real life experience with copper bullets ??

[Leec6.5]

Bought a .280 so I could use heavier bullets than I shoot in the 6.5s.

now looks like I’ll be shooting the 129 gr weight range again!

Why?

why not shoot the weight you want to shoot

 

[25 Sharps]

Why?

why not shoot the weight you want to shoot

Because 175 gr will be too long to stabilise

 

[Bowland blades]

Prefer them to lead frankly ! Barnes ttsx 6.5 mm 100grain drops red stags fine out to over 300 by a bit . 100 % weight retention perfect expansion , incredibly accurate 6.5 mm
Only downside ? Extra thought required on ricochet potential become its full bullet weight exiting even if its tumbling . But then should we not always shoot with the same care ?
120 grain also shoot well but why bother when 100 works ? I will take the lower recoil and better sight picture for second beast or fast follow up shot if ever required

 

[captaincrunch1970]

In my sample of 1 mule deer doe at about 150 yards I was very impressed. Complete penetration, caliber entry, 6.5, and 1/2 inch exit. All mush in-between. No bloodshot at entry behind shoulder or exit on shoulder. Least amount of wasted meat I have seen. Doe ran about 30 yards after shot and tipped over dead. No different than lead in killing time on this 1 sample. Bullet was a 120 GMX in hornady superformance ammunition. Will be trying a handloaded barnes 127 lrx next.

 

[paul o']

Just under 300 yrs dropped on the spot .270 130gr fox 3075 fps. 60kg fallow sp.

 

[Utectok]

My 6.5x55 was a complete slag Three different powders are nearly 100 rounds it took me to get it right.

Your lucky took me three four powders 200rounds to get a good load shooting .5 moa with decent Sd (7)

 

[MGD]

Barnes x ttsx 130gr out off 308 win speed 2960fps shot roe sika fallow and red stags range 40 yards to 330 yards all deer went less than 20 yards personally I think they are more effective than lead

 

[baguio]

Prefer them to lead frankly ! Barnes ttsx 6.5 mm 100grain drops red stags fine out to over 300 by a bit . 100 % weight retention perfect expansion , incredibly accurate 6.5 mm
Only downside ? Extra thought required on ricochet potential become its full bullet weight exiting even if its tumbling . But then should we not always shoot with the same care ?
120 grain also shoot well but why bother when 100 works ? I will take the lower recoil and better sight picture for second beast or fast follow up shot if ever required

Can I ask how fast you're pushing them as this looks like what I'm going to try next. I'm currently using 127grain LRX at 2870fps at the muzzle and have continued to be less than impressed. Sure they kill. Sure the meat damage is minimal but they sure as hell run for the hills too after pencilling through the lungs causing very little damage at all.

 

[NigelM]

Can I ask how fast you're pushing them as this looks like what I'm going to try next. I'm currently using 127grain LRX at 2870fps at the muzzle and have continued to be less than impressed. Sure they kill. Sure the meat damage is minimal but they sure as hell run for the hill too after pencilling through the lungs causing very little damage at all.

I used to push a 145 LRX at 3150fps. Worked well to about 250m but got a few runners after that.

MV is irrelevant, it’s all about TV. LRX tend to be better than average as the hole in the metplat is bigger than TTSX and the BC is higher so they expand at lower TV and hold velocity better. If you’re starting at 2870 and shooting further than 250m they will misbehave however.

I’m now using Yew Tree and they are very good, fragmenting at much lower velocity than the non fragmenting copper bullets, but the BC is so poor I still don’t trust them much further out than 250m on red, possibly 300m on fallow and smaller. Very accurate however.

You also need to change placement to Hillar shot. Much more effective with copper than the traditional behind the shoulder placement.

 

[User00040]

Shot a deer and it fell over.

 

[Utectok]

I agree with the above the shot placement changed my opinion on copper!

 

[Alantoo]

Sure the meat damage is minimal but they sure as hell run for the hill too after pencilling through the lungs causing very little damage at all.

I wonder if this may be the clue to some of the poor results you have been reporting.

I try to disconnect the heart or at least go through the top of it.

I always get confused when people talk of pinning the shoulders. Do they mean the shoulder blades or shoulder joints? With an animal broadside on, I aim just behind the shoulder joint. The only bones I may hit then are the ribs. If the animal is quartering then the bullet may take out one of the shoulder joints. The intention still being to pass through the centre point at the top of the heart.

I don’t think you need to hit bone with the copper TTSX bullets (or any bullets) , I shoot just behind the shoulder joint but below the scapula.

Dodgyknees refers to being in line with the front of the front leg which is similar.

Alan

 

[Bowland blades]

Can I ask how fast you're pushing them as this looks like what I'm going to try next. I'm currently using 127grain LRX at 2870fps at the muzzle and have continued to be less than impressed. Sure they kill. Sure the meat damage is minimal but they sure as hell run for the hills too after pencilling through the lungs causing very little damage at all.

I don't get that and its been reds thus far had one run maybe 70 yards stumble about a bit and drop . The shot was taken over 300 yards the hart wasn't done just tge lungs and I had just shot his pall so adrenalin was flowing , having trouble switching straight to tge second ( the one that I am talking of ) was a big factor as that tends to create longer death runs etc . With any bullet , drop em fast and they don't tend to do much but run into the ground
I am on 6.5 mm 100 grn Ttsx . Being honest I haven't put them over the crono but it's top end velocity . Indeed bearing in mind this is culling I would say there's a distinct reduction in runs . Some big stags aswell
Was only interested where tge pressure showed , backing off then produced tge most accurate load at 300 yards

 

[Benbound]

This was a Winchester nontoxic 30-06. The shot was taken at 80yds, approx 5yr old sika stag. Entry point was just above shoulder breaking three ribs on entry. Exit was just behind diaphragm again taking two ribs out. Exit hole in the skin was fractionally bigger than the entry hole. The bullet had hit the heart and liver, no blood or pins found at the strike point but the bullet was located 10ft away having hit an oak tree. The deer ran 60 or so Yards.
So my take on this is that these copper bullets are really hard, compared with lead core I would have expected a lot more mushrooming . I’m anticipating a higher number of runners where bullets pass through and very little external bleeding.

 

[Alantoo]

This was a Winchester nontoxic 30-06. The shot was taken at 80yds, approx 5yr old sika stag. Entry point was just above shoulder breaking three ribs on entry. Exit was just behind diaphragm again taking two ribs out. Exit hole in the skin was fractionally bigger than the entry hole. The bullet had hit the heart and liver, no blood or pins found at the strike point but the bullet was located 10ft away having hit an oak tree. The deer ran 60 or so Yards.
So my take on this is that these copper bullets are really hard, compared with lead core I would have expected a lot more mushrooming . I’m anticipating a higher number of runners where bullets pass through and very little external bleeding.

What lead free bullet do Winchester use? What percentage / weight of the bullet remains? It looks like the petals have come off and the solid lump of the bullet has done a secondary expansion having hit the oak tree.

These are from my 308 two 130gr TTSX which now weigh 129.4gr and the 150gr GMX which each weigh a grain-ish over 150gr because they have a bit of clag trapped behind the petals.



Your bullet remains look proportionately shorter than I would expect from 30-06 with only that amount of expansion and no defined/visible petals.

Alan

 

[Edinburgh Rifles]

Asked a colleague not to use copper for the Sika with me after seeing the result of a broadside shot on a roe buck a few months ago. Same sort of result as seen by another colleague, so will continue to use what has worked for many decades. Maybe the reason I drive an 04 Volvo after failing to kill my 53 Volvo which sounds as sweet as a nut after 240k miles.

I will try Evo green however, if and when they become available for reloading .

95% of the sika i have shot have been with lead free bullets.
I have lost two out of maybe 60-70
Both dropped and dead but not dog at the time and dangerous conditions in dark.

Choose one that works and shoot them in the correct place for sika
To assume that “they” dont work on sika because you watched one on roe is ridiculous.

Construction is NOT design or efficacy.
Just because its copper or brass doesnt mean its shite.

 

[bryn]

Having shot 8 Roe with the Fox 80g 243 I’m having trouble seeing the differences between that and lead.

bryn

 

[jimsim]

Running the barnes 127grain lrx at 2960fps In my 6.5mm very effective on muntjac, roe , fallow , using the 130grain ttsx in 30-06 again very good , next venture is to try out the new virtus lead free range early load development looks very promising with the 110grain offering in 6.5mm yet to see how it performs on deer.

 

[Utectok]

Running the barnes 127grain lrx at 2960fps In my 6.5mm very effective on muntjac, roe , fallow , using the 130grain ttsx in 30-06 again very good , next venture is to try out the new virtus lead free range early load development looks very promising with the 110grain offering in 6.5mm yet to see how it performs on deer.

what cal 6.5 that's a good speed....

 

[jimsim]

what cal 6.5 that's a good speed....

6.5 creedmoor bud , Rs 60 powder I get very good velocity with rl16 aswell