Premium bullets/ammo or the old tried and proved bullets/ammo.. Your thoughts.

I have and still do shoot some premium and "semi" premium bullets, depending on your definition. Nosler Partitions, Speer Grand Slams and Barnes Monolithic bullets the ones I would list in the premium category that I have used. In general I find no problems with them, cost is a little higher, but for no more of them than I use it ain't a big deal. Will normal bullets work, heck yeah as long as they are designed for game, i.e. not target bullets or varmit bullets at deer. When you start to discuss either smaller calibers that are normally considered "varmit" rounds premium bullets tend to become more important/useful, or when you take a larger caliber and move into the higher velocity realms, .257 Weatherby for example, high velocity close range impacts can be tough on a bullet if not well constructed.
 
Reynolds, you are absolutely right, but I target shoot with the same bullet I hunt with - not being a 'formal' target shooter. That Nosler Ballistic Tip is a very accurate bullet. I don't feel the same about the Partition. Never can seem to get them to shoot tight groups. I go through a lot of bullets, though it isn't thousands per year. It might be a thousand or less for me. And...heck, it isn't like I can't afford the premium bullets, but I just guess I'm too cheap to do it.

And, though I only shoot 2 deer per year, I'm hunting pretty much all year around for pigs and coyotes. I just loaded what seems like just yesterday and put together 100 rounds of 260 and it's already time to replenish my ammo pile. LOL, where do the days and the ammo go....?
 
I would almost have to consider the ballistic tip a premium bullet at a not so premium price.I know that is counter logical to what I just said about the SST, but the Ballistic tip is a fine bullet when properly weight matched to what it will be called on to do.
 
I've put a lot of deer down with non-premium ammo. Where I hunt it's a combination of hardwood river bottoms and commercial pine timber. In the pines or in the thick brush surrounding the thickets, I use my shotgun with plain old buckshot, my 357 with some 125 grain semi-jacketed soft points, or my 30-30 with Winchester power points. Never had a reason to use any premium ammo there. In the river bottoms I'll use any of those, but i used to shoot my 270 down there with the regular Winchester Silvertips and never had an issue. A few years ago, just out of dumb luck they cut an oil pipeline within 20 yards of a box blind that I owned, and I wound up on the high point of the pipeline with 400 yards of pipeline on one side and 500 on the other. After doing some shooting I switched to shooting Sierra GameKing boat tailed soft points because I found that they gave me a much tighter group. Where as the 1.5" groups at 100 yards I used to shoot with the Silvertips was fine for the river bottoms where 125 yards is the furthest you can see to shoot anyway, that 1.5" group would be near 6" at 350 yards (about the furthest I'm comfortable shooting). The BTSP gives me a nice .75" group which gives me the confidence of knowing that my bullet will be within 3" of my point of aim at 350. I really don't care that they're "premium", it's just whatever is most accurate and helps me put meat in the freezer.
 
I have put a lot of deer down win non-premium myself. I dont think whether or not non-premium ammo can kill deer is really a subject worthy of discussion. We all know it can. To me, the question is ,does the small per shot cost difference justify using or not using premium ammo? Over the years I have lost animals due to bullet failure. I know because I killed those animals later on in the hunting season. I have also lost animals I never killed or recovered that I am quite confident was due to bullet failure. Personally, the odds of bullet failure do not justify 7 to 20 cents per round difference in a hunting load. Many will disagree. If we all agreed, this would be a boring place.;)
 
I've always shot CoreLokts in 30-30, 30-06, .270 and .243. In 6.5x55 I shot PRVI. Recently started hand loading and I'm using Berger Hunting VLD's and Sierra GameKings.
 
If you are using a chambering normally considered adequate for the game hunted, and shots are taken at normal ranges the tried and true old bullets work as well as ever.

The premium bullets allow guns normally considered marginal to be far more effective on game larger than you would normally hunt, or at ranges normally considered too far.

I'm gravitating toward more and more premiums. If you are the kind of guy who just wants to throw thousands of rounds down range each year they are too expensive. But the cost difference between 200 premium bullets and 200 traditional jacketed bullets won't buy me a tank of gas. 200 bullets will last me several years for load development, practice and hunting. With the cost of everything else involved in hunting an extra 30 cents to put down a game animal quicker is cheap insurance.
 
I am curious why you wouldn't consider a Hornady Superformance SST Interbond a premium bullet??
Click to expand...

I did not see "Interbond" on the original post. I have not used any so don't know how they preform but I have used the SST and it exploded on contact with a bucks neck. To much meat damage for me.
 
This subject pops up once or twice a year.

I've used .30-06 Hornady Interlock SP almost exclusively. A couple of times I've use Core-lockt.

Honestly can't remember what I used in my .30-30, probably Remington.

The only problem I've had was a Core-lokt not expanding. Still got the deer though.
 
I started loadng the 30/150/Interlock boat tail in 30-06 last summer. I haen't worked that load up to speed I was getting from the Nosler BT's, but it still shoots flat enough to be useful and it shreds old antifreeze jugs a 300 yards. I think it'll make a fine deer bullet.
 
I commented on this post once but I just remembered something. Like I said earlier core lokts have always got the job done for me but I now use Winchester ballistic tips. 2 seasons ago my buddy killed a deer with a 150 gr core lokt out of his cheap 30-06 ( remington 770 )... I wasn't with him when he shot it but he recovered the bullet and dropped it in my hand when he got back from the camp. That bullet looked about dead on to the picture that is on the back of the remington box. The food plot that he shot it on is 62 yards from the shooting house to the wood line, so at close distances it mushrooms like it should. I imagine that it gets even better at longer ranges.
 
I am going to try Federal Trophy Bonded Tip in 165 at the range on Saturday. The Federal Fusions always shoot as good as my best hand loads in all my rifles. I like to try several manufactures in a new rile to see if the rifle is picky or not. So far its not picky at all with over the counter ammo, I like to try ALOT of them. I have also found in other rifles premium bullets don't always equal premium accuracy.
 
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each will do something you need. For 243 and a pass through shot, i can only use gmx.

The simple jsp needs science to work. To many of them now just seem to split in half at impact, or just explode.
 
For I would say 98% of my loads I use standard C&C type bullets and have really never had an issue. The other 2% I use Partitions or bonded core bullets simply due to the velocities at which these couple of calibers run.

Most of my hunting is semi stalking where I might slip through the underbrush for 50 - 60 yards at a time and then hold position for 03 minutes to an hour depending on what is going on around me. My other hunting is sitting along side a fence or on the side of a hill overlooking 3-400yd wide open pastures.

No matter what rifle I have with me the load has been dialed in for utmost accuracy. I do not go to the field with one that will not deliver 1" or less, on most occasions due to my own standards. I do not shoot until I have the shot I want no matter the size or quality of animal I am hunting. Just not my bag.

Most of the bullets in my closet are branded Nosler or Remington. With the Nosler's I use the discontinued Solid Base the most but do have a goodly supply of Partitions and a few calibers of the Ballistic Tips. For most other hunting I have found the Remington CL's to do an admirable job if I have done my part. I find they can and do shoot well with a little load work and in my 25-06 AI I find they shoot within 2" or less easily at 300yds and they hit game like the Hammer of Thor. When I shot the first hog with them I figured that the impact sped of over 3000fps was going to result in a massive amount of wasted meat. However I was pleasantly surprised to find a wound track very similar to what I normally see when dressing one out after being hit with my 150gr CL from my .308 at a mild 2650fps load. Since that time I have shot them at 25yds and at 450yds and they all dress out the same. Nice even wound track with the vitals just a big ol mess.

I use the Partitions in my standard 25-06 almost exclusively in the 115gr flavor. They shoot 1/2" out to 200+yds and there is no difference in a 50yd shot or a 300yd shot on a deer with regard to internal damage. They simply work right every time.

I do believe there is a place for the higher dollar premium type bullets, but I would place their use in the magnum class of calibers where your hitting velocities over 3100fps on average. Just about anything from 3000fps and under IMO, will do well with a standard type bullet.
 
When I hunted with a .243, my dad had me on 100gr Federal Premiums, which I think were Sierra GameKing BTSPs. Never had a problem with the bullets not doing what they should when I got my shot placement correct. I had one run on me, only because I shanked a neck shot to save the shoulder meat.

Now that I hunt with .30-06, I shoot 150gr Core-Lokts. Again, no problems dropping deer when I get my shot placement correct.

I've always wondered about some of the different bullets out there, but I've never had a need to try them. I've probably never shot a deer over 150 yards (that I can remember, anyways).
 
For 99% of all hunting conditions I feel that conventional - non premium ammunition is fine. Conventional Lead core, copper jacketed bullets perform good enough in my opinion not to warrant the added expense of more expensive offerings.

The only caveats are competition long range target shooting, hunting dangerous game, or going on that once in a lifetime hunt. Then I'd opt for the best components available.

Otherwise nothing is wrong with the old tried and true Remington Core-Lokt ammo or something similar.

Edited to add a minor rant. My personal feelings are that all the premium bullet hype is just that - hype. Its about marketing and making money. Nothing wrong with that at all.. I am a capitalist :D

Look at the Nosler Partition bullet design, that design has been around for some time. Is it still a premium brand or now considered conventional.....I don't know. Its an outstanding bullet, it was when it came out, and it still is today. If there was one bullet that I could shoot forever it would be this and the Nosler Ballistic Tip. If you look at both designs, short of tweeking jacket specs maybe, they have not changed since they came out. Dead is dead and I do not feel that a bullet costing 4-5 times as much as a more basic one will kill an animal any deader. But to those that feel it helps them, I say by all means go out and get those bullets or loaded cartridges.

Regards,

Rob
 
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Premium bullets come into their own when you are using a smaller caliber or bullet for the game hunted. In other words if a man is hunting elk and shooting a 30-06 with 180 or 200 grain bullets, most of the offerings will do fine. Some are better than others, but most are capable of doing a good job.
However if he’s hunting elk with a 25-06 or a 260 Remington I would absolutely recommend using a bonded, Partition, or copper “X” bullet.
As an example-------
A Barnes X bullet of 25 cal in the 120 grain range will out penetrate a Sierra Game king 30 cal of 165 grains. The cavitation of the Sierra is greater, but sometimes it’s too great and the penetration is now as much as we might like at time.

Anyway, you get the picture.

Overall there are good choices for about any game animal in regular old fashioned bullets, but the availability of premium bullets can make a same gun cover more bases.

A rifle and ammo that was working fine 70 years ago will still work fine.
A rifle in a caliber that was "too small" 70 years ago many not be too small today.
 
Exactly. For the guy who is primarily a deer hunter and uses a 7-08 or 260 and gets a chance to bear, moose or elk hunt they would be far better off paying 30 cents more for a premium bullet and using it in the gun they are familiar with, than spending $1,000 on a new magnum rifle and optics for a one time hunt.
 
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