Thoughts on the Dead Center Bullets
 

Just thought I would leave a quick question on what some of you
guys think about the Dead Center Bullets as far as performance
for a hunting bullet..I have used afew in my Mustang rifle 50 cal.

But never for any type of hunting...Accuracy was fair,but then
again I was just playing around with the rifle.When I get the new
scope on it,then I will get more serious with it..So please feel
free to leave your thoughts on this bullet.....Off to do some
chopping now that the rain has stopped and the sun is drying
things off a bit.......Johnny

RE: Thoughts on the Dead Center Bullets
 

They are a great bullet. I shot them many years ago and was very impressed with them, but their cost made me look other places.

RE: Thoughts on the Dead Center Bullets
 

I have never used them my self BUT have read some good reports about them but like dave said the cost is not for me.

RE: Thoughts on the Dead Center Bullets
 

I shot them exclusively for several years (first the 250QT then the .357 Duplex DC 195gr when it came out).

My experience was that they are every bit as accurate as any bullet can be if you do your part on load development. They perform well on game at every velocity. Even the little 195gr, I shot a doe head-on in the chest and it flattened like nickel on the front edge of her stomach and she literally stood up on her back legs and toppled on her back!

The problem is you can't push them too fast. They have great BCs (though what PR publishes are shamelessly inflated), but the soft lead begins to deform around 1800-2000 fps in most guns and accuracy suffers. I got the 195gr up to 2000fps on the nose but groups flew open after that. I found that I could push the 200 Shockwave up to 2100fps and get the same trajectory for half the cost so that's what I do now (and besides my current Omega won't shoot them well at any powder charge over 80gr).

I talked to the owner at PR once and he refused to acknowledge the loss of accuracy at high velocity and blamed it on me, yet I know a TON of people who have experience with them and nobody I know can push them over 2000fps accurately. Given that the published BCs are lies I'll take the evidence of practical application over what the salesmen tell me!

Summary: Good bullet in terms of both trajectory and performance on game with the acceptable velocity range. Just expensive.

RE: Thoughts on the Dead Center Bullets
 

I have shot them in my Omega and Knight. Accurate good bullet, but soft lead that deforms. I did not consider them as a hunting bullet because of 1) cost and 2) availability. They are now sold by Cabelas, so that takes care of the availability, but the cost is very high. I don't consider them a strong bullet, that will shoot thru shoulders. Maybe I am wrong on that, but the soft lead gave me pause. Folks that have hunted with them know their accuracy is their biggest selling point along with their long range capability. I think there are much better for the price, like a 300g SW or a 300g Barnes TMZ, the SW are about 1/2 the cost and the TMZ are about the same at $1. + per shot.
Oh, they are from Canada, so if a democrat is in office in 2009 there was a bill on the House or Senate floor to make MLers a "firearm" again, and I look for "imports" of bullets to be a "national security issue" under a Democratic administration/Leadership. You know the deal.
Chap

RE: Thoughts on the Dead Center Bullets
 

Like Chap said, in a muzzle loader you have to load the and soft lead deforms also the reason jacketed bullets were invented is because of the way unjacketed bullets pancake or frag at high enough speeds. Lee

RE: Thoughts on the Dead Center Bullets
 

Below 2000fps, I can vouch that these bullets do NOT frag and will shoot through both shoulders of a mature deer. The few I recovered (most thru-and-thru) did flatten quite a bit but always held together and did their job well. If you are shooting long range, the ability to expand at low velocity is actually an asset. Remember these are not true hollow points, they will not open up as fast as the soft lead hollow points you may be comparing them to.

My decision to stop using them was based on A) my current primary weapon will not shoot them, B) price, and C) speed limitations. I have nothing bad to say about their terminal performance after 30+ whitetail kills with them.

RE: Thoughts on the Dead Center Bullets
 

That is good info spaniel. Accuracy is king in every gun. I couldn't get them to shoot accurately, my groups with the 340g were like this:

http://www.the-gleasons.com/DeadCenter340g.htm

I settled for a Nosler Partition 300g:
http://www.the-gleasons.com/noslerpartition300g.htm


Chap

RE: Thoughts on the Dead Center Bullets
 

I was shooting the 300 grain Lightening with 100 grains of Pyrodex RS out of my Black Diamond XR. Their accuracy was excellent. I never had the opportunity to take game with them.

RE: Thoughts on the Dead Center Bullets
 

What are your usual shooting distances? Mine are pretty much 75 yards maximum. They have been a great bullet for me. I too have shot them through shoulders and they held together. I also like the fact that I don't have to shoot a magnum charge. I only shoot 80 grains of 777 and a 220 grain dead center with excellent results. Every deer I have shot with them has either fallen immediately or run at the most 30-40 yards. So, I'll keep shooting them. The price is well worth it to me since I know I can count on them for excellent performance on game. Now, if I shot a lot, like most of you, I would definitely look for a less expensive bullet to "plink" with. Here is a picture of a fewrecovered from deer. The bullet on the left was shotalmost straight down through a buck at about 15-20 feet and it held together even at such a close range. Search recent posts and you'll find a lot more threads on the bullet.