ORIGINAL: River Rat

Been muzzleloading since 96 and tried many different types of bullets. I hunted with a group of people who wouldn't let me hunt unless my bullet was heaver than 350 grains. Just happened to be what I was shooting anyways. However there comment was if you come here to shoot big deer you need to shoot big bullets. That was the one and only year I hunted with that group. After that I started to experiment with different stuff. What I shoot now is all I will ever shoot. I shoot 250 SST Hornady which is the same bullet as the Shock Wave 250. Here is why I will only shoot this bullet. I tried the Barnes new ballistic tip bullet and I shot a deer that I couldn't find. I found it a week later walking threw the same timber and found out that the bullet didn't expand. Shot the deer at 168 yards. I have shot so many deer with the SST that I can't remember and when you hit a deer you know it. In 2005 I shot a deer at 230yards and it ran ten yards and fell over like a ton of bricks. This was with a SST and when I hit this deer you could hear it. It was like I had hit it with a train.

The only way you will know that you have a good bullet is to test some of what these people say is a good bullet. You need to make the decision on your own and stick with it. I made the choice to do what others said is good and it cost me. You don't have to shoot a huge bullet just place it right on the animal. Good luck and good hunting.

River Rat

Forgot to add, in most of the deer I have shot have had complete pass threw on the SST and the deer at 230 yards the bullet held up in the skin on the other side. Along with I went threw the shoulder facing me which was the only reason the bullet didn't go completely threw. I was only shooting 90 grains of Tripple Seven FFF.