Winchester Deer Season ammunition

[CBH Australia]

Anyone use this ammo?
I bought these in .30 and 7mm-08. By 200 of each.

The price was good and I was happy to think I get Winchester brass to reload,

The bloke in the shop got me excited about the big Narly tip etc and I thought these will be great.

I think I tried a couple in one rifle, all set gonna use them one day.

I read a week ago these were really developed for Deer (obviously) they were designed for maximum expansion and separation on thin skinned animals, But I have head shot pigs with Nosler ballistic tip in a .223 dead on their feet so these might be ok ?

One day came , Today! My Tikka CTR in 7mm-08 riding with me as she does, saw a pig, no pigs actually plenty of pigs. Now we have been a good team before so the mumma pig is standing there and shit, I missed what, again.

A couple of misses, not good try again but they are running. Not the result I wanted or expected.

Done a rough test in the field seems they are going high, way high. Ok I had other ammo. Usually if I go for a drive with minimum ammo I get lucky empty the magazine and drive past something coming home. That’s if I get something in the first place.

Other ammo was good, nailed a couple of critters, but I need to test this Deer Season stuff on paper again.

I might be cranky at myself and admitted I missed but any thoughts experiences with the ammo?

FYI the handloads were spot on with 120gn Nosler BT hunting. Doesn’t make sense the others would be way high.

 

[Shootist43]

CBH Australia, it sounds like you went hunting with a load that your gun wasn't zeroed for. Not a good idea in my book. I reload all of my ammo so I don't know anything about the new Winchester stuff you are talking about. Federal's "Fusion" line was brought out several years back as a "Deer" load. This might be a similar marketing ploy. Just recently my son who normally uses 200 gr Hornady Superformance in his 35 Whelen tried some of my "smoking" reloads using 225 Gr. Barnes TSX. Even though my handloads grouped under an inch, they were 6" low.

 

[BeeMaa]

CBH Australia, it sounds like you went hunting with a load that your gun wasn't zeroed for. Not a good idea in my book. I reload all of my ammo so I don't know anything about the new Winchester stuff you are talking about. Federal's "Fusion" line was brought out several years back as a "Deer" load. This might be a similar marketing ploy. Just recently my son who normally uses 200 gr Hornady Superformance in his 35 Whelen tried some of my "smoking" reloads using 225 Gr. Barnes TSX. Even though my handloads grouped under an inch, they were 6" low.

Exactly.
Gotta dance with the one you came with.
Check and double-check...triple check (if you are German like me).

Last week at the range we had to make an adjustment for our "target" ammo.
Scope dope was noted and will be changed back when the good stuff comes out.
And then zero will be verified once more with a few rounds.

I usually zero a rifle with a batch of ammo and hoard that batch for a while.
If it's more than a few years old, it gets moved to the target ammo bin.
Then another batch of "hunting" ammo is zeroed and once again hoarded.

 

[CBH Australia]

Yeah, I know I made a mistake and hate to admit it here but lesson learned. Pretty Shiitty with myself as there were quite a few pigs and I should have nailed a few of them based on previous experience in similar situations.

 

[Firebird]

I mounted a scope and sighted it in with the win. Deer season ammo for a friend and he killed a whitetail with it. He was very pleased. Sorry I can’t remember the distance or if the bullet passed through-just that he appreciated my help and the bullet worked fine for him.

 

[CBH Australia]

I mounted a scope and sighted it in with the win. Deer season ammo for a friend and he killed a whitetail with it. He was very pleased. Sorry I can’t remember the distance or if the bullet passed through-just that he appreciated my help and the bullet worked fine for him.

Sounds like it works on what it was meant too,
Here is one Occassion where the marketing hype might be real, lol.

I will test on target again and try on some foxes . I like shooting pests and it’s what I can access . If these don’t tear up a fox on a chest shot they are going down range on paper for practice and I get to keep the brass .

From what I read it’s meant to be somewhat lightly constructed for rapid expansion on soft skinned game like Deer increasing damage to the vitals without too much meat damage.

Probably not ideal on a shoulder of a large pig . The year tend to be pretty tough on the shoulder shield.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Yeah, I know I made a mistake and hate to admit it here but lesson learned. Pretty Shiitty with myself as there were quite a few pigs and I should have nailed a few of them based on previous experience in similar situations.

@CBH
I'm lucky mate both my 25 and Whelen both group all my ammo onto the same impact with projectiles of choice.
The 25 groups the same out to 250 yards with 117grain SSTs, 115 grain nosler combined technology silver tip and 100grain Barnes TTSX
My 35 is the same out to 200 with an y 225 or 250 grain I load into it .
Most rifles need sighting for different loads unless you twerk your handloads.
Bob

 

[CBH Australia]

Bob, I thought I had tried them, thought I’d be right. Messed up. I’m thinking they are gonna print high on paper.

When I put my handload Nosler BT spot on and I could not find a pig. They’re are just coming back with the creek flow. Always gotta look hard sometimes I get lucky.

With the handloads in I might have nailed the first one and possibly a couple of smaller ones if I was quick and I would have written a different story praising my Ugly Betty rifle my CTR.

 

[Forrest Halley]

Ouch I am glad you missed cleanly. I have noticed that in certain rifles and calibers there's a bit of deviation in point of impact. My recent immersion in .22's has shown me that Federal and Remington and Browning all impact in different areas with my rifles at 50 yards. My .375 appears to be somewhat oblivious to the ammunition it's fed at the same distance. The .458 also seems to throw a 400 and 500 grain bullet to the same place as well. It's annoying.

 

[sambarhunter]

Last year a mate gave me two boxes of Federal 7mm mag ammo,same weight as my normal winchester ammo and they shot quite high and to the right. I was dismayed and thought that my scope was out until i checked right away with the winchester ammo and they were dead on.

 

[CBH Australia]

Last year a mate gave me two boxes of Federal 7mm mag ammo,same weight as my normal winchester ammo and they shot quite high and to the right. I was dismayed and thought that my scope was out until i checked right away with the winchester ammo and they were dead on.

I saw that once with some Federal ammo in a .223, I didn't understand why but yeah a different point of impact on paper with what should have been their premium offering. The owner Pro Roo shooter said it happens. I would have thought the main change would be vertical not lateral.