Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

“Match” bullets vs others types

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    “Match” bullets vs others types

    Need some teaching.

    I am learning about different bullet types.

    I was at Academy today and they had Hornady 270 Match and Hornady 270 SST.

    My impression was “match” bullets were more for target shooting.....and the SST seems to be a better hunting round.

    The match bullet is a boat tail hollow point with cannelure.

    What are the differences? Are the match bullets ok to hunt with?

    #2
    That is my understanding. Had a pas through on a 50 lbs boar and did not go through on a buck I shot this year. In for the experts answers.

    Comment


      #3
      You are correct. Certain bullets for certain things.
      Bullets vary greatly and people and guns and loads etc all have preferences. Stick with a good hunting Bullet in the weight of your choice depending on caliber and game.
      It’s a never ending subject, but you need a bullet made to expand for hunting.
      Good Hunting

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by medicineman View Post
        You are correct. Certain bullets for certain things.
        Bullets vary greatly and people and guns and loads etc all have preferences. Stick with a good hunting Bullet in the weight of your choice depending on caliber and game.
        It’s a never ending subject, but you need a bullet made to expand for hunting.
        Good Hunting
        Question for you. Do you know the difference between what he is talking about as far as drop? For instance if I was zeroed at 100 yds on my Hornady Black ELD M and decided to switch to the SST... How far of is my zero? When does it become significant if off slightly at 100? Same manufacturer, same grain...

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by ctom87 View Post
          Question for you. Do you know the difference between what he is talking about as far as drop? For instance if I was zeroed at 100 yds on my Hornady Black ELD M and decided to switch to the SST... How far of is my zero? When does it become significant if off slightly at 100? Same manufacturer, same grain...
          Check zero everytime you change mfg, weight and or bullet style.

          Comment


            #6
            It depends. Some match bullets are great for hunting and some are horrible. Unfortunately you never know until you actually use them on game. It’s less risky to use bullets made specifically for hunting.

            Comment


              #7
              For my .260 I originally loaded with eld-m’s and got super good accuracy so I used it on game with no issues. Switched to eld-x and can’t tell much difference on the game but I’m not shooting quite as good groups. The match bullets are designed for target shooting but I believe they are proficient hunting bullets depending on where you shoot the animal. There’s a thread on here speaking to this very point.

              Comment


                #8
                In my Grendel
                I can shoot “match” 1.25” or better
                Same weight and manufacture in SST is around a 9” group. Awful

                Shot a few pigs with “match” and every one fragmented BAD... but we’re at close range (all inside 50)
                Shot 1 pig in shoulder... ran off and came right back 20 minutes later (thought I missed). Second dropped it, both shots were less than 3”. Recovered bullets and it was like tin foil inside the body

                Another pig hit shoulder and exited same leg above knee

                Another small pig hit in guts and had 2 exits

                They all killed but I expected/wanted more

                The SST is proven... my gun just don’t like them at all for some reason

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by ctom87 View Post
                  Question for you. Do you know the difference between what he is talking about as far as drop? For instance if I was zeroed at 100 yds on my Hornady Black ELD M and decided to switch to the SST... How far of is my zero? When does it become significant if off slightly at 100? Same manufacturer, same grain...
                  My gun shoots those 2 a world apart... but will shoot BLACK (123gr) and fusion (120) within an inch ( Black actually straight high)

                  Comment


                    #10
                    I'm going to make some broad generalizations here based on my experience. Generally match bullets have a thin copper jacket and are built for aerodynamics. Hunting bullets are designed for expansion/weight retention and penetration, whether through bone or soft tissue, with aerodynamics also being a consideration.

                    Plenty of people kill a lot of critters with match bullets and I'm not knocking anybody for that (I've killed with them too). In my experience they either poke a pencil hole or nearly disintegrate on impact (bone is a problem). I care the most about penetration/expansion for a good wound channel, and don't like to shoot match bullets at game. That said, I've killed 3 does this year with my 6.5 PRC with the 147gr ELD-M, and while they all were dead within 30 yards the performance was not very impressive. That was conclusive enough for me to shelve them.

                    If you're looking for a hunting bullet, something bonded or a monolithic option are the best ways to go in my mind. Regardless of where you hit, those are gonna keep going and, assuming you have enough juice, are going to have an exit wound which to me is valuable. Basically the same reason I shoot a 550 gr arrow. Good luck!
                    Last edited by mzurovec; 01-13-2021, 10:09 PM.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by ctom87 View Post
                      Question for you. Do you know the difference between what he is talking about as far as drop? For instance if I was zeroed at 100 yds on my Hornady Black ELD M and decided to switch to the SST... How far of is my zero? When does it become significant if off slightly at 100? Same manufacturer, same grain...
                      So my Creedmoor for example...

                      143gr ELD-X and the 140gr ELD Match have the same zero. I only know that though because I've personally taken to the range and checked. But since I can't find either of them, it's moot.

                      The SST is a good hunting round. I have a few boxes of it I will reload when I can find powder.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        My one experience with trying match bullets one deer was not great. I had been blowing large craters in deer with my 7mm Rem. Mag. I found some 7mm Match bullets, probably the ones I just sold. I shot a buck, through the heart, at about 100 yards, maybe a little father. Was not a long shot, that I remember. The shot was perfect, the buck ran, more constantly jumping over a bunch of sage brush. He made it about forty yards and then did a nose dive into the mud. Had it not been the situation, that it was. He probably would have been very hard to find.

                        There was zero to very little blood, very small hole and then then same thing for a exit hole. Since he had a small hole hole through his heart, so he did die quickly. Had he not been hurdling one sage bush after another, and had flat ground, he would have gotten a lot farther, before he went down. Then had he ran off into some thick brush, it would have been a lot harder to find him.

                        Bottom line, I accomplished what I was trying to do, of reducing the damage my 7mm Mag., was doing to deer. But I reduced the damage a bit more than I wanted to, enough so, I never tried that again.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Originally posted by ctom87 View Post
                          Question for you. Do you know the difference between what he is talking about as far as drop? For instance if I was zeroed at 100 yds on my Hornady Black ELD M and decided to switch to the SST... How far of is my zero? When does it become significant if off slightly at 100? Same manufacturer, same grain...
                          I don’t see in his original post where he asked about drop!
                          But I know!!!!
                          Thought the question was match Bullet ok for hunting Bullet.

                          Sorry for confusion, lead us onward.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by medicineman View Post
                            I don’t see in his original post where he asked about drop!

                            But I know!!!!

                            Thought the question was match Bullet ok for hunting Bullet.



                            Sorry for confusion, lead us onward.
                            He didn't, but in hijacking his thread I felt that a subsequent question may come up. I was hoping to gain my own knowledge well still hoping that my question would continue aiding OP in his quest for information in regards to bullets.

                            Sorry op for hijacking. My intent was that you may find the information dually useful.

                            Sent from my BLA-L29 using Tapatalk

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Originally posted by ctom87 View Post
                              He didn't, but in hijacking his thread I felt that a subsequent question may come up. I was hoping to gain my own knowledge well still hoping that my question would continue aiding OP in his quest for information in regards to bullets.

                              Sorry op for hijacking. My intent was that you may find the information dually useful.

                              Sent from my BLA-L29 using Tapatalk
                              No worries. I did learn something. I had assumed very little difference in drop for same weight bullets,...assuming velocity was similar. Now I know that can be an issue.

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X