Tungsten 50 cal MZ bullets

[stuwest]

Here's my situation. I have a numbe rof deer stands surrounding large CRP fields. The shots could easily be taken with my 300WinMags, but this is a shotgun zone.

I did shoot a 270 pistol for a while but couldn't hold groups tighter than 12" at 100 yards off hand, so switched to a TC Encore MZ with a Precision Rifle 300 grn slug pushed by 150 grns.

I've been hunting a large deer, 275# or so and would like enuf power to put the deer down if I "have" to go thru a scalpula.

I did shoot a 235#er at 285 yards last year and did not like the penetration that I saw, but may have gone thru a 'branch' on the way. Don't know as I shot twice. But, the slug did NOT exit and had not gone thru any bones on the way to severing the hepatic artery.

So, in 2006, I had a shot at a 225# doe that I decided to take, but the deer turned down a trail that opened, but only at 385 yards.

I had LOTS of setup time, so I lasered, used a rail, figured drop and lead, but, in the end, decided to stand down.

So, after I was wondering what else I could have done, I started to think about tungsten cores.

I've thought about three ways to go:
1) Sintering powdered tungsten into lead and molding it myself, most probably in 45 cal with soft plastic sabots. Would probably use a 225grn mold, yielding a 325 grn to 370 grn tungsten slug.

2) Using Barnes MRXs in 308 cal and put them into some hard plastic 50/308 sabots I've got from a BAR application.

3) Using Speer 458 solid tungsten 500 grn African Grand Slams in a soft plastic sabot.

Aside from insanity, does anyone have any comments??

[skeeter 7MM]

I have put a 300 gr barnes XTP thru a moose and shot several deer with 250 gr projectiles that would weigh 250-300lbs using less powder then you are. Since your wanting to aim at the scapula I'd suggest a nosler partition or barnes saboted bullet, but bare in mind approaching 300 yards your at the short end of the stick with a ML. So if this is the ranges I'd stick to putting the bullet through as little media as possible aka behind the shoulder. If 200 or under then fire away at the shoulder if you want.

The longest I have shot at a deer with an inline shooting subs was 227 yards, 110gr loose t7 and 250 gr hornady sst passed through the ribs and lungs = dead deer! The wound channel was rather unimpressive basically a 45 cal hole straight on thru. Your dealing with a projectile that has a very poor BC and sheds its velocity and energy quickly, penetration or lack there of will ensue as you get further out.

[stuwest]

I agree completely.

This is why I wanted to go to tungsten. It will hold retained energy longer due to it's increase mass... i.e. 300+ yard kill shots even when passing thru ribs/lite bone...

[handloader1]

Have you thought of using a LBT style bullet. A few years back a friend of mine killed a Mule Deer Buck with a Cast Preformance .45 cal. 300 gr. LFNGC on top of 100. grs. Pyrodex Pellets. He hit the buck in the front chest @ 200 yd. dropping him on the spot. The bullet was found between his butt and hide. Good luck.

[Roskoe]

I have shot a number of elk with the 250 T/C Shockwave. They work really well - great balance of penetration and expansion. They will also work like gangbusters on the biggest deer that ever walked - even at extreme distances. I wouldn't consider the hassle and expense of Tungsten bullets for anything but maybe one of the "big five" in Africa.