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bullet weight vrs. caliber

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deerkiller View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote deerkiller Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: bullet weight vrs. caliber
    Posted: March/31/2007 at 20:36

 

 

 One of the main reasons to get into reloading for me was because of the ability to make specialized loads.  In particular was the ability to use a light weight bullet for a certain caliber to make for a flatter trajectory.  But since i started reloading i have done a lot of reading and have found that many believe this decreases accuracy.  For example i reload for a 300 win mag and the "optimum weight" for greatest accuracy is said to be 180 gr.  I was thinking about loading in this caliber for coyotes by using a 100-140 gr. or so bullet.  For those of you who do this type of loading, what kind of decrease in accuracy can i expect by using one of these loads?  Is the benefit of a flatter trajectory not worth the decrease in accuracy or are we talking a minimal effect when it comes to a hunting load that doesn't have to be exact?

 

Griffin  

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pyro6999 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/31/2007 at 21:07
i loaded 125 grain sierra spitzer in my 300 with 4831 powder and had it right at 3000fps and the accuracy wasnt all that bad, i suppose i got 2" groups or less at 100 yards with 5 shots the problem is that the energy is still there and if you hit a coyote in the middle of its body expect massive explosion, i shot one a few years ago like that and the front half of the coyote literally tried to walk away from the rear half. the biggest issue is twist rate vs. bullet weight to shoot very accurately with the light bullets like that i am thinking you would need a 1:15 or 1:16 twist and most 300's from the factory will likely have something more like 1:10 1:11 or 1:12 twist to help stabilize the heavy bullets. i guess play around with some test loads i can remember what i exactly loaded when i did load the 125's for my 300 but i know it could have been loaded a lot hotter than i did.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pyro6999 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/31/2007 at 21:15
i dont know if you sell the hides or not, but if you plan on selling them i would recommend using a hard bullet, i wouldnt use any thing like a ballistic tip, i would use a barnes tsx or something like that small hole in and small hole out, my 300 loved 180 sierra spitzers 500 yard target wasnt to hard to hit once i got her dialed in.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote craSSh Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/01/2007 at 17:29

I'm loading 150 TSX  in my 300win @ 3400 fps, shooting 1/2"  at 100 yds.   So I'm not seeing a decrease in accuracy.  If I am.... then DANG!!!

 

I got some 110 VMax to try .  These will be fun... if they shoot.



Edited by craSSh
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pyro6999 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/01/2007 at 17:57
i feel that the 300's will shoot anything from 150-200 grains pretty well, so i wont argue that the 150 is a bad choice and with the tsx's you can kill anything in north america i feel anyways.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tahqua Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/01/2007 at 19:33
If a .30 cal is all you have for coyotes I would suggest you use 150gr. FMJ. I was lucky and got good groups with the 110gr HP's and the 125gr SP's. They do a lot of damage, though. If you want great accuracy, with no expansion to reduce pelt damage, use the 168gr. Sierra HP match bullet. This is an outstanding bullet in just about any gun out there.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote deerkiller Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/01/2007 at 20:02

 

 

I also have a 270 winchester so when i get the dies for it i will more than likely use it for coyotes.  i was just asking as a theoretical question because i wanted to know if anyone was geting good accuracy with light bullets.  It sounds like you can get away with shooting lighter bullets but i think that now i would stay away from loading really light for the particular caliber.  I will have to experiment with something around 150 weight for my 300 win mag to see if i can get a good deer cartridge that shoots a little flatter.  I will be hunting mulies outsside of salmon idaho this year so i want to customize a load for some longer shots out to about 300 yards.  It sounds like crash has it figured out for his gun crash wrote, "I'm loading 150 TSX  in my 300win @ 3400 fps, shooting 1/2"  at 100 yds", great feedback guys you have answered a lot of my questions about the effective range of bullet weight for a particular caliber, i appreciate it!

 

Griffin

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pyro6999 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/01/2007 at 21:13
im no barnes expert but i am going to go out on a limb and guess that the 150 tsx will peform more like a 180 grain nosler part. than any other 150 grain bullets
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote deerkiller Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/01/2007 at 21:47

 

well if the tsx shoots like a nosler partition then I'll start out by trying the tsx 150 because my 300 likes the nosler partitions 180 grain!  I'm working on a load of 180 gr. nos. ptp for elk right now.  Can't wait to try them out sometime this week weather permitting of course.  Im really starting to like this reloading thing.  Saves a little money, well it will in the long run not yet of course (just getting started)!  except i really dont think it will save me money since i find myself shooting much more, with all the tinkering you can do it makes it a lot more interesting. 

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pyro6999 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/02/2007 at 07:04
thats why i shoot sierra bullets, i can buy 200 of them for the price of a 100 noslers, and i have killed and my dad has killed many elk with the 150 grain sierra spitzer in 30-06 and 180 grain sierra spitzer in 300 win mag
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote RifleDude Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/02/2007 at 11:14

pyro is correct about rifling twist being the main determining factor in bullet weight vs. potential accuracy.  However, it isn't weight per se that determines the optimal bullet for a given twist, but rather the length of the bullet's bearing surface against the bore.  It just so happens that a heavier weight bullet will usually be longer than a lighter bullet of any given diameter -- but not always.  Since Barnes bullets (except for the new MRX series) are all-copper, they are generally longer than lead core bullets of a given weight, which is why when converting from a standard lead core bullet over to one of the Barnes X bullets, the recommendation is generally to reduce bullet weight for equivalent performance.

 

 

Here are a couple links that explain twist rate vs. bullet weight:

http://www.shilen.com/calibersAndTwists.html

http://www.riflebarrels.com/articles/bullets_ballastics/bull et_imbalance_twist.htm

 



Edited by RifleDude
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dale Clifford Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/02/2007 at 12:03
alot of times a lighter bullet in a "faster" twist can be accurate by slowing it down for the reasons stated above, and using a faster burning powder. most of the time the lighter bullet doesn't have a high enough BC to make the effort worth while. the decrease in velocity and low bc to get the accuracy  are a hard trade off. usually the "flatter traj. does not materalize. even when a decrease in caliber is examined the percentage decrease ration in bullet wt. stays almost linear. ex. 147/180 = 20% in 308 and 40/50=20% in 22 cal.  Ratios larger than usually get strange results, 110/180=40 (I have yet to find one exception which I willl explain later)  or 35/60=40% in 22 cal. The only light bullet I've found in 30 cal to show across the board accuracy is the 110 gr round lead, with jacket (hornady) at around 2000 fps, and paper patch cast bullets.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pyro6999 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/02/2007 at 19:01

Originally posted by Dale Clifford Dale Clifford wrote:

alot of times a lighter bullet in a "faster" twist can be accurate by slowing it down for the reasons stated above, and using a faster burning powder. most of the time the lighter bullet doesn't have a high enough BC to make the effort worth while. the decrease in velocity and low bc to get the accuracy  are a hard trade off. usually the "flatter traj. does not materalize. even when a decrease in caliber is examined the percentage decrease ration in bullet wt. stays almost linear. ex. 147/180 = 20% in 308 and 40/50=20% in 22 cal.  Ratios larger than usually get strange results, 110/180=40 (I have yet to find one exception which I willl explain later)  or 35/60=40% in 22 cal. The only light bullet I've found in 30 cal to show across the board accuracy is the 110 gr round lead, with jacket (hornady) at around 2000 fps, and paper patch cast bullets.

 

i would buy that, thats an intresting thought i may have to play with that notion a bit.

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375H&H Mag: Yeah, it kills stuff "extra dead"

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pyro6999 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/03/2007 at 21:17
ooooh thats a great idea crows with the 300, i have tons of them around my place i may have to try that when i get a handload made up that my rifle really likes, that sounds like a ton of fun!!!
They call me "Boots"
375H&H Mag: Yeah, it kills stuff "extra dead"

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pyro6999 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/04/2007 at 17:08
i wish i had a 50 bmg!!!
They call me "Boots"
375H&H Mag: Yeah, it kills stuff "extra dead"

343 we will never forget

God Bless Chris Ledoux
"good ride cowboy"
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote RifleDude Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/09/2007 at 14:43

Originally posted by pyro6999 pyro6999 wrote:

i wish i had a 50 bmg!!!

 

Yup, I've been thinking seriously about mounting one to my ATV and using it as a mobile crow shooting machine... or for whacking Achmeds at 2500 meters! 

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pyro6999 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April/09/2007 at 19:03
Originally posted by RifleDude RifleDude wrote:

Originally posted by pyro6999 pyro6999 wrote:

i wish i had a 50 bmg!!!

 

Yup, I've been thinking seriously about mounting one to my ATV and using it as a mobile crow shooting machine... or for whacking Achmeds at 2500 meters! 

 

funny rms!!

They call me "Boots"
375H&H Mag: Yeah, it kills stuff "extra dead"

343 we will never forget

God Bless Chris Ledoux
"good ride cowboy"
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