Any Round Nose Fans Left

[MOOSE 4 GOD]

A buddy of mine is a believer in BT'S had me load some for my 7MM. Grouped the best of anything I've shot in this rifle in it's 18 years of service. After the first doe at 75 yds. standing behind a Charlie Brown tree I put the scope on front shoulder pulled trigger and of she ran. Bullet hit a twig and deflected causing a brisket/gut shot. I got to thinking? Next 8 Pointer ranged 175yds behind shoulder pulled trigger ran 25 yds and an awesome blood trail. Ok these things are good but you are going to have to hunt them like you were bow hunting. All these years I've been using 154gr Hornady RN's and I have shot through larual,briers,clear cut brush and never thought twice about if I was going to hit the target. Now don't get me wrong These bts will do a number but my Question is if 300 yards is all you are going to be shooting in fields and some hunting is going to be in woods am I old fashion or does anyone else feel the RN'S are just as good?
Thanks
Benny

[Joe Boleo]

I shoot a lot of round nose bullets in my lever action rifles. One of my .30-06 rifles loves 180 grain round nose bullets ahead of a moderate charge of IMR4895.

There has been a lot of discussion about "brush bucking" bullets and the debate continues. It seems that all bullets are affected to some degree when fired through brush. Take care...
Joe

[Rocky Raab]

Roundnose bullets are often more accurate because being shorter, they are more stable in flight. At reduced velocity or with marginal twist rate, that makes them more accurate.

All bullets deflect if they hit something between the muzzle and the target. As there is no way to completely duplicate a shot that does deflect with another shot using a different bullet, the argument cannot be proved either way. All you can say is that one bullet may or may not deflect more than another bullet - which says nothing at all.

[buckhunter]

Use them in my 06-180 Gr Hornady RN's. Shoot less the 1" out of a Browning BAR. Shoot the best of anything I have ever loaded.

Every deer I have hit with them have drop dead in less than 25 yards.

If I had to ever pick one bullet for that 06 it would be the Hornady 180 gr RN. Like the old saying, " Give a Man a 30-06 and a 180 grain bullet and he could walk the world and never fear".

They get my vote.

[L. Cooper]

I use pointed bullets in any big game rifle I use except in tubular magazines, and I also never try to shoot a game animal by shooting through anything else.

The superior down range performance of pointed bullets is absolutely proven. Although there is no absolute proof about which type of bullet deflects more than another, there is absolute proof that all bullets deflect. Since all bullets deflect, I long ago decided that shooting through any kind of bush was not a good idea.

I can't do anything to keep a round nosed bullet from slowing down and losing energy because of its shape. I can easily just not shoot if there is anything between me and the animal. For me, there is no advantage at all to using RN bullets, but there are definite ballistic advantages to spitzer shapes.

[Contenderizer]

I agree with the Rockmeister; all bullets will deflect, though it seems logical that a heaver bullet will deflect less then a lighter bullet when striking a given object. For your shot on that doe to have deflected as much as you indicate, you may have hit more than just a twig; or perhaps the doe stepped forward just as you let loose. But, you were there, I wasn't.

I stick with round nose, shorter bullets. I find them more accurate overall. Besides, my shooting isn't that good so I try to keep my shots under 150 yards. At that range little is gained using a bullet with a better BC.

[BILLY D.]

I shoot nothing but round noses in my 7mm Argentine. I built this rifle as a tribute to Osa Johnson. I did a lot of reading at a very early age because I couldn't do anything else.

As a child I had a very sickly time. Rheumatic Fever and Polio by the time I was six. This was a high spot though as it caused 2 of my older brothers to become doctors and 3 of my sisters to become nurses and lab technicians. As Golda Meir once said "pessimism is something we can not afford". My family was always optomistic. We had to be, we had no place else to go.

Osa and her husband were from Kansas and were leaders in the world of outdoor Photography, both scenic and Animal photos from around the world, especially Africa. I was really interested in the animal part and Africa. My Mom joined the Readers Indigestion Book of the Month Club to keep me in reading material. I was prolific at reading. I'd sit down with a book and a dictionary my Grandfather bought for me and taught myself to read. I still have that dictionary and it's going on 65 years old and will start drawing Social Security Benefits in July.

Osa's job on these expeditions was to insure her husband Martin was not used as a scratching post by the Kitties or ended up as toe jam by Elephants, Rhinos and Hippos. She was very successful as both she and hubby died of old age in the States. She has always been a heroine to me.

Osas firearm of choice was a Rigby 7MM Mauser. At that time the bullet de jure was the 175gr Round nose. Well 50 plus years later I built that rifle. It is one of my most prized possessions. There is only one modification to do on it yet. I want to put a Rigby pop up style peep sight on the rear of the bolt.

I have found the Round noses to be extremely accurate in my rifle. As far as shooting through trees and brush I don't believe all I hear about deflection. I have always gone out of my way to insure I don't have to shoot through obstacles and by choosing another shooting position I can find a clear view of my target. I do not believe that round noses are "brush busters" or that they are superlative in that task.


Best wishes, Bill

Darn. I'm long winded. Did you ever notice how darn and dam look a lot alike on a screen? Humm.

[Rocky Raab]

Just an addendum to what Coop said.

It's true that pointy bullets are ballistically superior at long range, but there is so little difference inside 250 yards that if you fired two shots at the same target, one with a pointy and the other with a roundie, you couldn't correctly tell which bullet made which hole 95% of the time. Average group size is larger than the drop factor most of the time.

Because very few game animals are actually shot beyond 250 yards, there is also no DISadvantage to using roundnoses.

[Adam Helmer]

Moose,

I load round nose bullets in several of my favorite arms because they are the most accurate. In my P-17s, the 180 grain RN is the best bullet going for accuracy. My 7mms like the Winchester 175 grain RN and my Swedes like the 160 grain RN bullets.

I do load spitzers in other rifles, but the round nose in the PA deer woods is not a liability as far as range is concerned. Most PA deer are shot at 75 yards, or less.

Adam

[PaulS]

I tried round nose bullets in my 3006 but didn't get groups under 1" in any of the bullets that I tried. The heaviest bullet I shoot now is 180 grain. I shoot spitzers because they give the best groups and great terminal ballistics. My favorite (and most accurate) hunting bullet is a Speer 165 gr BT Spitzer. If the round nose had done as well as it does then I would be using them.
________
Bbw amateur

[MOOSE 4 GOD]

Thanks so much guy's for your response to this I just thought I was old fashion in my beliefs. As I was told 30 years ago when I started reloading all bullets are a good bullet if they kill your prey humanly. I killed 5 deer with the Nosler 150 BT this year and no question they did the job and did it well. The doe I mentioned was standing broadside behind a Charlie Christmas Tree and could see her well but again like I said looking through the scope and the flight path are 2 different things. All the years of RN'S I never had to look to see what throwed the bullets path off. Please don't get me wrong and I'm truly not a stupid hunter as I do make sure of the target but you guy's who hunt The Blue Ridge Mountians Know these Big Biy's like the thick stuff and larual is part of it.

I just was wondering and I do know that all bullets will deflect. It's like anything in life if it works don't mess with it and confidence is a big part of making the shot you want anyway.

At least now I know I'm not the only one who likes these RN'S and for open field hunts I will still use these Noslers. I really like what they do on deer.

Thanks and may God Bless
Benny

[PJgunner]

"My 7mms like the Winchester 175 grain RN and my Swedes like the 160 grain RN bullets."

I thought Winchester dropped the 175 gr. RNs a long time ago.
When I had a 6.5x54 MS, it was very accurate with 160 gr. RNs. Somebody stole it DAMMIT!

I've just started playing with 170 gr. RNs in my 7x57 and they are shooting quite well. I have about 500 of the long discontinued 170 gr. Sierra RNs that I found at a gun show and about 200 rounds of the 175 gr. Hornady RNs that I haven't tried yet. I have a neat custom 7x57 mauser with a semi-European style stock with a schnable foreend that is dead nuts accurate with Winchester 145 gr. factory ammo. I've been shooting the 170s in a Winchester M70 Featherweight push feed and with a factory duplication type load get .375 to .75" groups depending on my shooting ability on the day I'm shooting. My other 7x57 is a Ruger #1A but it's only good for 1.25" groups in the few loads I've shot in in it. The more I shoot the 7x57 the more the others stay home.
I do prefer spitzer style bullets most of the time in the 7x57s but am considering the 170/175 gr. RNs just to see why the 7x57 attained it's reputation as a great game killer.
Paul B.

[MOOSE 4 GOD]

One of the reasons I asked this question was that 2 years I hit a nice Buck coming to a rattle bag and up his horn line. About a 30 yard circle surrounded with Ceaders. I was on the ground and here he came in a dead walk. when he came out all I saw was horns and he was looking straight ahead. Had my old Savage with the 154gr RN Hornady and led him. Hit him in the big joint below shoulder and passed with a whole the size of a silver dollar, not like I've seen 30-06's do. Got him back to the house and the whole deer was like jelly. Blood shot. Thats why I was looking for smaller grains or quicker opening bullets. I got a TC Pro Hunter and thought a 28 inch 1n9twist barrel would love these new style bullets. A-Max,Interbond's,Silver Tips,Boat Tails HDY,Speer,Nosler,Sierras do not do good in this gun. However 115gr Speer HP'S are tack drivers and the last of all these I tried was the last 15 154gr RN and dangit this gun drills these things at 2875FPS. Why does this gun like these types bullets. My Savage loves the noslers 150 and 120 BTs and Speer 160 BTSP. Neither like the interbonds. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Benny

[Rocky Raab]

With a deer that close, I think almost anything would have produced a lot of black jelly. In fact, a quicker-opening bullet might have been worse.

The bullet that seems to produce the least ruined meat in any circumstance seems to be the Barnes TSX. They penetrate forever, producing a narrow, clean wound path. I compare them to a 3,000 fps arrow.

[MOOSE 4 GOD]

Rocky:

This was the first time I ever hit a deer there. One other thing I like about this bullet is most all my shots have been behind the front shoulder and does what you are talking about like the barnes.Hole in and out the same size and internal organs like jello. I've been using these foer 20 some plus years and have served me well. I like what you said about the mystery of deflection RN'S verses BT'S. You would never be able to produce the exact same shot. For one thing what ever you hit between you and the target would no longer be there and thats that in a nut shell. Knowing what your equipment will do and confidence in it is all there is to it. Any bullet is a good bullet if it kills humanely. I was told this by an older gentleman around 30 years ago and he in his 60's. Listen to the tried and tested ones and you can save alot of time.

Thanks Again for all you have helped me with.
Benny