The oft forgotten Round Nose bullet.

[Hot Core]

[Edited by Hot Core on 04-21-2001 at 10:23 AM]

[Paul B.]

Hot Core. My pet deer rifle is a Ruger 77RSI. The one with the Mannlicher style stock. It is a .308. While my favorite load is usually the 165 gr. Speer Sptzer flat base, the rifle hates 180 gr. pointy bullets. It does it's best grouping with the 180 gr. Sierra round nose. Considering the fact that like you, I like to see the whites of their eyes, I have no problem with round nose bullets. In fact, one of my brothers in law will not use spitzers for anything in his 30-06.
My problem here seems to be that none of the gun shops here will sell, or even order round nose bullets. Guess I'll have to go through Midway.
Paul B.

[Southla1]

A good 40%-50% of the guys i hunt with use either the .308 or 30-06 with factory 180 grain roundnose bullets. Where I do a lot of my hunting in the Tunica hills of Louisiana 100 yards is a long shot, unless you catch one on a ridge top or a right of way. Its the same thing in South Louisiana where I live. Unless its a pipeline right of way or a soybean or rye grass field 100 yards is a long way. Those 180 grain RN work just fine. The only thing I have noticed between the 180 Spitzer and the 180 RN is that lots of times the 180 will not exit. We usually find them on the hide on the "off" side, and the Sptizers almost always exit. Oh by the way the reason lots of the guys up north in the Tunica Hills use the 180 RN factory ammo is a matter of pure economics. They work for the state of Louisiana at Angola State Prison and that is the ammo that the state buys. A lot of it manages to "get lost" just before hunting season.

[Dave McC]

A related matter...

Back around 1982 I had a very nice pre 64 Model 70 in 30-06. I had the urge to make up a brushload,since Md's typical shot runs less than 50 yards, but I saw few RN bullets in the shops. But, Nosler had come out with a 170 gr flatnose boattail for the 30-30. A bit of enquiry and I had my "Brush" projectile. A starting load of H4350(using 168 gr data), some seating adjustments, and I had a 2600 FPS load that liked to go through the same hole out there at 100 yards. Accuracy was not much worse than MOA, and that's very good for me and a 4X scope.

The rifle was unlucky for me and I toted it for 2 seasons w/o a shot other than stopping a buck shot by a friend. That one was DRT. 'Nother friend copied my data, and still uses the 170 gr load for deer in his area...

RN and FN bullets work well except at extreme ranges, and more hunters should use them....

[kerth]

A few years ago I had some left over 30 cal round nose bullets, Remington mfg IIRC. I loaded these for my 30-'06 rifles. Compared to my pointed 165 gr bullets (Rem and Nosler) the Round Nose 170s open up and/or shed their jackets much quicker, almost like a varmit bullet, in both phone books (dry and wet) and critters. I believe this has more to do with jacket thickness at the nose than the shape.

Most round nose 30 cal bullets I have seen for sale as components are designed for 30-30 velocities. Jacket failures are more likely when driven at 30-'06 velocities. I still use 170 RN for reduce velocity (much quieter) loads but for high velocity I stick with the pointed bullets due to heavier jacket construction and deeper penetration. Probably not an issue with whitetails and broadside shots though.

[Hot Core]

[Edited by Hot Core on 04-21-2001 at 10:22 AM]

[Nevada Fitch]

MY favorite load for my 350 Rem. Mag. is a 200grain Sierra roundnoise starting out at about 2700fps. This is the most decisive killer on deer I have ever used. And it hits exactly at the same point of impact at 200yds as does my other favorite load for that gun which is a 180 grain Speer pointed bullet starting out at 2900fps.The 180grain bullet shoots a couple of inches flatter at 300yds than the 200grain roundnose but like I said is dead on at 200yds which is range I sight in for so I can used them interchangeably.

[Hot Core]

[Edited by Hot Core on 04-21-2001 at 10:23 AM]

[coyote hunter]

Gentlemen,
Check your ballistics & you will find that the round nose bullet has the worst B.C. there is (except maybe a flat nose). With-in 100 yards, not to bad, but beyond that and the spitzers have the best energy and trjectory

Coyote hunter

[Hot Core]

[Edited by Hot Core on 04-21-2001 at 10:24 AM]

[Paul B.]

Coyote Hunter.Some of us prefer to wait until we see the whites of their eyes before shooting at a game animal.
You are quite correct when you say a spitzer or spitzer boattail bullet has a better BC. No arguemant there. But in my 52 years of hunting deer, only two animals were shot at a distance greater than 200 yards, and most of those were at 100 yards or less. FWIW. I've never hunted east of the Mississpi, or even east of the Rocky Mountains. All my hunting has been in California, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Idaho and Washington State.
If that animal is too far away to shoot at, I try to find a way to get closer. If I can't? So what. There's always next time. It is no longer the kill that thrills me, but the stalk. The challenge to see just how close I can get to my quarry. FWIW. The closest I ever got to a deer was six feet, when I made the shot. This was witnessed by friends who did not think I could get that close. I only went that close, because there was money bet on whether I could or not.
Paul B.

[coyote hunter]

Hotcor, Paul B,
In our area here there are many places that we shoot to 300 yards on deer, this is really no big deal, for we are use to it, even in Eastern Washington. So the thought of ever using the "round nose" for this area is not very likely. I have loaded rifle & pistol for 26 years now and I load for 13 guys each year for their rifles and in all these years I will say honestly that I have only loaded for one man that wanted "round nose" bullets. After my own testing for years with a 7mm Mag. using Hornady "round nose" I dropped the idea of ever trying to make these bullets work good beyond 200 yards. If just up to 100 yards, yes they will work ok.
Many years ago Rick Jamison from Shooting Times magazine did a very good report on the flight of different bullets. He used the same powder,primers,casing for the test but used all different bullets from different Manufacters,all loads where with the same powder charge & bullets where same weight. End results were; Barnes X (fastest), Round Nose(slowest), velocity checked at muzzle.
So will the RN work? Yes it will! Will I waste my time using them? No!

Just my nickels worth
Coyote Hunter
My main bullet for 7mm Mag is now the Speer Spitzer.

[Southla1]

The deer killingist SOB that I know for years would never use anything but a 12 guage 3" magnum......that is until he got ahold of a Spanish 10 guage 3 1/2" double barrel to hunt deer with. Damn thing kills on one end and cripples on the other. I just ain't figured out which end is which yet, but it do chunk a bucket full of OO. In 27 years of hunting with him he has lost ONE count em ONE deer that he shot and did not have to start gutting right away, and that one survived because someone else got him the next year! Damn OO just feel all over the place when we yanked the hide off! I am not going to mention how many he usually gets a year because they have a 6 per year maximum here, but he feeds his family, his kin, his friends, his enemies, his wife, his girlfriends , lets just say that no one goes hungry for deer. I can promise you at the ranges that he shoots, a spitzer, a round nose, buckshot, rifle slug, pistol, sling shot, or probably even a spear would all work just fine. I can promise that 90% of all deer taken are taken at less than 100 yards and probably average around 50. I agree that a round nose has a trajectory like a slow pitch softball, but if you stay within its range its a guaranteed meat getter! Would I feel under gunned using one in my 06 or my 7MM Mag or my 25-06 (do they make a RN in that caliber?)? Hell no! As I said before if its not a powerline, or pipeline right of way, or maybe down the bayou bank a ways, 50 yards or so is the max you will see one, hell if you can see one AT 50 yards down here you have good eyes! A round nose bullet is just like any other tool. It has things it excells at and thing it is not soo good at! Use it for what it was designed for and it will never let you down.

[Hot Core]

[Edited by Hot Core on 04-21-2001 at 10:25 AM]

[coyote hunter]

OK Hot Core,
Peace !! Your right, I have never used the RNs on animals, guess this discussion could go on for ever, this is what's good about these forums.

Good luck at the range,
Coyote Hunter

[Hot Core]

[Edited by Hot Core on 04-21-2001 at 10:26 AM]

[Al Thompson]

Time for this one to go away.