All over the internet there are discussions about which cartridges are best for which animals and what styles of hunts. Oftentimes people will devote hours of research picking the perfect cartridge, only to buy the cheapest box of ammo at their outfitter. This is asinine because out of all the pounds of equipment that hunters drag into the woods, the bullet is the only one that directly interacts with your quarry while it’s alive. Proper bullet selection can greatly affect how deadly your particular cartridge is both on impact as well as during flight. This article breaks down the basics of the different types of hunting bullets on the market.
Types
There are four distinct categories of hunting bullets, all of which accomplish different things. The four types of bullets are varmint bullets, cup and core bullets, bonded bullets, and monolithic bullets. In addition, there are a host of ‘match’ bullets. These ‘match’ bullets are designed specifically for target shooting. As such, they don’t prioritize terminal performance. When used on game performace is similar to varmint bullets. On large animals this typically leads to inconsistent and often disappointing results.
Varmint Bullets
Varmint bullets are the most lightly constructed hunting bullets. They have a very thin copper jacket and often a hollow or polymer tip. Designed for hunting small critters, Varmint bullets expand explosively on impact. The violent expansion is further driven by the prevalence of varmint bullets in high velocity cartridges, such as the 22-250 and the 220 Swift.
While the rapid transfer of energy leads to spectacular damage upon impact, these bullets tend to have very little penetration. As such, it is wise to only use varmint bullets on small animals such as groundhogs, rabbits, and up to coyotes. These animals are small enough that minimal penetration is necessary to reach the vitals. Trying to shoot a large animal like an elk with a varmint bullet runs an enormous risk of connecting with a bone and failing to reach the vitals. Some popular varmint bullets are the Nosler ballistic tip, the Hornady VMAX, and the Winchester Varmint X.
Cup and Core Bullets
The next type of bullets is the cup and core bullet. The oldest style of bullet, the cup and core bullet is basically a copper jacket with a lead core sitting inside and an exposed lead tip. These bullets typically have a thicker jacket than varmint bullets, which helps them stick together long enough to penetrate to the vitals. Typically after penetrating into the animal cup and core bullets will fragment, causing damage internally as the jacket and lead core tear up. This helps lead to fast killing on thin skinned game.
On the other hand, there is a risk that on truly large game a cup and core bullet may fragment before entering the cavity with the vitals and may dump its energy too early. However, if you subscribe to the theory that a bullet should dump all of its energy into its target, cup and core bullets are likely your bullet of choice. Some popular cup and core bullets are the Federal Powershoks, Winchester Super-X, Remington Corelokt, and the Sierra Gameking. Another benefit of cup and core bullets is they tend to be cheap to manufacture.
Controlled Expansion Bullets
As we move up the toughness scale to bonded bullets, we enter the range colloquially known as controlled expansion bullets. Bonded bullets are very similar to cup and core bullets with one important distinction. When bonded bullets are manufactured, the copper jacket is molecularly fused to the lead core. This eliminates much of the fragmentation, causing the bullet to stick together, retain its mass, and penetrate deeply. These bullets still expand, but they do not blow apart dumping energy like cup and core or varmint bullets. Some popular traditional bonded bullets are the Federal Fusions and the Nosler Accubonds.
An additional subclass of bullets uses a partition to separate the expanding front from the penetrating rear of a bullet. Depending on the bullet and the manufacturer they may also be bonded. These bullets behave much like classic bonded bullets. Some popular examples of this style of bullet is the Nosler Partition, the Swift A-frame, and the Trophy Bonded BearClaw.
Monolithic Bullets
The final category of bullet is the monolithic bullet. These bullets don’t contain any lead. Instead, the entire bullet is copper alloy. Monolithics virtually never fragment, and maintain 99 percent of their weight while passing through an animal. Most all-copper bullets will have a petal system where the front of the bullet peels back after impacting its target. The most desirable attribute of monolithic bullets is their ability to penetrate through even the toughest bone and muscle. Pass-through shots are the norm with monolithic bullets. The most popular monolithic bullets are the Hornady GMX, the Nosler E-tip, the Federal Trophy Copper, and of course the Barnes TTSX.
Closing Thoughts
There are a myriad of hunting bullets available. As such, selecting the right one for your hunt is as important as choosing the right cartridge. The quarry, potential shot presentations, and desired level of penetration must be considered before selecting a projectile. As a word of advice, I have never found myself wishing I had selected a bullet with less penetration. Unfortunately, the reverse is not true. You owe it to yourself and the animal you are chasing to select a quality bullet and make an ethical shot.