The choice of ammunition is crucial when choosing hunting equipment. Using the right bullet for the type of animal one will be hunting will significantly boost the chances of a swift, painless kill, even though no bullet can promise a one-shot kill. Not all bullets are intended for hunting; different bullets are developed for different tasks.
As costly ammunition is likely to be loaded with better components and produced to higher quality standards, price is a relatively accurate indicator of quality. Although premium hunting bullets and ammo are more expensive, their effectiveness against animals is worth the added cost. This post will discuss what to look for in hunting ammo and which ones you shouldn’t use in the game.
The Ideal Bullet Follows Nine Factors
• Cartridge – Except for target shooting troubles and hand loading problems, body type doesn’t much affect performance, whether long and thin, short and fat, tapered or straight, slope-shouldered or pointed. Cartridges are powder reservoirs with bullets already attached for hunting, eliminating the need to force anything down the muzzle. The quicker a bullet weight can be pushed, the larger the powder reservoir must be. As quicker bullets should resist higher impact pressures, the bullets need to be more robust and more complex.
When fired at a target at 1,400 feet per second (30-30 Win. at 300 yards), a soft, pure-lead, 150-grain cup-and-core bullet has a lot less energy than when fired at 2,400 feet per second (300 Win. Mag. at 300 yards), which has 1,900 foot-pounds of energy. With cup-core bullets, the longer the bullet, the more likely it will remain intact and penetrate deeply.
If hunting with a shotgun, slugs and buckshot can be effective inside 100 yards offering plenty of stopping power. Sometimes multiple follow up shots are needed to ethically take down the game you are hunting. Be sure you have the most capacity in your shotgun tube you can have in order to have ample capacity in case you need it. There are also many other accessories and parts that can be added to your shotgun to make it the most effective for the hunt. You can check out www.rxarms.com for all the items you need for your shotgun.
• Rifle – It will affect the speed of the bullets. Pressures and speeds tend to rise in tight chambers and rugged barrels. Shorter barrels offer less velocity than longer barrels do. Please consider 30 fps per inch.
• Shape – High ballistic coefficient projectiles that are long and sleek retain energy far more effectively than short, round-nose or flat-nose bullets. Ineffective bullet designs waste energy on air resistance. At 300 yards, a 150-grain round-nose bullet fired from a 300 Win. Mag. maintains just 1,180 foot-pounds of energy, which is 720 f-p less than a bullet fired from a spire point of the same weight. It is critical to use high B.C. rounds for maximum energy, minimal drop, and minimal wind deflection.
• Impact distance— Even the quickest bullet slows to 30-30 speeds at some downrange distance. When calculating cartridge requirements, take into account the expected maximum shooting range. It is essential to choose ammo that can withstand close-range shots with high impact speed and energy while expanding properly with low impact speed and energy complex.
• Hunting Technique – For those looking into shotguns for hunting, finding the best Shotgun Loads at ProArmory ensures optimal performance and effectiveness in various hunting scenarios. A soft bullet should be adequate and fire precise broadside shots behind the leg. One needs a heavier bullet when punching through the shoulder or lunging forward from behind. High B.C. and high velocity aren’t as crucial for shots under 250 yards as for long-range shooting. Bullet BC and velocity become more crucial when planning to shoot from 300 yards or further.
• Target Distance- One should accurately estimate a bullet’s impact speed when not firing a shot farther than 150 yards, 300 yards, or 400 yards. This will help in deciding on the bullet’s build or type.
• Accuracy – Evaluate a rifle’s inherent accuracy with different bullets while using a stable bench rest to reduce the possibility of human error. Be unconcerned with accuracy within an MOA. At 400 yards, any rifle or round that can keep all rounds inside 8 inches at 100 yards will do the same. Try accuracy by shooting at quarry-sized targets while standing, kneeling, or assuming actual field positions.
The distance at which one can always hit a target is the same size as the crucial region of the game one is hunting should be the maximum range. This maximum range thus shows the impact velocities the bullets will experience. Although pinpoint precision is wonderful, don’t sacrifice it for a too-soft or hard bullet.
• Quarry – This factor ought to have a significant impact on the hunting bullet when choosing. The more complex or regulated the bullet’s growth should be, the bigger the game. This isn’t because projectiles with the regulated expansion pack a bigger punch. They do so because they prevent frontal expansion, keep most of their weight together, and penetrate further as a result. One requires a robust bullet when piercing a moose, eland, zebra, or bear’s hair, hide muscle, and has heavy bones.
• Shot angles – How well bullets penetrate to reach the vitals depends greatly on shot angles. High-impact soft cup-and-core bullets shouldn’t be trusted to penetrate significant muscle, bone, or the gut to reach the chest cavity.
Weight-for-caliber bullets that are longer and heavier in any calibre tend to penetrate more effectively than those that are lighter and shorter. The best penetration is achieved by bullets made of solid copper, such as Barnes TTSX, bonded partition, Swift A-Frame, and Federal Trophy Bonded Tip. Each is compatible with specific impact energies and speeds.
No single hunting bullet is perfect in every situation. Feel free to use different ammunition for various types of games and hunts. One can use a broadside behind-the-shoulder bullet on elk hunts, followed by a magazine of deep penetrating shots.
Conclusion
When choosing hunting bullets, the critical factor to consider is whether or not the rifle can shoot them correctly. Due to the individual nature of each rifle barrel, some will prefer one type or weight of bullet over another. Discovering what the rifle enjoys requires trial and error at the range.
Before settling on a specific kind of bullet and ammo, test out three or four bullets to discover which one an individual’s rifle prefers. As long as one uses a premium big game hunting bullet that’s substantial enough for the game one is chasing, it is better to use the most accurate bullet in the rifle.