Looking for an affordable bullet that works.

Reply Subscribe

Thread Tools

03-29-2009 | 02:30 PM

#11

Grouse45

Thread Starter

Nontypical Buck

Joined: Mar 2009

Posts: 3,926

Likes: 0

From: Saxonburg Pa

RE: Looking for an affordable bullet that works.

Quote:

ORIGINAL: gleason.chapman

Quote:

ORIGINAL: Grouse45

When i started shooting and testing Lehigh bullets people came out of the cracks to complain about performance, cost, Brass, etc,etc. At the end of the day, all i know right now is they are accurate. Are they cheap, Hell no.

There are many companies with cheap bullets. I noticed Knight is selling MZ expanders for $14.00 bucks for 18 bullets. That's not cheap by any means. By the time you ship them they will be over a buck a bullet. If you like MZ Expander bullets, but cant afford them. Just buy a 250grn Hornady XTP or a 300grn XTP. They will do anything a MZ expander can do alot cheaper. I have no complaints about the Barnes MZ expander, they work. I have shot Deer with them. The XTP works to. Dont think you got to use a brand name bullet to shoot and kill Deer humanly. And you dont need to spend a buck a bullet either. My sporting store sells them for $16.00 bucks for a hundred 250grn XTP'S. That's like 16cents a bullet. They sell harvester sabots for $5.99 for 50 of them. That's 11cents a sabot. A little shopping and buying locally is a must to save money sometimes.

Can members please post some bullets that are cheap that you have had excellant results with for the members who dont have the money to buy the more exspensive brand name bullets. I would think Deer size game is good enough for the bullet choices. Maybe even some cheaper places to buy sabots and supplies. I'm sure there are plenty of people who have lost there jobs and could use a little help now in the pricing department.
I'm sure there are people who will appreciate this that read and dont even post.

Without the doubt the cheapest best best ML bullet in my opinion is the 300g Speer Gold Dot:

https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item.asp?sku=000213974

thy are $18.02 at MidSouth, if you like 250g, you can get them for $15.39

https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item.asp?sku=000214484. Match that bullet with a

Crushed Rib sabot at $5.56 for 50

https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item.asp?sku=00072H15045BR

and your shooting a MLer pretty cheap.

These Speer Soft Core, Unicore bullets in 300g are only $16.72 for 50:

https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item.asp?sku=000214485

As Cayugad mentioned the XTP and XTP Mag are good and inexpensive:

This is Mag: https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item.asp?sku=0000345235

This is non-mag: https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item.asp?sku=0000345230

It you drop down to the 250g they sell them in boxes of 100 and they are 22.07:

https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item.asp?sku=0000345200

all these will work with a CR sabot. I have shot the XTP Mag and the Gold Dots in my Omega and killed deer they work. 300g is better than 250 since they shoot thru and don't fragement as bad, they are a good bullet and an excellent bullet for the money.

My brother shoots the Powerbelt work alike Harvester Saber Tooth:

http://www.harvestermuzzleloading.com/index.php?page=shop.browse&category_id=3&o ption=com_virtuemart&Itemid=3&vmcchk=1&amp ;Itemid=3

they are $11.99 per 15, but I recall he bought about 10 packs for $7/pack when he first started using them. He switch from Powerbelts after penetraton issues at 150g of pellets.

My ranking is:
Speer Gold Dot 300g
Speer Got Dot 250g
Hornady XTP 300g
Speer unicore 300g
Hornady XTP 250g
Harvester Saber Tooth 300g.

All will kill very well if placed accurately, so choose the bullet with is most accurate in your gun.
Chap

Thanks, that's what i was looking for. No doubt alot of people will appreciate the information. Good job.

03-29-2009 | 02:40 PM

#12

gleason.chapman

Nontypical Buck

Joined: Dec 2005

Posts: 3,246

Likes: 0

From:

RE: Looking for an affordable bullet that works.

Quote:

ORIGINAL: Grouse45

Thanks, that's what i was looking for. No doubt alot of people will appreciate the information. Good job.

If you go to here:

https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/searchwish.asp

and put in my name, First name: Chapman
Lastname: Gleason

you can see my entire wish list. I always keep all my bullets online in a wish list and never buy from the wish list since it takes it off there, just go to the link on the Wish List and buy there.

How many others have their Wish List online and so others can see at Mid South?
Chap

03-29-2009 | 02:57 PM

#13

sjsfire

Nontypical Buck

Joined: Dec 2006

Posts: 2,828

Likes: 0

From: Illinois

RE: Looking for an affordable bullet that works.

Quote:

ORIGINAL: Grouse45

Quote:

ORIGINAL: TNHagies

I love Barnes and Nosler. Great bullets. But I just can't afford them.

Thanks for the Honesty. I think alot of people are in the same boat. I know i was a few years ago. At 175yds and under, those XTP'S work.

I buy the XTP's in bulk for target practice but will only shoot Barnes while hunting. Granted they are pricy but I know what I can expect out of them and how they preform.
I have to drive over 500 miles round trip for the 1st and 2nd Illinois deer season so thats roughly 1000 miles. A $1+ bullet doesn't even come close to causing me any worries. I know were all passonite about our bullets weather you shoot XTP's, Lehighs, Powerbelts, or whatever. To each his own the way I see it.

03-29-2009 | 03:10 PM

#14

gleason.chapman

Nontypical Buck

Joined: Dec 2005

Posts: 3,246

Likes: 0

From:

RE: Looking for an affordable bullet that works.

Quote:

ORIGINAL: sjsfire

I buy the XTP's in bulk for target practice but will only shoot Barnes while hunting. Granted they are pricy but I know what I can expect out of them and how they preform.
I have to drive over 500 miles round trip for the 1st and 2nd Illinois deer season so thats roughly 1000 miles. A $1+ bullet doesn't even come close to causing me any worries. I know were all passonite about our bullets weather you shoot XTP's, Lehighs, Powerbelts, or whatever. To each his own the way I see it.

Yea, come to think of it, I hunt in NY, Penna and Va and shoot MLers in all 3, so1+/bullet isn't so expensive when you think about gas, the truck you bought for hunting, the stands at $100 each (I have about 10 or 15), rifles, land you buy or lease, etc. I think it is more a mind set,folks learn something and then find it hard to give up what they learned. Most folks don't swithch bullets unless they have problems. So Market Share in the MLing bullet becomes quickly fixed and it is difficult for a new bullet on the block to break in. Same with powder, BH had to be cleaner and more powerful for folks to go to it. It is starting to take off, and if guns are now being designed around it, that is something.
Chap

03-29-2009 | 03:29 PM

#15

Old/New

Typical Buck

Joined: Jan 2007

Posts: 552

Likes: 0

From: Long Island, NY

RE: Looking for an affordable bullet that works.

Chap,
Great post. It's good to have the less expensive bullets listed in one place like that. Especially with some opinions and experience to go with it.

03-29-2009 | 03:30 PM

#16

SWThomas

Nontypical Buck

Joined: Oct 2008

Posts: 3,869

Likes: 0

From: Camp Lejeune, NC

RE: Looking for an affordable bullet that works.

I'm in the military so I'm definitely not a rich person. But I think if you're going to shell out your hard earned money for hunting licenses, permits, gear, a top notch rifle, top notch scope, etc... And you're going to make an effort to get out into the woods and have the possibility to take home a trophy animal, why skimp on the ammunition? I mean, the majority of us are shooting BH209 which isn't the cheapest powder by far. Why not shell out some cash for an outstanding bullet? That's just my opinion though. I'm shooting a $650 rifle with a $200 scope on it, I'm not too concerned about $14 for 18 bullets/sabots.

And you're smoking bat crap of you think an XTP can do everything a Barnes can...

03-29-2009 | 03:44 PM

#17

sabotloader

Boone & Crockett

Joined: Aug 2004

Posts: 11,703

Likes: 0

From: Idaho

RE: Looking for an affordable bullet that works.

SWThomas

I have a couple of issues wwith your post...

Quote:

I mean, the majority of us are shooting BH209 which isn't the cheapest powder by far

Do not think that is an accurate statement at all - I would be willing to wager that BH does not have much more than 10% of the market when it comes to ML powder sold across the nation.

Quote:

have the possibility to take home a trophy animal, why skimp on the ammunition?

A very good theory but in realality again Hornady's market share of the ML bullet sales is so far beyond anybody elses it is really unbelievable. A survey completed 2 years ago indicated that Hornady XTP's controlled something greater than 60% of the bullets sold. It was in a Black Powder magazine - can not remeber the exact name - except that it is out of business now. Hey XTP's work and they work very well for a lot of people - not my choice the Hornady name is bigger than Speer and thier sales network is humungus....

Quote:

I'm shooting a $650 rifle with a $200 scope on it, I'm not too concerned about $14 for 18 bullets/sabots.

But do you have any ideal how many $150 - $200 ML's are out there in the real world and they probably are not shooting BH or Barnes - far more of them than there is of us...

Shoot the Eskimos use 22's...

03-29-2009 | 03:54 PM

#18

TNHagies

Nontypical Buck

Joined: Oct 2006

Posts: 1,607

Likes: 0

From: Tennessee

RE: Looking for an affordable bullet that works.

Quote:

ORIGINAL: SWThomas

I'm in the military so I'm definitely not a rich person. But I think if you're going to shell out your hard earned money for hunting licenses, permits, gear, a top notch rifle, top notch scope, etc... And you're going to make an effort to get out into the woods and have the possibility to take home a trophy animal, why skimp on the ammunition? I mean, the majority of us are shooting BH209 which isn't the cheapest powder by far. Why not shell out some cash for an outstanding bullet? That's just my opinion though. I'm shooting a $650 rifle with a $200 scope on it, I'm not too concerned about $14 for 18 bullets/sabots.

And you're smoking bat crap of you think an XTP can do everything a Barnes can...

But that's something you need to realize. Most people don't hunt w/$700 guns and $200 scopes. I know I sure as heck don't. I don't have the money for it-and neither does the majority of folks. There's about 12-15 in my hunting party and the most expensive ML any of them have is a Triumph. That's whythere are so many CVAs out there. Not everyone has a grand to drop on a gun. Same goes w/bullets. Not everyone can afford to spend $1.5-$2 on a bullet.

It's great if you can, but most are not in that boat. Because of that, the cheaper bullets will still sell well.

Also, Bullshops are "cheap" as well but I don't think you'll find many people bashing their performance

03-29-2009 | 03:57 PM

#19

rt_con

Fork Horn

Joined: Feb 2005

Posts: 146

Likes: 0

From: Fair Haven, NJ

RE: Looking for an affordable bullet that works.

Chap's list covered most for me.

Here's another affordable bullet I've had great results with for whitetails under 150 yds: Speer 260 JHP (.451). Shot well with 777 in my Knight's and T/C Omega.

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=591316

03-29-2009 | 04:19 PM

#20

gleason.chapman

Nontypical Buck

Joined: Dec 2005

Posts: 3,246

Likes: 0

From:

RE: Looking for an affordable bullet that works.

Quote:

ORIGINAL: Old/New

Chap,
Great post. It's good to have the less expensive bullets listed in one place like that. Especially with some opinions and experience to go with it.

Now print to PDF with a free"PDF writer"and store it in your Hunting Folder under bullets. Here is a free PDF Writer that has URL links enablabled:

http://www.primopdf.com/

for how to organize your PC for hunting see this:

http://www.the-gleasons.com/Tips%20for%20Organizing%20Hunting%20Content.pdf

If you have a User account on MidSouth, then you can bookmark this:

https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/publicwish.asp?customer=%34%38%31%35%32%39

Chap

Reply Share

First
Prev
2 / 6
Next
Last