Best Bullet for hunting???

[randyf]

What is the best all round .452bullet for hunting med size game....deer, hog, maybe black bear?
I read that the handgun bullets 200-225gr come apart a rifle velocities.
The 300-350gr seem a little heavy, don't shoot as flat, and you loose velocity.
On the Midway website I saw a 275gr hp made for the 460 S&W, I also thought Hornady made a magnum .452 bullet that
was build a little stronger.

I know that you can resize .458 bullets .....but I was just wondering what .452 bullets people were using for hunting?

[Siringo]

Here are my picks:

1. 250 grain Hornady FXT (factory bullet)
2. 275 grain Barnes for 460 S&W
3. 240 grain Hornady XTP Mag

After all the testing I have done, researching the internet, actual field shots, the 250 FXT is very, very hard to beat. They are twice the cost of the 240 gr. XTP Mags, but if you are just using them for hunting -- cost of a bullet is moot. I like the 240's for a general shooting bullet. The 275's are expensive and for hunting only. These are the top end as far as flatness of trajectory and retained energy at 200 yards. Once you go to 300's, your 200 yard performace is going to suffer.

Just my thougths!

[wildcatter]

Here are my picks:

1. 250 grain Hornady FXT (factory bullet)
2. 275 grain Barnes for 460 S&W
3. 240 grain Hornady XTP Mag

After all the testing I have done, researching the internet, actual field shots, the 250 FXT is very, very hard to beat. They are twice the cost of the 240 gr. XTP Mags, but if you are just using them for hunting -- cost of a bullet is moot. I like the 240's for a general shooting bullet. The 275's are expensive and for hunting only. These are the top end as far as flatness of trajectory and retained energy at 200 yards. Once you go to 300's, your 200 yard performance is going to suffer.

Just my thoughts!

5-billion X .. and that siringo character is tight with the thinking. And the "MAG" moniker on the hornady bullets are our rifle bullets for the 4515 std. Forget that Pistol stigma, there are bullets for any mission, just pick them. My choice for an all-arounder and cheap too is the 230 ball round or better yet the 230FMJ-flat points, we don't need the expansion, as a flat point does more total tissue disruption than any expanded bullet in the same cal/weight catagory and will track in a straight line through the animal, something an expanded bullet wont do on occasion..

[randyf]

5-billion X .. and that siringo character is tight with the thinking. And the "MAG" moniker on the hornady bullets are our rifle bullets for the 4515 std. Forget that Pistol stigma, there are bullets for any mission, just pick them. My choice for an all-arounder and cheap too is the 230 ball round or better yet the 230FMJ-flat points, we don't need the expansion, as a flat point does more total tissue disruption than any expanded bullet in the same cal/weight catagory and will track in a straight line through the animal, something an expanded bullet wont do on occasion..[/quote]


How is the accuracy with the .451 230 grain ball ammo?
I will probably try the 230 gr flat nose FMJ.

[wildcatter]

Hey R man, I got your pm and decided to answer here.. To the accuracy question vs 230's: accuracy is always a subjective kinda thing and I may not be the best judge of it, as I'm more of a Minute-of-Grizzly kinda guy. For I need to know at what range I can still hit a 10" paper plate and still have enough terminal performance to decide any issue. To that criteria, the 230's and 300yds++ are very satisfying, giving +- two minutes-of angle. Now that's not as good as the factory stuff we have know, but then again this is not a bench-rest kinda gun either, although there are many here that would argue that point, and they'd be right, point.. A customer killed an Alaskan Caribou this year, that weighed over 500 pounds, at 500+-yds, with some of my personal 230 FMJ-FP's, taking out ribs on both sides and I killed a small Red Squirrel, at 200yds on my range, both shots could be described as accurate, but neither it the point-of-aim, but still killed the animal with deadly aplomb. Also, some of the 230/185gr hollow points are at 6+MOA and won't hit the point-of-aim across the room, but will cut a man in half, get the point, try that with a 9mm, that after two magazines may yield a target that can still shoot back (I have video of some cops at a pig roast that killed their 225lb hog with a 22. They hung it up, and for grins wanted to see what a 230hp would do before they gutted it, so they shot it amid-ships, bang, half the animal hits the ground). So, to reiterate, 230's will give +- 2 moa, you will see about 1 moa about as often as you see 3 moa, with the groups hovering pretty much consistently in the 2-2.25 moa area, keep in mind that military except-able match accuracy is 2 moa for the M14/M1 rifles (just for perspective).. Ok, I'm off to the last day of SHOT, holy cow what a good show. I make a full report soon..t