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Bullet function: construction, expansion and applications of each

41K views 11 replies 9 participants last post by  skeetteach 
#1 · (Edited)
I'm thinking its time for a thread about the different types of hunting bullets. We are closing in on hunting season rapidly, and many of you are asking which bullet type is "best" for certain types of animals, ranges, and applications in general. Here are my thoughts. Take them or leave them, but my opinion is based on almost 35 years of hunting experience and thousands of animals killed with all sorts of center and rimfire rifles, cartridges, shotguns, and air rifles. I've used everything from a Sheridan pellet gun, to the Remington accelerator, to Hevi-shot, soft points, FMJ's, hollow points, ballistic tips, bondeds, core-lokts, all-copper monoliths, frangibles, subsonics to lathe-turned precision alloy bullets.

Here's my summary of the general principles you should consider when choosing a hunting bullet. I won't cover every bullet available, but rather families of bullets, like cup/core, bonded cup/core, monolith, OTM, etc. I'll divulge right at the outset that I have my favorites, and that's not necessarily dependent upon whether I have ever sold or promoted those products, but I will say I've never promoted something I haven't first used, and found to be very valuable towards fitting my needs. Yours, of course, may vary, so take that into account.


Let's start with more traditional (aka older) designs
: In 6.8, we have the Sierra Pro Hunter. This is the most widely used example of a lead cored / cup arrangement with a jacket of copper and exposed lead tip. This is about as low tech as it gets with expanding hunting bullets of the last 50 years. Simply, this bullet strikes the target, the jacket begins to peel back at its opening, with the lead tip disintegrating, and the soft inner core deforming as lead usually does. Its a rather random event, as these bullets never expand with exactly the same shape every single time. In fact, often that expansion is more of a shearing of the jacket as it peels back or tears itself apart. After all, its a totally different metal versus the core, with different tensile properties, so it deforms in its own way, the lead in another. These are good, generally speaking, for many thin-skinned animals, but the shooter must be aware that a certain % of the time, this bullet will separate and the parts may not travel in a straight line through the vitals they are intended to strike. As far as "depositing its energy" is concerned, my opinion is that there is a relatively high degree of uncertainty how it does this since the projectile loses some of its integrity after hitting. I am not a fan of this type of bullet any more, simply because I shoot very thick-skinned game far too often, and the skin itself lends enough resistance that the bullet starts to delaminate at the instant of impact therewith.


Next we go on to "bonded" soft point or ballistic tipped bullets
: Examples are the excellent Nosler Accubond and Hornady 120 SST. These bullets improve upon the older design by attempting to either chemically or mechanically "bond" the jacket to the core. Despite being composed of two metals, if they are bonded together, its possible that the jacket will stay with the core longer, more deeply into penetration and therefore carry energy to destroy tissue in a deeper, straighter path. Again, this is the theory, but in practice, striking a target is such a violent occurrence, that some of the bullet is inevitably damaged in the process, since some of it is still soft, malleable lead. The good news is that despite still losing some of their weight, these usually lose most of that near the tip, and the remaining jacket on the shank and core stay together. I consider these a definite improvement over older soft point designs, and given 6.8 velocities, are nearly perfect for deer, and other thin-skinned game animals. The Accubond and SST's higher BC's are always a good thing and these are good long range bullets. When you consider range, the very fact that they have softer metal as one component is not necessarily a flaw, but could be an asset when expansion is needed at lower velocities. Both the Accubond and SST have performed well for many here on hogs. My experience has been good, but not better than with tougher bullets.


Now we move to the hollow point, OTM, or whatever PC term we need for the future
: How about HFMEEF for "holey frontal meplat for enhanced expansion & fragmentation?"
Anyway, these have always been considered target bullets. They were generally (when considering centerfire rifle bullets as we are here) designed for relatively inexpensive manufacture, high BC, and with boattail for long range performance. The have long, pointy ogives, and the lead slug fills only a part of the bullet, leaving a cavity near the tip, so that only jacket is forming the ogive. Some come apart like a confetti egg, while others have a thicker jacket that frags, but "explodes" in the body cavity after some penetration, which does indeed give devastating trauma to a wider "wedge" of tissue. Much debate has surrounded whether these should ever be used for hunting bullets. For varmints, most agree they are good because they might fragment, come apart and produce only a small entrance wound in a pelt. There, you have an "application." I don't use them for deer or hogs, but you might swear by them. All I can say is that this expansion and fragmentation is going to be random, so if you want to know exactly what your HP / OTM / HEMEEF bullet will do after impact, well, you just have to give that up. They still kill stuff, but I tend to like all the predictability I can possibly get.


Next we discuss the all-copper or copper alloy monoliths
: Most of you immediately think of the Barnes TSX or TTSX, but don't forget the GS custom, and the alloyed-monometal CEB Raptor / Talon. IMO, these represent another level of advancement in bullet technology, but one that took some growing pains, and lots of refinement. Way back when Barnes introduced the "X" bullet, it was said to be intended for African plains game with tough hide, and those animals in need of a nearly solid (or solid) bullet that could stay together after impact, getting to the vitals, breaking bone, and giving a quick kill. Men occasionally shot small whitetail deer with them and were angry that the bullets "over-penetrated" leaving a pencil wound. Copper is not as malleable as lead, its tougher, and needed more impact strain to peel the petals back. So, over time, we got skiving, and different metallurgy which resulted in the amazing bullets we have today, like the TSX and TTSX, with the newcomer being the Nosler E-tip. The CEB bullets are blazing an entirely different path but they are a bit ahead of their time right now, so time has to tell whether there is still room for improvement over the Barnes' of the world. The Raptor / Talon series will usually lose the petals and where they do makes a lot of difference, because you want a mushroom caliber bullet making the wound rather than simply caliber sized. My experience has been that the all-copper bullets of the last few years, work well on everything including thin-skinned game like deer. They are, for me, as close as you can get to an all-purpose bullet, save perhaps for varmints. That said, I have killed lots of coyotes with the 95 TTSX and while they exited, I am not interested in hides. These bullets hold their petals, shear them back surprisingly consistently, and therefore produce a similar wound in almost any substrate. The TTSX's, with their polymer tip and large cavity, also expand at lower velocities, make a larger mushroom and then carry all that weight and energy through the vitals, then most often, out the other side, even when they encounter bone. This design also allows a short barreled 6.8 to hurl the bullet with enough speed to still function at up to 300 yards or more.

Summary:

So, if you are looking into the question "what bullet should I choose...?" Consider a few things.

1) do I shoot more deer at ranges of 100 yards, than any other animal, with my rifle? If so, you could do very well with the Nosler Accubond, the 120 SST, the TSX / TTSX's, or the 110 SPH, if you just happen to find that's the most accurate in your gun. ETA: agreed with others who've shot deer with it, that at these ranges, the 90 TNT should also work well.

2) do I shoot deer at longer ranges, say up to 300 yards, and lots of hogs, with the same rifle? If so, then I would recommend that you pick the 110 Accubond or the 95 TTSX. The Accubond is a proven performer with good BC, and the 95 TTSX opens at speeds as low as 1600 FPS giving it a wide functioning / expansion range.

3) am I shooting hogs most often with a deer once a year? If so, I would pick the 85 TSX, 85 E-tip, 95 TTSX, or 110 TSX. The 120 SST seems to be doing a great job for some of our members, but recognize that the trajectory is a bit more of an arc than with the super flat 85 TSX or flat 95 TTSX.

4) Am I shooting coyotes? maybe a deer or two? The 90 TNT, 110 Hornady OTM and CEB Raptors all will work.


** Remember, this considers only hunting performance, and not all our available bullets. I hope this helps some of you choose your bullets for this upcoming season! Any and all input is most welcome as there is a plethora of good info from our other members
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#4 ·
It might be better to think of this question in a different way. Instead of debating light and fast versus heavy and slow, one must consider that some of that kinetic energy damages the bullet, too.

So, if you shoot a very lightly constructed bullet, at a very fast speed, let's say, an 80 grain hollow point, versus an 80 grain solid at the same speed, what happens? The 80 grain fragmenting bullet is upset/ damaged by the impact. If the impact is into a very heavy substrate like thick hide and bone, the bullet will likely lose its integrity and stop penetrating, which in turn means if it isn't still penetrating it cannot transfer energy, or more importantly, crush and tear tissue, vessels and bone.

Whenever we talk about transferring energy, we are really talking about crushing tissue, breaking bone, causing bleeding disrupting nervous system function, etc. This is precisely why the idea of bullet placement supersedes all the other considerations. Moreover, if the bullet never reaches these critical structures, then the chance of recovering the animal go down considerably.

That said, there are different types of bullets for different uses, targets and they have different functions. If you place them perfectly, many of the other variables can be neutralized. However, in hunting situations, we don't that often get "perfect" placement so a little wedge shaped wound channel and deep, assured penetration, helps out a lot.
 
#6 · (Edited)
Which pretty much brings us back to the original post.
Bullet type does play a large part in selecting the right bullet for the task at hand.
The 80gr HP(possibly powder type frag) would be better for thin skinned varmints where deep penetration is not needed. The solid would be better on a little larger critter which needs a little deeper penetration.

The last paragraph says allot! Very good summation!

PS The 95TTSX should do as well as a 100gr partition. Barnes used to have a Partition like bullet. But, Tungsten prices went to high.
 
#5 ·
Great post. I always enjoy the sharing of such a wealth of experience.

The only area that I would stray is in categorizing of the bullets, but I am no expert and only base it on observation, so I guess it comes down to my opinion. I see 4 distinct constructions of bullets: cup/core, bonded, monolithic, and other. I have considered the cup/core bullets the broadest category and inclusive of the SPH, the various OTM/HPBT, VMax, SST, and varminters. Open, lead, or plastic tip, or FMJ, it is still a metal cup wrapped around a different metal core. The SST's jacket has the "interlock" ring to halt expansion at that point, but it is still the low tech construction of the ProHunter. On to the bonded bullets with the Accubond and CoreLokt Ultrabond bullets (and if Federal ever coughs up the Fusion for us), the core is bonded to the jacket to prevent separation, though we all know it is still possible to break the bond for fragment the core. Monolithic bullets are easy; one piece of metal shaped into a bullet. Technically this could even be cast lead too. The "other" category is for the odd balls like Partitions, Trophy Bonded Bearclaws, and Winchester XP3, but none of these are available for 6.8 right now.

Just a couple of pennies from me.
 
#7 ·
In my personal experience all of the SSA Tac loads over 100 grains (excluding OTM, as I have not used them for hunting) kill deer at ranges from 10 to 100 yards. My experience has also lended me the knowledge that the "older bullets" work better at ranges under a 100 yards. By better I mean less walking after the shot. None of the deer made it further than 80 yards from the shot, but the soft point 110 Sierra Pro Hunter's drop the deer in their tracks. The TSX made full pass through's and did not leave large exit wounds, but still destroyed heart and lung tissue (glorious blood trail). The deer always ran when I put a TSX in them, and the blood trail did not start until 10-15 yards from the impact zone (don't give up if you don't see blood right away, there will be a huge blood trail once it starts). I have used the Hornady V-Max and SST with similar results to the TSX. They seem to work better (less walking) at ranges over 60 yards. Again though, all of them caused death within a matter of seconds. So if you hunt deer and shoot at ranges less than 100 yards I would pick what ammo your gun likes best.
 
#8 ·
Is worth noting that every impact on an animal is unique so each of us have or will see anomalies from time to time.

KE is not necessarily the best measure of effectiveness on game. For me this has been best exemplified with chamberings appropriate to large game ... particularly African game. The 9,3x62 is much more effective than one would expect. A .366 caliber 286 gr Nosler Partition leaving the muzzle at 2400 fps kills medium sized game like a lightning bolt. By medium I mean Gemsbock, Kudu and Wildebeast. In addition, I have seen it do DRTs on Bush Pig, Warthog as well as wild boar (piggies) and white tail in the US. (I literally knocked over a 250+ pound piggy at 100 yards in South Texas.)

Seems to be even more effective at impact than a 375 H&H pushing 300 gr Barnes TSXs at 2600 fps from the muzzle.

Energy transfer to the target and the time duration of that transfer seems to be very important. Put too much energy in a small area with a hard bullet and you get a lot of bloodshot meat and not necessarily an instant kill. Put a smaller amount of energy into the same area using too soft a bullet and you may not get the penetration required to deliver the energy deep enough for an effectively instant kill.

Seeking effectiveness with a balance of the right energy and bullet construction at the range that will likely be hunted is a good thing to do.

BTW: Am not at all opposed to using Barnes or other harder bullets where appropriate. I very much like them in chamberings for which I know they expand such as .338, .375, .416, and .458. Have no opinion yet on smaller diameters.
 
#9 ·
I look at it in terms of lead in the meat as I am primarily a "meat hunter". I was eating a venison burger from a buck killed with a .30-30 Lever Evolution bullet (cup and core) and bit into a tiny piece of jacket and lead. I thought I had cut out all the meat that might have any lead or jacket. I have never had that happen with anything killed with a Barnes.

That aside, I have killed deer with cup and core, partitions, bonded core and all copper. They all got the job done efficiently but I now prefer the all copper bullets.

In my experience the heavier bullets of the same caliber and construction; which usually have higher momentum but lower Kinetic energy , usually out penetrate the lighter bullets.I.E. a 165 grain .308@2608 FPS out penetrates a 150grn .308@ 2800FPS. These are real world velocities from my .308 loads.
 
#10 ·
Only one mention of the Barnes 110gr in this thread? Is there something about the 95gr that makes it superior? I have bought a bunch of 110 TSX, 110 TTSX, 110 Accubond, and 120 SST to find my favorite load for KS whitetail. I wasn't even considering the smaller 95 until reading this thread. I guess I am in "the bigger the better" camp. I don't hunt hogs and I only hunt yotes with a .223 unless one presents itself on a slow day of deer hunting. For a DEER ONLY load, wouldn't the heavier bullet be a better option? I know the 95 will have a better trajectory, but I rarely shoot beyond 200 yards, not worried about flat shooting as much as I am knock down power.
 
#12 ·
accubonds, not for me

nice write up but I'm gona disagree with the accubonds for bambi. I'm new to the 6.8 AR platform but have been shooting white tails on kill permits for the last 40yrs. I've been using the 6.8, suppressed, exclusively for the last few nights and took 5 deer the other night with the 100gr accubond, 3 with the SSA factory and 2 with spc II handloads ranges were from 100-300yrds and I wasn't happy with the results at all, it was like I was shooting fmj's, except for the head shot, they all ran way more then i'm used to. exit holes were about same as the entrance holes. Hit for hit, every one of them ran further then when shot with a 223 and factory 64gr Winchester ammo! I started with the accubonds because of this forum. last night I shot factory 90gr fed fusion and tho I only took 3 deer, and still wasn't happy with the results, the fusion seemed to knock em down a little better. next time I go out I'm gona try the SSA 90gr bonded, then the 110gr SIE spcII handloads, then the 110gr vmax (factory and spcII handloads) and so on until I find some thing that works to my standards...
I usually shoot a swift scirocco esp in the 338's, as that bullet has done the best by me over the years, across calibers, and distance, but unfortunately swift doesn't make a .277 scirocco in the 90-110gr class yet. I hope that changes soon.
I believe it the elmer keith frame of mind "there is no degree of dead, but there is a lot of degrees of wounded"
 
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