Plains Game Ammo

[JMM]

I did a bullet test several years ago and shot a lot of wildes. The 180 grain Scirocco was the best killer out of 8 bullets tested. I would shoot 5 with each bullet, record the results and then start over.

 

[The Engineer]

I have taken 22 species of African game with my 300WM and all but one were taken with factory loaded 200gr Trophy Bonded Bear Claws. With the exception of a couple where I did not hit exactly where I should have they were one shot kills. No animals lost. That load shoot minute of angle in my rifle.

My PH suggested Barnes in the 300WM for Crock instead of also bringing a 416. He likes the Barnes as it behaves a bit more like a solid when hitting bone. The Barnes shattered the spine and the Crock never moved. A peculiarity I found, maybe just my rifle; is the Barnes required and absolutely clean bore (No traces of copper fouling remaining.) to obtain the best accuracy. If I started with the clean bore and fired the TBBCs first, the accuracy of the Barnes was diminished by about 3/8" at 100 yards. Accuracy with the Barnes optimum for at least 20 rounds when starting with a clean bore.

All of the above having been said, if I were starting now, I would probably go Barnes. However, I believe any premium bullet would suffice as shot placement is really the critical factor.

 

[NIGHTHAWK]

I would not want to be at odds with my PH! You are dependent on him for success… If you don’t agree, discuss it, and get it sorted before you just show up with what you want.

I’ve used a lot of different bullets over the years in 30 caliber, including jacketed lead-core, bonded, and mono-metal: partitions, bonded, lead, different varieties of core, and types of tipped bullets. I do prefer Barnes bullets, because I’ve killed hundreds of animals with them over the years and none have run off injured and not been recovered in a short period of time the same day.

That said, I use Barnes TTSX and TSX and find them to be very accurate. They are also very effective on most animals in a variety of calibers. I use them in my .22-250, .243, 7MM REM MAG, and several .30 Calibers including my .375 H&H on Buff, Croc, Hippo. Don’t think of the bullet weight as a primary factor. If you hand load, you should appreciate ballistic coefficient. My most accurate rifle is a 300 RUM and uses a 210 grain bullet at extreme range (out to 2,000 yards) and this I’ve achieved several times in shooting schools and competitions. I don’t hunt at long range as a practice. And, I don’t like to target shoot. I do it so that I’m certain that I can validate, in progression, that the rifles and chosen ammo I hunt with are predictable at all distances I may encounter while pursuing game.

I am trying to make the point that there is a lot of math and science put in to bullet technology and load development to figure out accuracy. It’s easy to go down an unfamiliar rabbit hole trying to obtain a desired outcome. I’m not sure, I could diagnose your rifle’s issue with Barnes bullets without understanding your processes. Clean your rifle well, go back to the range, foul it in, and then start with the basics to get your desired outcome. I belong to a couple other sites that deal with accuracy issues and provide helpful Information on bullet choices and load development at all distances/ranges. You may want to try there.

**I only contribute content here on AH and I try to post, in detail, my first hand experiences.

Good luck!

 

[Trogon]

It seems the Hornady 200 grain ELDX loaded by my outfitter to be a wide "coverall" bullet and effective on game from Springbuck up to Sable/Cape Kudu, from around 100 yards to over 400 yards. I've used this bullet on 50 plus animals in three trips to the Eastern Cape. I wonder what issues an outfitter would have experienced with the ELDX. 100 yards and less, rarely saw a bullet exit though.

 

[WildWill]

I have had two instances of accubonds performing spectacularly bad, extremely shallow penetration, and I have zero instances of ELD-Xs doing the same on a couple truck loads of African PG.

See how that works.

Two out of how many? I've only shot 3 animals at 150, 240, and 260 yards with a 178 gr ELDX in a 30-06. All 3 shots had essentially what you described shallow penetration, almost zero weight retention, etc. After that I refused to use them again so my reference pool isn't huge. Although I know of several who've had similar experiences with them. Interesting about your bad experience with accubonds from pronghorn to elk I've never had a failure on a couple truck loads of north American game. Glad your experience with ELD-X was better then mine.

 

[shootist~]

But first you might consider cleaning all of the prior metal fouling out of your rifle with a copper solvent. Then shoot a fouling shot with a Barnes bullet before shooting your groups.

I shoot a variety of bullet and use Barnes for hunting most of the time.
I have not encountered a barrel that won't shoot Barnes but some don't like to mix copper bullets and regular jacketed bullets (which is a harder alloy).

^^This.

Bore Tech Eliminator is the best and easiest to use, IMO.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

180Gr Nosler AccuBonds are a wise choice.

I agree with your white hunter. Hornady ELD-X Red Tips don’t hold together well upon striking heavy bone. A complete no-no for the wildebeest or zebra, esp. when taking shoulder shots.

 

[dchamp]

If you want to go with factory, there is a lot promising ammo out there. Norma Oryx might be a good one to try. Federal, Winchester, Barnes, Hornady, Sierra all have some new and interesting ammo available to try.

If you want to go with handloads then I would look at 180gr TSX, TTSX, Hammer for copper bullets and North Fork SS for lead core bullets.

Regardless what you do I would start by giving that barrel a good scrubbing.

 

[AimSmall]

Have used 180 Scirocco on game up to moose size with outstanding results.

 

[krusin]

A few thoughts on the subject:

1. I agree that you have to listen to your PH. They have an expertise and experience.
2. But also ACCURACY (read bullet placement) kills. Every experienced hunter knows that. Of course on the dangerous game a well constructed bullet is a must.
3. On my moose hunt PH insisted on Interlock bullets. I was taking my 300PRC rifle on that hunt. I obliged and loaded couple of boxes with interlock, BUT I also brought a box with ELD-X. Both were 220 grains bullets.

4. At longer distances high BC bullet has distinct advantages. ELD-X is awesome “flyer”. See comparison below.

And I was very glad that I had ELD-X with me. Moose was 403 yards away. I shot twice using ELD-X. Bullets hit the same spot, but at different angles. Both double lung shots. I’m convinced that Interlock bullets would have done much worse at this distance.

This is a recovered bullet from the moose. It ended up on the opposite side under skin. It retained 130 grains out of 220.

My advice: have a box of bullets that you can shoot accurately. Just in a case. But also bring ammo that is favorite with your PH.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

I’ve used Hornady SST and ELD-X on lots of animals and they work fine. Probably 20 animals with one shot kills. Having said that, Nosler Partitions or Swift A-Frames (if you can find them) are great options. Norma Oryx have a great reputation too. Heck, I have used Remington Core Lokt on PG with good results.

 

[YancyW]

Two out of how many? I've only shot 3 animals at 150, 240, and 260 yards with a 178 gr ELDX in a 30-06. All 3 shots had essentially what you described shallow penetration, almost zero weight retention, etc. After that I refused to use them again so my reference pool isn't huge. Although I know of several who've had similar experiences with them. Interesting about your bad experience with accubonds from pronghorn to elk I've never had a failure on a couple truck loads of north American game. Glad your experience with ELD-X was better then mine.

I still use accubonds, and I do so without a single worry. Sometime bullets don't react the way we think they should.

 

[NIGHTHAWK]

This is a general comment and opinion:

I no longer use Accubond bullets, because in my personal experience, I’ve had massive tissue damage and huge holes in capes on North American 1 Antelope, pigs, and Coyote, as well as PG - 1 Impala, 2 Wharthog, and 1 Jackal. I’ve also had good success with them on squared shots where I didn’t hit bone on entry. I still have some left in 7MM REM MAG. Just my choice and preference to use Barnes TSX and TTSX.

To each their own…

 

[skydiver386]

As others have suggested, try the Barnes X in a lighter weight after a good barrel cleaning. The factory loaded Barnes TTSX in 150 or 165 grain will probably shoot much tighter groups than the heavier bullets.

Unless you have a custom barrel with an especially fast twist like a 1/10 or 1/8, some of the longer bullets won't stabilize, no matter how fast you drive them.

 

[Matt 72]

I did my first trip to Africa in July, I choose the 165grn TTSX in my 300wm and it work a treat !
One shot kills on Kudu , Zebra, 2 Gemsbok ,warthog and springbok and all shots where between 200m to 350m ( Open country in Namibia) only animal that took more then one shot was the Wildebeest which took 3 shots to the chest !!!!

 

[deewayne2003]

I used my .300Win with 200gr partition hand loads for impala and bushbuck in July and could not have been more satisfied with the results.

As far as the 2” accuracy with TSX is concerned, I would highly suggest cleaning your bore and trying again.

I used TSX exclusively in my .257Wby for years with amazing results for both accuracy & on game performance.

However accuracy would fall off considerably after 20-30rnds and after cleaning would shrink back to clover leaf sized groups.

 

[Berettaco]

Scirocco is an outstanding bullet - I have used those and would highly recommend them, for me it’s the ideal option when you will have shots from 100-400.

My go to bullets are swift A frames, swift scirocco, Nosler partitions, Barnes TTSX and Norma Oryx.

There are a ton of great bullets to choose from. As others have mentioned a 165 TTSX in 300 win will produce great results - mono metal work best at high speed and generally a bit lighter that traditional cup and core.

 

[BryceM]

Barnes TTSX are my go-to bullet. I've taken around 50 critters in Africa with them. I've had two or three less-than-stellar results, but in those cases it was the fault of the shooter, not the bullet. Put them where they need to go and they'll do the job.

As for accuracy, I agree that you'll need to get the bore clean, or at least 90% clean of copper fouling before they're at their best. A borescope REALLY helps with this. Depends on the barrel, but sometimes it takes a bit of elbow grease, even with Boretech Eliminator.

I seat them way, way off the lands, like 1/8 inch (0.125") in some rifles. I've been able to achieve 1 MOA in everything I've handloaded TTSX, but it took some fiddling with a couple of rifles.

If you can't get them to shoot better than 2 MOA, I'd try something else.

 

[Doug Hamilton]

Hello gents, I am going to South Africa in June. Impala, Warthog, blesbok, blue wildebeest, and zebra will be on the menu. I am taking my Remington 700 Sendero in .300 win mag. My outfitter suggested Barnes TTSX ammo. I have tried this in factory as well as handloads, 180 and 200 grain varieties. All variants group around 2" at 100 yards. I feel like that is not very good accuracy, perhaps I am over-thinking it and that is sufficient. My rifle is currently zeroed with Hornady 200 grain ELD-X and it shoots 3/4 MOA groups every time. My outfitter does not want me to use the ELD-X. Has anybody used the Swift Scirocco 2? I tried the 180 grain version and it was sub 3/4 MOA, I believe the bonded bullet should be sufficient for these animals. I have also handloaded 180 grain Nosler Accubonds and they shot around 1-1.5 MOA.

I did a search and found very limited information on the Swift Scirocco, my apologies if this has been covered somewhere already.

Everyone will have a different opinion, so here's mine. I took my .300 Win on my last safari. I had it loaded with 200 grain AccuBonds. Everything from an impala ewe that the property manager asked me to take for camp meat up through a big waterbuck bull died in their tracks or within just a few steps. No bullets were recovered as they all passed through. These were hand loads and are very accurate in my rifle. PM me if you want the load details.

Doug

 

[CBH Australia]

I have had two instances of accubonds performing spectacularly bad, extremely shallow penetration, and I have zero instances of ELD-Xs doing the same on a couple truck loads of African PG.

See how that works.

I guess I’m against the grain here but I’m not a fan of Barnes and have successfully taken elk with the ELDX in 6.5prc.

In my one and only Africa trip, I rented a 30-06 and used basic hornady lead tipped bullets with success on wildebeest, sable, kudu, etc.

I see some don’t like the ELD-X . I think I read the early production were not reliable but they have been improved.

Still new to me but the fella that sold me the rifle has been spot-on for everything else he told me.

The young fella up the road has a 6.5creedmoor and he knows the Gunshop owner who put him onto ELD-X

I had a Hornady Zombie Max bulk buy .30 cal fail spectacularly on a boar shoulder but I feel close range and velocity on a boar shoulder were factors that caused this.

When it’s all said and done I feel it is difficult to replicate shots and conditions in the field on game and that leaves us to all see different results.