ORIGINAL: nchawkeye
Rod...I'm using that big 300 Barnes because the 250 wouldn't group...In a Barnes bullet the 250 will penetrate and exit (they shoot good in my brothers Remington)...If the 250s would have grouped, I would have used them...
The 250 SST/Shockwave is also going to give you good penetration...But, it is a sharp bullet...vs the MZ Barnes which has a huge hollow point, the Barnes will open faster and give a larger exit wound and blood trail than the SSTs (in my opinion based on tracking about 20 with the SSTS and 10-12 with the Barnes)...With the SST, I put the bullet through the shoulder blade, no tracking required....
If your shots are within say 125 yards, you can't beat the Barnes....
I switched to the SST design, because we have large soybean fields and I wanted a bullet that would
reach out to 150 yard...I tested both bullets, sighted in 2 1/2 high at 100 yards and the SST at 150 was 2 1/2 inches low and the Barnes was 7-8 inches low, the SSTs were also more accurate in my gun with groups running about 2-3 inches at 150 yards...
All that being said, try both the 250 and 300 Barnes, that's the only way to see what your rifle likes...
I agree with NCHawkeye. If I could have used a Barnes TMZ, which si the MZ with a plastic tip on it, that was my first choice for a bullet. I did NOT get good accuracy in my Savage with it however. The SW are an awsome bullet for both accuracy and penetration, the shoulder blade shot is a good one with this bullet, since it makes them expand into the chest cavity and put them DOS--dead on the spot. Chap Gleason