Premium Bullets Worth The Money
Wondering why we now need all the expensive premium bullets when we managed to get by without them before. Maybe we are hedgeing against poor shooting like we do using the short magnum cartridges.
Your thoughts?
Sage 1[:D]
Your thoughts?
Sage 1[:D]
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i'm not an expert on any topic but do have an opinion so here goes... to me premium bullets are for specific situations... i use sierras in almost all my handloads and never had any problems with them and they are cheaper than the *PREMIUMS* i'm sure you will get a clearer answer as well as other opionions on the premiums but for me i dont see the need 0 -
As the previous poster suggested, the premium bullets suit an intended purpose.
I will use the Barnes X-Bullet design, and several other all copper bullets that are appearing as an example.
There is the first purpose of going lead free. There are states such as Commiefornia, that have legislation that is not only headed that way, but all ready there. Those poor folks out there, in due time will not be able to buy a lead bullet...not even for reloading(they, like NY try to get rid of all the things they think are bad for them...they should try getting rid of Arnold, and Nancy Pelosi).
Next there is bullet performance.
I will tell you, that I have seen no other hunting bullet perform like a Barnes XLC ot TSX. Because they retain near 100% of their weight, and don't have any lead to smear off, or shed, they penetrate tremendously. You can use a lighter bullet for instance a 150 grain 30 caliber will do what a conventional lead core 30 cal 180 or 200 grainer would do. You can even go to smaller calibers that punish less.
They also have a theoretically higher ballistic coefficient, as not having the density of lead, the bullets will be longer per weight to weight comparison. A 150 grain TSX in 30 cal will have near or equal the BC of a 180 grainer of lead core construction.
So there are a few things to think about. Yes, there is a reason for the madness!0 -
Let mee see if I can rile some feathers and make some enemies. Personally, I use the best bullets I can get my hands on. I use Swift Scirocco's, Nosler Accu-Bonds, and Barnes TSX's for hunting, and cheap stuff for target shooting. Consider the fact that the price of a premium bullet is what, maybe $1 or $1.50 max. You shouldn't, in theory need more than 1 bullet to kill 1 animal, but even if you need 2 that's still only $3.00. That's not even enough to pause to consider. Now for the ruffling of the feathers part. Some people will say that you should spend as much money on optics for a rifle as the cost of the rifle, and then, some of these same people will complain about the price of a cotton-pickin bullet. Lord, the bullet is what does the business work of humanely dispatching the animal. That's not only hypocritical as heck, it's also just silly in my opinion. 0 -
It's kind of like driving a Corvette when the Ford Tempo will still get you there. The Vette just dose it better. 0 -
I found a premium bullet worked at its best when using a caliber on the small side intended game. I shot a LOT of moose with a 30-06. Moose are big critters, I found the Barnes/Nosler Partition bullets helped insure the bullet made it to the heart/lungs. However when using the 338 Win mag on moose I used Hornaday 225 grain bullets. The 338 caliber was big enough to get the job done without worry. 0 -
It all depends on the game and your individual hunting situation.I see no need to use premium bullets for deer sized game unless you hunt trophy type on a short schedule. By this I mean there are times when a poor angle shot might be your only shot and a premium, controlled expansion bullet might allow such a shot to work. I would and I think many others would take a bad angle with a decent cartridge using a bullet known to penetrate far enough to get to the right place. The other circumstance is when using an underpowered cartridge. In this case, you need every advantage possible. For anything bigger than deer, unless you live close to the area and can allow yourself to pass on anything except almost perfect shots, go with the best bullets. 0 -
I agree on what is said above. I'm hardly an expert hunter and it's not an issue as in Ohio you can't use high powered rifles; but I think bpost has it. To smack down a whitetail, any quality bullet from Hornady, Speer, Remington, etc. if placed in the vitals area will do it- assuming proper velocity with your handload, etc. For that matter any cast lead bullet of suitable weight will do the same- though overpenetration can be an issue there.
For specific situations- bear, moose, elk, certainly dangerous game in Africa, etc., I agree, use the best.
For target shooting... depends. For a military Garand type match, unless you have a match grade barrel, anything beyond regular Hornadys or what not is probably like putting premium gas in the aforementioned Ford Tempo. The gun just can't realize the advanatage. Now for guns that do have a match grade barrel, particularly at longer ranges- say over 300- then yes, it can be worth the money. You don't see many 1000 yard bench rest shooters using PRVI Partisan bullets I mean.0 -
Good question Sage.
"Wondering why we now need all the expensive premium bullets when we managed to get by without them before. "
Yes we did, but remember we also used to get by before we even had rifles. Without getting into semantics of what is meant by premium, I would say yes generally I get better accuracy when I use premium bullets designed for a specific purpose over bulk FMJ or SP bullets in my hand-loads. Also I find less variation in weight between bullets, as I weight them on my powder scale. This tells me that my sierra matchkings are a better quality (therefore premium) as opposed to the bulk remington fmj-bt bullets, and better quality means more consistency and more consistency means a tighter group on the paper, and that being my objective I therefore justify that premium bullets are worth the extra money.
"Maybe we are hedgeing against poor shooting like we do using the short magnum cartridges."
I disagree that short magnum cartridges have a sole purpose of making up for poor accuracy by increasing power. In fact before short magnums, long magnums were used by the same purpose by the particular type of hunter who does such a thing. I know many of them sadly enough who still get drunk and shoot at deer from 50 yards away with their 7mm rem mags and .300 win mags. Short magnums give you the ability to utilize a short action to built a magnum rifle. This is a very good thing, because it opens up a wide range of new ballistic possibilities in many of existing rifle actions. Not only that but they utilize the inherit accuracy potential of a shorter fatter case as discovered by Dr's Palmisano & Pindel who developed the 22 and 6mm PPC cartridges.0 -
quote:Wondering why we now need all the expensive premium bullets when we managed to get by without them before. Maybe we are hedgeing against poor shooting like we do using the short magnum cartridges.
Maybe you don't "need" a rifle at all. After all, humans have been hunting large game with bows and arrows for millenia.
Maybe you don't "need" a bow, either, considering it can be done with a spear. . .[;)]
I think the answer to your question is that while you may not "need" a premium bullet, there are situations where using one might result in a quicker or cleaner kill.
As mentioned, you're spending several hundred dollars on the rifle, several hundred more on the scope, more on gas to get to the hunt, on clothes, maybe on scent concealment, on a knife, etc, etc.
So what's another $10 for a few premium bullets to zero and hunt with. . .especially when everything ELSE depends on the performance of that bullet?0 -
Many good points have been made, but I am unsure about a thing or two:
First, I have used Nosler Partitions for heavy lifting, and they have never let me down. Yes, they cost more. I do not use them for paper punching, varmints, or predators. But, I do use them for elk. They have been around for......35 years or more? Maybe 40 years?
I am not suggesting that they are necessarily the best in today's world. But, they work.0
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