SMKs, HPBT, etc. for hunting?

[ChristianPatriot]

Flame on if this has already been beat to death. Anybody ever taken deer size game with the higher b.c. match bullets? Pros? Cons? All other things being equal, is the higher b.c. worth the lower terminal performance?

 

[foxmustang]

I saw some that were used on hogs, they killed the the hog but there was no exit wound. After the hog was opened up we found the jacket had completely separated from the core. Judging by the wound channel it did not open up, similar pattern to to a FMJ. So my conclusion is yes you can use it but there are better out there that preform just as well. Hopefully you will not be shooting far enough to notice the difference between a match bullet and a quality hunting bullet.

 

[Streck-Fu]

They will not perform as well as projectiles designed for hunting.

What advantage do you think they would provide for you? Considering that the available hunting rounds from both manufacturers are almost as accurate (especially SGK), what would you expect to gain with the little improvement in precision at the expense of terminal performance?

I will add that the military does use OTMs in some ammunition and that is because they are not designed to expand and do perform like FMJ upon impact. They use them only for accuracy and retained energy (the OTM projectiles are much heavier than standard).

 

[avboiler11]

Yes.

.224 (gasp!) 77gr Nosler CC and 80gr A-max, from a 5.56 AR @ 2740fps and 223 Ackley bolt gun @ 2950fps. Both were headshots (neither test subject cooperated) and I will say the results of the A-Max were nothing short of spectacular, vacating the entire skull cavity on the opposite side of the impact and leaving an exit wound I could place a fist into.

Here is a thread about the performance of the 77gr CC

https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/great-outdoors/321799-5-56-vs-whitetail-graphic-pics.html

Based on what I've seen, I would not hesitate to boiler room a bruiser buck with either.

If you are interested, there is a LOT of info about this exact topic on Snipershide. For the TL;DR crowd...YES there are "better" (ie. expanding) bullets for hunting, but any match bullet properly placed will result in a clean, ethical kill.

 

[ChristianPatriot]

They will not perform as well as projectiles designed for hunting.

What advantage do you think they would provide for you? Considering that the available hunting rounds from both manufacturers are almost as accurate (especially SGK), what would you expect to gain with the little improvement in precision at the expense of terminal performance?

I will add that the military does use OTMs in some ammunition and that is because they are not designed to expand and do perform like FMJ upon impact. They use them only for accuracy and retained energy (the OTM projectiles are much heavier than standard).

I guess that kind've is my point. Accuracy and retained energy vs terminal performance. Sierra's website has a 165gr GameKing at a .363 BC and the 168 gr MatchKing at a .462 BC for .308 bullets. In my admittedly beginner's level knowledge that seems like a pretty big difference.

 

[42769vette]

Ive hunted a good bit with the Hornady AMAX. Its about as close to "match" I would get and expect reliable results, but I'm sure others have researched the topic more than I have.

 

[Woobie]

I have read, but do not have experience, that the a-max, while a match bullet, does perform well on game. .30 cal - Hornady A-Max
What caliber are you shooting? If you don't mind spending a bit more, Berger makes some very good high bc match grade hunting bullets. I will be trying out their 168 gn match grade classic hunter in .308 (.496 bc) soon. From an accuracy standpoint, I actually have comparable or even better results from the a-max vs the smk. YMMV.

 

[spaniel]

Cons? SMKs are prone to long-range ricochets. I've been present when 200gr SMKs shot prone out of a 300WM ricocheted off rockless, plowed dirt and traveled 1.5 miles downrange. At least half a dozen of them, it was not a fluke.

If I truly thought they were a good choice on game (which I don't) I may use them out west, but not in Indiana.

 

[42769vette]

I have read, but do not have experience, that the a-max, while a match bullet, does perform well on game. .30 cal - Hornady A-Max
What caliber are you shooting? If you don't mind spending a bit more, Berger makes some very good high bc match grade hunting bullets. I will be trying out their 168 gn match grade classic hunter in .308 (.496 bc) soon. From an accuracy standpoint, I actually have comparable or even better results from the a-max vs the smk. YMMV.

Ive killed a few animals with the AMAX, and in real life if you put the bullet where it needs to be it does the job. If you dont put the bullet where it needs to be it doesnt do the job. This is with a 6.5mm on pronghorn, and coyotes.

 

[ChristianPatriot]

Ive killed a few animals with the AMAX, and in real life if you put the bullet where it needs to be it does the job. If you dont put the bullet where it needs to be it doesnt do the job. This is with a 6.5mm on pronghorn, and coyotes.

Yeah the military can't use all them fancy hunting boolitz and they seem to do pretty good.....

 

[kludge]

Not to be a stick in the mud, but you CAN get very good BC and accuracy from hunting bullets.

And no, I wouldn't use a SMK for hunting, but I might use an AMAX.

Look at Hornady SST, Noslers, and others.

 

[Woobie]

I have not tried the SST's, so I can not speak to their accuracy. Their bc's are on par with the a-max though. I think the a-max has tighter controls on jacket tolerances, IIRC. I actually did try some 180 gn nosler ballistic tip, and I really liked their accuracy. Bc is higher than the 178 a-max too. Down side: at the time they were really hard to find, and I got away from them. I might actually see if I can find them again. They're also as much as a berger price-wise. A-max for me was just as accurate, so it was a better bargain.

 

[kludge]

The AMAX may have tighter tolerances than the SST and Interlock, but I've never had an inaccurate Horandy bullet.

My .358 WSSM with Interlocks shoots as well as my .308 with SMKs.

 

[oldpink]

The supposed aerodynamic and accuracy advantage of target/SMK bullets for hunting, especially on anything from pronghorn size on up, is basically obliterated by their marginal (at best) terminal ballistics, especially if the shot angle is less than ideal, if you hit heavy bone or muscle, if terminal velocity is either very high or very low, or (as they are wont to do) if the jacket separates from the core.
Yes, if shot placement is perfect, you can bring down big game with target bullets, but you owe it to your quarry (and avoid a crash course in having to learn tracking skills!) to bring it down reliably and mercifully.
I have to ask why anyone would even bother with a bullet that was designed specifically for target shooting when the bullet companies have refined some of their top of the line hunting bullets to the point that they nearly match or exceed target bullet accuracy, but with the advantage of construction that maximizes the bullets' terminal performance on big game?

Big game bullet design is nearly at its zenith, with so many choices:
Hornady has the polymer-tipped SST, Interbond, and FTX (this last one allows spitzers to be safely loaded and fired from .30-30 and other rifles with tubular magazines...I load them in my .45 Colt Marlin 1894).
Nosler has the polymer-tipped Ballistic Tip, their bonded core version called the Accubond, and even a version called the Accubond Long Range that's basically a heavy target bullet with a bonded core specifically designed for big game hunting.
Sierra has several versions of their Pro-Hunter or Gameking bullets that do very well at distance on big game, too.
Then, we have Barnes, who makes a few conventional lead core/copper jacket bullets, but their real performer is their solid copper expanding X-Bullet line, which includes the Triple-Shock (TSX), Tipped Triple-Shock (polymer-tipped version, dubbed TTSX), and even their Long Range Triple-Shock (LRX).

Remember, it's more important to take down your quarry as rapidly and humanely as possible, and the bullets I mentioned will do all that much more reliably than any target bullet, with nearly identical exterior ballistics, but with greatly improved terminal ballistics, and the cost will be either about the same or even less.