What is the best hunting round? - Page 2

Shuak · 04-25-2008, 04:02 PM

Is this something you have done MS?

tbonecpk · 04-25-2008, 04:12 PM

Also Federal Fusions do wonders. I've shot 180 grains through an 03a3 and woohoo lol. great expansion (even at close range) and yeah.. shot a doe with it at roughly 10 yards and well it looked like a bomb went off inside (dunno if it was due to the very close range or the efficency of the round)

SwedeSteve · 04-26-2008, 02:44 PM

Winchester 180gr Metric SP would work.

Shuak · 04-26-2008, 02:51 PM

Sure are alot more 7.62x54r rounds out there than I thought. Seems to be a lot of Winchester ammo around my area for the Mosins. I will more than likely get those. Big 5 has them for around 15.00 for a box of 20.

Geo M44 · 04-26-2008, 04:42 PM

That's pretty good as around here they are $21.95 a box. Make sure you keep that brass... or send it to me.

I also reuse the plastic separaters for the realoding bench. Winchester is the only manufacturer still using plastic, all the rest have gone to paper. But at $7-$10 more a box I guess they should.

Mosin Shooter · 04-26-2008, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shuak

Is this something you have done MS?

yeah, I do it for hitting woodchucks at ranges under 50 yards.

I see one go and get some HP ammo and lock and load.

Killed quite a few doing this.

Mike82 · 04-27-2008, 10:25 AM

hey man....after you check out those lightweight 163gr SP's....go check out the silver bear SP's, they are 203gr. They leave their mark on their target....I found out they are very accurate at long range shots. Without a bipod for stability, and laying prone, i actually hit the same tree at 750yds....big ole oak tho, but still, first time shooting the rifle scoped since i bore-sighted....figured i'd use the distance chart to figure the amount of elevation change since the 100-yrd boresight. Clicked the elevation a few times....fired, hit a branch high up in tree....clicked a few more times, fired, hit tree about 8ft off ground...sighted in on that spot, which happened to have removed some bark so i could actually see where i hit. Very carefully resighting each time i reloaded, i ended up getting 5 out of 10 rds in a 6inch grp, in all 10 rds, i got a 13inch grp, but that was adjusting my position mostly. I ordered an adjustable bipod and will try again. Hope this info helps some.

Shuak · 04-27-2008, 11:08 AM

Yeah it does. Thanks Mike. Do the soft points have good expansion when they hit? I want similar performance of a HP but I don't believe anyone actually makes HP for these rifles.

andrew cochran · 04-27-2008, 11:13 AM

Soft points are good for deer hunting.

Shuak · 04-27-2008, 11:19 AM

What about elk?

andrew cochran · 04-27-2008, 11:23 AM

I'm sure they work just fine for elk also.

minkowski1552 · 04-27-2008, 10:46 PM

My m44 shoots best with 203 gr Silver Bear. 4" groups at 120 yds. I shoot with the bayonet off.

Shoottathril200 · 04-27-2008, 11:03 PM

I've used Norma 180 grain in my M38. Prefer the M38 due to no bayonet or bayonet mount for the extra weight factor. After hiking around a couple of days the M38 feels a lot lighter.

Geo M44 · 04-27-2008, 11:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shuak

Yeah it does. Thanks Mike. Do the soft points have good expansion when they hit? I want similar performance of a HP but I don't believe anyone actually makes HP for these rifles.

I don't remember seeing any HP factory loads from any of the reasonable priced suppliers.

If you reload then HP is an option. All of my MN's like the .311 Sierra 174gr HPBT Match. A little pricy at ~$33 per 100, but a nice round.

Mike82 · 04-28-2008, 03:36 PM

this is how it works with HP, SP, and FMJ....thicker/denser the target, longer expansion u want, so if SP expands correctly with white tail, then you wouldn't wanna use HP on elk, it might expand too quickly and not penetrate enough to kill it quickly....then you got to get to tracking him down. Just do some experimenting, and check for the NTSP's....mostly those are custom formed SP's. It stands for 'Needle Tipped Soft Points', looks like they mostly take SP bullets, melt the tip, and add a lil lead to end then form it to a sharp point. Supposedly it allows for a deeper penetration. I've heard they're over 203gr, and they're labeled as 'big game' ammo. A local gunsmith told me about them, he's gonna start selling them soon. I may do some experimenting myself and reform me some rounds, see how they pan out....at least with staying tru to target. I'm always looking for a new 'project'.

Also, I'm gonna grab some HP rounds for a similar calibre, and pull a bullet or 2 and see how they're formed....might be able to 'clone' some HP's that were originally SP's. Since the SilverBear SP's are so cheap.

I'll get back with all the details if/when i dont forget.

andrew cochran · 04-28-2008, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike82

this is how it works with HP, SP, and FMJ....thicker/denser the target, longer expansion u want, so if SP expands correctly with white tail, then you wouldn't wanna use HP on elk, it might expand too quickly and not penetrate enough to kill it quickly....then you got to get to tracking him down. Just do some experimenting, and check for the NTSP's....mostly those are custom formed SP's. It stands for 'Needle Tipped Soft Points', looks like they mostly take SP bullets, melt the tip, and add a lil lead to end then form it to a sharp point. Supposedly it allows for a deeper penetration. I've heard they're over 203gr, and they're labeled as 'big game' ammo. A local gunsmith told me about them, he's gonna start selling them soon. I may do some experimenting myself and reform me some rounds, see how they pan out....at least with staying tru to target. I'm always looking for a new 'project'.

Also, I'm gonna grab some HP rounds for a similar calibre, and pull a bullet or 2 and see how they're formed....might be able to 'clone' some HP's that were originally SP's. Since the SilverBear SP's are so cheap.

I'll get back with all the details if/when i dont forget.

What diameter is the bullet?

Shuak · 04-28-2008, 04:39 PM

Thanks Mike.

marion57 · 04-28-2008, 07:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by andrew cochran

What diameter is the bullet?

I would be reluctant to shoot over a 203 grain bullet in my mosins..Besides I dont see the point a 203 bullet will kill about anything in north america and the colony to the north hehe
anything over 203 is over kill in my humble opinon

Mike82 · 04-28-2008, 11:32 PM

the 203+gr ammo i think he said should be about 208gr. and i dunno the calibre of the new NTSP's, I'm guessing they're prolly same as w/e bullet they added it to....tho the one i saw at his store for display had a brass shell....which makes me wonder if they're using winchester.....god i pray they dont, or i wont be able to afford em at $1+/round......regular win SP's are $1/round here, and u can get reloads for $.75/round. The win SP's i have all measure between .309-.312....which is a noticeable difference. Maybe my micrometer is wearing out.

04-25-2008, 04:12 PM	#22
tbonecpk Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: San Diego Cal Posts: 1,590 Blog Entries: 2	Also Federal Fusions do wonders. I've shot 180 grains through an 03a3 and woohoo lol. great expansion (even at close range) and yeah.. shot a doe with it at roughly 10 yards and well it looked like a bomb went off inside (dunno if it was due to the very close range or the efficency of the round) __________________ "Speak softly but carry a big stick" -Teddy Roosevelt

04-26-2008, 02:44 PM	#23
SwedeSteve Thor's Hammer Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Alaska Posts: 10,346 Images: 1	Winchester 180gr Metric SP would work. __________________ Thank God we don't get as much Government as we pay for! -Will Rogers

04-26-2008, 04:42 PM	#25
Geo M44 Senior Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: The Desert Posts: 2,197	That's pretty good as around here they are $21.95 a box. Make sure you keep that brass... or send it to me. I also reuse the plastic separaters for the realoding bench. Winchester is the only manufacturer still using plastic, all the rest have gone to paper. But at $7-$10 more a box I guess they should. __________________ Remember when seconds count... the police are only minutes away.

04-27-2008, 10:25 AM	#27
Mike82 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Vicksburg, Mississippi USA Posts: 1,027 Images: 7	hey man....after you check out those lightweight 163gr SP's....go check out the silver bear SP's, they are 203gr. They leave their mark on their target....I found out they are very accurate at long range shots. Without a bipod for stability, and laying prone, i actually hit the same tree at 750yds....big ole oak tho, but still, first time shooting the rifle scoped since i bore-sighted....figured i'd use the distance chart to figure the amount of elevation change since the 100-yrd boresight. Clicked the elevation a few times....fired, hit a branch high up in tree....clicked a few more times, fired, hit tree about 8ft off ground...sighted in on that spot, which happened to have removed some bark so i could actually see where i hit. Very carefully resighting each time i reloaded, i ended up getting 5 out of 10 rds in a 6inch grp, in all 10 rds, i got a 13inch grp, but that was adjusting my position mostly. I ordered an adjustable bipod and will try again. Hope this info helps some. __________________ No Trespassing! Violators Will Be Shot! Survivors Will Be Shot Again! Last edited by Mike82; 04-27-2008 at 10:27 AM. Reason: cant type :D

04-27-2008, 11:13 AM	#29
andrew cochran Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Little town in ARKANSAW! Posts: 2,155	Soft points are good for deer hunting. __________________ If you don't have anything good to say... Don't say it!

04-25-2008, 04:02 PM	#21
Shuak Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: ctrl,alt,del Posts: 183	Is this something you have done MS?

04-26-2008, 02:51 PM	#24
Shuak Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: ctrl,alt,del Posts: 183	Sure are alot more 7.62x54r rounds out there than I thought. Seems to be a lot of Winchester ammo around my area for the Mosins. I will more than likely get those. Big 5 has them for around 15.00 for a box of 20.

04-27-2008, 11:08 AM	#28
Shuak Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: ctrl,alt,del Posts: 183	Yeah it does. Thanks Mike. Do the soft points have good expansion when they hit? I want similar performance of a HP but I don't believe anyone actually makes HP for these rifles.

04-27-2008, 11:19 AM	#30
Shuak Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: ctrl,alt,del Posts: 183	What about elk?

04-27-2008, 11:23 AM	#31
andrew cochran Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Little town in ARKANSAW! Posts: 2,155	I'm sure they work just fine for elk also. __________________ If you don't have anything good to say... Don't say it!

04-27-2008, 10:46 PM	#32
minkowski1552 Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 41	My m44 shoots best with 203 gr Silver Bear. 4" groups at 120 yds. I shoot with the bayonet off. __________________ "There is always a bigger fish." - Qui-Gon Jinn

04-27-2008, 11:03 PM	#33
Shoottathril200 Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: New Mexico Posts: 50	I've used Norma 180 grain in my M38. Prefer the M38 due to no bayonet or bayonet mount for the extra weight factor. After hiking around a couple of days the M38 feels a lot lighter.

04-28-2008, 03:36 PM	#35
Mike82 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Vicksburg, Mississippi USA Posts: 1,027 Images: 7	this is how it works with HP, SP, and FMJ....thicker/denser the target, longer expansion u want, so if SP expands correctly with white tail, then you wouldn't wanna use HP on elk, it might expand too quickly and not penetrate enough to kill it quickly....then you got to get to tracking him down. Just do some experimenting, and check for the NTSP's....mostly those are custom formed SP's. It stands for 'Needle Tipped Soft Points', looks like they mostly take SP bullets, melt the tip, and add a lil lead to end then form it to a sharp point. Supposedly it allows for a deeper penetration. I've heard they're over 203gr, and they're labeled as 'big game' ammo. A local gunsmith told me about them, he's gonna start selling them soon. I may do some experimenting myself and reform me some rounds, see how they pan out....at least with staying tru to target. I'm always looking for a new 'project'. Also, I'm gonna grab some HP rounds for a similar calibre, and pull a bullet or 2 and see how they're formed....might be able to 'clone' some HP's that were originally SP's. Since the SilverBear SP's are so cheap. I'll get back with all the details if/when i dont forget. __________________ No Trespassing! Violators Will Be Shot! Survivors Will Be Shot Again!

04-28-2008, 04:39 PM	#37
Shuak Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: ctrl,alt,del Posts: 183	Thanks Mike.

04-28-2008, 11:32 PM	#39
Mike82 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Vicksburg, Mississippi USA Posts: 1,027 Images: 7	the 203+gr ammo i think he said should be about 208gr. and i dunno the calibre of the new NTSP's, I'm guessing they're prolly same as w/e bullet they added it to....tho the one i saw at his store for display had a brass shell....which makes me wonder if they're using winchester.....god i pray they dont, or i wont be able to afford em at $1+/round......regular win SP's are $1/round here, and u can get reloads for $.75/round. The win SP's i have all measure between .309-.312....which is a noticeable difference. Maybe my micrometer is wearing out. __________________ No Trespassing! Violators Will Be Shot! Survivors Will Be Shot Again!