It's the first episode of our new monthly Fieldtester kit series, which comes with a whole Fieldtester section of the website devoted to shooting/hunting kit reviews. Visit Fcha.nl/fieldtester
In this film, Andrew Venables from WMS Firearms Training www.wmsfirearmstraining.comand Tim Pilbeam conduct the most comprehensive test of copper bullets they can, with as many rounds as they can lay their hands on, from manufacturers including Hornady, Lapua and RWS. Plus Jason Doyle shows how to give boots the test they need before you commit to buying them. We have gun horror stories from gunshop owner Marcus SImpson of SImpson Brothers in Cambridgeshire and Staffordshire gunshop owner Paul Hodson of Target Sports UK reveals which clay gun you can buy for under £500.
Here are the individual items:
Copper
Fcha.nl/copper-bullet-power-an...
For more from WMS Firearms Training, visit www.WMSFirearmsTraining.com
Boots
Fcha.nl/10-step-boot-fitting-g...
Exploding guns
Fcha.nl/hammergun-house-of-hor...
For more from Simpson Brothers, visit www.simpsonbrothersgunshop.com
Best clay gun for under £500
Fcha.nl/best-clay-gun-for-unde...
For more from Shooting Sports UK, visit www.shootingsportsuk.co.uk/
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Watching this from Texas and damn impressed with the content neighbors! Y'all keep up the good work, you should be proud.
Same here I'm impressed!
I live in Denmark. It's still legal to use and hunt with lead rifle projectiles, but I only use lead ammunition for training or vermin control. For deer I have used hornady GMX in both .223rem and .308win for several years now, works fine. One important thing is speed, and stability. A copper bullet is 20-30% longer than a lead bullet, in the same weight and caliber. If you use to shoot a 165-180gr. Lead bullet, you might have to choose a 140-150gr. Copper bullet to get the stability and terminal ballistic performance. Thanks for a great show.
I haven't personally verified it but it seems like the copper bullets hold together better than lead so a lighter bullet isn't lighter once it starts doing its job. Because copper bullets seem to need a little more velocity to expand maybe the lighter bullet is advantageous. I'm pretty disappointed in the selection here in California where non-lead is required for hunting. It seems like the stores stock a much wider selection of lead than non lead, even in hunting calibers like .270.
Copper seems to penetrate deeper than lead core bullets, even when they are lighter due to the nearly perfect weight retention.
Do you have a WhatsApp? Or a google hangouts? I’d really like to pick your brain about my experience with these solid copper rounds.
Wonder what the fact of a steel ballistic tip would have on the expanding characteristics of these
One of your best shows for being straight talking & straight to the point on a subject we know could possibly be a milestone in recreational hunting in the UK, this kind of work does keep us on the curve, hopefully ahead of the imminent legislation, good to see & good for shooting.
Another great program by the Fieldsports team, really enjoyed It looking forward to next month.👍
Just proves...hunters are a universal breed. Great presentation. Thank you, from Northern California, and am a major hunting/fishing retailer employee.
I've been hand loading and hunting with monolithic bullets like the Barnes TTSX for a dozen years up here in Alaska. I like the penetration, exit holes and terminal performance. For smaller game like Dall Sheep, Black Bear and Caribou, I use 130 gr TTSX with 4350 in .270 Win. For large game like grizzly bear and bull moose I use 180 gr TTSX or Nozler E-Tip with 4831 in .300 H & H Magnum.
300 H&H is a sweet caliber and a classic no one chambers for it hardly anymore
Been shooting and loading the TTSX and TSX for years. Never lost an animal in 30+ years… one and done! They have my full confidence with any animal I pursue… Barnes makes outstanding bullets!
@@marksanford3907 unless you hunt at longer distances
@@Dcm193 Ttsx are great at reasonable distances but aren't worth a whore's ass at long range when velocity drops from below 2000 fps or you gotta hit shoulder bone to initiate expansion ..i use nosler ABLR for distance
Nice to see a documentary from across the pond. Thank you. I learned something new today.
Two of my favourite rifle testers in one place could we have more collaborations like this
Great video. Look forward to many more Thanks to everyone involved
thank for the show! excellent info, hope we can keep it up!
Great video, thank you for showing the expansion results. I'm another USA viewer, and it's always good to get a peak into other cultures, especially when it comes to hunters. All those suppressors.. I guess we have our own legal advantages, but wow are we jealous of your availability of suppressors!
Thank you all!! Very good info there and it appears that Barnes are still ahead of the game, when it comes to mono metal projectiles. 👍😁
I have used cooper and brass bullets for 12 years now. Have shot 600 animals from 8kg roe-deer cub to 850 kg Eland. From 6,5mm up to .416. The results are just perfect! Thank you guys for this fantastic video!
You’ve killed an animal a week for twelve years, wow! I can’t afford your ammo, let alone your airfare!
@@Calqid no. Some times in autum more, some time in winter less then that.
Good, balanced and straight take on things. Cheers chaps.
Absolutely great video about the ammo, thanks for great information sharing with us.
Great video! I shoot Hornady 165 grain gmx out of my 300 win mag and love its ability to kill at terminal ranges. Great video for those that shoot copper. I personally would stick with a partition or bonded bullet for energy dump and penetration for game. I like the velocity of gmx bullets and the penetration with terminal distances. This video is awesome. Thanks for making.
Brilliant video and full of sensible advice! 👊🏻
17:12 Really appreciate the information from Dr. Doyle about testing new boots. This is a gem!
Well done and cheers from Canada 🇨🇦
Keep up the good work I've enjoyed your hard work
Was hoping for a few of these types of videos we'll done lads,
Brilliant insight! Thank you for the information.
Interesting video and discussion. Complete opposite of our bullet discussions here in central Wyoming, as far as weight and distances go. But still very well put together
Excellent piece on ammo. Thank you
As an American debating using copper solids I can't wait to dig into the data you've so kindly compiled. This will be helpful to bunches of us over here. Thanks Gents.
Do it, you won't regret it. I've taken Elk using Winchester Dear Season Copper Impact XP 150 gr and Nosler E-Tip 168 gr in my .30-06 from 150-400 yd. I got excellent accuracy and expansion from both.
Thank you so much for doing this know how expensive it can be to test all the copper ammo
Watching from the US, I'm impressed with this UK firearms content. Here, my 9mm hollow points in my everyday carry pistol use Barnes TAC-XP bullets which are very similar to the TTSX rifle bullets in this video, but for 9mm. In my testing they exceed the performance of the lead jacketed hollow point offerings available.
Except hst
10 minutes in and this is awesome!
The copper debate in North America (I'm in Alberta, Canada) mostly revolves around "low" velocity expansion. Almost everyone here (at least amongst those with a some knowledge and experience) freely admit that copper loads can be both accurate and devastatingly effective. The main objections almost always come from hunters who experience impact velocities that are lower than 2200-2300 fps. You somewhat address this issue by saying at 16:42, "it'll all work, it's a case of how quickly". This is true, but simply working is not enough. A pointed stick will work too. Having to follow a weak blood trail for miles, to find your half dead animal will work, but it's far from ideal. And if you can prevent such an outcome in advance, by choosing a different bullet, I'd argue that the, "it'll all work" attitude is actually unethical. You did show some some lovely expansion from a 300 Win Mag... But that was a Win Mag! Please don't get me wrong, copper bullets can be spectacular, if driven fast enough... But this video is implying that copper bullets, from medium sized cartridges, impacting at 250 meters, will work wonderfully and I for one don't think that such a blanket statements should be made.
Barnes LRX will expand well below 2200 FPS. Closer to 1800 FPS.
@@echofoxtrotwhiskey1595 You are correct. Perhaps, what I didn't make clear is that "will expand" and fully expand are two, very different things. Barnes claims that LRX bullets will expand down to 1500 fps, but if we're honest, that expansion is only about the diameter of the shank. To get full expansion (over 2x the shank diameter) the bullet needs an impact velocity of around 2200 fps (other factors, like caliber diameter and twist rate also impact expansion). Cheers
@@EdAb From what I’ve seen, 1500 is the floor, but 1800 will still get you larger than caliber. Not the magic 1.5 like everyone likes, but still an effective bullet if you put it where it needs to go.
I really enjoy your videos, and I’m in the States and I love my cooper bullets.
Great Video, thanks for fieldtesting the ammo
This is a great video and wonderful information
Funny to see the problems with Hornady. I have used copper the last years in my 243 win and 270 win. In my rifles Hornady was very good the first 10-15 shoots after this they where going all over. After cleaning the rifles with solvent etc they where ok aigen for the same 10-15 shoots. After this I got some Barnes TSX in both cal and I have never had a problem they work fine.
Great test well done
Very interesting video I learned a lot thanks very much guys and keep safe and keep going
Very very thorough, and bloody hilarious. The equivalent of an afternoon of ballistics speed dating! Quite impressed. As a thirty four year hunter of large whitetail deer, I cannot find even a slight difference of opinion on any that they express. Bravo!
Look at longer distances lead core wins
Great job gentleman!
I agree with your basic idea that copper bullets do expand. I also use TTSX. Years ago I read an article saying that plastic tipped bullets were made to stop deer in their tracks and prevent them from running off into nasty thorny bushes in Texas. I've noticed the expansion of tipped bullets is so great within 150 yds with a win 270 that the shoulder on the side of impact can't be used as human food. The expanding bullet dumps energy too quickly. In a morning hunt, I only use tipped bullets when the animal is about 250 yds or greater ( less energy dump) If it's a short distance I like to use soft lead tips here in Alberta Canada. They dump their energy further into the chest. they may wander a few yds but you can see them. The exception to the rule? Hunting deer at shorter distances at dusk (greater risk of not finding them with soft lead).
That was great Can we have more please!!.
I love the Hornady 308 Superformance. I'm always inside 150 yards. It does a great, very precise job. Better than lead.
I have been using monolithic bullets in South Africa since 2006 and love them in all my plains game rifles except my 222 Rem that I use as a calling rifle for jackal and caracal. The 50gr Vmax is then the choice of bullet to load.
I'm working up loads for the 6.5 creedmoor using the Hornady 120GMX and Barnes 130TSX. I have had awesome performance in 30-06 with Barnes ttsx on large whitetail here in the USA
I have used the Barnes triple shock and later variants of the same bullet since 2006 on mule deer in the western united states out of a .243 with 80-90 grain bullets hand loaded. longest shot to date was 650 yards, and the deer fell over where he was hit and gave 2 head throws before he was down and out. Even at 650 yards I never recovered the bullet, I only found 1 petal out of the 4 buried in a rib on the entrance side. And even on that particular deer it had 1 lung with a hole in it, one lung turned to gel and I couldn't find it other than pieces, and a ventricle of the heart was missing. I have used them on game as large as black bear as well as rocky mountain elk and with proper shot placement they work quite well. The point is don't be afraid to use all copper in the right load, and at least with the Barnes they expand quite well at any distance my rifle and I can shoot well while maintaining their weight.
I have a 300 ACC Blackout. I use copper bullets in Supersonic and Subsonic and they work very well. These bullets are made just for that weapon and the speeds that it is capable off. That is the key.
Great job 👍💯
Thanks for sharing!
Very informative 👏! Thank you!
Great job!!
Great video guys!! You presented a very well thought out process for testing and data collection in video form. No fluff or hyping up one company over another, just letting the collected bullets tell the entire story. I really like that you push the right horse for the course mentality when shooters/hunters select bullets before heading afield. The videos where guys have clearly selected the wrong bullet for the job, yet feel the need to get on KZhead and all out trash a bullet manufacturer(s), makes for terrible viewing, as well as shows the shallow mental capacity used during the initial bullet selection process in the first place.
Thanks Steve - we have a new episode of Fieldtester out tonight. / Charlie
I was shooting the hornady 270 eldx out of my 338 edge but found them a little explosive and sine this rifle is now my sub 700 yards elk rifle i switched to the 280 grain barnes lrx super accurate 3/8th inch or better groups at 100 at 200 yards group are still in the 5/8ths inch typically i use copper bullets as long as min impact vel is a min of 1900 fps and aim to smash bone plus i live smack dab in the middle of grizzly territory
Good job! In Oklahoma I can get shots from up close to way out there. 250 yards is not long range where I hunt yet in some parts of my state it would be. Good job!
Nice Video. Shooting lead free .308 since 4 years. Hornady gmx 150 grain 5 shot groups under 2 cm rad. In a browning x-bolt. On deer or boar, highseat, stalking or driven hunt. Satisfying results. Can you compare riflescopes for driven hunt please? Searching a cheap lightweight one with a simple cross and illumination about 1-6 mag.
Nice, simplified breakdown of data.
Nice to finnaly see video with exspansion for comparison.
Nice first episode. Excellent piece on lead free ammo. I've been wanting to try this myself, though I will be homeloading. As others have asked, 22rf lead free? What's available and how does it perform in the field. Notes a typo in the url for WMS Firearms Training in the description.
When using all copper bullets you must use the light for caliber and amp up the velocity . Non lead expanding bullets are game changers in the sense that it will transform your old 30-06 into a 300 WM inside of 300 yards. I have no reservations using a 150gr E-tip on an elk out of a 30-06 at 300 yards. 150 copper =180 lead performance without the lead flakes in your meat. 168gr= 200gr and 180 gr = 210gr in the appropriate rifle. Remember light for caliber. 130gr in a 308win, 150 gr in a 30-06, 168gr in a 30-06 or 300WM & 168gr & 180 gr in a 300WM+
Im no rockstar hunter compared to many of my friends though i spent almost 30 days hard hunting this year. i shot a huge doe a few days ago with a .223 Barnes TSX by Federal. she folded instantly, i opened her up, entrance wound was small, surprisingly small, 100yd shot btw, high shoulder shot, upon opening her up the devastation was amazing. exit wound was about the size of a baseball with a 55 grain bullet. Barnes projectiles are simply awesome at delivering energy and cavitation.
Well done very interesting
Great video. Happy to find this channel. I Live in Arizona
Thanks, Kevin. / Charlie
Great content and love that everything is suppressed. You can get them here in the U.S. but heavily regulated.
Lol they're VERY regulated there too
Illegal in Canada, because only criminals use them apparently...as if that stops them from getting them 😑
bcperry15 not really, send a form to the police with your license, they approve and you just go into a gun shop and buy one, no insane price tag too
@@Agri-WMH yeah I suppose, but I more so ment your access to that license is heavily regulated
USA "heavily regulated" means you get to throw a pile of extortion money at an anti-Constitutional government bureaucracy over a anti-Constitutional law, and by so doing, end up funding the very thugs that have zero intention of releasing such human rights restrictions and penalties. Besides the money, you give away your fingerprint data, have your background investigated by another bureaucracy, you wait a good 6 months (everybody jumped up and down when that came down from 12 months), and then you can have your barrel muffler.
A scientist here in NZ did a study on the effects of lead contamination in game meat,, she used kiwi hunters and families that eat a lot of game meat in her tests and it was alarming! One guy who was eating almost nothing but game was really contaminated. She highlighted a big difference between adults eating a reasonable amount of game meat and children eating the same. Shot with traditional bullets, adults could get away with a bit of lead but, children eating the same could not. She found that, even if you try not to eat anything within 4 to 6 inches of the shot damage there is still contamination. It certainly changed my mind.
Excellent!
Good test & result, thx
Looks like an honest review
Copper bullets were insisted on as an attempt to close shooting down, you can argue it any way you like but that is what most greenies were up to, attack the amunition. They have been bummed out because copper works just fine when you use the correct bullet for the job. Weight retention is better than lead and the petals that open up do outstanding damage internally.
Man, a lot of us just just want y'all to not eat as much lead
Nice conspiracy theory..
@@horseguy1230 Not a theory. Happened in New Zealand that way with shot gun shot ammo years before what got passed in California. Totally driven to stop duck hunting by the greens.
@@jonkirby1880 why do you care what another man uses to kill meat with? He's not making you eat at his table! Why don't you just worry about You and let others live there own life. Another words, Mind your own fuggin business!
@@southerntriplej8061 Some studies suggest that what you use to hunt with has environmental impacts that don't *just* harm you. Food for thought.
The Lehigh Defense Dangerous Game flat meplat solid copper bullets for Buffalo Bore brand are great bullets that penetrate straight and deep. It makes hunting handguns out of 44 magnum at 265 grains. Up to 400 grain solid copper 500 S&W magnum Ballistic Butterfly factory loads.
My limited experience of copper bullets has been favorable. I will continue to experiment as more copper bullets become available here in Canada.
Thank you Sir 👍💯
shot a cape buffalo 12 Aug 2020 with a .300 Weatherby loaded with 200 gr barns x. it was shot form the front and the bullet stopped in the rib cage and used only one shot to kill it very good bullets barns x expanded beautifully . shot placement very important
Great content ! It’s always nice to see reviews coming from other countries than here in the USA . Does anyone have any real world experience with the Corbon T-DPX ( Tipped Deep Penetrating eXpanding ) all copper hunting ammunition ? Is it loaded with the Barnes TTSX bullets , or is it proprietary manufactured ammo from Corbon ? Just curious how it compares to some of these shown here .
Cutting-edge bullets are best. Review and you will be astonished. Check out Maximus line.
Choosing appropriate boots was simpler than choosing bullets! These boots are made for walking. It was enlightening to see the performance of copper bullets. Pure lead is very toxic but if it is alloyed with one percent tin for example its toxicity drops by 99 percent! Also lead does not work harden so it can expand without fragmenting in a suitable alloy mix. Temperature extremes might alter copper alloy performance in different countries. Just a thought. I bet you had fun!
Great job! Watching from Wyoming. I shoot Barnes due to its great performance on Elk. Barnes ttsx has never failed to achieve quick clean kills even at longer ranges from my 300 Win Mag.
Shot a whitetail under 100yds with a ttsx out of my 300 win mag....right behind the front shoulder. It definitely wasnt a quick kill. Deer ran 500 yds and the blood trail was poor. One benefit to these bullets is they dont damage alot of meat but they dont seem very ethical.
I don’t know what happened there, I can only assume that the bullet somehow missed vitals. I got a nice black tail this summer with 5.7 x 28 at 175 yards. It jumped up, jumped up a second time and over a ledge, and landed without a twitch. Now, if you compare my little aluminum core SS 197 to your TTSX at 3000 ft./s,..
certainly a well done video. the only point of criticism is the test media. water causes high resistance and causes maximum upset for bullets. animals don't provide that much resistance - especially in the rib cage. many of the bullets showed a noticeable reduction in frontal diameter going from 100m to 250m. this shows monos need lots of velocity and resistance to maximize their performance. lightweight bullets for a given caliber shed velocity and momentum quicker.
Was very sceptical about lead free bullets being forced upon us in the UK. I was thinking new barrels with different twist rate rifling was going to be needed, so quite relieved in that sense. Still concerned about rimfire calibers, I only shoot 22wmr and 17hmr nowadays...
For deer, I go the exact opposite. Ive shot Hornady SST'S for 20 years which blow up quick. They are good from 0-400 in my .308. They rarely exit but the internal damage is instantaneous and brutal.
I definitely did subscribe and like!…this is the best copper mono cross-the-field caliber/ weight/ brand/ range test on the tube! Thanks so much..now..if I can find 85-100 gr .243 for sale I can clear some hogs off my whitetail deer land! Thanks Pop
Last year I used a 300 win mag with handloaded 180 gr nosler E-tip on a white tail because that's what i had with me. The bullet went from front to back of the neck and had a 5 inch exit hole at 175 yards. Must have had a great expansion to do that much damage in only a few inches of tissue then bone.
Couldn't help but notice Steve Hillage, Green as the theam music.
damn i wish the USA had sensible suppressor laws like they do in the UK you guys can keep your gun laws, but the suppressor ones are spot on
Hornady 80gr GMX will group three rounds almost touching at 100 yard out of my Savage 11 .243. I can't get MOA accuracy out of the 100gr lead bullet.
Desde campana Buenos Aires Aires Argentina ... hermosos videos muy educativos.. gracias y salut..!!!
Sirs welcome from the USA, state of North Carolina , in a small town called elkin. a being a reloader, special
Good job!!! Thanks.
Great video. Our experience has been similar to yours. Monolithic non lead bullets are extremely consistent and therefore very accurate. Our experience with smaller deer of the west coast US has been less than stellar. We consistently get shoot through with the animal running and not dropping quickly. Larger feral pigs drop like a brick. our deer we shoot with .270 Winchester and .280 Remington from 80-300 meters. Same result every time.
Very interesting thanks.
Great this first episode but yes the wallpaper???
Thank you 😊
I had less than stellar performance from copper bullets on Moose,Elk and deer from my .300 RUM and 200 gr Barnes 3100 fps reloads. Switched to 200 gr Accubonds and wow what an incredible upgrade.
How CLOSE were you to animals when you had that disappointing performance from 300 RUM, WHICH bullet line/weight disappointed you and HOW did they disappoint you? Using the 200 LRX at too high impact velocitiess because you fired from too close in for design, having the petals immediately detach, perhaps?
@@Bert2368 With the .300 RUM i was 100 yds from Eastern Canadian moose he took three 200 gr Barnes ttsx i handloaded at 3100 fps right behind shoulder not even a flinch i hit him. Quartering walking away i got him again behind shoulder but also through neck and he went down. Next animal 6x6 Elk 150 yds same bullet .300 RUM shot behind shoukder bull down got up halfway three more shots behind shoulder all perfect. Almost seemed as i was missing him but i didnt. Next animal eight point whitetail deer 30-06 165 ttsx 2900 fps handloaded 60 yds broadside one shot and down animal gets up seven more shots finally down. Alk good behind shoulder. All bullets pass through on all animals no bullets recovered. My assumption bullets just penciling through not causing much shock. Plenty velocity and close distance on all three animals. Gave up on Barnes tried Accubonds next two moose devastating results. Bang flop,one moose got knocked off his feet and flew right over. Next moose right down both one shot devastation. Exit holes much bigger than Barnes. I will never use copper again. I never had such horrible results in 40 plus year's hunting as those three in a row results.
I might also add i think these bullets would be much better on shoulder shots vs behind shoulder and they were all very accurate.
sirs I hit the wrong darn bottom . so start over. I am from the USA , state of North Carolina, city of elkin. I just found you on the internet. as being a reloader fo over 41 years, a designer fo special reduced ammo for center fire ammunition, hunter, longbow maker , wood carver , and outher things. I enjoyed your test, if those copper bullets which I never shot before will out perform our Sierra brand of bullets , which I believe are the best in the world, then I would switch. I don’t how many boxes of reloading bullets I have sat checking one at time to match the bullets. serial by far is the most consistent of those I checked. the last series I checked for my 6.5 - 55 Swiss. they were so close that the mark on the balence beam , the never got completely past or below the opposite mark. the only tests I did were real world game takeing. all bullets, note these were psp and psp they. retaining weight generally 84 - 92 percent. expanding around double the bullet dia. of course you get different expansion on different types of game. this I only my findings of a life time of ammo testing . thank you for your time. nana and papa aka the hunter from elkin NC usa
Thanks Johnny - excellent points. When you say 'serial' - is that autocorrect and do you mean Sierra? / Charlie
Great new videos 👍👍A steel shot video would be nice 👍
I love the Barnes TTSX. But as far as I am concerned, the Nosler partition is the greatest hunting bullet ever made. It works at all ethical hunting ranges at slow speed at high-speed.
Great bullet but it's a lead core. Look up x rays of dead deer killed with lead core and see the amazing quantity of lead spattered about your meat. Much lead gets left behind to poison the scavengers who clean up the gut pile. Convert now and be comfortable with it Before it's required is my plan.
What were the ones that came apart? Brand, caliber, and any other information. Enjoyed all parts of your video! I hunt in the USA and used Barns for many years.
More detail on the results here: www.fieldsportschannel.tv/copper-bullet-power-and-performance/
Iv had good luck with my tikka in 300 winmag with barnes lrx 175 perfect for elk and bear sized game
Hunting extensively in the western US for whitetail deer, mule deer and elk at a wide variety of ranges. I've tried a variety of bullets and found that the old standby bullets of long ago consistently work best. Nosler Partitions, Accubonds and the Hornady Interlock BTSP are my favorites for consistent terminal performance. Whether close or far, high velocity or low. I prefer bullets that punch through and through both sides of the animal, leaving a large wound channel and a gaping exit wound for blood letting. The animals expire quickly and if they run, leave a heavy blood trail. This becomes extremely important in places like south Texas, with it's heavy, almost impenetrable thorn brush. The monolithic bullets just don't offer the diversity that I require.
Thanks Mike. / Charlie
Thanks very much for this film. I found the copper bullet very interesting and have tried equivalent rounds in 308 but not 243. I made the mistake of keeping identical weight of bullet in 308 and not going down in weight and up in speed. What the test appears to show is (and I may be wrong) that if I have mixed arable and wooded ground I can expect to shoot at distances from 75m to 270m, I may need to carry different rounds. With all the zeroing issues that entails meaning I have to decline certain opportunities depending on the ammunition I selected before going out that day. Is that correct? Currently, I have 2 go to lead rounds In 243 and 308. Norma 243, 100gr fits the bill at all ranges I am competent to a shot at. In 308, Federal 150gr does the job perfectly again across my competence spectrum. Do any of the straight out the box 80/85gr 243 rounds and 110/123/130gr 308 rounds offer that? That's all I need to know. I really appreciate the efforts that team went to bring this Fieldtester episode to us.
150 GMX in 308 works from 0-250 meters. Either factory loaded in the supperformance or atleast with 2800 FPS/850mps at nossle. I load myself and im at around 880mps v0 with 150 gmx or TTSX. It wont perform worse then a 243 at 100 meters, thats more varmint then 308 will ever be.
Additional, shot placement IS IMPORTAINT. From the side shot through lungs/heart will not be problematic. There wont be much meat loss at any range. Take a rib or bone? then it might blow up more at sub 75 meters
I recognise that finding a good proxy for a deer torso is difficult. That said, a water tank is far too homogeneous to be used for objective expansion testing. Our experience with copper bullets is that adequate expansion at short range is relatively straightforward, but as soon as range gets beyond ~2,300 - 2,400 ft/sec impact velocity for 6.5mm, .277" and 7mm cartridges, expansion performance is a lottery depending on where the deer is hit. A hit behind the shoulder not including bone on the entry is a likely very long runner and much higher risk of a lost deer than if using a frangible lead bullet. Longer range testing is necessary with a variety of media to challenge the bogus claims made by many of the copper bullet manufacturers about terminal performance at low impact velocities.
If you dress all your deer in a thick layer of HDPE then their results are perfect!
As a contract stalker shooting considerable numbers of mainly red deer I’ve had a largely negative experience so far. However jury is still out until I try other types of heads. Having shot several thousand deer with trusty 168 hornady 308 lead heads over last 2 decades with excellent accuracy and devastating lethality I have been unnerved with the reliability of copper so far!
Solid information, thank you from Alaska but “…the UK has more species than any other country” piqued my interest because I’ve taken four species just in Alaska, and Rocky Mountain mule and whitetail, and lived around many thousands of whatever whitetail, fallow, and axis deer in Texas. You’ve actually got as many species as one of a number of game farms in the US. Good day!
RWS is a great manufacturer! Its not cheap, but worth it!