very good results. I still own the 350 mag, but I have gotten lazy and have not loaded for it in quite a while, being mostly content to use factory loads in my .308 Browning BLR among other guns. I shoot the 45/70 with 300gr hollowpoints quite a bit and I love the close range smack down of those loads for hogs and such.

The .308 BLR loves the old 180gr factory Winchester Silvertips that are not made anymore. I am still using them, because I bought a case of them many years ago and they shoot and work so well in that gun that I never saw much need to experiment.

The thing I like about bullets like many of the roundnoses, and those Slivertips is that they are not fancy trick bullets that might or might not open up and work like I might expect. I just like fairly heavy bullet with plenty of lead up front to open up reliably and enough bullet weight to stay together and blow through the animal for a good blood trail if needed, but frankly, I don't often need the blood trail and the animals usually drop in sight.
Anyway, wow! It's feels funny posting on the same thread I posted on 20yr ago.
 
wish I could find some of these

When I was a kid, one fella that hunted with our bunch (ol' Ted!) shot a short .243 bolt rifle and loaded it with 105 grain Speer round nose slugs. He always claimed it made the .243 a better killer.

When I finally got around to hunting with a full stocked Mannlicher style .2143 carbine (I'd been a basher for years) I tried to find 105 RN in keeping with the mannlicher tradition of long heavy roundnoses and ol' Teds comments.

Like different slugs that I've come to favor, they've been discontinued.
 
Blue Duck said:
Wow! This thread is 20 years old, and I actually posted on it in year 2000. Apparently, I posted under another name back then, not my current name. I think I had some computer changes or something and for some reason had to open under a new handle.

Back then I posted that I loaded 200gr roundnoses in my 350 Rem mag with very good results. I still own the 350 mag, but I have gotten lazy and have not loaded for it in quite a while, being mostly content to use factory loads in my .308 Browning BLR among other guns. I shoot the 45/70 with 300gr hollowpoints quite a bit and I love the close range smack down of those loads for hogs and such.

The .308 BLR loves the old 180gr factory Winchester Silvertips that are not made anymore. I am still using them, because I bought a case of them many years ago and they shoot and work so well in that gun that I never saw much need to experiment.

The thing I like about bullets like many of the roundnoses, and those Slivertips is that they are not fancy trick bullets that might or might not open up and work like I might expect. I just like fairly heavy bullet with plenty of lead up front to open up reliably and enough bullet weight to stay together and blow through the animal for a good blood trail if needed, but frankly, I don't often need the blood trail and the animals usually drop in sight.
Anyway, wow! It's feels funny posting on the same thread I posted on 20yr ago.
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Well this is just BS! You have been on this site for 20 yrs and haven't made any more post's than that? :-)
 
.375H&H with 270gr RNSP does not need a CNS shot on wild hogs or deer for a DRT, no-trail deal in my experience. A shot through the boiler room leaves some lung and heart outside the body and has been enough to persuade them to DRT. Done right, no meat loss. Done wrong, say buh-bye to that shoulder. Either way, no tracking.
 
OP is 20 years old.
Silvertips were semi-jacketed with an Al cap. Friggin' fabulous bullet too. Used a 220 out of an M1 Rifle one time(with no damage to the rifle of any kind.) that literally blew the off side of a ground hog into mush. A very decidedly sad day when Winchester made the mistake of discontinuing 'em. Have a few rounds of 150's I bought at a gun show eons ago, loaded in .308 for my semi'd Winchester M-14.
 
Ain't it odd how we could dream up stuff like that when we were kids.
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I wont even mention a lot of the stuff I dreamed up and did as a kid. :D I used a lot of round nose back in the day. I prefer ballistic tips now. They don't perform as well at close range but they do kill. I shot a deer at 40 yards with one in a 30-06 and the entrance hole was bigger than the exit hole. I hit her high in the lungs and her lungs were mush. A piece of the lead core was all that made it through. She walked about 25 yards and piled up.
 
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I do, have been using Remington Cor-lokt bullets on deer and elk for over half a century. They are inexpensive, proven, and gets the job done every time. The work good in my Winchester 94 or my 30-06.
 
It might be a 20 year old thread but there is wisdom here. Some of these posters are no longer with us and being able to read their posts is worth the bump.
 
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