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No Ripp, I use 160 grain Noslers in my 270 WSM. (about 3050 FPS) Never 130s. In fact my R-1 Benelli shoots "about modified choke" with 130s

I do not like to shoot rifles that go much faster then 3000 FPS.

I use "heavy for caliber bullets" in most of my rifles.

In my 25-06 I use 120 grain bullets. About 2900 FPS
In my 6.5X54 Man/Sch I use 160 grain bullets. 2250 Fps
In my 270 Winchesters I use 150 grain bullets (2950 FPS) in 2 of them and 130s in one. The one I shoot 130s in is on it's 3rd barrel, and that barrel shoots 130s into groups 1/2 the size of 150s, so I use 130 grain bullets in that rifle, but only bonded core, partitions and X bullets. It kills deer and antelope just fine with Remington 130 gr, but can be a bit hard on meet at 150 yards and closer. With X bullets it is fine and the meat damage is less. Of all my hunting rifles, this is my fastest, at 3100 to 3140 FPS.
In my 30-30 I use 170 grain flat point (at about 2050 FPS)
In my 308s I shoot mostly 180 grain bullets. About 2500 FPS
In my 30-06s I use 180s and a few 220s (2700 fps and 2500 fps)
My two 300 H&Hs I use 200 and 220 grain bullets. (2850 and 2700 FPS)
In my M1 Garand I use 150 grains so I can use the sights as they are calibrated. (2800 FPS)
My 8X57 uses 170 to 200 grain bullets. (2650 and 2400)
I no longer have any rifles in 338 cal, 348 cal or 358 cal. I have had all of them and killed game with all of them, but I find that I used them less than I was using others so I sold them.
I have used 270 gr and 225 Gr in my 9.3X74R, but I am going to 250 and 286 grains now,(These run at 2650 and 2400) all bonded or Partitions. My experience with the Speer 270 grain was awful, and I am seeing some complaints now about the Hornady 286 grain.
My 375H&H is on it's 2nd barrel. I use both 270 (2680 FPS) and 300 grain bullets,(2550) but mostly 270 grain.
I have sold off all my rifles larger then 375 now. I have not seen them do anything better than my 375H&H in N. America, and I would guess I am not going back to Africa ever.

As you can see, super velocities do not impress me much.

In my time in the military I used a bolt action M40 (Remington 700)and M118 Match ammo with 173 Gr bullets at only 2550 FPS. It was just fine out to 800 yards. At 1000 it was a bit of a problem from time to time and I would have liked something a bit faster, but I still did OK with it. Now that I am not shooting on the tax-payers money and I have to buy my own guns and ammo, I use what I like instead of what I am given.

But as a gunsmith I have made LOTS of super mags for customers. I mean LOTS. I zero all of them, and in most cases I do load work with them too. I know quite a lot about long range shooting and I have done more than my share.

I don't do it anymore. Not on anything living. I can shoot to 500 with no problems at all, and I can do that with some of my "slow" rifles. Game animals are not my enemies and I care about making clean kills and never wounding. I respect the animals I hunt. If they were enemies I could not care less where my bullet hit them, as long as they can't kill me or a friend of mine. Gut shot is fine.

For shots to 500 meters I am fine shooting with anything I use that has a scope on it. I don't shoot at game anymore past 300 with irons. I am a good enough hunter that the self imposed 500 meter limit is really not much of a limit at all. In the last 20 years of hunting all over the western USA I have yet to have a problem getting within 500 of an animal.

I do not care if someone else feels different. I just don't do it myself any more. I have made a lot of kills out past 600, and some well past, but to me it's just not fun. I am man enough to admit there is an element of risk for wounding at long ranges that grows exponentially as the range increases and even when I was at my best, that risk is still there. I see no need to subject game to that.

But that's just me.
Others may do it as they see fit.

Edited by szihn (03/12/16 12:49 AM)

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