Hunting & Fishing Varmit bullets and whitetails?

[Moof]

Who has taken deer with 110 Varmageddons out of a 300 blackout? Sure there are better suited bullets for the task but I'm hoping to stick with these for both deer and home defense to help simplify things. I'm running them around 2200 fps and shots would be 10 to 150 yds at the neck and behind the shoulder. Obviously my main concern is will I have enough penetration at closer angled shots before it fragments to much to get to the vitals and that hardy shoulder bone. The very few things I've read about these bullets is that they "tend" to mushroom better than the vmax at blackout (low) velocities.

 

[HousePlant]

If you hit bone, they could frag before they get into the vitals and you'll end up injuring the deer and, if it dies that day, you won't find it.

Grab some proper soft points better intended for hunting deer and do a quick zero before the season, or get yourself a second scope.

Be ethical, not lazy.

 

[Burning sensation]

I have not used a 300 blackout, but all varmint bullets are made to react the same. I used 55 grain bullets out of a 22-250 and then 110 grain out of a 308 for several years. They worked very well for the neck shots, but I never took a heart/lung shot. I did a couple heart/lung shots on hogs with a 90 grain varmint bullet out of a 6.8, and they did ok. I know the animals died quickly, it was just hard to track and find them without an exit wound (I hunt in thick brush). I lost several.
I switched to tougher bullets once I cut long clearings that allowed for longer shots where I was not comfortable going for the neck.
I would stick to neck shots with varmint bullets.

 

[SupressYourself]

For best results, use the tool designed for the task. This concept applies to bullets as well.
i.e. All bullets can kill, but for best results, use a proper 'big game' bullet on big game.

 

[jpspeeddemon]

I've shot 3 whitetails that weighed about 125-150 punds field dressed at 350 yds using a 22-250 w/ 50gr ballistic tips going 3800fps mv. All 3 deer ran 50 to 100 yds with well placed shots to the lungs and none had a noticeable blood trail. I wouldn't use varmint bullets again. Also, how big are the deer you expect to shoot?

 

[Lange Carabine]

It would probably get the job but there's better choices, especially if you handload.

 

[deersniper]

Get Barnes black tips unless you are shooting a pile of long legged rats

 

[M_R_Woodard]

At blackout velocities you would probably be fine.I have killed 9 or 10 deer with the 125 sst out of a 300 blackout. It is a very accurate and deadly bullet. My youngest son has killed both of his deer with it.

 

[AE287]

Yeah, I would actually lean more towards that bullet than a “big game bullet.” I would be concerned a big game bullet might not expand well at those velocities. Most of the .308 caliber big game bullets are probably designed to be fired at around 2,800-3000 FPS. I don’t work for an ammo manufacturer, but I would expect that since that is the velocity of .308, 30-06, etc. I know someone who hunts with a 30-30 pistol and pushes 130gr ballistic tips at probably a pretty similar velocity to you with good success on deer.

 

[AE287]

Or maybe try an SST if you don’t want to shoot the true varmint bullet. They are known to expand rapidly

 

[Mike Casselton]

125 Nosler Ballistic Tip will do the job at that velocity

 

[Lange Carabine]

According to Nosler reloading guide #4 BT's will reliably expand at velocities as low as 1460 fps.

 

[PinesAndProjectiles]

Put it in their ear and it won't matter.

Oops, wrong thread.

 

[coldboremiracle]

I put a 25 cal 75 gr Vmax through a doe once out of my 25-06. Busted both shoulders and exited, dropped dead right there.

 

[jpspeeddemon]

I put a 25 cal 75 gr Vmax through a doe once out of my 25-06. Busted both shoulders and exited, dropped dead right there.

How far was the shot?

 

[coldboremiracle]

How far was the shot?

maybe 80-100yds

 

[jpspeeddemon]

maybe 80-100yds

I think that makes a difference. I just didn't see the same kind of performance on deer at 350 yds.

 

[coldboremiracle]

I think that makes a difference. I just didn't see the same kind of performance on deer at 350 yds.

Well of course there's a difference. I thought it was very strange for a varmint bullet doing 3000+ fps to not explode on impact. But instead, hold together through two shoulders. Doing such a thing at 350 seems much more likely as the bullet will have slowed down significantly, and less likely to come apart on impact.

 

[Old Coach 67]

I have used varmint bullets in 243, 25-06, and 308 to cull deer in locations that a pass thru bullets is not acceptable.
ie golf courses.
Head and neck shots at close range work well. Most work was done at night with night vision scopes and suppressors.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

According to Nosler reloading guide #4 BT's will reliably expand at velocities as low as 1460 fps.

"Expansion" usually means anything beyond the original diameter of the bullet. It may expand reliably beyond 1460 fps, but that expansion may be inconsequential. Here is a GMX example to show what I mean. There is a huge difference between the expanded bullet on the left which is fully expanded and the bullet on the right that is expanded, but pitifully so. It will reliably do that at lower velocities, but is that really accomplishing the intended goal?

 

[Lange Carabine]

"Expansion" usually means anything beyond the original diameter of the bullet. It may expand reliably beyond 1460 fps, but that expansion may be inconsequential. Here is a GMX example to show what I mean. There is a huge difference between the expanded bullet on the left which is fully expanded and the bullet on the right that is expanded, but pitifully so. It will reliably do that at lower velocities, but is that really accomplishing the intended goal?

View attachment 7405422

What your failing to take into consideration is that all 3 bullets in your illustration ARE "fully expanded"...for the given IMPACT VELOCITY which you conveniently omitted.
Look at page 42 in the Hornady 10th edition load manual, you know, the one you likely lifted the above images from, and you'll see that the "fully expanded" bullet on the left is representative of an impact velocity of 3400 fps.
The "pitifully" expanded bullet on the right(which exceeds your above definition of expansion BTW) is representative of an impact velocity of 2000 fps and is in all probability the lowest impact velocity in which this particular bullet will give reliable and consistent expansion on game animals.
So, given a low end impact of 1460 fps, a 125, 150 or 165gr BT launched from a .300 BLK at 2000- 2100fps would still give reliable expansion out to around 300 yds or a tad farther.
Even a 180gr, assuming it could be started out at 1800fps, would still expand out to around 200 yds.

 

[E-Tool]

I use varmint rounds for deer hunting in my 223, works great. Not a blackout though, I got rid of mine due to them not dropping where I wanted them too. Deer are friggin heavy.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

What your failing to take into consideration is that all 3 bullets in your illustration ARE "fully expanded"...for the given IMPACT VELOCITY which you conveniently omitted.

I didn't omit anything I didn't intend to say. However, I am not going to apologize for a lack of expansion due to reduced velocity. Yeah, the bullets may be fully expanded for their relative impact velocities, but pitiful and or pathetic amounts of expansion don't help with creating tissue damage.

Your relativistic perspective reminds me of the painter that said he would paint an entire barn for a rancher. When the rancher was notified the job was done, he showed up and discovered that nothing was painted above the 7' line. The painter demanded full payment because he painted the entire barn that he could reach. Those are your reduced impact velocity bullets, just not getting the job fully done.

 

[Lange Carabine]

I didn't omit anything I didn't intend to say. However, I am not going to apologize for a lack of expansion due to reduced velocity. Yeah, the bullets may be fully expanded for their relative impact velocities, but pitiful and or pathetic amounts of expansion don't help with creating tissue damage.

Your relativistic perspective reminds me of the painter that said he would paint an entire barn for a rancher. When the rancher was notified the job was done, he showed up and discovered that nothing was painted above the 7' line. The painter demanded full payment because he painted the entire barn that he could reach. Those are your reduced impact velocity bullets, just not getting the job fully done.

^ If you cant dazzle them with wit,
Baffle them with bullsh!t...
Go troll somewhere else professor.

 

[Catman711]

A friend of mine shot a nice buck with 110 V-Max. Heart/lung shot at 10-15 yards. Small entry hole and no exit, but it turned the heart and lungs into mush.
It ran about 30-40 yards and drooped, only a couple drops of blood on the ground.

I have shot a few with the Barnes 110 and 120 black tip. Get a nice exit wound and blood trail, most don't go far though.

Now I use the Lehigh 194ME @ 1000 fps. It leaves a blood trail a blind man could follow.

 

[Mike Casselton]

I've shot deer and hogs dead on the spot with 6mm 65gr Benchrest bullets out of a 14T 6-BR. They leave the 21-3/4" barrel at 3445fps.

Shot distances 30-90yds.

They should disintegrate, and some times they do. The critters never know that they've been hit.
The same bullets were terrible on prairie dogs over 100yds.

Not the right bullets, but they worked.

 

[WB300]

110 Vmax in 308 going 3000+ fps has made jelly of deers internals. I don't know if you could get them close to that velocity in the Blk. And I wouldn't take a shoulder shot. All dropped DRT.

 

[Lange Carabine]

110 Vmax in 308 going 3000+ fps has made jelly of deers internals. I don't know if you could get them close to that velocity in the Blk. And I wouldn't take a shoulder shot. All dropped DRT.

Reminds me of a cousin that used to kill deer with a .30-06 and 110gr factory loads back in the day. Head shots only. Sure did a number on them. Not much left but the bottom jaw and sometimes the ears.

 

[Mike Casselton]

110 Vmax in 308 going 3000+ fps has made jelly of deers internals. I don't know if you could get them close to that velocity in the Blk. And I wouldn't take a shoulder shot. All dropped DRT.

300 BO won't do that or even get near it.
A 30 BR will though.
Mid 2900s with H-4198 and a 22" barrel.
125 Nosler Ballistic Tip should make 2850 without issue.

One of these days I'll install my 30 BR barrel and get some velocity numbers.