by JDouglas » Fri Aug 31, 2018 10:05 am
I think many times reloaders focus too much on speed with lighter bullets when sometimes a heavier bullet with a higher BC or better terminal ballistics is the right choice.
I am also in Iowa and recently purchased a 450 BM for the upcoming deer season. After reading most of the posts in this forum I thought I would use the 200 gr FTX for my deer load because I could get more speed out of it. After reading Hoot's posts it was apparent that the terminal ballistics were similar to the 250 FTX.
After researching it more I decided Hornady got it right and that the 250 FTX was the way to go because of its higher BC. This allows the 250 to drop less, carry more energy, retain its speed, and cut through the wind better.
Initially I was planning on loading the 200 gr FTX to around 2500 fps producing a load that would drop 32.4" at 300 yds with a 100 yd zero. At 300 yds the energy of the 200 gr would be 587 ft/lbs and a 5 mph crosswind would push the bullet 16.45".
I went with the 250 FTX loaded to 2350 fps and this would only drop 28.6" at 300 yds. This is interesting because it drops about 4" less than the faster 200 gr. Also the 250 FTX has 1023 ft/lbs of energy at 300 yds, making it more than capable for shots between 200-300 yds. Wind drift is also reduced to 11.19" in a 5 mph crosswind, 5 1/4" less drift than the 200 gr FTX.
Both the 200 and 250 FTX are a good choice to shoot a whitetail deer under 200 yds, but any further than that and the 250 is a much better choice. Coincidentally, the slower 250 FTX matches my ballistic reticle perfectly. Even at 200 yds the 200 FTX is pushed about 2 1/4" further by a 5 mph crosswind. I typically shoot deer under 100 yds but we do have a few stands that offer longer shots.