Hollow Points

Joined
Sep 7, 2018
Messages
1,104
Location
Pennsylvania
Ive used them for years on Pa whitetails. In 7mm-08 and .257 Bob. Always destroyed the heart and/or lungs. Well tonight I decided to take a large doe with a dmap tag. Shot placement was a little too far forward. Hopefully it was me and I havent bumped the scope. Doe went down, back up then out of the field. I followed the heavy blood trail, made a 90° turn which isnt a good sign. Followed another 500 yards. Blood trail got more and more faint. Picked it up on the other side of some heavy brush then lost it completely. The snow melt and rain made it very difficult.

I hate this, its only happened once before in archery. I was using 100 gr .257 hollow points. No more of them for me. Im going back to ballistic tips or soft points.

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MadDawg

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Dec 18, 2017
Messages
198
Location
Arkansas
Man I suggest using soft points, ballistic points are cool until you don't get an exit.
 
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lyle_destroys
Joined
Sep 7, 2018
Messages
1,104
Location
Pennsylvania
Man I suggest using soft points, ballistic points are cool until you don't get an exit.
Soft points usually are my go-to. Ive been using hollow points because someone gave me several boxes of them and Ive been hand loading them. No issues until now, ill be using the rest of them for target practice. I know I hit that shoulder bone and that HP exploded. Lesson learned.

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topher89

WKR
Joined
Oct 27, 2012
Messages
815
Location
Colorado
I have had great luck with 100gr Ballistic Tips with my 257 Roberts. 2 Antelope and 1 Deer. All one and done shots.
 

bowkill02

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Mar 3, 2017
Messages
128
Location
NW Wyoming
I was just out tonight here in n pa with my 257 roberts loaded with sierra 90gr gamekings, i.e. Hollow points. I've used both 100gr nosler ball tips to in the past. I've never had a problem with either bullet performing on deer. Shot placement is always key but I definitely prefer the gamekings I both accuracy and terminal performance for my application.


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elkguide

WKR
Joined
Jan 26, 2016
Messages
4,606
Location
Vermont
A .25 caliber HP is usually an accurate bullet and more than adequate for a whitetail as long as it is placed correctly. My problem is that the darned deer never want to co-operate and give me that perfect, broadside shot.
I'm one of those "heavy for caliber" bullet users. I also am one the doesn't understand the word, "overkill." While I am fortunate to have a large selection of rifles and calibers but when I head to the woods for whitetail, mule deer, bear or elk..... out of the safe come a .300 Win Mag with at least a 180 grain bullet.
 
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lyle_destroys
Joined
Sep 7, 2018
Messages
1,104
Location
Pennsylvania
A .25 caliber HP is usually an accurate bullet and more than adequate for a whitetail as long as it is placed correctly. My problem is that the darned deer never want to co-operate and give me that perfect, broadside shot.
I'm one of those "heavy for caliber" bullet users. I also am one the doesn't understand the word, "overkill." While I am fortunate to have a large selection of rifles and calibers but when I head to the woods for whitetail, mule deer, bear or elk..... out of the safe come a .300 Win Mag with at least a 180 grain bullet.
I agree with you on the accuracy part. I was shooting 1/2 moa groups with the 100gr HPs. I had waited for a nice broadside shot and screwed it up. I must have jerked when I squeezed the round off. I get excited shooting deer, antlers or not.
Im back to using 117gr SSTs in the 257. Really the only 2 bullets Ive shot from it. My 7-08 on the other hand has eaten everything from 120s to 175s. 145gr soft points worked beautifully on whitetails.

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Joined
May 23, 2012
Messages
707
I shot two does with an 87 gr Sierra HP out of a .25-06. Both went down hard, but the internal damage was so massive, I decided not to use them anymore. Too much meat destroyed. I could definitely see them blowing up on bone.
 

bowkill02

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Mar 3, 2017
Messages
128
Location
NW Wyoming
Another deer down with the 90gr sierra bthp from the 257 roberts. Bullet went through both front sholders. Internal damage was impressive but meat loss was Minimal. I believe impact velocity is the key with light bullets. I'm only running 2980fps but I think the faster they are pushed the more explosive they become.

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lyle_destroys
Joined
Sep 7, 2018
Messages
1,104
Location
Pennsylvania
I ended up taking 2 does last week with the .257. Shooting 117 gr SSTs. Double lung and a heart shot. Much more comfortable with these.

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bowkill02

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Mar 3, 2017
Messages
128
Location
NW Wyoming
Good for you man, I'm glad you sound more confident with your new projectile. Confidence is more than Half the battle. Where in pa you hunting?

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lyle_destroys
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Sep 7, 2018
Messages
1,104
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Pennsylvania
Good for you man, I'm glad you sound more confident with your new projectile. Confidence is more than Half the battle. Where in pa you hunting?

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Near Brookeville/Brockway area. I own some property that is adjacent to my in-laws dairy farm. Plenty of deer. Missed a monster that I kicked out of some brush on Wednesday after the season opened.
How about you?

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Joined
Aug 18, 2017
Messages
48
Fellow PA hunter here just about an hour and change southeast of brookville....I just loaded up for 85gr Gamekings for the wife to shoot this year and I was very impressed with the bullet on a nice 9 pt this year with not a ton of damage and a high shoulder shot found on the opposite hide. What kind of speeds were you getting out of that bullet?
 
Joined
Nov 13, 2014
Messages
2,398
A .25 caliber HP is usually an accurate bullet and more than adequate for a whitetail as long as it is placed correctly. My problem is that the darned deer never want to co-operate and give me that perfect, broadside shot.
I'm one of those "heavy for caliber" bullet users. I also am one the doesn't understand the word, "overkill." While I am fortunate to have a large selection of rifles and calibers but when I head to the woods for whitetail, mule deer, bear or elk..... out of the safe come a .300 Win Mag with at least a 180 grain bullet.

I'm back to this side of the fence. I got tired of all the meat waste and went to low expansion bullets that resulted in having to track deer. Now it's back to driving Accubonds out of the wsm and stw as fast as I can.
 

setch

WKR
Joined
Dec 11, 2018
Messages
391
Location
VA
I have run sierrra gamekings SPBT 140grn for over 12 years now and have found them to be devastating out of my 270.

BTW...fellow PA hunter as well - I do my hunting in SGL 54 NW of brockway, PA
 
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lyle_destroys
Joined
Sep 7, 2018
Messages
1,104
Location
Pennsylvania
I have run sierrra gamekings SPBT 140grn for over 12 years now and have found them to be devastating out of my 270.

BTW...fellow PA hunter as well - I do my hunting in SGL 54 NW of brockway, PA
Thats funny. Im from Brockway, live out in sugar hill now and hunted quite a bit in SGL54 this year. Lol small world.

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Joined
Feb 17, 2017
Messages
649
So nice to see so many people using the 257 Roberts...my favorite caliber.

I run 100gr Barnes bullets out of mine. Almost always a pass through with solid wound channel.
I've only recovered two bullets...one quartered to me punched through front shoulder and hip socket found bullet under hide in rear right leg.
Bullet weighed 99.3grs. Perfect mushroom.
Other travelled through neck spine and rear left leg found under skin...bullet weighed 97.1gr...one of the pedals was broken off.

I have not lost a deer yet that a bullet impacted. You will not drop them in their tracks unless you hit shoulder but you will have great blood to follow with lung shots.
 
Joined
Feb 11, 2016
Messages
368
I always wonder how many clearfield and Jefferson county people are on here.

I prefer heavy for caliber controlled expansion. Shot a doe with 180 grain 06 eldx I hand loaded destroyed both lungs but still went 100 yards. Bullet performed well not unusual amount of meat damage.

Sometimes animals dont want to die
 
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