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very few projectiles will expand at subsonic speed.....you can get big long ones to tumble.... and VERY soft ones to open a little...cast HPs will expand the same as a powerpoint .22lr as they pretty much duplicate them...or you spend the big $$$$ for lehigh jobbies.
I run the speer 145gr hotcore soft point in my bush pigged(19"bbl) 284. Unsure re speed but shot well out to 350yds(as far as I have tried) then tried it on a good sized pig last week which it smashed at 50m~. Hard to beat soft points
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I give a big vote for the 120 NBT at all ranges out to 400 yards. Ive used them for many years, and the good old 120 Sierra before that.
They group well at 400 yards too :) (18" barrel 7/08 A7)
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+1 for the 120BTip I load them for a couple of guys in 7mm08 they work well.
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I used the 139 Sst for a long time in my 15 inch 7mm08 but experienced blow ups a few times on close range goats that put me off. I ended up shooting 162 eldms and they preformed really well. They were going slow as anything but tbh I think that helped. On the bush pigs topic I have short barrels on most of my rifles and if you shoot within reason there is no reason they can't do a good job at range. I have a 16 inch bergara that I use for tops hunting regularly. When I was loading for it I used a 225 eld m at 2250fps to great effect out to 450 yards but now just use factory 168 ELD M loads at 2620fps and they also do great. I've come to find the eldms seem to do very well when the velocity is kept down.
To note though I always shoot to break the shoulders as I hate running animals as the bloodshot meat lost is nothing compared to losing the whole animal if you cant find it before dark and it sits overnight with its guts in during summer.
For a bush load on average sized reds and the japs I used the 139 gr Hornady FP (flat point) bullet loaded at 2,750 fps. That bullet was made for the 7/30 Waters (a 30/30 necked down to 7mm) in lever action rifles. Great performing bullet. Haven't seen them around for at least 20 years now though.
