Favorite Bullets

[GrampaMike]

Since I have a number of ballistic projects on my list of "Things to Do".

One of the things I need to start some of them, is picking a bullet brand, I like to use the most favorite here.  The results might be of help to the most Handi people here. 

Categories are hunting, target, cast-hunting and cast-target.

Thanks guys.  Mike

[petemi]

My guess would be Hornady and Speer and perhaps Montana for the cast and gas checked.

Pete

[Doublebass73]

Hornady and Sierra seem to be good for the money.

[cult .44]

Hornady, Sierra and Speer

[PigBoy Crabshaw]

LaserCast Silver bullets seems to be good for pushing vel above normal cast for lead free barrel fun.
Great prices right now. Buy 5k and get 1k free.
I've only used there 158gr RNFP with 2400 on steel checken's from my 357mag Handi.
www.laser-cast.com/
-g

[Sourdough]

I hunt with my Handi's, as well as the rest of my guns.  To me that is the only reason to own them.  I use 30 cal Speer 125gr TNTs, 30 cal Sierria 165gr HPBT, everything else from .223 to .350 is Nosler period.

.223       Nosler Ballistic Tip, Nosler Partition
.22-250  Nosler Ballistic Tip, Nosler Partition
.243       Nosler Ballistic Tip, Nosler Partition
7MM       Nosler Partition
25-06     Nosler partition
.308       Nosler Partition
30-06     Speer 125gr TNT, Sierria 165gr HPBT, Nosler Partition, Nosler Ballistic Tip, 180gr Combined Technology Ballistic Silver Tip.
.338       225gr, 250gr, Nosler Partition, 200gr Combined Technologies Ballistic Silver Tip
.35        225gr, 250gr, Nosler partition.
.45        300gr Nosler Partition
OK, that's the bullets I use and have sitting on the shelves in my reloading room.  I only use cast bullets with .38 cal pistols.  .357s and higher I use jacketed bullets.

[PawPaw]

I like Hornady and Sierra for everyday hunting tasks.  Noslers are very good bullets, especially their ballistic tip bullets, which are lovely, wonderfully consistent little pills.  I like Sierra GameKings for hunting work.  I've never weighed a batch, but I suspect they're consistent because they're accurate.  Hornady bullets are likewise very accurate, as are Noslers.  When you start talking about ulta-premium bullets, like the Bergers and the Bearclaw bullets, you're talking about a whole different set of criteria.

For target work, it's hard to beat Sierra MatchKings.  If I want to know the accuracy potential of a particular load, I'll push some Matchkings through the barrel.

I make my own cast bullets, so I really don't have an opinion on buying cast bullets.  Cast bullets are different from jacketed.  They shoot differently, they kill differently.  Not better or worse, necessarily, but the bring another whole set of circumstances that the shooter has to be aware of.  I'm becoming convinced that alloy strength is the biggest limiting factor in cast bullet shooting.  Alloy strength must be closely matched to load pressure to make a cast bullet work correctly.

[necchi]

I like Hornady and Sierra for everyday hunting tasks.  Noslers are very good bullets, especially their ballistic tip bullets, which are lovely, wonderfully consistent little pills.  I like Sierra GameKings for hunting work.

My sentement exactly, will be trying Nosler Accubonds this season and Barnes TTSX in the boy's 708

For target work, it's hard to beat Sierra MatchKings.  If I want to know the accuracy potential of a particular load, I'll push some Matchkings through the barrel.

Yup!, Nosler BT make great target fodder too.

Unfortunatly I don't cast any but round ball,,,Yet.

[GrampaMike]

I should have put what I use.

In recent years I have been using Barnes (most flavors) and Sierra MKs and some Hornady A-Max’s.  The cast bullets have been Beartooth and Laser-Cast True Shot (only ones that are gas-checked in the Laser-Cast line) and some Cast Performance.  The True Shot seem to be the most consistent (I measure each bullet in each box and group the ones that are the same), but not many choices.  Beartooth have lots of choices 30 cal and up, but not quite as consistent as the True Shot.  Not enough data on the Cast Performance to form an opinion.

<PawPaw> I believe you are absolutely right about the alloy strength (BHN) vs. Load Pressure.  That has been my findings so far.  I have been calculating max pressure as BHN times 1,422.  The sweet spot (accuracy) seems to be consistently 6%-7% under this max calculated pressure.

I will put a bullet order in for whatever we come up in this thread.  Maybe I should also start with just a couple of calibers.

As you can tell, I am mostly a paper-hunter these days.

Must really thank you guys for your responses, lots of effort.  Mike

[gendoc]

nosler ballistic tip, hornady xtp, speer spsx, rem sjhp, speer jhp, hornady v-max & my cast 

[Mac11700]

I'm going to be trying the Berger VLD-hunting and Match bullets this season along with Sierra Match Kings and the Palma bullets for the o6'. I want to see how well they stack up against the Nosler Partitions and Accubond's along with the CT SBT gang. I'm even going to throw in a few of Barnes offerings just to see how well they do as well. I don't hunt with cast,nor even plink with them anymore since I am not shooting as much as what I used to,but if I did I would just use some of the Cast Performance bullets for that..Varmint hunting seems to me to be a separate sub category of hunting..and I don't have a clue what will work good anymore. Old standbys for me would be Blitz Kings and Speer's TnT's..but it's been quite a while since I did any of that..and will be trying all kinds of 6mm bullets just to see myself.

Mac

[cwlongshot]

With no consideration of caliber or diameter...

Sierra would by my top pic, followed closely by Hornady rifle RN bullets and the entire NOSLER line. Next would be my own cast projectiles..

If your asking exact bullets.. Hornady RN rifle bullets. Every one I have tried I have liked. Sierra BTS bullets and Nosler Partition, Ballistic and Accubond bullets are excellent performers. The old solid base shot well but spit there cores FAR too often... I would still LOVE a couple boxes of the 120FN Solid base 7MM bullets. 

CW

[Dances with Geoducks]

Hornady

178gr A-Max
160gr FTX

Cast
165 ranch dog 30 cal
405 Lyman 45-70

Covers just about all I do

[NFG]

TrueShot for any cast bullet work...thay are the most consistent cast bullets I ever measured as far as weight, size, length and ogive go...equal to or better than many jacketed bullets.  45-50/400-650gr(MIL).

Nosler's, any of them...because they are nearby and the seconds are cheap and more consistent than many brands "firsts".  Wish the old solid base bullets were still around...I "think" I like them much better than the same weight in BT.  I have a few left of my favorites I horde, but in reality....?

Nosler BT, Sierra SX and Hornady VMax in varmint cals are a toss up...depends on the preference of the rifle.

Hornady's...most of my rifles have at least one weight they like and never failed me.  416/400 gr RN, 375/300gr BTSP, 338/225gr SP or SST, 30/150-180 SP or SST, 6mm/ 87 SP and 95 SST.

Speers...Never had much luck except with the 350 gr, 416 cal.. and 70 gr 22 cal....measured up several weights of 22 and 6mm cal way back and found way too much variation for my use...haven't tried any of the present offerings...probably much better QC today.

Barnes...again not much luck except for the discontinued 40 gr blue coated 22 cal...super hi velo AND accuracy in one 223.  The blue coated bullets worked great in several rifles and not so great in others...TSX's are OK but act like FMJ's on lighter game... punch right through with little expansion.  Killed what I aimed at so can't complain really.

Sierra...very hard to beat in ANY catagory...used to buy them by the pound in LA in the old days....not sure I saved any money...you had to separate out cups, cores, pieces of extruded lead, mashed  and misshaped ones...THEN weight them to be sure there weren't any voids.

Bergers...shot a lot of 17, 22, and 6mm of various weights at varmints...excellent match bullets alsoi.

I think it depends on what accuracy you are willing to accept and what you're shooting at....most cup and core bullets perform well, bonded types hold together better, plastic tipped don't get there noses smashed in the mag and seem to open very well.

I like what's on sale...not much of that nowdays and WAY too many choices.

Luck

[bud1]

  Have had good luck with Remington Core Lokts for over 60 years.  See no need to change.  Bulk price is the best.

[Frank V]

I've had great results with the Remington Core Locks, Hornaday's, & the Barnes TX bullets in rifles. Sierra's are usually extreemly accurate, but I've seen several jacket seperations & won't use them for hunting.
Frank

[Big Blue]

I love it when I can use two different loads from the same gun. I have a non-Handi .30-06 that shoots great sub-MOA groups with both the 220gr. Hornady Interlocked RNSP and the 168gr. Barnes TSX bullets. I have the scope set to shoot the 220gr. bullets to zero at 100 yards and the 168gr. bullets shoot 3" high at 100 yards. A great combo for short and long range shots. Those 220gr. bullets have fantastic penetration with a SD rated at .330!
Don   

[Uncle Harry]

For my 2 Handi's, the 204 loves Berger 40 gr. pills and the 243 seems happy with Sierra 85 gr. Game Kings so far.

Savages like Hornady and Sierra. Rimfires seem partial to CCI.

Handguns like whatever they get fed-don't shoot 'em much.

[dpe.ahoy]

I've always had real good luck with Hornady bullets and Nosler as well.  For the price, Hornady has always done the job on animals and usually at the top of the pack for accuracy.  But I will use Speer and Sierra in certain calibers.  I have had good results with Montana Bullet Works, Cast performance and Mt. Baldy as well as Lazercast for cast bullets.  DP

[dangerranger]

Barns varmit grenades are my fav right now [ its squirrel season]
Rem core locked have gotten the nod for hunting medium game, but Ill have to rethink that. as I live in the lead ban area of CA.
For hogs Ive been using hard cast lead but have recently cast a few out of tin alloy. will be testing them over the next couple of months.

[GrampaMike]

Your responses are much more than I expected.  Look at the scores.

Nosler Hornady Sierra Speer Barnes TrueShot Berger Remington Montana Beartooth Cast Performance Bearclaw Ranch Dog Lyman Mt Baldy

22 18 17 8 8 5 4 4 2 2 2 1 1 1 1

This is going to be a bigger task than I thought.  I need to break it up into many smaller tasks.  Maybe I better just do 1 bullet at a time.  One bullet and all the cartridges that fire it.  So the first pick will be one bullet from the favorite brand. 

Again thanks for the responses. Mike

[GrampaMike]

Until I make an bullet order and receive it.  The first bullet will be the True Shot .501 370gr (because I have plenty of these right now to do tests).  Cartridges will be 500 S&W Magnum (case length 1.625" which is closer to the Supermag length of 1.610").  500 Special (case length 1.285" which is the Magnum length of most handgun cartridges with the Magnum name).  I will use case lengths of 1.625", 1.540", 1.455", 1.370", 1.285", 1.200", 1.115" and 1.030".  I will be holding the pressure to a max of 34,128 PSI for this hard cast bullet.  The 500 S&W Magnum case strength is 62,000 PSI.

[Chas.]

My favorite depends on weight and caliber but all are cast.  I can't afford those store-bought bullets.
.44 (180gr, 240gr)- Missouri
.357 (158gr, 180gr) - Missouri
45-70 (300gr) - Oregon Trail
45-70 (405gr) - Missouri
45-70 (530gr Postell) - Chey Cast

[quickdtoo]

Nosler seconds can save you a bunch of money if they happen to have what you need and you order enough to make the shipping worth it, it's hit or miss what they have in stock when you check, they go fast when available. 

Tim

http://www.shootersproshop.com/index.php?p=11&b=8&s=380

[GrampaMike]

That should make picking a bullet from Nosler easier (whatever they have left).
I always order quite a bit when I do order.
Thanks Tim

[dangerranger]

GM, if it were me I think Id break my list down into intended use first, then look at "your requirements". a great deer bullit for where I hunt may not be ideal for deep woods or swamp bottoms that someone else hunts in. just a thought. DR