Best Bullet to Anchor Deer
 

I've finally run out of my Buffalo SSB 285's. They served me well although I never could get used to the odd paths they took through the deer. A straight line never seemed to be what they chose. I tried some sst last year and wont do that again. Finished up with an assortment of 300 Barnes with that huge hollow point that let a large doe run about 35 yards on a long 150 plus, and 250 xtp that anchored a young doe at about the same range.

No one ever seems to mention the lead bullets with the copper coating on them in the crush ribs I see in the farm stores. I'm tempted but leaning towards the Gold Dot and Partitions. But not sure of 250 or 300 grains. There are alot of property lines I'd rather not have to cross, plus I'm usually alone and getting a little too old to drag them through the rough stuff and would much prefer to see them fold or not go too far. Seems like most shots are averaging 150 with the occasional long one at maybe 175 and quite a few much closer, 25 to 75.

Still have some BH209 and a Knight Disc Elite in .50

285 and 300 grainers sound kind of heavy for deer.250 work pretty good from what I've seen.Friend shot a buck at 45 yards w/a 250 gr. xtp.Deer took 2 steps and dropped.My best kill came w/a 250 barnes sabot MZ on a doe @ 60 yards.Dropped in her tracks.Barnes has some boat tail sabots in 250 gr. for those long shots,if you're interested.These are currently the only 2 brands I can speak for.

I've had the best luck with barnes Spitfire TMZ and T-EZ or Shockwaves. Most top bullet brands give great performance these days with the exception of Powerbelts. I would stay away from them. I know there are die hard powerbelt fans on here. Not trying to get anyone riled up just giving my opinion based on experience. I used powerbelts for a couple years. Barnes would be my number one choice

For dropping them on the spot the 250 gr Gold Dot or curl as they changed the name has consistently done it the Nosler 260 would be next best after that the Barns. It has been my experience that the heavier bullets kill deer just fine but are actually designed for heavier game and open slower and the deer runs before dieing.
It is also my experience that placing the shot a couple inches above the heart so it destroys the large arteries above the heart and both lungs makes a big difference.

grizzly 2

I have used the Nosler .451/260 grain partition for years. It was a great bullet and certainly no complaint from about their performance.... problem - Nosler is no longer offering them. They still offer the .458/300 (45-70) grain Nosler Partition but that can certainly be a bit much for Whitetail.

Last year I changed to new bullet (new to me) offered by Lehigh. They make solid brass bullets that operate on a different theory - rather than the normal expansion theory - and for us old folks it is kinda hard to accept. Other than it works.

For deer I beleived that I was going to use the .452/250 grain Lehigh HP. I shot a lot of them at paper and through a chrono. Then as I developed a plan I ended up deciding that I would use a .458/275 grain HP for elk and a .400/200 grain for deer.

That little 10mil/200 grain bullet is a real hummer.

But as already mentioned they are some really decent bullets available on the market - just got to find the one that you might gain some faith in. You mentioned the Gold Dots (now changing their name to Deep Curl's) . They are excellent bullets also...

Good luck

I've dropped them with .530 round balls, 300 Barnes MZs, Hornady 240 .429 XTPs and the 250 SST/Shockwaves...

The secret is to put it through the shoulder blade on broadside shots or the base of the neck, angling to the off shoulder blade on quartering to shots or just behind the shoulder and high on quartering away shots...

That doe that was able to go 35 yards when hit with the 300 Barnes was dead, she just didn't know it...If your gun likes them, that's a good one...

If you can find Gold Dot, that is what i would use. I haven't found any available lately. The price of Gold Dot is usually better than other good bullet

I have always used bullet that are too heavy for deer, like the 270 and 300 grain Gold Dot, and the 300g XTP, and the 300g partition. Deer end up dead when hit with these bullet, but perhaps using a lighter bullet would result in quicker drops.

Graf say they have 240g 44 caliber Gold Dot in stock. It could be i will give them a try.

Wideners has these 260g 45 caliber Nosler Partition in stock, and the price is not too bad for any old bullet, but it is real good for a partition.

There are plenty of great bullets available, and some cost over $1.00 each, and some don't.

Ron, try
http://www.powdervalleyinc.com/
http://www.gandermountain.com/modper...0P1B&cID=GSHOP
second best price,they won,t last long.
http://www.gunaccessories.com/Speer/...tolBullets.asp
Very high but they normally have some.

Natchez has both the .44cal/270gr and the .45cal/250gr Speer GDHPs in stock, box of 50, for around $18.

http://www.natchezss.com/category.cf...&prodID=SP4461

http://www.natchezss.com/category.cf...&prodID=SP4484

Thanks for the replies. I think I'll get some 250gr gold dots and set the rifle up. I really like this rifle. First hunting shot out of it was a nice doe on the ground when the smoke cleared. Next shot was a mature 9 pt. Don't think I had a single complaint until I ran out of the lead SSBs and tried the SSTs. Deer seemed to be running way too far.

I suspect I may loose a little traj. but I was beginning to think I'd need a spotting scope to decide on the age of does if they got much further away. The 10x50 nikon binocs and the 10x scope just werent always enough, and if they moved around much, and changed places in the field, it was like a shell game.

I'd love to try some .40's but here in Illinois they arent legal. Must have a minimun of .45

I'd go with Barnes through both shoulders if an anchoring shot is what you want. You'd definitely want a bullet that retains its weight for a shoulder shot.

I shot the biggest buck of my life last year during bp season. Due to the brush it was in I shot it in the neck at sixty yards with a 245gr power belt powered by 150gr of 777. The bullet blew up and did not even penetrate the neck bone but did partially paralyze the buck and blew out the juggler. It took a longer time expire than I expected or wanted. Since then I had read on this site about the power belts and did some reflecting as I had been using those bullets for about six years and taken seven deer. This year I am going with the Barnes T-EZ 250 gr bullet and the BH209 powder. Just started shooting on the bench yesterday and was very pleased with the grouping and cannot wait for the season to see how it handles the real thing. I started with 120gr of the BH209 and will start trying out different loads to see what my rifle likes the best.

120gr is a max load, dont go over it.

For abou 20 years now I have used nothing but 240gr XTP Mag's with between 100-120grs of Pyrodox RS, or 100-150 gr's of Pyro Pellets. I have not lost a single Deer.

That dang Speer .429 soft point in 270gr sure looks interesting as well...I believe it would be a good comprimise between the 240 and the 300gr in that caliber...Has anyone tried that one, how does it mushroom???

I'm going to try the .429 caliber bullets this year, the .451s pistol bullets just don't group well in my rifle...

Geez guys,...this bullet, that bullet. I really don't think it matters much. It all boils down to A WELL PLACED BULLET. I killed deer with a 45 cal PRB. Granted they weren't "dead right there" but they sure ended up that way. So the bullet that shoots best out of your rifle and you are confident in is the one to go with.

Last season we killed 5 deer using the 270g Speer. The bullet worked good on those deer, and none went anywhere. Two were hit in the lungs, and i expected they would run off aways. For some reason they weren't able to, which surprised me, and i cannot explain why they couldn't run with a lung shot. The closest of the 5, might have been 40 yard, and the furthest maybe 230 yard.

Recently i shot the 270g bullet at these juice jugs filled with water.







Here is a video of the impact. The Speer bullet ended up in the bottom of the 4th jug. The rifle was a triumph, and the load was 105g BH209 lit by W209 primer, and the sabot was a crush rib. The same load was used during the hunting season, but the rifle then was an Accura.

The same day i tried the Speer, i also tried the Barnes 290g TEZ, and here are before and after pictures of the two bullets. The speer ended up weighing 268.1g, and the Barnes ended up weighing 287.3g.

I've killed them as well with a .45 ball, even a .40 caliber ball, even killed a few with a .22 rimfire...

IT'S THE OFF SEASON... :)

We've got to discuss something...

ron...Thanks, that's what I need to know...My Knight is sighted in with the 250SSTs...I even have 4 1/2 boxes stuck away...I have .429 Hornady 240s and 300s in stock, I'm going to order some of those Speer 270s and a pack of MMP green sabots and let my Knight tell me what she likes with 90-110 grs of FFF Goex... :)

It's time to start getting ready....:happy0001:

I haven't loaded the Knight in 3 years but we have late soybeans on the farm down east and NC has gone to a 2 week season...

For me that means a week down east on the farms and 2 weeks here in the Central part of the state a month later...

I'm gonna need a lot of bullets.... :)

250gr. Barnes
Spit-Fire T-EZ

The best bullet for deer... first off it must be accurate. The best bullet in the world is no good if you can't hit where you aim. Second it should match the hunting conditions you face. Are you shooting long range, short range, open woods, brush. Third, the bullet must preform the way it was intended. You hear stories of people shooting a powerbelt and it explodes on the deer. Is this because of the amount of powder? Last it must be one you are confident will do the job. This takes range time and a little testing into some media does not hurt. Does the bullet expand well? Does it stay together? All these things come into play.

For instance, when I hunt from a tree stand in my woods, a 460 or 500 grain conical or even a roundball will plant deer just fine. When I head out into the fields, then I want something very accurate, expands well, and has a good flight trajectory. So I usually hunt with a Barnes or a Shockwave.