what bullet do u use

[BOWHUNTINGisLIFE]

I am looking accurate but soft bullet. What do u use

[nchawkeye]

What are you shooting this bullet in???

[oldsmellhound]

When you say "soft bullet", do you mean a bullet that expands quickly? If so, there are a lot of choices out there. Powerbelts tend to expand quickly, even at low velocities. If you're using sabots, you have lots of options - pick a bullet that is all lead, as opposed to a jacketed round. Cheapshots, Buffalo Bullets, Dead Centers - all of them are lead and expand quickly. As for accuracy, it depends on your rifle - the only real way to know is to try out several brands/weights, etc. and see what shoots well.

[gt2003]

I changed to the precision rifle dead centers a few years back and doubt I'll ever shoot another bullet. They are very accurate out of my knight wolverine and their performance on game is unbelievable. I used to shoot the hornady XTP's. They shot great for me but failed to perform on game animals. Here's a picture of a couple of the dead centersrecovered from deer.

[lemoyne]

Welcome to the group.
A lot of what you are asking is determined by what you are using. A traditional Hawken or Kentucky an underhammer or an inline type of ignition what twist. Many of us can answer questions on any of these but with out more information we really don't known what you are asking. Lee

[frontier gander]

Powerbelt. Pure lead, Hollow Point, Expands excellent, puts them down fast.

You just have to be careful with how much powder you use. I shoot everything from the 225 ' when i own a .45cal' up to a 348 Aerotip with 80 grains Pyrodex 2f. Been shooting quite a bit of 3f due to it being cheaper.

Need help picking a load, just let me know as i have tested a lot of them.

[gleason.chapman]

ORIGINAL: BOWHUNTINGisLIFE

I am looking accurate but soft bullet. What do u use

You will understand this since your a bow hunter. About anything will work on a broadside bow shot, however for "oblique shot" or raking shots you need a "strong" bullet, a soft bullet will either fragment or "pancake out", the pancake out gives less penetration. It takes at least 12" of penetration in a human to kill a human instantly or incapicate them so they are no longer a threat, it will be the same for a deer, so you don't want a'soft bullet' to shoot 3" into a deer and stop penetration, you wantit to go deeper, like 18". There are several strong bullets on the market:
Nosler Partition
Barnes MZ, TMZ, TSX and Origonals
Speer Gold Dot.

I like 300g bullets, since they shoot thru a deer, 250 sometimes do, 300g always shoot thru on side ways shots, even oblique, even both shoulders (that is a strong bullet if it will shoot thru both shoulders and FULLY expand). A strong bullet will expand on MEAT not bone, and give excellent penetration and nearly 100% weight retention, it will NOT fragment and therefore will penetrate deeply. Those are my recommendations on strong bullets. Choose the one that is most accurate in your gun. 3" at 100 yards is considered accurate for hunting. Best Wishes,
Chap Gleason

[Rifle Loony]

ORIGINAL: gt2003

I used to shoot the hornady XTP's. They shot great for me but failed to perform on game animals.

Likely were using the XTP "Mag" bullets and not the regular ones. The "mags" are a tougher bullet requiring much higher energythan muzzleloaders generate.

The regular XTP's hammer deer........

[cayugad]

First off.. most inlines will shoot out to 100 yards (and farther in many cases) with a good sabot combination in an accurate manner. Traditional rifles might not shoot sabots so well. The kind of rifle will often determine the kind of bullet. Also where you hunt, the kind of shots you get, and what you want the bullet to do, will make a big difference in bullet selection.

Because you like bow hunting, I am sure you hold your shots to 50 yard or in that area. I know some shoot further, but I never would. That means getting in close to your game is something you do. That also means the kind of bullet you want to use will be a lot more easy to determine.

Under 100 yards, most bullets will work. As long as you put them in the vital area, they kill deer. The problem is, how far the deer travels after being shot. Some bullets hit and splatter. Some hit, expand, but do not pass through. Some will blow right through, while others do really strange things sometimes. Powder charge and bullet type determine all of this.

So you want a soft bullet. Then you can look at a Hornady XTP (not the magnum). I like the .430 diameter in 300 grain. I think for deer they are just sweet. They hit, expand, make a nice wound, and normally blow through as I have read. I have yet to shoot a deer with a sabot. The deer do not cooperate.

Another good bullet is the pure lead type. T/C makes a bullet called the Cheap Shot. It is a 240 grain bullet. All lead, and expands, and kills deer dead. But are cheap to shoot. A lot of people I personally know, hunt with them. They claim the wounds from a simple Cheap Shot is hard to believe and their accuracy is exceptional. Other good pure lead bullets are Dead Center type from Precision Rifle.

Conicals like the Powerbelt, Hornady's new one, and the big lead boats will do a nice job on deer when they are used properly. I hunt with conicals. I like the large lead boats. I shoot a 460, 500, and 560 grain conical when I deer hunt. Hit the vitals with them, and the deer just seem to drop where they stand. Some people love powerbelts, other hate them. All personal experience preference with them I guess.

So what kind of rifle do you have, what kind of shots will you encounter, what distances do you expect to shoot, and what do you want.. large hole, pass through, etc.. Then a bullet can be suggested for you that might do all that you want it to do.

[Rebel Hog]

ORIGINAL: Rifle Loony

Likely were using the XTP "Mag" bullets and not the regular ones. The "mags" are a tougher bullet requiring much higher energythan muzzleloaders generate.

The regular XTP's hammer deer........

10-4,Good Buddy!