Dedicated disciples of hunting cartridges defend their chambering of choice in hunting camp each year. However, many experienced sportsman will tell you that the bullet matters more than the cartridge. In actuality, the best results come from pairing a particular bullet with a cartridge well suited to maximize its strengths and minimize its downfalls. Both work together, balancing trajectory with on impact performance. We’ll look at some of the attributes to take into consideration below.
Bullet Expansion
First off, in order to ensure strong performance we have to know what makes a bullet fail. Barring a few obscure problems, there are two common reasons hunting bullets fail; They are going too slow, or they are going too fast. These two extremes have profound yet different effects on bullet expansion.
Too Slow
When a bullet is going to slow the bullet may not expand on impact. This causes the bullet to behave like a full metal jacket and pencil through, creating a small wound channel and slow blood loss. How slow a bullet can go before this happens depends on the bullet design. Generally, if a bullet is travelling 2000 feet per second on impact most hunting bullets will expand. Bear in mind, different cartridges with different bullets hit this threshold at drastically different distances.
Too Fast
On the other hand, a bullet may also fail from a very high impact velocity. Extremely high velocity bullets are prone to blowing apart on impact, especially if they hit bone. Bullet design determines the maximum speed the bullet can withstand. Tough, controlled expansion bullets will handle a close range shot from a high velocity magnum better than softer cup and core bullets.
Simply put, for good expansion a bullet needs to be moving fast enough to expand but not so fast that it blows apart. Since the cartridge determines the muzzle velocity, pairing a bullet with the right cartridge is imperative. Guaranteeing expansion is the most important part of cartridge and bullet selection.
Twist Rate
Another consideration for those handloading for factory rifles is picking a bullet that your rifle can stabilize. Many new long range or copper bullets won’t stabilize in older cartridges with slower factory twist rates. Fortunately, most manufacturers will advertise a bullets minimum twist rate on their website. Verify before working up a load in order to avoid wasting time and money only to find out your rifle can’t stabilize the projectile.
Target Game Animal
The final consideration is the target game animal. A good moose load and a good deer load are not the same. Tailor your choices to your target animal and hunt style. With this in mind, below I’ve given some of my preferred bullets and cartridges for some common hunting scenarios. My recommendations are for the average deer or elk hunter.
Open Country
First off, when hunting longer distances for medium sized game such as antelope and deer, the minimum expansion velocity is important because shooting long is more likely. Conversely, it is much less likely for a deer to spook suddenly at 30 yards. Cartridges like the 270 Winchester, 280 Ackley, 6.5 PRC, 7 Rem Mag, and the 6.5 Creedmoor paired with softer high BC bullets such as the Hornady ELD-X, Sierra Gameking, or Berger VLD all would all be good combinations for these types of hunts.
Mixed Terrain
Next, hunting mixed terrain is similar to open country in that there is the potential to have to shoot long. However, there is one fundamental difference. There is a real chance that a critter stands up at 25 yards. Close encounters often don’t give the hunter the luxury of waiting for that perfect broadside shot. A tougher bullet that can shoot through a shoulder at near muzzle velocity is a real asset in this terrain. Regardless, the bullet still needs to be aerodynamic and the cartridge needs to have the velocity for longer shots as well.
For this type of general hunting the 30-06 family of cartridges really shines. A 30-06, 280 Ackley, 300 Win Mag and 7 Rem Mag are all good choices. For deer the 6.5 PRC and 270 Winchester are also excellent. For this type of hunting a bit of a heavier bullet is an asset for penetration on poor shot angles, so I would favour 27, 28, and 30 caliber cartridges over 26 and under. Good bullet pairings would be bonded bullets like Nosler’s Accubond, Federal’s Terminal Ascents, and the Swift Scirocco. Another option, particularly for the higher velocity cartridges, is some of the new modern all-copper bullets such as the Barnes LRX and the Hornady CX.
Dense Woods
Finally, in densely forested areas, most shots are in close. The risk of bullets going to slow is virtually non-existent, however, bullets can certainly go too quickly. Because shooting at distance is not a concern, you can opt for a slow, heavy, soft bullet, or a fast tough bullet depending on your preference.
Some great slower cartridges for in close hunting are the 30-30 and 45-70 loaded with cup and core bullets like the Remington Corelokt, Hornady Interlock, Winchester Powerpoint, and Feredal Powershok. A lot of the short action cartridges like the 243 Winchester, 6.5 Creedmoor, 7mm-08, and (it pains me to say this) 308 Winchester are also excellent here. For the short action chamberings in close the Nosler Partition is a hard bullet to beat. The Barnes TTSX family also offers a bullet that holds together well on close shots and tough angles.
Closing Thoughts
There are literally thousands of combinations when selecting a cartridge, rifle, and bullet. Finding the right ones for you is a matter of research, experimentation, and personal preference. The recommendations above are some of my starting points when I am picking out a bullet and cartridge for a specific hunt. In all fairness, hunters have more options now than they could ever need, and most will get the job done. But when that buck steps out into the open its reassuring to have confidence that you have a cartridge and bullet tailor made to get the job done.