Plains Game Ammo

[Tbitty]

Factory ammo: I've had tremendous success with Federal Premium lines in either the Trophy Bonded Tip and/or Terminal Ascent line and highly recommend those. Hornady Superformance line has also been good to me, generally with the SST bullet.

Handloads, if you can't get your hands on the above bullets from Federal, they have a similar construction to the Nosler Partition, which is always good. And, again, SST is generally a reliable option for me.

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

Some people confuse quality with price tag. Quality is basically the ability to perform the task at hand. If I drove a new Cadillac two blocks to church this morning, would it have done a better job getting me there than my 1999 Jimmy? No. But I know one congregant who is convinced his new car is better than my old rust bucket. Better how? It looks better. Consequently, people think he's top shelf because he drives a top shelf vehicle. But at the end of the day what people think of him really has nothing to do with getting to church on time.

Just because I don't buy expensive ammo doesn't mean I'm risking messing up my safari. Cup and core lead has served me well over a half century of hunting. I have tried loading Barnes for my 30-06 but they don't group. An expensive experiment. I purchased Partitions for my first safari on recommendation of the lodge. They performed well enough but I was not impressed when the hide was peeled. Destruction of meat simply is not a consideration in Africa. But it's always been a concern for me. I haven't written off Partitions completely. Not yet anyway. But it may be a done deal. Just loaded up a dozen 165 gr Interlock with IMR4895 powder that wouldn't work in my 404 loads. Very satisfactory group at 100 yards. I would prefer cup and core somewhere between 165 and 180 gr but no one makes anything like that.

Considering I still drive an old 03 Super Duty, I won’t argue your Jimmy vs New Caddy.

I will however argue your “Quality is the ability to perform the task at hand” and cup & core argument. Your interlocks won’t penetrate far enough into the vitals on a hard raking or quartering away shot the way many of the premium bullets will on say an eland, giraffe, moose, elk, or even a kudu. Ask your bullet to do that at 300+ yards and you’re asking for some issues. If your response is something about not taking that shot, hunting harder/better to close the distance, you don’t believe in long range shots, or waiting for a better shot opportunity to take a broadside behind the shoulder shot you’ve just conceded a flaw with your cup & core argument since they’re not performing the task at hand in those situations.

 

[WASHED-UP-VET]

Washed Up Vet - First and foremost… Thank You for your service to our country!

With regard to bullets, it’s pretty simple. Just shoot whatever premium bullet your gun groups well and you have confidence in. My son and I have shot all that stuff you mentioned plus a lot more African game including Kudu & Sable (except blesbok) with 150 grain Nosler Partitions in a .270. They’ve all died quickly. With a smaller cartridge and bullet.

It doesn’t matter whether you shoot a Partition, TTSX, A Frame, Bearclaw, Terminal Ascent, Northfork or any number of other excellent bullets. In your .300 whichever of those groups well and you’re confident in, just use it and go enjoy the experience of a lifetime.

With regard to placement, just keep it tight to the shoulder and almost halfway up and you won’t need to fire many shots. The heart is in pretty much the same place on all animals, don’t overthink it.

Just go enjoy yourself and give us a nice report when you return.

Thank you sir, I enjoyed my time in Iraq and Afghanistan to be honest. It was all quite an adventure. The ELD-X groups the tightest but it seems the terminal results are of a mixed review. The Swift Scirocco are incredibly accurate and the Nosler Accubond is second most accurate. I will likely use these.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Considering I still drive an old 03 Super Duty, I won’t argue your Jimmy vs New Caddy.

I will however argue your “Quality is the ability to perform the task at hand” and cup & core argument. Your interlocks won’t penetrate far enough into the vitals on a hard raking or quartering away shot the way many of the premium bullets will on say an eland, giraffe, moose, elk, or even a kudu. Ask your bullet to do that at 300+ yards and you’re asking for some issues. If your response is something about not taking that shot, hunting harder/better to close the distance, you don’t believe in long range shots, or waiting for a better shot opportunity to take a broadside behind the shoulder shot you’ve just conceded a flaw with your cup & core argument since they’re not performing the task at hand in those situations.

I generally do not shoot at animals 300+ yards with my 30-06. True, I have taken two plains game much further than that ... in as many shots ... but not with my rifle. I would not do it again. The wildebeest went down in a heap at 370 yards shot behind the ear. But that's not where I put the crosshairs. Tried to adjust for a very hard wind but not enough. In any event, I was certain when I took the shot that the bullet would either hit the shoulder, neck, or head ... or miss entirely. Kudu at 440 yards in no wind was hit a bit low behind the shoulder but I still recovered it in short order. PH claimed he didn't get the correct clicks for elevation. Whatever. So much for long distance shooting at live targets. I have proven I can do it. That's good enough. Back to hunting. For me the "task at hand" is ensuring a good shot in range at the end of a memorable stalk, not simply shooting stuff.

If I ever decide to hunt giraffe or eland (very unlikely), I'll unwrap the 404J and its 400 gr ammo.