need help selecting a bullet
 

Hey guys, i'm new to the forums and joined because i need some advice choosing a bullet. I hunt whitetails with a 7mm wsm. Right now i shoot winchester super-x's, but i'm going to switch to federals. I can't decide between the 150-grain fusion, 150-grain soft point, or 140-grain nosler ballistic tip. It's a really hot bullet, so i want something that will expand very quickly cause im worried about bullets going straight through the deer. What is you guys opinon?

Thanks,
Ben

The round being "hot" is just going to intensify the expansion. Anyways, the 150 fusion would be my choice outta the limited array.

Big Z is absolutely correct. The faster the bullet is moving at impact, the faster it'll expand, and in the case of standard cup and lead core bullets, the more weight it'll tend to lose. The myth about faster cartridges causing a bullet to go through too fast to expand is a pervasive myth that just won't die, probably because too many ignorant folks repeat it over and over that it's almost gospel. I think that these folks might think that the rate of a bullets expansion is fixed relative to the target medium that it's passing through, such that the faster moving bullet won't have enough time to open up. But this ignores the fact that it is the bullets kinetic energy that causes expansion. The bullet that's moving faster hits tissue at a greater rate and with more force, causing the bullet to expand faster as a result. Because the bullet expands faster, it has enough time to expand in the same span of the animals body cavity, and will expand more because the of the greater force pushing against the nose of the bullet. One of the problems that plagued the early Nosler BT bullets was that some of the calibers and weights would expand just the right amount to achieve the right balance of expansion, weight retention and penetration. The problem was that the bullet that worked perfectly in, say, a 257 Roberts at SAAMI pressures would disintegrate violently and rapidly at 257 Weatherby velocities, causing a large but very shallow wound that may not reach deep enough to damage vitals. The 257 Weatherby will push a same weight bullet 600-700 fps faster than the 257 Bob, and the deer bullet became a varmint bullet. Nosler has since redesigned the hunting BT's to be tough enough to work properly at up to 3100 fps impact velocity.

Now that you've been properly informed, you won't be one of these poor folks spreading incorrect information out of ignorance. ;)

Mike

I'd suggest that you use any of those three, or try them all and see which one your rifle shoots the best. The Fusion will retain more weight and penetrate a little better than the others under similar conditions, which if you take shots through denser bone and muscle, or shots that require greater penetration to reach vitals (like shoulder shots or highly quartering, frontal, or "TX heart shots"), go with the Fusions if they shoot ok in your rifle. If you discipline yourself to broadside shots aiming for the ribs, all three will be extremely deadly. Or you would go with a 130 grain Barnes TSX bullet and not worry about bullet performance, but they are really pricey (even if you handload).

Mike

Too add to what driftrider said... I want an exit wound from my bullets. It only makes it that much easier to find the animal if it does not fall within sight.

Don't get too hung up on switching to any one brand or bullet before you shoot them. Your rifle may or may not like a particular load from a particular manufacturer. The rifle will tell you what it likes and that is what you should end up shooting.

Oh, and let me be the first to say welcome to Huntingnet. This is a great group of guys (and a few gals, too).
:sign0016:

Mike

ok thanks for the help and info guys, i really appreciate it. It looks like im gonna learn a lot from these forums

Have shot fushion outta my 270, and 357mag lever gun at deer. Did nice job on both calibers. But see which shoots best, I think any of the three listed will perform fine on deer if you put the shot in the boiler room so to speak.