Question: (These are for a .50 cal.)

For those that read this under reloading... I apologize... don't know how I managed that. Anyway...

Which do you prefer and why:

Hornady 250gr SST
Barnes 245 gr Spit-Fire MZ
Barnes 250 gr Spit-Fire TMZ

OR

If you prefer Barnes, do you like the 285 or 290 gr bullets better?

Thanks!

Of those mentioned my favorite has to be the 245 grain Barnes. I just don't shoot a lot of them because of the cost. Barnes have to be one of the best bullets on the market for long range accuracy, true flight, and from what I seen, controlled expansion on game. The trouble is, at almost a buck a bullet, its not something I want to spend the afternoon on the range shooting 20 of them off.

I like the Barnes TMZs. I killed two deer with them this year. You can get them from Cabelas ( buy Knight brand, same thing but cheaper than Barnes) for $16.95 for 30. I believe that is a pretty good price for an excellent bullet.

I have used the SST's for a few years now and they are very accurate. I thought they were doing ok on deer but last year and this year I have noticed that the blood trails are sparse and the deer running a long way before showing signs of a hit. After reading some other posters complaining I took another look at some of my previous shots. I hunt MD, VA and PA and get to shoot a lot of deer in a year. Last week I picked up some Barnes MZ expandrs. At the range they shot at the same impact as the 250 SST. Today I shot a doe in MD and the results were great. Deer down in 25 yards and blood from impact to deer. Now one deer does not make a bullet but it was a good start. I have shot Barnes X bullets in my center fires for years and they are great. No idea why it took me so long to try these. I may look at the TMZ for times when I may be shooting at longer ranges. I have no problem shooting a premium bullet to hunt with. For the range I will stick with the SST's as I can get them cheap.

250gr MZ's are by far my favorite bullet, they shoot great out of my omega. They are devastating on deer for sure, I shot a buck and a doe this year and neither took a step. I shot the shockwaves last year and was not impressed, many people seem to love them but they will never be put down my barrel again for the purpose of taking game.