HuntAway

I have myself a bit of a quandry. As you may know I plan on using my Omega for moose again this fall. In the past 2 years I have used 110 2f T7 and a 300 gr .451 Nosler Partition HG bullet but haven't had a chance to squeeze the trigger on a moose. My Omega also shoots Precision Rifle Dead Centers 340 gr w/ 110 gr 2f T7 very well. So here's my problem;

The 300 gr NP producesin foot pounds energy;
2017@50yd, 1660@100yd, 1362@150yd and 1127@200yd

The PR DC's 340 gr produces in foot pounds energy;
2191@50yd, 1906@100yd, 1655@150yd and 1440@200yd

Should I go with the smaller but better constructed bullet or with the smackdown of the heavier lead bullet?

cayugad

I once read that Jim Shockey ... a well know sports writer hunted all the large game animals for years with a Knight Rifle (I believe it was a disc rifle). If I remember from my reading,his load was 100 grains of Pyrodex RS and a 300 grain Nosler Partition. With that load he took moose, all the great bears, elk, sheep, etc.

Sabotloader has shown the knock down power of the Nosler bullet. I have not shot an animal with the Nosler yet, but I can also state.. they are one of the most accurate bullets I have ever shot.

Now the Dead Center I am sure is a good bullet. Is this a pure lead bullet? If it is, you have to take into consideration how well this bullet will expand, and hold together. We know from photos and in the field experience how the Nosler is known for its ability to stay together and mushroom perfect.

Also you need to consider how the accuracy of each is. I do not think that 40 grains in bullet weight would make me lean the other way. I would look at accuracy, bullet construction, expansion ability, and penetration ability. Also I some times see numbers posted of what a bullet will do, and kind of hate to base any decision on that fully. Personally I would go with the Nosler...

HuntAway

Thanks for your thoughts Dave.
Yes the PR is a solid lead bullet. Not jacketed.
I once did a bullet test with the Partitions and the PR plus a few other bullet types. It was the same test the Chapman didshooting into a bucket of tamped black earth length ways. The PR passed through the bucket and lodged in a 2x6 I had behind it. It expanded to about 1" dia.
The Nosler, on the other hand, passed through the bucket and the 2x6!

Both shoot extremely well in the Omega.

Chasam60

I do not know where you are getting your numbers from,but if you are using the B.C. from PR Bullet,beware. Their numbers are inflated. The Nosler is a proven game stopper for many years. The Dead center is a good bullet (all lead),but IMO not as proven as Nosler.

Charlie

HuntAway

The BC I came to for the PR was derived fromshooting over a chronograph at the muzzle and again at 100 yds. I came up with a .279 BC (and used in the Point Blank Ballistic Calculator) compared to PR's published .376, so I trust the (my)numbers. I also come up with a BC of .199 for the Nosler Partition HG but am unsure of what their published BC is.

Manufacturer numbers and individual numbers are bound to vary due to different conditions, ie temp, elevation, types of firearms used, primers, publishing hype, etc etc.

PR's numbers are in FPE: 2190@50 yd, 1971@100yd, 1775@150yd and 1598@200yds

sabotloader

HuntAway

I would like to give you my 2 cents but everybody already has..

The 300 grain Nosler is a much tougher bullet than the 340 all lead bullet. Not that the 340 would not do the job, because I think it would... but if I am going to shoot an all lead bullet at a thick skinned animal like a moose or elk or big bear - it would have to be bigger than 340...

I guess the key or me is in the sentence above.... "I THINK" vs "I know"

I feel the the Nosler gives you a larger room for vatibles and errors that the PR bullet might not let you get away with.

Wish I had you problem - no not the problem but the ability to hunt a moose....

Good Luck...

gleason.chapman

Accuracy is king, penetration is queen, expansion is prince and shoot thru is princess. You need all 4 for a great hunting bullet. The all lead, expand wellbut don't penetrate as well as the Nosler. In my mind your test was conslusive on penetration and the fact that the head of the Nosler can't expand beyone the bar going between the head and the base of bullet on the bottom. I think the Nosler is better than an all lead bullet and if it is accurate in your gun, that is the better bullet. Anything over 300g is good for elk and moose, and as Cayugad said Jim Shockey from up your way (Canada) has shot all the great bears and all the big game of No America with the 300g Nosler and 100g of powder. I don't know if he shot his Cape Buffalo with a 300g Nosler, but honestly it wouldn't surprise me if he did.

Terminal performance of the Nosler is proven with over 50 years of great hunting performance, the Dead Centers don't have that proven track record.

Go with the Noslers, they are the better Terminal Performance bullet. Chap Gleason

HuntAway

I'll be honest with you, the Nosler's were my first choice as I have had them down the spout for the last two years in my pursuit of moose. I guess I just needed some confirmation on them. It's horrible when you have two totally different kinds of bullets that shoot extremely well out of one rifle and on "paper" one is head and shoulders above the other in FPE.

The problem with moose hunting in Ontario is that you hunt as a group and share the tag. It is not uncommon for a guy to go 10-20 years without shooting a moose, but the group has been successfull none-the-less.

txhunter58

You also didn't say how far your shot were likely to be. If they were not much over 100 yards, a bigger conical (such as the 460 grain No Excuses bullet) would also be a good choice.

If you compared the nosler to the NE, then you have a real delima.

And as far as comparing energy, I firmly believe that foot lbs don't give muzzleloading bullets their fair share. Here is another way to look at "knockdown": http://www.loadammo.com/Topics/July02.htm

All this is great paper exercising and fun, but you current load with the NP is a great load. At this point I wouldn't mess with a known successful formula.

Good luck!

gleason.chapman

Good choice. Chap