Different bullet weights - What advantages?

[Frenchieboy]

There is always a lot of discussions about the different bullet weights on here some of which I understand and some I don't so could someone please explain a couple of things to me please?

For instance I always "standardise" on 17g in Hornady V-Max for my 17HMR (I hasten to ad that I seem to do very well with them) but I was advised to try the 20g for it as they were less likely to suffer from deviation from the wind - Does that 3g really make that much difference, especially as the RFDs that I go to just don't stock the 20g and I am finding them hard to come by without having to travel miles.

Likewise I have been using (Mainly) 100g Privi Partizans in my .243 as I was able to get 3 boxes of them for £9.50 a box, which I thought was a very good price compared with some makes of .243 ammo. My rifle seems quite happy with them and they give me a more than satisfactory group now the barrel has started to settle down. I was given 10 rounds of Winchester (CXP2) Silver Tips in 100g which I have found that my rifle loves and they have a devestating effect on foxes - I shot one and would not have dreamed of taking a photo as it was a head shot and half it's head was completely missing - Very messy but very dead. However these Winchester Silver Tips are extremely expensive compared to the Partizan ammo and would make my shooting more restrictive due to my financial position if I had to pay for them.

Someone suggested that I might like to try a lighter round in the .243 for foxing, something around a 60 - 70 g bullet, could someone explain to me (And to others with a similarly restricted knowledge of balistics) what the advantages or disadvantages there are in using a lighter bullet - especially as these " lighter" .243 bullets are harder to locate around this area.

[wymberley]

Hi,

I often think that we're spoilt for choice. If we find a round that we can afford and does the job well, do we stop there? No, we fiddle. And why not? I do and enjoy it and am in the middle of a major one with the Hornet. Problem is, like you, I'm not made of money. I was lucky and was given a good ballistic tables CD (Sierra). Now, it's not the be all and end all because you still have to check the results in the field but what they do do superbly well is to cut down the time spent guessing and the expense of buying rounds that you can now be reasonably sure won't suit BEFORE buying them.

Cheers

[al4x]

Its the benefits of a .243 Frenchie, mine seems to shoot well between 56grains and 100. The basics are a lighter bullet you can fire faster and flatter which when you couple it with a ballistic tip tends to be devastating on foxes and smaller winged vermin. The only issue in theory is you will get more wind drift, I've got some 56 grain that seem to be amazingly accurate and also some 75 grain Vmax for foxes so will decide between the two as time goes on.

heavier bullets that travel a bit slower especially soft points are better on deer as they penetrate better without the drastic damage you can get with Vmax. I shot a muntjac with silver tips I won't be shooting another as it was just too messy, excellent on foxes but not on anything to eat.

The other bonus about very fast light vmax's is the safety issue they tend to smash themselves up on impact so ricochets are unlikely.

[garyb]

I favour the lighter bullets for foxing...

 

Of course there is no reason why you can't shoot 100grn at them... after all, your not going to eat them afterwards!

 

For me the pro's in using lighter "varmint" bullets are...

 

a - Flatter shooting

 

b - More likely to break up on impact than heavier bullets (Safety)

 

c - Expand much more rapidly ensuring a clean kill by rapid energy transfer

 

d - Low recoil

 

I shot a dog fox at a little over 200 yards last night between the eye's with a 75grn V-max, with a rough 186yard zero (1 inch high @100) I was able to simply point and shoot.

[henry d]

Lighter is flatter and faster so not much to worry you regarding hold over/under. However larger bullets will tend to buck a wind better.

 

As regards the HMR, the difference may be only 3gn, but it is comparable to the differnce between an 85gn and a 100gn.

[casts_by_fly]

actually the difference in the HMR is in favor of the 17. Both the 17 and the 20 have the same published ballistic coefficient, but the 17 is going significantly faster. You'll have less drift in the 17 than the 20.

 

With the 243 (and other centerfires with widely varying bullet weights) the lighter bullets are faster at the muzzle and flatter out to 250 yards or so. Between 250 and 350 the heavies catch up and past 350 the heavier bullets with higher BC typically shoot flatter.

 

Thanks

Rick

[pavman]

you also need to match the round with the twist rate to get the best results some rifles cant shoot light rounds as the twist is for heavy rounds for Deer work for example

[Dekers]

In simple terms (like for like) lighter bullets go faster and have a flatter trajectory, but they run out of steam quicker, then drop off quicker at distance and don't carry their energy as well.

 

I struggle to see much difference in a 17g and 20g HMR as the heads are different, either FMJ or HP in the 20g and Ballistric tip in the 17g generally.

 

Other factors ALL ROUND, are BC figures and head TYPE, this can make as much or more difference than weight, and to add to all that your barrel twist will favour some over others!

 

[jamie g]

well heavier bullets buck wind better what you got to look at. is how far you will be shooting.

will you be shooting at a distance where your making the heavier wind bucking rounds count ?

 

remember most foxes are shot up to a range of 200 yards most the time even with a little wind this should bother the lighter rounds.

 

imo i think for foxing 70 to 75 grain round in the 243 is a very good choice. the 58 v max isn't that much flatter then you think at 300 yards to a 70 grain bullet.

the 70 will buck the wind better over this range if need be.

 

it will hit harder and also less recoil then if your using the 100 grain bullets.

 

the 70 grain blizkings out a mates 243 is deadly or a 75 vmax out a 6br both expand very very well on fox.

[Redgum]

I dont use 20grain hmr anymore as I was finding the bullets not expanding like the 17's,maybe it was just the winchesters. There is the theory that the heavier bullet will buck wind and penetrate better but I'm not convinced as the bullets tend to go straight through.

As for 243, most has been said previously, V max tend to be accurate or any other fibre tipped bullet.

[kent]

Don't be confused weight and BC are generally linked by length and shape weight being a biproduct of this. making a .243" shoot flatter is not realy an issue at the ranges most foxes and deer are shot at there is little to choose between them. As regards windage again sub 200 yds not an issue (200yds is a long way to call a shot at night especially).

Now the big one "bullet construction" this is of primary importance i have some 55grn 6mm blitzkings these are primarilly developed for blowing up woodchucks etc. and giving the lowest ricochet factor, too fragile for foxes IMO but a 55grn bullet designed for a .22 centrefire similar to the sako gamehead or nosler partision might be suited to roe (not all bullets are catogorised by weight but the link is there calibre to weight) however in general 55-57 grn 6mm bullets are for little furry things 70-75 grn for fox and 95-100 grn for deer, over 100grn for taget work with different twist rate barrels - IN the .260 rem though 95 grn 6.5mm bullets are varmint bullets so again constuction not weight is the issue, notice the calibre to weight link!

 

Having used the .243" extensively i would say avoid the lighter stuff for fox as it will at times break up and wound badly when it hits big bone and avoid 100 grn deer stuff generally as it can sneek between ribs and pass through without expanding (fox goes down but then gets up and runs off to die slowly)they all die but you will only find just over half dropping on the spot. the 70-75 grn stuff is what you want for foxing though this is too fragile for heart lung shooting on deer, again it breaks up too greatly on bone and also wastes loads of meat.

 

The best Fox and roe deer bullet from my experiance is the 95 grn solid base Nosler balistic tip. Not too fragile on deer and not to solid for fox. If it was only a few days on deer a year i should re-zero and shoot 100 grn seirra pro hunter, nosler partision etc on all deer and the aforementioned 70-75grn on fox