BULLET CHOICES
We have noticed that you tend to choose heavier hunting bullets in each caliber. For example, using 180-grain loads in a 30-06 instead of, say, 150 grain. Why is that?
My response: Anymore, I suppose I'm in the minority here. The knowledge of what velocity could and can do was probably promoted by Roy Weatherby more than anyone else. During the 1960s, when he was becoming quite famous among riflemen, a 150-grain bullet in the 300 Weatherby Magnum was considered a devastating load. Today it would be 180-grain loadings, so at least that now tends to buck the trend toward light and fast. Another area where the trend is toward heavier bullets are those who want to try their hand at long-range hunting. These folks use high ballistic coefficient bullets that often even require a special, tighter twist than normal. But, for the most part, the questions coming at me about bullet weight choices have concerned the regular no-fuss hunter. Let's explore just one example to get the point across. After that, each reader may wish to plug in their own example using the same general thought pattern.
We'll go with the very popular 7mm Remington Magnum. Most commercial rifles have either a 24- or 26-inch barrel. Now let's pick a bullet. For years (decades) I have chosen the 175-grain Interlock SP. However, among the Hornady lineup, I think most hunters who reload would choose a lighter bullet; something in the 150- to 160-grain range, With Hornady, that means 154- or 162-grain bullets; and, in fact, there is a 154-grain Interlock SP.
I have used the 154-grain Interlock, and can testify that it is a wonderful bullet. Somehow, Hornady has managed to come up with a non-premium-priced bullet here that performs better than a number of the high-priced offerings. There's little left to be desired. So, we're comparing the 154-grain Interlock with same bullet in 175 grains. Here's what happens...
The 154-grain bullet can be driven safely, with a number of powder choices, at 2900 fps from a 24-inch-barreled 7mm Remington Magnum. The 175-grain bullet can be driven at 2800 fps with a somewhat smaller number of powders. The reduced number of powder choices comes as a result of eliminating some of the medium-slow burners from the list. The heavier bullet requires just the slower choices, and there are fewer of them.
Both the 154 and 175 are constructed the same. Both open beautifully to a textbook mushroom in tissue, while either can be disrupted significantly when striking bone. The longer and heavier "shank" (straight-sided rear portion; my normal talking term) of the 175-grain bullet helps drive it further into the animal. Said simply, it has more momentum. (We don't need to get into discussions about potential or kinetic energy here; we all understand momentum.) A certain amount of the bullet is lost during penetration; "wiped off," you might say. With the 154, average retained bullet weight has been in the neighborhood of just under 75%. The rear of the bullet is obviously all still there; it's the front that looses material. So, the 154 drops down to somewhere around 110-115 grains. The 175, on the other hand, also looses about 40 grains in weight. It drops to about 135 grains. Said differently, it has a retained weight of nearly 80%. For me, that's enough of an advantage to select the heavier bullet.
The problem is, there aren't enough people who think this way to maintain steady production of some of the heavy-for-caliber bullets. In recent years, Hornady has discontinued some of their delicious round-nose bullets, and now the supplies of the 175-grain Interlock SP have started to become spotty. So, here's the deal; I'd like to count on everyone reading this to direct at least one more person to the site. And then each of them can do the same, and so on. Then go after what you want. Demand for specific products will result in decisions in our favor within the walls of bullet and cartridge manufacturers.
JDC