speer bullets

sako2 · May 12, 2016, 07:51 PM

Anyone using speer hotcores for elk hunting. Opinions on them.

Wyosmith · May 12, 2016, 09:10 PM

Mix\ed result depending on caliber and bullet weight.
Some are bad in that they come apart far too easily and others do OK.

What specific bullet are you talking about?

FrankenMauser · May 12, 2016, 09:56 PM

I've seen the .358" 180 gr in action on cow elk.
I could be mis-remembering, but I believe they performed as advertised. ...Even in .358 Win, rather than .35 Remington/.356 Win as Speer intended.
(I think I was quite hungover that morning

and it wasn't my elk -- I just had to help dress and pack it.)

Other than that, I can't recall any other hunters using the Hot Core. Most of the guys I hunt with tend to use more Hornady and Nosler bullets.
I believe the Speer HCs are adequate, and they have been fairly consistently accurate in my testing. We (my 'hunting buddies') just tend to swing another direction. ....Lots of Partitions, Interlocks, and (before Remington got greedy) Core-Lokts for me.

I have some Speer HCs and I'll use them some day. But for now, I'm a big fan of the Nosler Partition.

Crankylove · May 12, 2016, 11:49 PM

Quote:

I've seen the .358" 180 gr in action on cow elk.
I could be mis-remembering, but I believe they performed as advertised. ...Even in .358 Win, rather than .35 Remington/.356 Win as Speer intended.
(I think I was quite hungover that morning and it wasn't my elk -- I just had to help dress and pack it.)

They were 250's. In the left side ribs, through heart and lungs, out the other side. And hungover or not, you still packed that rear quarter out pretty good.

The 250 grain Hot Cor is my go-to bullet for my .358 Winchester. I've taken the cow elk, and antelope with them, and have no complaints. They are accurate, relatively inexpensive, and usually in stock in my local stores.

They seem to expand, and still hold together pretty well, but, in my .358, I'm only pushing them at about 2,225-2,250 fps.

My plan when I purchased the rifle was to also run some Partitions, a couple of Hornadys, and some Barnes through it, but the Hot Cors have done well enough, I've never really had a reason to go to anything else.

sako2 · May 13, 2016, 04:28 AM

30 cal. 180gn fb.

sako2 · May 13, 2016, 04:53 AM

bullet #2053.

jmr40 · May 13, 2016, 05:52 AM

I picked up a box of 165 gr bullets to load in my 308 and 30-06 a few years ago when components were hard find. They were the only thing on the shelf.

Accuracy for me was so-so and compared to other brands the BC's were poor. I asked the same question on some gun forums at the time and came to the conclusion that they would work, but there are better options.

I ended up loading them for plinking at the range and never hunted with them.

old roper · May 13, 2016, 07:51 AM

I used 7mm 175gr mag tip on bull elk tags back in late 70's early 80's and shot few deer with Grand Slam.

We used to have dealer that came to Denver gun shows and he sold bulk Speer bullets mid 90's and I never hunted with them but shot lot of paper/varmint s with Speer 30 cal 165gr hot core. Back then they were little more than Rem bulk price on bullets.

Wyosmith · May 13, 2016, 08:02 AM

That one is a good one as long as it's not pushed too fast.

Seems to be fine in 308 Winchester on deer and elk at top velocities (from the 308,) but I have a friend that used them an elk in Oregon from his 300 Win Mag and the bullets came apart and penetration was so-so.

I used them for a while in a Smith Ent M-14 and they were very accurate and I did fine with them killing Nevada, Oregon and Idaho mule deer. My ex-wife also killed a few deer in Nevada with her Spanish Mauser in 308 (1916 variant) but I loaded the ammo at the starting load given in the manual.
It was very accurate from her rifle too.

So if I were to give some advice I'd say it's fine for any 30 cal up to an 30-06, but I would look for a bullet with a heavier/thicker jacket if I wanted to shoot a 300 mag of any type.

TimSr · May 13, 2016, 08:39 AM

What cartridge is this bullet for? Grand Slam used to be their premium, controlled expansion big game bullet, and Mag tip was for use in higher velocity applications like 300 mag.

I can't speak to Hot Core but it is a class of hunting bullets that includes the hunting bullets and Mag Tips. I liked the Grand Slams in 7mm mag, but never used for elk.

dahermit · May 13, 2016, 09:23 AM

When "Hot Cores" first came out in the Sixties, I bought a box, stood one on end and cut it in half, through the middle. I found that despite that Speer implied that the cores were bound to the jackets, the cores were loose...they were only retained by shape of the jacket. However, that was then, this is now...they might have improved/changed them.

Also in the Sixties, I was occasionally buying .44 Speer pistol bullets for reloading. I was frustrated to find that in most boxes of 100, there would be at least one defective bullet in the nature of having a core cut too short and not filling the jacket. Despite the fact that I liked the design of those pistol bullets, I decided to stop buying them and their rifle bullets inasmuch as if there quality control was that bad for their pistol bullets, I reasoned that it was likely no better for their rifle bullets.

Sorry Speer...no Speer bullets for me.

FrankenMauser · May 13, 2016, 02:43 PM

Quote:

They were 250's. In the left side ribs, through heart and lungs, out the other side. And hungover or not, you still packed that rear quarter out pretty good.

I guess I was mis-remembering, but I don't know that I can blame it on the beer.
I thought you had issues with the 250s being over magazine length in your rifle, and went back to the 180s.

sako2 · May 13, 2016, 03:05 PM

I was going to load them for a 300 mag. May just load them for practice rounds.

reynolds357 · May 13, 2016, 05:13 PM

They are good bullets. They will stay together as good as any other bonded bullet of similar construction. I hunted with them almost exclusively until I got hooked on Berger.

Jack O'Conner · May 14, 2016, 06:05 AM

I load the 44 caliber 270 grain bullet in my CVA modern muzzle loader rifle for deer. I've NEVER recovered a bullet; penetration has always been 100%. Damage to the chest organs is always impressive, too.

Jack

mete · May 15, 2016, 07:30 PM

I used to hunt deer with their 44 revolver bullet ,225jswchp..Recovered only one after 30"of deer ! All one shot kills IIRC .Very accurate .I was not happy when they dropped it !

GeauxTide · May 17, 2016, 07:54 AM

Main thing about Cup and Core bullets is velocity. They do well with impact velocities under 3000fps. I have 2 experiences with them and can verify they are explosive when run fast. In a 308, there were no issues with 150s@2800.

Dufus · May 17, 2016, 05:18 PM

I have used the 200 gr HC in 30-06 and 300 WM for Elk.

But, Elk are strange critters and they sometimes don't know when to die.

I was backing a buddy one time on an Elk hunt. He was using a 338 WM with a 225 gr or maybe a 250 gr bullet and I think it was a HOrnady and this was before they had all the different styles now (SST, AB LRAB, Interlock, etc).

He nailed it thru the heart with full penetration and a good hole on the off side. The first shot and the Elk did even act as though it had been hit. He popped off another round and the Elk fell over backwards DRT. Both shots performed as they should have. Distance was maybe 120 yds or so. Chalk it up to Elk as being tough and tenacious.

doofus47 · May 18, 2016, 10:33 AM

Dufus

Quote:

Elk are strange critters and they sometimes don't know when to die.

For sure, no one has ever accused elk of having read the script.

May 12, 2016, 07:51 PM	#1
sako2 Senior Member Join Date: April 12, 2009 Posts: 739	speer bullets Anyone using speer hotcores for elk hunting. Opinions on them.

May 12, 2016, 09:56 PM	#3
FrankenMauser Senior Member Join Date: August 25, 2008 Location: In the valley above the plain Posts: 13,424	I've seen the .358" 180 gr in action on cow elk. I could be mis-remembering, but I believe they performed as advertised. ...Even in .358 Win, rather than .35 Remington/.356 Win as Speer intended. (I think I was quite hungover that morning and it wasn't my elk -- I just had to help dress and pack it.) Other than that, I can't recall any other hunters using the Hot Core. Most of the guys I hunt with tend to use more Hornady and Nosler bullets. I believe the Speer HCs are adequate, and they have been fairly consistently accurate in my testing. We (my 'hunting buddies') just tend to swing another direction. ....Lots of Partitions, Interlocks, and (before Remington got greedy) Core-Lokts for me. I have some Speer HCs and I'll use them some day. But for now, I'm a big fan of the Nosler Partition. __________________ Don't even try it. It's even worse than the internet would lead you to believe.

May 13, 2016, 07:51 AM	#8
old roper Senior Member Join Date: June 11, 2007 Posts: 2,155	I used 7mm 175gr mag tip on bull elk tags back in late 70's early 80's and shot few deer with Grand Slam. We used to have dealer that came to Denver gun shows and he sold bulk Speer bullets mid 90's and I never hunted with them but shot lot of paper/varmint s with Speer 30 cal 165gr hot core. Back then they were little more than Rem bulk price on bullets. __________________ Semper Fi Vietnam 1965 VFW Life member NRA Life Member

May 13, 2016, 08:02 AM	#9
Wyosmith Senior Member Join Date: December 29, 2010 Location: Shoshoni Wyoming Posts: 2,713	That one is a good one as long as it's not pushed too fast. Seems to be fine in 308 Winchester on deer and elk at top velocities (from the 308,) but I have a friend that used them an elk in Oregon from his 300 Win Mag and the bullets came apart and penetration was so-so. I used them for a while in a Smith Ent M-14 and they were very accurate and I did fine with them killing Nevada, Oregon and Idaho mule deer. My ex-wife also killed a few deer in Nevada with her Spanish Mauser in 308 (1916 variant) but I loaded the ammo at the starting load given in the manual. It was very accurate from her rifle too. So if I were to give some advice I'd say it's fine for any 30 cal up to an 30-06, but I would look for a bullet with a heavier/thicker jacket if I wanted to shoot a 300 mag of any type. Last edited by Wyosmith; May 13, 2016 at 09:03 AM.

May 14, 2016, 06:05 AM	#15
Jack O'Conner Senior Member Join Date: July 11, 2005 Location: Manatee County, Florida Posts: 1,976	I load the 44 caliber 270 grain bullet in my CVA modern muzzle loader rifle for deer. I've NEVER recovered a bullet; penetration has always been 100%. Damage to the chest organs is always impressive, too. Jack __________________ Fire up the grill! Deer hunting IS NOT catch and release.

May 12, 2016, 09:10 PM	#2
Wyosmith Senior Member Join Date: December 29, 2010 Location: Shoshoni Wyoming Posts: 2,713	Mix\ed result depending on caliber and bullet weight. Some are bad in that they come apart far too easily and others do OK. What specific bullet are you talking about?

May 13, 2016, 04:28 AM	#5
sako2 Senior Member Join Date: April 12, 2009 Posts: 739	30 cal. 180gn fb.

May 13, 2016, 04:53 AM	#6
sako2 Senior Member Join Date: April 12, 2009 Posts: 739	bullet #2053.

May 13, 2016, 05:52 AM	#7
jmr40 Senior Member Join Date: June 15, 2008 Location: Georgia Posts: 10,805	I picked up a box of 165 gr bullets to load in my 308 and 30-06 a few years ago when components were hard find. They were the only thing on the shelf. Accuracy for me was so-so and compared to other brands the BC's were poor. I asked the same question on some gun forums at the time and came to the conclusion that they would work, but there are better options. I ended up loading them for plinking at the range and never hunted with them.

May 13, 2016, 08:39 AM	#10
TimSr Senior Member Join Date: March 8, 2013 Location: Rittman, Ohio Posts: 2,074	What cartridge is this bullet for? Grand Slam used to be their premium, controlled expansion big game bullet, and Mag tip was for use in higher velocity applications like 300 mag. I can't speak to Hot Core but it is a class of hunting bullets that includes the hunting bullets and Mag Tips. I liked the Grand Slams in 7mm mag, but never used for elk.

May 13, 2016, 09:23 AM	#11
dahermit Senior Member Join Date: October 28, 2006 Location: South Central Michigan...near Posts: 6,501	When "Hot Cores" first came out in the Sixties, I bought a box, stood one on end and cut it in half, through the middle. I found that despite that Speer implied that the cores were bound to the jackets, the cores were loose...they were only retained by shape of the jacket. However, that was then, this is now...they might have improved/changed them. Also in the Sixties, I was occasionally buying .44 Speer pistol bullets for reloading. I was frustrated to find that in most boxes of 100, there would be at least one defective bullet in the nature of having a core cut too short and not filling the jacket. Despite the fact that I liked the design of those pistol bullets, I decided to stop buying them and their rifle bullets inasmuch as if there quality control was that bad for their pistol bullets, I reasoned that it was likely no better for their rifle bullets. Sorry Speer...no Speer bullets for me.

May 13, 2016, 03:05 PM	#13
sako2 Senior Member Join Date: April 12, 2009 Posts: 739	I was going to load them for a 300 mag. May just load them for practice rounds.

May 13, 2016, 05:13 PM	#14
reynolds357 Senior Member Join Date: December 10, 2012 Posts: 6,165	They are good bullets. They will stay together as good as any other bonded bullet of similar construction. I hunted with them almost exclusively until I got hooked on Berger.

May 15, 2016, 07:30 PM	#16
mete Senior Member Join Date: June 14, 2004 Location: NY State Posts: 6,575	I used to hunt deer with their 44 revolver bullet ,225jswchp..Recovered only one after 30"of deer ! All one shot kills IIRC .Very accurate .I was not happy when they dropped it ! __________________ And Watson , bring your revolver !

May 17, 2016, 07:54 AM	#17
GeauxTide Senior Member Join Date: April 20, 2009 Location: Helena, AL Posts: 4,423	Main thing about Cup and Core bullets is velocity. They do well with impact velocities under 3000fps. I have 2 experiences with them and can verify they are explosive when run fast. In a 308, there were no issues with 150s@2800.

May 17, 2016, 05:18 PM	#18
Dufus Senior Member Join Date: December 10, 2014 Posts: 1,965	I have used the 200 gr HC in 30-06 and 300 WM for Elk. But, Elk are strange critters and they sometimes don't know when to die. I was backing a buddy one time on an Elk hunt. He was using a 338 WM with a 225 gr or maybe a 250 gr bullet and I think it was a HOrnady and this was before they had all the different styles now (SST, AB LRAB, Interlock, etc). He nailed it thru the heart with full penetration and a good hole on the off side. The first shot and the Elk did even act as though it had been hit. He popped off another round and the Elk fell over backwards DRT. Both shots performed as they should have. Distance was maybe 120 yds or so. Chalk it up to Elk as being tough and tenacious.