Best Bullet

[DCN]

Hello Guys,
I'm new to the forum - great site. I hunt with a T/C Omega .50 cal. I've been shooting Powerbelt bullets for several years. The only thing I've hunted with this rifle is elk and have shot the 295 gr. aerotips. I like how easy the bullets are to load and have gotten pretty good grouping with 130 grains of pyrodex in pellets. I've shot 2 elk with my Omega and haven't been real happy with the bullet performance - they don't seem to hold up to heavy game. The last bull I shot I hit in the front shoulder. The bullet shattered the joint, but didn't penetrate after that. In fairness, hitting a major joint on an elk is a pretty major bullet stopper, but I wanted to get thoughts on these bullets. This year I'm hunting mule deer with the rifle - just wanted to get thoughts on what people prefer to shoot. Thanks.

[frontier gander]

to light of a bullet, thats why. CVA recommends a 348 + grainer powerbelt on elk and a 245 or 295 on deer sized game.

[sabotloader]

DCN

First off I have to tell you I am completely biased... period.

I shoot the same rifle and I think the best bullet bar none is the Nosler partion (if you can shoot saboted bullets). now that statement will draw a lot of flack, but I have been using them for over 40 years now.

For elk I shoot a .451 300 grain Nosler Partition in an MMP HPH-24 sabot - I load this in my Omega with thumb pressure and followed with the ram rod. If you want an easier loading combination, use the MMP HPH-3p EZ loading loading sabot. MY Omega, which is an older model, right after they came out, and has a little more bore diameter than most I guess, becuse I canalso load a .458(45/70) 300 grain Nosler Partition in an Orange MMP .458/50 cal sabot.

Now the problem.... Nosler are way to much money today for me - I still have enough to last several more years, but I have been experimenting with Speer Gold Dots. I consider these bullets a "poor man's" Nosler. The .452 300 grain Gold Dot has a BC of .233 and expands like a champ. I do have some pics if you are interested.... in fact they are posted in:

Range math?

Good luck with you choice... if you are unable to shoot sabots look at the Bull Shop 460 grain conical. I shoot them in my sidelock percussion guns.

[lonewolf5348]

I like the buffalo SSB 375 grainers ,I would think they will load real easy in your barrel .I find some t/c bores are tight and like the xtp 452 diameter they can be a problem to get down the bore after the first shot,now the buffalo state .451 but they are more like .445

[Doegirl75]

ORIGINAL: lonewolf5348

I find some t/c bores are tight and like the xtp 452 diameter they can be a problem to get down the bore

Change sabots. Not being smart or nothing but it's why I have packages of 5 different kinds of sabots from MMP.

[txhunter58]

I would say that for mule deer, if they are flying great, I don't know that I would change from the 295's. Should be adequate. You certainly could try some 348's and see if they did as well. About the only pure lead conical that will shoot from my Omega is the T/C maxiball at lower powder charges.

I would not hesitate to hunt mule deer with 295's but I would also probably try the new 300 grain platinums.

[HEAD0001]

I will admit that I am pretty cheap. But I can not understand why these BP bullets are so expensive. It just does not make sense to me. You guys can have all those expensive bullets. I guess profit is the American way.

Here is what I would try if I were you. Find a good cast iron pot(small one is fine), something that holds about 10 pounds of lead. Buy an RCBS adjustable mold. This mold allows you to adjust the size(or weight) of the bullet. Go to a tire store and pick up the WW off the floor. This would be enough to get you started. The only other thing you need is a ladle. I recommend you purchase a good pouring ladle-it will make your casting much easier. You can get all this for under $100. Probably $70 or $80.
This is all you need . You are ready to go.

I personally cast mine to 525 grains. It is a very accurate bullet. I do not lube them, but I probably should. A simple liquid Alox would work, or even Bore Butter. I mean no disrespect-but ignore the people who tell you that only certain twists and rifling's will shoot conicals. IMO that is a bunch of bunk. There are some rifles that may not shoot conicals, but I guarantee you that most rifles will. And that includes Omega's. These bullets do not need to be sized. Sizing is the next step if you are chasing ultimate accuracy, but for now it is not necessary.

Try this and you will be hooked. You will be able to cast 100's or 1,000's of bullets at no additional cost. Some people say you must shoot pure lead out of ML's. I have never had any problem with WW, but I would only shoot pure lead in antique rifles. Tom.

[dmurphy317]

Head0001,
What mould number are you using? I like the idea of an adjustable bullet mould so it can be taylored to the rifle. What range of weights does it allow for?

[gleason.chapman]

ORIGINAL: DCN

Hello Guys,
I'm new to the forum - great site. I hunt with a T/C Omega .50 cal. I've been shooting Powerbelt bullets for several years. The only thing I've hunted with this rifle is elk and have shot the 295 gr. aerotips. I like how easy the bullets are to load and have gotten pretty good grouping with 130 grains of pyrodex in pellets. I've shot 2 elk with my Omega and haven't been real happy with the bullet performance - they don't seem to hold up to heavy game. The last bull I shot I hit in the front shoulder. The bullet shattered the joint, but didn't penetrate after that. In fairness, hitting a major joint on an elk is a pretty major bullet stopper, but I wanted to get thoughts on these bullets. This year I'm hunting mule deer with the rifle - just wanted to get thoughts on what people prefer to shoot. Thanks.

Wow, you don't know what you asked on this forum when you say

"I wanted to get thoughts on these bullets."

The search engine on this forum is really not that geat, so as a service to this forum and to keep us all friend around the "campfire" I have taken all the content on PBs fragmentation and placed it on my web site, because I started a PB debate a few months ago and we don't to do it again here, there will be no fruit in going over the same ground. That PB bullet performance opinions are here:

http://www.the-gleasons.com/powerbelt_page.htm

Look at Item #2 on 295g PB Aerotip performance.

As for best bullet for an Omega for Elk, I did NOT have the 40 years of Nosler experience of our brother Sabotloader and I did independent testing in MY Omega and Knight Disc. I documented every bullet and load for accuracy and penetration here:

http://www.the-gleasons.com/bullets_penetration_tests_for_mu.htm

Shooting into a 5 gallon bucket of packed top soil to see how the bullet would penetrate and expand. I came away with the conclusion that the Nosler Partition 300g was the best bullet for me in my Omega, it was accurate, penetrated and did NOT fragment. I proved that to myself.


Now I am going elk hunting in Colorado in 2008 (I live in the east, and this will be my "hunt of a lifetime" for elk), and I am testing bullets and loads right now for a Savage 10ML that I intend on shooting in 1st rifle season in colorado. So the "jury is out" in terms of my selecting an elk load.My selections of bullets and loads for the 10ML is documented here:

http://www.the-gleasons.com/this_is_my_savage_10_ml_page.htm

I started by shooting the factory recommended loads, with the factor recommended sabots and the factory recommended bullet (300g XTP) with the factory recommened primer. Once I was able to group with that to factory specifications (1.5" at 100 yards), I then felt satisfied to move on. I have shot so far:

300g Hornady XTPs
300g TC SW
300g Hornady SST
285g Knight Ulimate Slams
290g Barnes SpitFire TMZ

There are documented here:

http://www.the-gleasons.com/this_is_my_savage_10_ml_page.htm

I consider any of these elk capable bullets---FROM WHAT I HAVE READ, like I said I do NOT have elk experience on hitting and taking them with a ML.I want to shoot flat to 200 yards in rifle season. All the folks over on Dave's Muzzleloader forum who hunt elk seem to shoot Barnes bullets (TMZ and MZ are popular over there)or Bonded SWs orParker Extreme PT 275. Folks have done a lot of bullet testing and there have a historic repository, here is their BULLET PERFORMANCE link (note this is for Savage, but just read the Wet newspapers tests with SST, SW, Barnes, XTP):

http://dougva.proboards34.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=Savage&thre ad=1147284597


If your hunting Colorado in ML season you cannot use a sabot, therefore consider a Harvester Sabre Tooth 300g or a Conical such as the bull stop, or a Harvester Cast Bullet. I you read this article for penetration, Cast bullets are the best penetrators:

http://www.snipersparadise.com/tsmag/July03/july03.htm

That said, they shoot >>THRU<< with >>NO<< expansion. If you read Craig Boddington hunting Cape Buffalo in Africa, he shoots first a 500g jacketed Soft PointExpanding bullet, then in his double rifle he has a solid for a charging cape buffalo. So using the logic of expanding jacketed bullet is best for heavy game I would go with a Harvester for elk (If cast was best then Craig would have been using two solids in his double rifle, right?). That is my reasoning. You can buy the book "Rifle Bullets for the Hunter: A Definitive Study"

http://www.ramworks.net/estore.html

for more details. these are of course my opinions with my rifles, your mileage will vary with your rifle and your load and your shooting capability.
Chap Gleason

[lemoyne]

There is no "best bullet" thr onr that is best for your rifle may not shoot well in someone else'sthe best bullet for deer is not going to be the best bullet for bufflo or grizzle bear it may be that your deer bullet wont be best for elk even. You have to lay out the paramiters , like what game your going after say deer [which is most commen] yhen make a list of good deer bullets then find the one that shoots most accurate in your rifle. Lee