Thread: Match bullets for hunting deer

It's not that complicated - heavy-for-calibre ELDMs and TMKs work really well for killing stuff. HPBT match bullets are inconsistent. That's it.

Originally Posted by gimp

It's not that complicated - heavy-for-calibre ELDMs and TMKs work really well for killing stuff. HPBT match bullets are inconsistent. That's it.

Hmm so what about the Targex projectiles? they seem to do very well across the board on deer sized targets? The targex is widely used in the target shooting and benchrest disciplines.

Originally Posted by zeropak

Hmm so what about the Targex projectiles? they seem to do very well across the board on deer sized targets? The targex is widely used in the target shooting and benchrest disciplines.

I've been running 69gr hollow point rebated boat tail projs in the 223 for about a year now. They shoot well and are very expansive down range. Thats on goats and fallow deer.

Originally Posted by zeropak

Hmm so what about the Targex projectiles? they seem to do very well across the board on deer sized targets? The targex is widely used in the target shooting and benchrest disciplines.

3. Depends, what is the bullet.

On HPBT bullets, the hollow point part isn't necessarily a design feature that's there to promote expansion, it's an artifact from the way the jackets are drawn up around the core during manufacturing. They can be as small as a pinprick so it's hardly a gaping "hollow point" like you'd think of in pistol rounds.

On *hunting* HPBT's, the jacket is thin enough to be fragile, or the tip will have a cavity underneath it... or some other design tweak meant to better ensure you get some expansion.

It's not a consideration on bullets like the SMK and so they might not have it. Look at 30cal - Sierra do a 175gr Match King and then a 175gr Game King - they have identical outside geometry - the differences are on the inside.

When an SMK expands, good chance it will work much like any other ELD or TMK. But there is a higher chance that it won't work. The polymer tips over the large hollow points on the ELD's and TMK's basically guarantee they will do something useful.

Originally Posted by zeropak

Hmm so what about the Targex projectiles? they seem to do very well across the board on deer sized targets? The targex is widely used in the target shooting and benchrest disciplines.

The guy who makes them is smart (Bryn). Consistent target jackets (Berger), hand pressed for precision, core formulated for reliable hunting performance.
They are a NZ product we can be very proud of.

Originally Posted by zeropak

Hmm so what about the Targex projectiles? they seem to do very well across the board on deer sized targets? The targex is widely used in the target shooting and benchrest disciplines.

Within the group of "HPBT Match bullets" that is overall inconsistent, the Targex do work well in my experience

Originally Posted by gimp

Within the group of "HPBT Match bullets" that is overall inconsistent, the Targex do work well in my experience

Yep Fair call. The interesting thing is that the common denominator which relates to poor performance of the HPBT bullet is not the actual hollow point. We have Targex and Berger bullets with a hollow point design working very well on game, then we have the ELDM's and TMKS which are not hollow point but are primarily designed as a "Match " bullet. So we can safely say that construction and/or match specific design with regard to poor performance do not somehow appear to be consistent across all bullets.