Anyone reload 150 grain lapua mega bullet

hawk eye

Well-Known Member
Just started reloading for my 30-06 and am thinking of going with Lapua case and using the lapua 150 grain mega (soft point) bullet on roe/ fallow and using Vit N140/ 150 powder anyone any thoughts comments on this set-up?
 
I haved loaded for the 06 using same weight of bullet ( not the same manufacturer) and Vit 140. Accurate and well up to the job you describe.
 
I have had good results with Vit N150 & 150g Sierra Prohunter in 30-06 as far as accuracy is concerned.
 
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155gr scenars are awesome on n140 in my 30-06,ive got some 150gr nos and 165gr nos i am fine tuning,first tests were ok at about 1.5 inch groups at 200yds,am sure they will shoot groups half the size,had planned to try them over the weekend but ment to get windy
 
Just started reloading for my 30-06 and am thinking of going with Lapua case and using the lapua 150 grain mega (soft point) bullet on roe/ fallow and using Vit N140/ 150 powder anyone any thoughts comments on this set-up?

I used the 185gr MEGA from a .30-06 on one roe, and it performed fine. The shot was about 40 yards, and it hit him tangentially in the neck. The bullet travelled tranversely along the spine for about 6-9 inches before breaking out so it took a lot of punishment. The core separated and exited, the jacket was under the skin on the far side. This wasn't surprising, close range shots impact at too high velocity and the bullets take a hammering. This one held up surprisingly well, I have the jacket somewhere. My brother shot a boar in Poland with the same combination and it appeared to work fine. That was a broadside chest shot, low in the chest. I see no reason not to use the Lapua MEGA. It is not a bonded bullet.

I'm presently using the Hornady Interbond which I rather like. I used the 180gr Interbond in my .30-06 in Africa on springbok, kudu and gemsbok and in Scotland on stags. It is accurate and performs well on larger game. It is also relatively expensive. The standard Hornady SP is a good enough bullet for roe and hinds. I have no experience of fallow, but any standard bullet in the right place is going to kill any deer in these isles. I know two professional stalkers in Scotland and both of them use a .243 for everything, including stags. They stalk professionally, they can probably outshoot most of us amateurs, and they can pick and choose their shots.

I have used .308 and 7mm Sierra Gameking and ProHunters on deer and foxes in the UK and found them to expand rather enthusiastically, so I have moved away from them. Other people love them. I handload .243 for my brother and also a friend. They get standard Hornady 100gr SPs and are quite happy with the accuracy and results on game.

Unless you specially want the 150gr bullet in your .30-06, I would recommend you use 180gr bullets. Their slightly slower velocity will generlaly mean less carcass damage, all other things being equal.

-JMS
 
155gr scenars are awesome on n140 in my 30-06,ive got some 150gr nos and 165gr nos i am fine tuning,first tests were ok at about 1.5 inch groups at 200yds,am sure they will shoot groups half the size,had planned to try them over the weekend but ment to get windy

Good results Swarovski but scenars are a totally different bullet to the mega. Scenars are target bullets http://www.lapua.com/en/products/new-products/2 I think that hawk eye was really looking for an opinion on Lapua mega bullets http://www.lapua.com/en/products/hunting/15 .
 
I see no reason not to use the Lapua MEGA. It is not a bonded bullet.

-JMS

Hi JMS,

Not intended as a dig at you, but according to the Lapua website the Lapua Mega's are bonded:
"The Lapua Mega is for hunting big game. This bullet is at its best in the field and typically more than duplicates on impact, causing an immediate shock effect in your quarry. The Mega is a soft point bullet with a protective copper jacket – traditional hunting performance. This ensures that the bullet’s lead alloy core remains intact when shooting through brush or branch. The mechanical bonding locks the lead alloy in place, allowing the bullet to achieve up to 97% weight retention."
 
I couldn't agree more mate good choice of powder just wish it was always available and cheaper.
 
Hi JMS,
Not intended as a dig at you, but according to the Lapua website the Lapua Mega's are bonded:
"[snip] The mechanical bonding locks the lead alloy in place, allowing the bullet to achieve up to 97% weight retention."

OK, that's interesting. I didn't realise or had forgotten that. The Hornady Interloc is another "mechanically bonded" bullet. Its no more than a crimp or cannelure of the jacket into the lead core. Both of them (Hornady and Lapua bullets) will shed their cores, and it's more common than many people realise because most of the time we don't recover the bullet. As long as the object of our intentions expires rapidly then the bullet worked. :)

In contrast, the Hornady Interbond is "welded to the core" according to Hornady. In other words, it is bonded at the molecular level. That's what I meant by a bonded core. Hornady themselves say the Interloc's jacket is "mechanically attached ot the core and in extreme case the jacket can separate from the core". The shot I had on that roe with the MEGA was an extreme case, it smashed along 6-9 inches of neck spine. I wasn't criticising the bullet's performance, I thought and think it performed admirably. But the core separated and I doubt that would happen with a chemically bonded bullet.

I had a similar shot on a massive kudu bull in Namibia in 2005. The bullet was the Hornady Interbond 180gr .308 fired from a .30-06. The kudu was beneath me, down a hill, 200m (230 yards - lasered afterwards). The bullet hit the kudu in the spine in middle of the back of the neck. The kudu collapsed on the spot. A kudu's neck spine is very heavy bone. The bullet pulverised the spine and didn't exit, because it bullet broke up into fragments, but the fragments comprised of bonded jacket and core. Given that it shattered his spine, I'm sure the 185gr MEGA or Interloc put in the same place would have had exactly the same effect on the kudu as the Interbond.

Here's a photo which illustrates the size of that kudu's neck (and body for that matter!)

PICT0266 75pc.jpg

In summary, I don't think that we should expect 'mechanically bonded' bullets to stay intact on anything that involves anything more than ribs. I'm not saying we should all switch to chemically bonded bullets, far from it. For all of our deer, a standard bullet is fine. There is an argument for using a tougher bullet - one with a thicker jacket - on boar.

-JMS
 
Thanks for the replies,

I have already used the factory loaded 185 grain mega (30-06) and it produced good results on a roe I shot with it, I was thinking of reloading a 150 grain bullet for a slighty flatter tradjectory, but still keeping the fps reasonably low at around 2700ish fps obviously depending what shoots the must accuratly/ consistently. I wanted a slightly flatter tradjectory for longer range foxes when I come accross them while stalking.

The roe i shot with the 185 grain mega did its job well with not to much carcase damage, and the bullet did expand well with an acceptable amount of damage. It did hit a rib however which may have caused more expanshion than if it had not.
 
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