Copper Anyone?

[Curvebow]

Many years ago, I tried Barnes bullets in my 7mm-08 for deer hunting. They shot terribly with groups of 3-4". Nosler Ballistic Tips and Partitions were then averaging about 1", with a few groups of all 3 shots touching at 100 yds. I have not tried any of the newer Barnes offerings in that caliber or others. Maybe its time for a new test....

 

[SixPoint]

So, I'm going to try out 150s for an elk/deer load going forward. Would anyone have an issue with trying to anchor an oryx with a 150 out of the 30-06? Or should I stick with my 165g partitions/accubonds?

http://www.huntingwithnonlead.org/index.html This website really helped clear up any misconceptions for me and also gave me good information about bullet choice. They recommend using a lighter bullet than you would traditionally use with lead. Because copper is less dense than lead a 180 copper bullet will be larger than a 180 lead based bullet. That being said I think a 150 copper in the '06 would be very comparable to the 165 partitions you've been shooting. Good luck!

 

[smarandr]

http://www.huntingwithnonlead.org/index.html This website really helped clear up any misconceptions for me and also gave me good information about bullet choice. They recommend using a lighter bullet than you would traditionally use with lead. Because copper is less dense than lead a 180 copper bullet will be larger than a 180 lead based bullet. That being said I think a 150 copper in the '06 would be very comparable to the 165 partitions you've been shooting. Good luck!

Nice website.

After reading this thread and perusing the website I think I'll start buying copper for my reloads from now on.

 

[nuevo_eph]

http://www.huntingwithnonlead.org/index.html This website really helped clear up any misconceptions for me and also gave me good information about bullet choice. They recommend using a lighter bullet than you would traditionally use with lead. Because copper is less dense than lead a 180 copper bullet will be larger than a 180 lead based bullet. That being said I think a 150 copper in the '06 would be very comparable to the 165 partitions you've been shooting. Good luck!

I've come to understand the importance of taking the weight retention into account - it is very interesting to think you maybe be able to have a flat shooting, deeply penetrating bullet in one load. Talk about a having your cake and eating it, too moment.

Thanks for the website.

 

[Tikka06]

This is a TSX IN 270 win. This was one of the Federal Premium factory loads. Recovered it under the hide on top of a hind quarter in a mature whitetail. This was a facing chest shot at about 80yds. So it basically travelled the length of the animal. He dropped at the shot and no follow up was needed. Cant remember if it came in 130 or 140 gr.

 

[SixPoint]

I will definitely be going back to lead ammunition. I cut up a whitetail buck this weekend I had shot with copper ammo... there was 55 pounds of clean meat I had to deal with... that's just way too much meat from a deer... it was far easier when I got to trim away all the blood shot, which was more significant than I had previously thought.

This is italicized font so everyone understands I am being sarcastic

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

This has been interesting. I currently shoot a mix of factory loads out of my big game rifles, 3 shoot all coppers, and 2 are shooting lead core. All were strictly chosen based off of what shot best. I have had really good results with all copper bullets, and can't find much reason not to shoot them if they perform. Once I have shot through my current stocks of ammo, I may look at switching.

You can google "lead bullet xray" and there is definately alot of lead in there.

 

[LuketheDog]

I switched to Federal Trophy Copper 130gr for my .270, just to see how they worked. They ended up grouping as good or better than any of the lead ammo I'd always used. I've shot sub-1" groups at the range consistently since switching, with most groups being 1/2" or less. In the past year I've shot two mule deer bucks and an antelope and been extremely pleased with the results on each. The last muley I shot was a big boy, and he literally flopped over dead, I couldn't find a thing wrong with that...

 

[Reata]

I was using the Federal Barnes loads but when they stopped making them switched to Federal Trophy Copper and have been pleased with the results so far. 270, 30-06 and 300 WM.

My main reason for using the copper bullets was performance and not so much the lead issue.

 

[CodyCass]

As a reloader I play around with various bullets when developing a new load and I always include a Barnes bullet while experimenting. I'd prefer to use copper if/when I can, but I don't want to sacrifice accuracy/performance. That being said, two of my rifles (35 Whelen Remington Woodsmaster and a 243 Browning x-bolt) prefer Barnes TSX bullets. I wasn't expecting much out of the Woodsmaster, wanted a gun capable of battling the Missouri brush for taking whitetail, but I ended up with a rifle that shoots 225gr bullets sub MOA at 100 yards. I run 85gr TSXs in the .243 and produced 2 one shot kills on Wyoming antelope in October.One dropped dead after the bullet traveled through shoulders (bullet not recovered) the other went 50 yards before piling up (quartering away shot, recovered the bullet under the hide of the off shoulder). The 243 has produced sub 1 inch groups at 200 yards when I do my part...Currently I'm working up a load for a custom 280AI build and I plan on testing two different Barnes bullets before anything else.