123 SST performance (on deer). Need alternate bullet ideas

[biodsl]

HEAD SHOTS!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1nMPNrtT2Q

At the 3 minute, 10 second point. Deadly precision.

[Cornbread]

Perhaps fragment was a poor choice of words. What the poster above shows is typical of sst shot deer in most calibers. Everyone that I have seen which includes,30/06 and 6.8 ,does massive damage. On any bullet recovery I have seen in person or the net the jacket and core are seldom together. It is a bullet designed to transfer energy and do damage. So yes if you shoot a little deer at very close range it is going to be messy. For years I shot the old nosler ballistic tips in 30/06. You want to talk about trauma. Deer rarely took a step but man don't get near the shoulders or hit one. The solid copper bullets do less meat because they transfer less energy to the deer. In many cases your deer is going to bleed out or lose blood pressure which means they may run a good bit if you don't hit the CNS. For some guys that's not a big deal. Some of the lighter solids when pushed hard give a good wound channel. Last year, 8 point buck, 7mag. 140 ttsx, 3200 fps, 90 yd shot. Deer ran over 150 yds down 2 step hills and off our property. Massive blood trail, the deer bled out. If I was hunting in the wide open no big deal. No meat damage. Pick your poison. If you want the best combination of holding together and doing damage,punching two holes. Nosler partition. Ain' sexy, ain't cheap, ain't gonna print 1/2" internet groups to show off but it's a bad ass bullet in any caliber. The accubond( man I wish they would make a 100-120 grain accubond in 6.5) is a great bullet also. As far as I'm concerned Sierra makes the most accurate bullets in the world but their hunting bullets suck. Let me just qualify MY OPINIONS, and they are just mine, as those of an older guy that has killed quite a damn few deer and seen hundreds of dead deer killed by others from multiple weapons, calibers. That doesn't mean I'm right about anything lol. But I feel pretty strongly about it haha.

[Furlock Bones]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1nMPNrtT2Q

At the 3 minute, 10 second point. Deadly precision.

who is the gun maker? i have not seen many safety switches like that.

[Furlock Bones]

Perhaps fragment was a poor choice of words. What the poster above shows is typical of sst shot deer in most calibers. Everyone that I have seen which includes,30/06 and 6.8 ,does massive damage. On any bullet recovery I have seen in person or the net the jacket and core are seldom together. It is a bullet designed to transfer energy and do damage. So yes if you shoot a little deer at very close range it is going to be messy. For years I shot the old nosler ballistic tips in 30/06. You want to talk about trauma. Deer rarely took a step but man don't get near the shoulders or hit one. The solid copper bullets do less meat because they transfer less energy to the deer. In many cases your deer is going to bleed out or lose blood pressure which means they may run a good bit if you don't hit the CNS. For some guys that's not a big deal. Some of the lighter solids when pushed hard give a good wound channel. Last year, 8 point buck, 7mag. 140 ttsx, 3200 fps, 90 yd shot. Deer ran over 150 yds down 2 step hills and off our property. Massive blood trail, the deer bled out. If I was hunting in the wide open no big deal. No meat damage. Pick your poison. If you want the best combination of holding together and doing damage,punching two holes. Nosler partition. Ain' sexy, ain't cheap, ain't gonna print 1/2" internet groups to show off but it's a bad ass bullet in any caliber. The accubond( man I wish they would make a 100-120 grain accubond in 6.5) is a great bullet also. As far as I'm concerned Sierra makes the most accurate bullets in the world but their hunting bullets suck. Let me just qualify MY OPINIONS, and they are just mine, as those of an older guy that has killed quite a damn few deer and seen hundreds of dead deer killed by others from multiple weapons, calibers. That doesn't mean I'm right about anything lol. But I feel pretty strongly about it haha.

i like nosler ballistic tips because they do massive damage and drop deer. now, i'm fortunate in that where i hunt. i can take multiple deer per year. So, meat is not a problem. if i were hunting in a place where i was limited to 1 or 2 deer a year, then i would think about something else to lessen the chance at wasted meat.

[biodsl]

who is the gun maker? i have not seen many safety switches like that.

I don't know my European hardware. Maybe a Blaser? http://www.blaser-r8.com/#home

[kmon]

I don't know my European hardware. Maybe a Blaser? http://www.blaser-r8.com/#home

Correct on the rifle being a Blaser, cool actions on them. Straight pull bolt with a collet locking system, not lugs like most bolt actions. Also when it showed him pushing forward on the button on the back of the bolt he was cocking the rifle.

[Furlock Bones]

Correct on the rifle being a Blaser, cool actions on them. Straight pull bolt with a collet locking system, not lugs like most bolt actions. Also when it showed him pushing forward on the button on the back of the bolt he was cocking the rifle.

wow, that's just so different from how we manufacture rifles. always cool to see different concepts.

[Furlock Bones]

wow, look how fast he's able to reload. that must be why guys take these on dangerous game hunts in Africa.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceYnI4DsXYQ

[SDguy]

Here are more options:

https://hendershots.net/product/6-5-grendel-extreme-custom-ammo/

I use TTSX with great success; always get quarter size exits. I still lose more meat to excessive hemorrhaging than I do with a bow, but I don't have to worry about exploding bullets and lead fragments in my meat. SST and Amax are know to frag.
Maybe soon, Hornady will offer a 6.5 Grendel GMX load

This post mirrors my experience. Archery rules in terms of no bloodshot meat. Took a doe this season at a little over a hundred yards quartering away. Bullet was a 100 grain TTSX. entrance was 5 ribs back from the front shoulder and exit was direct impact on the off shoulder joint.

I was suprised with the internal damage as well as the amount of blood shot meat. Blood shot meat was highly due to the bone impact pulverizing the off shoulder joint. The internal damage that surprised me was that not only were the lungs highly liquified, the top 1/4 of the Heart was mush.

This deer still managed to cover 30 yards b4 collapsing. I have had archery deer go down just as fast with nearly zero bloodshot meat on numerous occasions. The difference between 300 FPS 1.5" cutting diameter and 2500FPS & hydrostatic shock.

Best you may hope for is a double lung staying clear of the front shoulder. With a bullet that generally holds together.

[HONDO]

+1 for the double lung/heart shot. Never had a deer go more than 30 yards and most are bang flops. They drown in their own blood so can't go far. And I'm talking about big Hoosier deer, not small key deer... if it was a monster buck sure shoot it in the shoulder but for meat it's the ol' boiler room every time. Check out Thlr.no on YouTube. He can make that blazer sing!!!!

[rickt300]

Soft bullets mean quick kills. Grendal velocities mean the fragments are usually large. I am really liking the AMAX after jug testing them at 100 yards.

[s3silver]

Been using the 100 ttsx for the last couple seasons with great success too. Most are bang, flops with jello insides.

Still prefer archery though. It's amazing how fast broadheads put deer down just like bullets and most of the time with better blood trails.

[JASmith]

Been using the 100 ttsx for the last couple seasons with great success too. Most are bang, flops with jello insides.

Still prefer archery though. It's amazing how fast broadheads put deer down just like bullets and most of the time with better blood trails.

There is a reason for this -- Some archeologists explored the relationship between arrowhead size and animal weight used by mesolithic hunters. BTW "mesolithic refers to the period 5,000 to 10,000 BC. They were able to establish the arrowhead size used for getting a high probability of causing an animal of a particular weight to faint within about 10 seconds of a shot into the chest cavity.

That paper, in turn, was used by a few folks to examine the weight of bullet appropriate for coyote, deer, elk, moose, etc.

The series of studies lead to the suggested bullet weight calculator here: http://shootersnotes.com/calculator/...bullet-weight/

Use the links at the bottom of the page to read more about the archeological study and how it was transformed into the calculator.

[mdewitt71]

Sierra 120 gr Prohunter. Great bullets, in my experience they don't come apart at 2500-2600 fps. Penetrate completely , which aids in blood trailing. I don't like the plastic tipped bullets. They may shoot great, but for hunting they don't meet my expectations. Sierra Prohunters shoot very well for paper too.

Yep, you cant beat a Prohunter if you are actually "hunting"..... I run in em in about 4 or 5 different caliber rifles.