Jacketed Hollow Point Performance Comments

[tinkerfive]

If you read my Hunting and Range post you know that I took a deer this year with a 7.62X39 that I built earlier this year.

The first deer rifle I bought is a Winchester 70 in 30-06 and I've always used Rem core-lock's .

There isn't much choice in commercially loaded 7.62X39, so I was using the JHP.

 

There was enough fur around the entrance that I really didn't take much notice until I skinned the deer to butcher.

 

OMG! The thing must have exploded on contact. There was at least a 1.25" hole just under the skin.

 

I'm used to a .30 entrance wound and maybe a .60 exit if it hits a bone.

 

It's like the JHP expanded as soon as it penetrated the fur.

 

I didn't know that the JHP would expand that quickly.

I didn't think that it would perform SOoooo differently.

 

So what are your preferred bullet selection (and why) on deer size game.

 

Tinker

[Brenden]

Those JHP's are pretty dealdly. I used to use them in my muzzloader, a .45 bullet 180grain over top 82 grains of FFG. Any more than that the light bullets would sling everywhere, but that combo has taken a "few" deer up to 125 yards. I'm now using 250grain T/C JHP sabots over 120 grains of powder. (i shoot a t/c 54 cal.)

 

Its hard for me to step away form serria Spitzer soft points. 125 grainers in the 308 for rock chucks, least i can say is total devestation out to about 275 yards, anything past that its just a tiny hole, but they are equally dead.

 

For deer, i love the 140 serria in the 7 mag, the one i shot this year had a 1/4" entrance hole with about a 2" hole coming out his ribs. I tired to test out my 87gr Hornady hollow point ammo today on deer with my .243. 300 yards is a long way to try to neck shoot one. I used them on ground hogs, and i think i loaded them too hot, its like hitting them with a FMJ. They fly 10 feet backwards, but run it off for a ways.

 

Ballistic tips, i hate them. Used to use em in the 7mag before i started handloading. Deer were dead right there, but if i'd taken anything but a neck shot, meat loss would have been substantial. There deadly accurate, but unnecessary.

 

Partations are ok. I used them for a while in the 243, but found that penetration was marginal. explosion was execellent, but usually pass through one shoulder and stop at the other. This was at less than 100 yards, i expected complete pass through at that range, although i know if i don't get complete pass through thats ok cuz the bullet has used up all its energy and done its job correctly but i like pass through, i'm wierd like that. Shot a young doe at 125 yards with one through the neck, NO PASS THROUGH! thats crazy, my forarm was thicker than her neck, and thats sad.

 

All i can say is I love serria soft points, and have a growing romance for JHP's in my smokepole. Sorry i've rambled so much, nobody is home and the little woman done went to bed for the night.

 

Brenden

[FC]

It didn't hit bone? That would be a terrible mess. I guess you'll be going soft points now?

[roscoedoh]

Tinker,

 

If I understand, you used hollow point factory 7.62x39 ammo to kill your deer with? Something like the hollow point Wolf I shoot in my SKS?

 

As I understand it, this stuff isn't really made to hunt with. What these bullets don't have, that Core Lokts and other soft nose bullets do have, is a bonded core. This prevents the jacket from seperating from the lead core on impact and keeps the bullet from blowing up. This is an essential to get the good penetration needed for a good clean kill. The hollow points are more like Sierra Matchkings which do not have a bonded core. They're very accurate and lots of guys hunt with them. However, they tend to explode on impact instead of penetrating to the vitals which might result in a wonded animal running off...which is never a good thing.

 

I would be leary about hunting anymore big game with these. There is softpoint 7.62x39 available on the market and I would hunt with that over to hollow points any day.

 

That's my $.02.

 

-Jason

[cold shot]

In my 8-06 I use rem pspcl's 185grs w/ IMR 4064 . makes a clean kill to 280 yds on russian boars here in Nor-Cal..I have had good luck with Nos 180gr bt/bt's but the rems seem to hold together better. I haven't tried the nos parts in 200gr yet but am saving them for the bruises coming from the 8mm-300mag. I use hdy 125 sp's for jacks here, devistation for sure out to 325 yds. past that I can't see to hold steady even w/ a 12pwr scope..just my 3 cents..DAve

 

[ken98k]

I shot a moose in 1998 with 150 grn Barnes X from a 30-06. It was a broad side shot at 90-100 yards so antcipated the bullet exiting.

What I did not anticipate was the size of the exit wound, it was literaly big enough to put my fist into the chest cavity! You wouldn't expect that from a nearly solid bullet.

 

Side note; On that trip I logged 1,100 river miles on my jetboat.

 

Kenny

[tinkerfive]

Tinker,

 

If I understand, you used hollow point factory 7.62x39 ammo to kill your deer with? Something like the hollow point Wolf I shoot in my SKS?

 

>>>>>>

Yes T.

>>>>>>

 

. What these bullets don't have,, is a bonded core. This prevents the jacket from seperating from the lead core on impact and keeps the bullet from blowing up. This is an essential to get the good penetration needed for a good clean kill. J.

 

>>>>>>>

Well that is kind of what I was trying to say regarding 'blowing up'.

Once I got the skin off I could tell that it expanded immediately upon touching flesh even before it hit the bone.

It stayed together well enough that it was a through and through. Enough energy was expended that the exit was

actually smaller than the entrance. The core-locks tend to drill right through on the entrance until they hit something

solid like bone. Then on the other side of the bone you see more damage.

I do my own butchering so I've observed how the core-locks perform many times. T.

>>>>>>>

 

However, they tend to explode on impact instead of penetrating to the vitals which might result in a wonded animal running off...which is never a good thing. J.

 

>>>>>>>

Based on what I saw the core-locks would have far more 'wounded animal' potential than the JHP.

Unless the core-lock hits something solid it could pass through only making a .308 hole where it would appear

that the JHP almost guarantees expansion.

There were no fragments to be found. Due to the immediate expansion the entrance wound was several times

what I've seen with the core-locks and the exit wound roughly equal. T.

>>>>>>>

 

I would be leary about hunting anymore big game with these. There is softpoint 7.62x39 available on the market and I would hunt with that over to hollow points any day. J.

 

>>>>>>

Don't worry, this isn't going to become my bear gun, in fact I wouldn't take it even for deer anywhere there was a

potential for a 150 + yard shot. T.

>>>>>>

 

-Jason

 

 

FC "It didn't hit bone?"

 

>>>>>

It did, but from my butchering experience ( above ) I could tell that it had expanded before it got to the bone. T.

>>>>>

 

[Spiris]

tinkerfive, I'm thinking that you do not reload and guess that you used factory loaded 123-125 gr HP bullet. They do make heavier SP bullets in that caliber and maybe you can try some of them for accuracy if you can find them. They should perform much better on deer. It will be much like the 150gr 30-30 loads that the '39 is close to in performance. The 30-30 has been doing it well for over a hundred years.

 

I revisited your H&R post and realized that you have a .308 barrel (from 30'06) which would be great if you reloaded. A nice 150 gr ballistic tip bullet would be the cat's a$$. 2200-2300fps is easily attainable out of that round with that weight bullet.

 

Congrats on your successful hunt this year, and many more.

 

Spiris