Varmint bullets on deer

[maxtheflyinghorse]

Hmmm.
Hmmm.
Gamehead Varmint - from Sako’s site:-
”Spitzer-nosed soft-point bullet for accurate hits on smaller targets. Light jacket and non-bonded core allows rapid and effective expansion required for small to medium sized game and varmints. It is an excellent all-purpose hunting bullet for small to medium-sized game.”
From Sako’s leaflet:-
View attachment 306251
So draw your own conclusions.
For what it is worth IMHO a bullet designed for fox or prairie dog is not the bullet of choice for the much more stocky Muntjac, especially at distance. My bullet of choice for fox is a 50gns Vmax but I would not consider using them on anything heavier based on what I have seen a Vmax do to a fox if it hits anything bone-shaped, indeed exit wounds can cause catastrophic damage larger than fist-sized. Presumably the same RFD will have the much more suitable Gameheads (in 55gns and with the triple deuce my own choice for scottish roe) in stock so why use the varmint round?

Dead is dead

 

[sako751sg]

Doubt it.

VMAX is still a bullet of choice for those who can use it, and for good reason!

Has been my pill of choice for 20+ years and along with many others find it an excellent round.

 

[Foxyboy43]

Dead is dead

Amen. Lead dust and bits are not great flavour enhancers though…

 

[User00040]

Has been my pill of choice for 20+ years and along with many others find it an excellent round.

No dog required to follow up after a 110 grain VMAX from a .270 makes impact!

 

[Cyres]

75 or 87 vmax on roe dead on the spot. No issues with neck or head shooting in the appropriate situation. No problems with lead fragments in neck shot. I now try not to use shoulder shots and when I did they could lead to significant damage.
D

 

[TringSaint]

There was a discussion here about Varmint bullets on deer. Just shot this muntjac at 80 yards with Sako gamehead Varmint .223 it dropped on the spot. First pic is the entry and the second is the exit. I’m convinced varmint bullets do work well

Off topic, but if you ever want to get your barrel and action to have a modern box mag, then give me a shout as I have done it to mine and I can point you in the right direction for parts / people who can fit.
Bit of a faff, but works well.

 

[Bowland blades]

As impact speed slows expansion reduces , an over expanding bullet at 200 yards might well be great at much further out and vice versa ( NOT MAKING A RECOMEMDATION )

 

[maxtheflyinghorse]

Off topic, but if you ever want to get your barrel and action to have a modern box mag, then give me a shout as I have done it to mine and I can point you in the right direction for parts / people who can fit.
Bit of a faff, but works well.

Oh no no I prefer it exactly how it came with the bottom plate.

 

[TringSaint]

Oh no no I prefer it exactly how it came with the bottom plate.

An, mine had a box mag fitted before i bought it, but they were the browning box mags that they stopped making so were rarer than hens teeth!! So I got an aics bottom metal from PTG in the states and had it dropped into an HS Precision stock. Now I can use any aics mag with it which means up to 10 rd capacity which is nice for the range.
Cracking rifle - super accurate
Actually quite surprised the 70 never really took on over here as it’s action and general build is much better than my Remington 700 - it’s as good as my Steyr which would have cost double when both rifles were new.

 

[Acm]

No dog required to follow up after a 110 grain VMAX from a .270 makes impact!

Nothing gives you that puff of hair quite like a v max, particularly if you shoot them on the change between coats.

 

[User00040]

Nothing gives you that puff of hair quite like a v max, particularly if you shoot them on the change between coats.

Aye and the sound of impact is like a snare drum!

 

[NullMac]

No dog required to follow up after a 110 grain VMAX from a .270 makes impact!

Lighter to carry as well. You may as well just cut the front end off.

Done that. Only deer I have shot that rotated on its hind legs when it took it at 100 yards.

 

[willowbank]

Took a new stalker out once to shoot his first deer (Chasey ) didnt think to ask what he had loaded but he head shot a Fallow buck at about 50yds, maybe less.
When we picked it up half the head was missing, he had used a Varmint round... never again have I made that mistake. A conventional body shot would, I imagine, produce a fair bit of dog meat....so not for me.

Willowbank.

 

[User00036]

Varmint bullets kills everything ok but leaves lead dust in hit body all over and therefore not optimal for eating meat. Much better with bonded (lead) bullets if copper is not workable.

This. Some of those Varmint bullets may kill very effectively, but they can be like a lead aerosol when they hit home. Personally I wouldn't use em, but that's because its me that eats em.

 

[Mungo]

Apart fro Nathan Forster, I don’t think I know anyone who promotes the idea of varmint bullets for medium sized game,,and he does due to long range shooting only

Plenty of contractors, Forestry Commission and similar people who used various flavours of Vmax to great effect.

I know 87gr Vmax in .243 was a great favourite for hinds (yes, we all know 100gr is the legal minimum, but…)

 

[Rafter]

/\ what he said. I used 87 grain vmax out of a 6xc on reds and sika, and they worked very well. I think the longest shot was 460 yards, and the closest about 10 - very emphatically dead in all cases.

 

[maxtheflyinghorse]

An, mine had a box mag fitted before i bought it, but they were the browning box mags that they stopped making so were rarer than hens teeth!! So I got an aics bottom metal from PTG in the states and had it dropped into an HS Precision stock. Now I can use any aics mag with it which means up to 10 rd capacity which is nice for the range.
Cracking rifle - super accurate
Actually quite surprised the 70 never really took on over here as it’s action and general build is much better than my Remington 700 - it’s as good as my Steyr which would have cost double when both rifles were new.

I’m really surprised as well I had a mod 70 in .375 and .223 and put a deposit on one in .308 id say so far all the rifles I’ve shot mod 70 is my favorite

 

[TringSaint]

I’m really surprised as well I had a mod 70 in .375 and .223 and put a deposit on one in .308 id say so far all the rifles I’ve shot mod 70 is my favorite

Are yours controlled feed or straight push? Mine is a controlled feed.

 

[TringSaint]

Are yours controlled feed or straight push? Mine is a controlled feed.

 

[maxtheflyinghorse]

Are yours controlled feed or straight push? Mine is a controlled feed.

.375 is a CRF it’s a classic super express it’s 2005 one of the last made in the new haven plant
The .223 is 1994 pushfeed it’s the lightweight
The .308 I put deposit on is a 1981 XTR featherweight it’s push feed too. All of them are made in new haven plant