what bullet to use on whitetail?

[jackh]

lots of ppl really like the SSA but i cant remember which ones. i have a couple boxes of hornady but idk if theyre ok for deer or not. i really dont wanna end up cruching down on a peice of lead in a stick of venison if ya know what i mean.

[ccoker]

110 prohunter, Vmax would all be fine for a heart / lung shot

I shot 3 a few days ago with the 110g Barnes TTSX
read my post "5 deer down" , pics and details

I was a little nervous they may not open up but that was FAR from the case :)

[jackh]

just found one of my boxes, theyre 110g vmaxs. those are just fine for deer? are they not as lethal as the pro hunters?

[ArtFWTx]

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=32 (http://68forums.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=32)

There's some good info on ammo in the ammunition forum. The above post summarizes the popular loads. Hope this helps.

[jackh]

thanks man

[Cold]

110 prohunter, Vmax would all be fine for a heart / lung shot

I shot 3 a few days ago with the 110g Barnes TTSX
read my post "5 deer down" , pics and details

I was a little nervous they may not open up but that was FAR from the case :)


Agreed the 110 grain PH should do the trick on thin skinned game, white tails etc!

[jasonpeterson]

I like the Pro Hunters. 4 deer so for this season. 2 bucks 2 does Stopped them all within feet not yards. Very impressed!!

[msu33]

I would stay away from the vmax. I would be afraid that if you hit the shoulder, it would not be an efficient kill using a v-max. I would use what has been suggested so far, pro hunters, accubonds, and the barnes TTSX and TSX. I use the accubonds and they leave a massive exit wound. I have shot 3 deer with my 6.8 this year, using accubonds.

[jackh]

I would stay away from the vmax. I would be afraid that if you hit the shoulder, it would not be an efficient kill using a v-max. I would use what has been suggested so far, pro hunters, accubonds, and the barnes TTSX and TSX. I use the accubonds and they leave a massive exit wound. I have shot 3 deer with my 6.8 this year, using accubonds.

do the vmax's not have as much punch to them as the ph's or TTSX's? doesn't a massive exit wound entail a clean kill but also lots of damage internally to your meat?

[jackh]

http://www.ssarmory.com/6.8_spc_ammo-2-1-1-1-1.aspx

i have no idea if i have a spec II chamber or what grooves and im almost vertain i hae 1:11 twist...can i buy these?

[msu33]

V-max's are frangible. They dont hold together well, and sometimes dont even exit. You want something that will have a great deal of weight retention and penetration. Remember, blood trailing is much easier when you have two holes especially when you have one that is much bigger than the entrance wound. Dammage to the meat? Depends on your shot placement. You shoot through the shoulders then you could ruin some meat on the shoulders. My point was...that if you shoot a deer in the shoulder with a v-max, it may not be a quick kill. Some people like to shoot deer through the shoulder with heavy bonded or solid copper bullets. This may ruin some meat, but with a broken leg or two, a deer wont run far. I like to shoot them just behind the shoulder so that it doesnt ruin any meat, but I still like to use a good weight retaining bullet. They usually dont run far, but if they do....there is a large trail of blood to follow.

[msu33]

http://www.ssarmory.com/6.8_spc_ammo-2-1-1-1-1.aspx

i have no idea if i have a spec II chamber or what grooves and im almost vertain i hae 1:11 twist...can i buy these?

What rifle or upper do you have?

[jackh]

http://www.ssarmory.com/6.8_spc_ammo-2-1-1-1-1.aspx

i have no idea if i have a spec II chamber or what grooves and im almost vertain i hae 1:11 twist...can i buy these?

What rifle or upper do you have?


armalite upper and lower

[msu33]

The barrel should have the twist stamped on it somewhere. The camber? You may have to call armalite and find out. I am not familiar with armalite 6.8 barrels.

[brush_buster]

I use the pro hunter and couldn't be happier. The deer I've shot this season dropped like a rock and didn't even take a step.

Great product.

[Longboat]

Yet another 110 ProHunter Fan checking in.

[HTR]

I've now shot deer with the ProHunter, Accubond, the TSX and the TTSX. You really can't go wrong with any of these. I would not shot the deer in the lungs with the TSX, but the TTSX opens more easily as a result of the ballistic tip and larger cavity, so I think torso shots will be OK. You definitely get a good exit with the TSX and the TTSX. It was my experience that the Pro Hunter may or may not exit. They are pretty frail bullets, but the Accubond is supposed to be the next step up in terms of toughness and weight retention.

If you are shooting hogs, stick with the TSX and the TTSX. The 85 grain TSX is a monster, as is the 110 TTSX.

[marinesg1012]

The accubonds dont work well on hogs?

[ChopperGuy]

+1 on the Pro Hunters. -----1 on the TSX loads. (Long story of absolute bullet FAILURE on deer and FMJ performance at 45 yards.)

However, I have a fellow 6.8 shooter friend that has taken several northern states white tails with the 110 V Max.

Performance has been perfect without massive damage and exit wounds.

He attributes this to the 6.8 velocities on the V Max bullets causing them to act more like a controlled expansion bullet rather than a frangible bullet.

Now his shots have all been at 100 plus yards and behind the leg, into the chest so have not experienced a direct shoulder shot and performance of the V Max in that situation.

YMMV.

I plan on using the 90 and 110 V Max loads on some coyotes this winter out of my CZ 527 bolt gun and will report the results.

That's if it ever gets above -10 F again this winter. :x

[ccoker]

I can attest to the effectiveness of the 110g TTSX on 3 deer, haven't shot anything other than paper with the prohunters

[jackh]

how can i find out if my guns chambered for spcII cartridges? i know i can shoot the spc's bc thats all ive shot so far. cant find it stamped anywhere but then again im not sure where to look.

[paulosantos]

how can i find out if my guns chambered for spcII cartridges? i know i can shoot the spc's bc thats all ive shot so far. cant find it stamped anywhere but then again im not sure where to look.

What barrel do you have?

[ccoker]

I think he said an Armalite

[paulosantos]

I think he said an Armalite

Thanks. I just noticed on page 1. It is supposed to have the SPCII Chamber. Get a box of the SSA 115 Gr. Tactical Loads and test them out.

[jackh]

ya its an armalite. ok if your chambered for spcII can you shoot still shoot spc's but not visa versa? what happens if i buy a box go out to shoot and it ends up im chambered for spc? how will i know if i am and whats going to happen if i try to shoot an spcII from an spc?

[paulosantos]

ya its an armalite. ok if your chambered for spcII can you shoot still shoot spc's but not visa versa? what happens if i buy a box go out to shoot and it ends up im chambered for spc? how will i know if i am and whats going to happen if i try to shoot an spcII from an spc?

If you have the SPCII Chamber, you can shoot everything through it. If you have the SAAMI Chamber, you can shoot everything, but the SSA Tactical Loads. Think .223 and 5.56. The SAAMI Chamber is like the .223 and the SPCII Chamber is like the 5.56 Chamber. If you do happen to have the SAAMI Chamber, I have the SPCII Reamer so you can convert it to the SPCII CHamber.

[st6dh]

Armalite makes a nice rifle congratulations! :)

[jackh]

ok that makes a lot more sense thanks. so is there any way to figure out if im chambered in spcII besides buying a box and trying to shoot it? like is there a stamp anywhere on the upper?

[paulosantos]

ok that makes a lot more sense thanks. so is there any way to figure out if im chambered in spcII besides buying a box and trying to shoot it? like is there a stamp anywhere on the upper?

I would call Armalite and confirm it. If you have any doubts, I can send you my SPCII Reamer all set-up with the dummy stop and you can check for yourself. It is very easy to do and idiot proof. But either way, you should still get a box of the Tactical loads to see if your barrel can handle them.

[jackh]

ok that makes a lot more sense thanks. so is there any way to figure out if im chambered in spcII besides buying a box and trying to shoot it? like is there a stamp anywhere on the upper?

I would call Armalite and confirm it. If you have any doubts, I can send you my SPCII Reamer all set-up with the dummy stop and you can check for yourself. It is very easy to do and idiot proof. But either way, you should still get a box of the Tactical loads to see if your barrel can handle them.

what exactly do you mean by this? how will i know if my barrel can't "handle" them?

[paulosantos]

ok that makes a lot more sense thanks. so is there any way to figure out if im chambered in spcII besides buying a box and trying to shoot it? like is there a stamp anywhere on the upper?

I would call Armalite and confirm it. If you have any doubts, I can send you my SPCII Reamer all set-up with the dummy stop and you can check for yourself. It is very easy to do and idiot proof. But either way, you should still get a box of the Tactical loads to see if your barrel can handle them.

what exactly do you mean by this? how will i know if my barrel can't "handle" them?

Even if your barrel has the SPCII Chamber, you should always try a box of the SSA 115 Gr. Tactical Loads to see if your barrel can handle them. The 1:10" Twist/6-Groove/SPCII Chambered barrels should handle them, but they are on the edge of being able to handle them, especially the chrome lined barrels. You are just looking for the obvious pressure signs on the brass such as popped primers, flattened primers, or swipe marks. You want to shoot about 5 -10 rounds as fast as you can when you test them.

[jackh]

ok that makes a lot more sense thanks. so is there any way to figure out if im chambered in spcII besides buying a box and trying to shoot it? like is there a stamp anywhere on the upper?

I would call Armalite and confirm it. If you have any doubts, I can send you my SPCII Reamer all set-up with the dummy stop and you can check for yourself. It is very easy to do and idiot proof. But either way, you should still get a box of the Tactical loads to see if your barrel can handle them.

what exactly do you mean by this? how will i know if my barrel can't "handle" them?

Even if your barrel has the SPCII Chamber, you should always try a box of the SSA 115 Gr. Tactical Loads to see if your barrel can handle them. The 1:10" Twist/6-Groove/SPCII Chambered barrels should handle them, but they are on the edge of being able to handle them, especially the chrome lined barrels. You are just looking for the obvious pressure signs on the brass such as popped primers, flattened primers, or swipe marks. You want to shoot about 5 -10 rounds as fast as you can when you test them.

so buy a box, shoot 5-10 as fast as i can and then check the casings for deformities or marks? what does shooting it fast vs shooting slow have anything to do with it?

[paulosantos]

ok that makes a lot more sense thanks. so is there any way to figure out if im chambered in spcII besides buying a box and trying to shoot it? like is there a stamp anywhere on the upper?

I would call Armalite and confirm it. If you have any doubts, I can send you my SPCII Reamer all set-up with the dummy stop and you can check for yourself. It is very easy to do and idiot proof. But either way, you should still get a box of the Tactical loads to see if your barrel can handle them.

what exactly do you mean by this? how will i know if my barrel can't "handle" them?

Even if your barrel has the SPCII Chamber, you should always try a box of the SSA 115 Gr. Tactical Loads to see if your barrel can handle them. The 1:10" Twist/6-Groove/SPCII Chambered barrels should handle them, but they are on the edge of being able to handle them, especially the chrome lined barrels. You are just looking for the obvious pressure signs on the brass such as popped primers, flattened primers, or swipe marks. You want to shoot about 5 -10 rounds as fast as you can when you test them.

so buy a box, shoot 5-10 as fast as i can and then check the casings for deformities or marks? what does shooting it fast vs shooting slow have anything to do with it?

The faster you shoot, the more pressure it builds up and you will get a true indication if your barrel will handle them or not.

[jackh]

so will vmaxs be ok for chest shots as long as i dont nail the shoulder?

[adam]

I dont think you will have any issues with the vmax even if you nail them in the shoulder. Like others have said, at slower speeds you will see more controlled expansion.
Over on longrangehunting.com where shots at 600-1000+ yards are what they set up for, it is accepted practice to use varmint type bullets on long range shots because the actual impact speed is low enough that expansion is much like a conventional bullet at closer distances. They also highly recomend high shoulder shots because Bang/Flop is very desirable where extreme distance is involed. usually bad country, or more difficult to track the animal.

The acubond has a good reputation there for the best all around performance. Holds together well enough at short distance, and still expands well at extreme distance.

That said, Ive been using prohunters for two years. High shoulder shots all go bang/flop!!! I never feel undergunned. Six deer so far.

[MortonCo.]

110 gr Pro Hunter traveling approx. 2600 fps in a 1-11 DMR chamber. Lots of disruption of deer's internal organs. Did an autopsy of my whitetail buck and doe (both shot thru the heart and lungs) while gutting and the Pro Hunter was like a bomb in both instances. Both deer died within seconds of being shot. Buck shot at 40 yards, doe at 150-175 yards.

Also blows porcupines out of trees with one dead center shot and those things are hard to dislodge. Great bullet.

[preban Dan]

A lot here seem to like 110 and 115gr bullets. What about 130s? Isn't that about max length? Seating issues? And what twist is better for heavier bullets? It'd be nice to use 130gr in a .277.

[md20c]

110 gr Pro Hunter traveling approx. 2600 fps in a 1-11 DMR chamber. Lots of disruption of deer's internal organs. Did an autopsy of my whitetail buck and doe (both shot thru the heart and lungs) while gutting and the Pro Hunter was like a bomb in both instances. Both deer died within seconds of being shot. Buck shot at 40 yards, doe at 150-175 yards.

Also blows porcupines out of trees with one dead center shot and those things are hard to dislodge. Great bullet.

Good to know.....man I HATE porcupines. They cost me over $300 this last winter and really hurt my pit bull. 687 quills in my darling pit...she set the record at the vet in Del Rio, TX.