Hello Daryl_S

Thanks for the reply.

The Hornady Flex-Tip actually has about 855 ft/lbs energy remaining at 200 yards. However, after 150 yards the bullet drops like a stone. At a 150 yards the bullet hits about 4-1/2" below aiming point, so you only have to aim a tad higher on the animal. But at 200 yards the bullet drops an additional 13-1/2" which is about 18" below the aiming point. I don't like guessing "hold-over" so I'll limit my hunting with this rifle to 150yds.

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Here's an update from today's shooting test .... 4/28/18

I tried some Hornady 45 cal Flex-Tip bullets today. They weigh 325 grains, which is very close to the weight of one of the original bullets for the 11.6x65R which weighed 20.9 grams = 323 grains.

And what a welcome surprise! Not only did they "un-cross" but they grouped better than any other load / bullet combination tested. Also, because these bullets have a "point" as opposed to a flat nose, they have a higher ballistic coefficient. This, with the slight increase in weight, results in the ft/lbs of energy increasing by about 150 ft/lbs over the entire 150 yard range.

I'm done! This will be my "best load" for this rifle from now on. It took only 92 shots to come to this final grouping.