Re: non lead
I have the same problem you do with these Condors. Even though there has never been a condor killed in CA by lead poisoning we have this "knee jerk reaction" law that says because it is possible for a condor to ingest lead from a gut pile we have to ban lead ammo.
Anyway...I use the Barnes 168 gr. T-TSX. It has a great BC at .470 and I can shoot 1/2 MOA out to 300 yards with it in my Savage 10 FP .308 win. if I do my part.
JBM Ballistics Calculator says this about the 168 gr. Barnes T-TSX and the 175 SMK. I put 2700 fps velocity for both.
T-TSX ----------- SMK
100 0 ----------- 0
200 -4.0" ----------- -4.0"
300 -14.4" ----------- -14.2"
400 -32.2" ----------- -31.7"
500 -58.7" ----------- -57.6"
I don't know about you, but a 1" difference at 500 yards seems pretty negligable
My loads are Laupa brass, CCI BR-2 primers, and 44.1 grains of Varget. COAL is 2.810" and velocity is right at 2700 fps. This load is accurate and devastating. I have taken two whitetails in OK with it and one pig in Monterey county. Here is a pic of the pig and the recovered bullet.
The recovered weight of the bullet was 167.0 gr. and it has an expanded diameter of .601". The pig was quartering away when I shot and the bullet hit about 4" behind the rib cage on the left side and traveled the length of the body, destroying the liver and lungs, and came to a rest under the armor plate in the front right shoulder. All in all it was about 32" of penetration.
My buddy uses the Nosler E-tips to great effect. He took two pigs on the same trip with a .270. Both were broadside shots and were complete pass throughs. They were devastating as well and are very accurate in his Tikka T3 lite.
Either bullet is a good one and I'm sure they will both shoot lights out. There is also the Hornady GMX. I have no experience with these but I am sure they work just as well. I don't think you will be dissappointed with whatever bullet you choose.
