Hunt Talk Radio - Look for it on your favorite Podcast platform

.308win and monolithic bullets

I'm guessing CC means lead core. Something about bullets. They are designed to work a certain way. Some can certainly fail now and them but generally the bullet seldom fails, the shooter does. Take a lead core varmint bullet and try to endo an animal and likely your gonna be disappointed and blame the bullet. Take the right bullet and poorly place the shot and again your gonna be disappointed and blame the bullet. Take a monolithic bullet and miss place it and again, blame the bullet. In each case the shooter is to blame, not the bullet. The 308 is very poor past 300 meter's. The only way it will work is if the shooter properly places the bullet. Shooting out that far and more is all about shooting, if you fail, don't blame the rifle or cartridge, the next guy might just make it work! I know nothing to speak of about monolithic bullets other than it seems you have to go down in weight with them. My guess why would be a 150gr mono bullet might need to be seated to deep in a case. But a heavier 165gr lead core bullet driven at about the same speed as a 130gr mono will deliver more pounds of energy till some where going through the animal. Reason being the lead core bullet loses weight penetrating and the mono doesn't. Normally a mono entering will deliver about the same energy all the way through the animal. The lead core bullet will expand and actually lose weight penetrating. Two things penetrate velocity and weight. 130gr mono should exit with the same energy it enters with. 165 gr partition is designed to maintain 70% of it's weight so it will exit with less energy than it enters with. Bonded bullets, at least Noslers, are designed to maintain 70% of their weight. But here's the kicker, most all of them on a chest shot will exit the animal unless something heavy is hit. So with that in mind, really doesn't matter what bullet you use as long as you can shoot it well and place it well. Wouldn't phase me one bit to shoot at game with a 130gr mono bullet. What phases me is the cost of the bullets!

I should add that a 165gr lead core bullet that loses 30% of it's weight penetrating weights, in theory, 115.5 grs. That means somewhere penetrating it's energy and weight dropped below the 130gr mono bullet.
Poor past 300? That's crazy talk. Unless you mean the 130 grain bullet, but you didn't say that. ;-)

178 grain precision hunter ELD-X Is traveling 1900 FPS at 500 yards, well within the velocity expansion window for that bullet. Not that energy is a great determining factor, but it's got 1400 ft-lbs at that range.
 
Just out of curiosity Does any one else shoot the tsx 168 grains? They are super accurate for my 308 and have shot 3 elk with them, all from 300-350 yards with great results
 
I would not hesitate to use the 130gr TTSX out of a .308 on elk out past 300yds. I use 150gr TTSX and have never needed a followup shot. I have killed elk further than what the numbers say should work. I use the 150s because I couldn't get my hands on 130gr when I was setting up my rifle. They shoot great and perform better than what the "numbers" say they should. I have killed enough animals with it that I have complete confidence in the bullet. I prefer as close as possible shots and 95% of them have been 200yds and under. The rest ...well they were just as dead and the bullet performed its job.
I am going to work on a 120gr TTSX load for my wife's 7mm08 and would shoot an elk with it without worry.
 
A 130ttsx leaving at 3200 FPS (or faster) is still cruising 2300fps at 400 yards with 1500 flbs of energy. I have no experience with that particular bullet on elk, but if my son ever draws an elk tag that’s what he’ll be using (unless the hammers shoot better).
 
I have a .308 that I am planning to use for elk hunting. I am very interested in switching to monolithic bullets for both deer and Elk. My initial plan was to shoot 165's. Do you think I should step down to 150's? Also I was looking into the Federal premium trophy copper ammo, does anyone have experience with it? Any comparisons with the TTSX which seems to be popular.
 
I sent a couple 168.gr ttsx handloads into some ballistic gel yesterday. 2705 fps. at 30' with gel at 100'. I got 31" penetration. Weight retention was probably 90%. I didn't weigh it.View attachment 216058View attachment 216059
Looks like you lost a bunch of petals. I've had the same experience with that particular bullet, firing it into water jugs. I know Barnes makes it to open at lower velocities. I wonder if that makes it more likely to shed petals?
 
Looks like you lost a bunch of petals. I've had the same experience with that particular bullet, firing it into water jugs. I know Barnes makes it to open at lower velocities. I wonder if that makes it more likely to shed petals?
I don't know,,, I haven't shot the 168 into anything live. I've shot plenty of 120 gr 6.5 and even more 62 gr and they have all come out like picture perfect mushrooms. I was wondering if the gel was too soft compared to live piggies and deer to make them expand correctly.
 
I shot the same load in GMX too but lost the bullets out through the top of the second block. I need to hold them down a little better. I have some videos that I'll post later.
 
Just out of curiosity Does any one else shoot the tsx 168 grains? They are super accurate for my 308 and have shot 3 elk with them, all from 300-350 yards with great results
I have a few boxes of them for my new rifle but have not hunted with them yet. Looking forward to it though!
 
I have a .308 that I am planning to use for elk hunting. I am very interested in switching to monolithic bullets for both deer and Elk. My initial plan was to shoot 165's. Do you think I should step down to 150's? Also I was looking into the Federal premium trophy copper ammo, does anyone have experience with it? Any comparisons with the TTSX which seems to be popular.
I shot the Trophy Coppers out of my 300wm before I started reloading. Don’t remember the weight. You do generally step down with copper bullets. I now shoot Hammers, 166gr. Have not shot TTSX. I was pleased with the accuracy of the Federals. I shot two animals with them but can’t say anothing about long range performance because 50 yards was the longest shot. I shot a cow elk at 50 yards and performance was awesome, went 15 yards and dropped. I later shot a small bodied buck at like 20 yards. Was a good vital shot but deer went probably 200 yards and blood trail was lighter than expected. I’m guessing the bullet didn’t open up, but I wouldn’t blame the bullet for that. I think every copper bullet out there would struggle to open on a small deer at 20 yards with a 300wm. Gun was overkill but all I had at the time.
 
I get the whole max speed and light recoil for people/ kiddos shooting
deer , hogs, antlope with .308 110gr ttsx, but that’s mighty light and low B.C for medium size game
but with the green wiener movement/ California and other states wanting to ban lead , I am perplexed why the ammunition manufacturers don’t offEr more ,less weight and more speed, in monolith .308win choice is slim, 110, 130 , federal premium 150 tsx , then it’s all heavy and slow 163 sako , 165 barns, 168 corbon, 180 DMX . if you don’t reload your out in the cold 🥶
 

Forum statistics

Threads
113,413
Messages
2,020,255
Members
36,161
Latest member
Dontlookback
Back
Top