I would suggest most premium bullets are not necessary for deer-size critters. It's rare to shoot more than one or two shots in the field with the big boomers so why shoot five shots from the bench? I shot sub-1⁄2-inch groups at 100 yards with the 165-grain bullet using my .308 Winchester. Hornady InterLock. Please try again. Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2005 6:50 am . Automakers clearly indicate if your engine requires premium fuel, but you are on your own when deciding whether or not to buy premium ammo or bullets. So do some of the exotics, particularly nilgai and large hogs. They kill cleanly at close and long range and are available from .270 to .458 caliber in an assortment of bullet weights. I was unhappy with both. They are very accurate bullets with high ballistic coefficients. This bullet is a sleeper. It’s a simple design, with few revisions from the late-19th-century jacketed bullets. In his thick Scottish accent, Ronnie Hepburn asked me a simple question: “Can you shoot with all these midgies!?”. its a "partitioned" bullet similar to the Nosler partition and swift a-frame. Premium ammo usually comes down to premium bullets, so let's concentrate on projectiles. If you’re hunting bears on a budget with your .308 or .30-06, 165- or 180-grain Grand Slam engenders all sorts of confidence. North American critters such as elk, moose, buffalo and the big bears require tough bullets. the partition is a much older and proven bullet. While it might not have eye-popping B.C. Grand Slam jackets are four percent thicker than those on Speer's Hot-Cor bullets. I call it 80-percent bullets. Conversely, when are premium bullets not required? The bullets are very easy to find. Vernon Speer was a pioneer in the component bullet industry. Speer Grand Slam Bullets were developed to give hunters a tough, dependable bullet that would provide better integrity and retained weight retention over similar bullets. John Nosler's Partition, the original premium bullet. 3) Nosler Partition. The three current offerings are the X-Bullet, XLC with a blue moly coating and Triple-Shock. Long before the invention of bonding technology, the dual-core, partitioned jacket design of the Partition® bullet created the perfect blend of controlled expansion and deep penetration. Speer Grand Slam starting at $20 Optics Planet. The rifle I had didn't care for 130 or 140 gr. Evaluating a bullet's penetration and mushrooming capabilities can be done by shooting it into test mediums and comparing the results against different bullets. Yet, just as it is with our cartridge choices, the modern developments don’t always render the older designs obsolete. In fact, their tough jackets and cores do not function well at reduced velocities. Ammo: Is Your Hunting Bullet Lethal Enough? Top . Swift Bullets started the bonded, plastic-tipped boattail craze in 1999 with its excellent Scirocco. As usual, bullet construction and shot placement is the key. Get the latest news and reviews from Gundigest.com. These bullets are tough and reliable but not intended to retain a high percentage of their original weight. E-mail your comments/questions about this site to:ShootingIllustrated@nrahq.orgFor questions/comments about Shooting Illustrated magazine, please e-mail:Publications@nrahq.orgYou can contact the NRA via phone at: NRA Member Programs1-800-672-3888, To advertise on Shooting Illustrated, visit nramediakit.com for more information. Get the Shooting Illustrated Reloaded newsletter for at-a-glance access to industry news, gear, gun reviews, videos and more—delivered directly to your Inbox. Hornady InterBonds are some of the most accurate, reliable bullets on the market. If you have sticker shock check out the speer grand slam. Two exceptions to this are Barnes' bullets, particularly the Triple-Shock, and Winchester's Fail Safe. I have seen surface blow-ups, core-jacket separation and failure to expand, but these problems are very rare today. make a great all-around big-game load. NOSLER 90 Grain Accubond Spitzer Ballistic Coefficient .376 85 Grain Partition .315 90 Grain Ballistic Tip .365 SPEER 85 Grain Spitzer BTSP 0.404 BERGER 87 gr Match Grade VLD Hunting.243 87 0.412 0.211 10 Sierra Bullet Name Diameter inches Weight grains Sectional Density Ballistic Coefficients.243 dia. AccuBond bullets handloaded in the .338 Win. Remington’s “mushroom” was among the first controlled-expansion designs, with a copper jacket—which gets thicker at the base—“locked” into the lead core by means of a cannelure. Since I tend to buy my reloading components in batches, last time I really stocked up on my cache of these two Speer products about 6 years ago. This often happens with the Nosler Partition, one of the best bullets on the market. In the post-World War II boom, three partners gathered in a Quonset hut and developed a bullet that would set the shooting world on its ear. Perhaps on the other end of the spectrum, John A. Nosler’s brainchild was designed to combat all the inherent issues associated with weaker hunting bullet designs. I consider the regular Hornady interlock a much better bullet than the best Speer is making. With the old stag, which had been rolling in the peat while tending his hinds, facing head on at 245 yards, I leaned the forend of the graceful Rigby Highland Stalker on Hepburn’s pack, let my breath halfway out, gave the stag 6 inches of elevation and squeezed the trigger. DeepCurl rifle bullets are available in calibers and bullet weights from 80-grain 0.243 inches to 225-grain 0.338 inches. What is good enough for one shooter might be unacceptable for another. Finally, when the hide is removed, look at the offside to see what damage occurred under the hide. This often happens with the Nosler Partition, one of the best bullets on the market. Most of our kills with Barnes bullets do not result in large exit holes, but the internal damage is devastating. Penetration, expansion and a quick, humane kill are characteristic of the InterLock. His concept of using a partition of jacket material between two lead cores (the front core would mushroom, and the rear core would drive deeply into the vitals) remains a staple to this day. The AccuBond forms a mushroom very quickly and continues through the animal. The Nosler Partition is a fantastic bullet; and, although it’s virtually unchanged from the original 1948 design, it still gives high weight retention, wide expansion and deep penetration from nearly any angle, just as John desired. In other instances they are not necessary or are even a poor choice. Unfortunately, many individuals base their assessment of bullet performance on a sample of just one. I had noticed within the last year or so there was a very short supply of first the Grand Slams. Let's look at how uniform the bullets are in the box you have just purchased. The Speer bullet weighed only 86grs. I still shoot five-shot groups but drop to three-shot groups when assessing large magnum calibers. Nosler Partition 257 Caliber 100 Grains SP 50/Box Bullets 17% OFF! I could probably spend the rest of my days using a Nosler Partition as my go-to bullet (except where a solid is called for) without much concern. The 250 Speer GRAND SLAM looks like it would be awesome - especially so in the short action 35s since it is a shorter bullet (more powder room) and well constructed. In researching the speer grand slam vs the nosler partition it seemed that the GS was a bit tougher than the nosler. 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