Picked up a box of .308 150gr today. If it shoots well out of my Tavor 7, I'll probably buy a chitload.

Anyone have experience with this ammo for deer? I've read a lot online saying they are accurate and reliable, but can't find much on expansion performance.

Go ahead and start picking up more. Should be about the same as a Core-Lokt (not the new tipped stuff). Pretty much the same bullet
I've picked up several boxes each of 308, 30-06, and 243 at Academy when they have it. I've also ordered several boxes of each.

The thread below has a few posts of someone that shot a 130# hog quartering away with a Norma 150gr 30-06 SP and has a picture of the bullet recovered from the hog.

https://texashuntingforum.com/forum.../norma-whitetail-30-06-150-gr-soft-point

It’s good stuff!

if it works for you watch ammoseek…it’s on sale with regularity from diff suppliers

A good friend and coworker bought a case of them for his 308 last week for $14.99 a box. I think he told me that he's got about 300 rounds of it now.

My father in law uses them in 30-06 and they work very well for him. He typically uses Hornady 178 ELDX stuff in his bolt gun but he has a remington auto that doesnt like it. This stuff killed just as many last year as the hornady at WAY less cost. Vans in cullman had it a while back, I have seen it also at the Academy stores in TX.

Jason

I had a similar experience on a hog hunt with their .308 ammo. I've since bout some for every caliber I hunt with

Also, Norma brass casings are some of the best available, definitely save them for reloading or post it up for sale.

Shed almost half its weight, only 12-13" of penetration, and didnt get an exit on little 130lb hog, with .300 Win mag velocity? With that performance, or lack thereof, it'll be a hard pass for me on that bullet. Norma is good brass though.

I would disagree and say that's about damn near perfect in my book for a deer. 13-14" is about the width of an AL deer. A hog is tough as hell. I think the proof would be on the hog's insides. The pass through is only good for the blood trail. I try not to need to follow one of those so this would be less of an issue to me overall - but I would like to have something to follow just in the event I had to look for it. In this that's a moot point because the Norma would have passed through anyway. The way I think....Something like 90% retention to me means you just pencil holed the dam thing and hope you got a good light handy you are about to start the real hunt.

That's good bullet performance in my book. Lot of energy left behind. Still got an exit. Frag'ed the insides most likely on it's way through even better if hit bone.

If the objective is to kill would pass through even be a metric to track? I would think having absorbed that energy into the vital organs makes for a much more efficient death than a pass through.

I would be willing to bet that a Norma 150 soft point going at 300 mag velocities would absolutely smash any whitetail walking. If you're not comfortable with that light a bullet going that fast step up to a 165 and case closed.

Probably more likely to get a pass through it 30 06 velocities than 300 win mag.

More speed does not always mean greater penetration.

Besides, dead is dead whether the critter has one or two holes. If a bullet does not break apart on entrance and makes it into the boiler room before fragmentation you probably ain't gonna worry about whether CNC is available.

AU338, what youre saying is absolutely true, but a TTSX will exit 99.9999% of the time. A ELDX will exit 99% of the time and even a Hornady BTSP will exit 90-95% of the time, as will a Nosler partition, on that shot on a 130lb pig. With that "quartered away shot" depending on how hard he's quartered, your getting the back of the shield and just the offside shoulder so IMO if the bullet is properly constructed, it should exit. I've shot literally hundreds of deer and hogs with rifles. In killing those, with many different calibers and bullets from .223 to 7MM STW to the magnum 30s, I've simply determined that I prefer two holes in everything I shoot. Just in case you find a stubborn animal (which does happen) with a will to live, that wants to crawl off or is amped up and runs off. That second hole is pure gold and most of the time, the difference between finding the animal quickly or having to call in help and a long search. Example, I used to shoot 150 gr Core Lokts in my 300 and I pretty much high shoulder shoot everything. Gun loved them and every deer or hog I shot with them died where it was standing or within 20-30yards, but I never got an exit shooting that light bullet in that 300. Like you said, dead is dead, if it enters the chest cavity before fragmenting. Had a couple of those core lokts shed a bunch of weight the shoulder going in and stop up against the off side shoulder, but I'd always have enough get into chest to do the job. (both were close shots 30 yds and 50 yds). Switched to the TTSX in that gun and still get the same DRT performance, only now I get two holes every single time whether it's 40 yards or 400 yds. To each his own, personally I want a bullet that will expand to at least 2X caliber, do as much damage as possible on the way through, while traveling as fast as it can be driven, and punch a nice round hold as it exits, just in case blood trailing is necessary.

Norma Whitetail will absolutely kill animals, I'm not arguing that in any way. But you shoot a big trophy buck, quartering away, high through the lungs (so that he's bleeding down into his chest cavity), with a bullet that sheds most of its weight and doesnt exit, that makes it into cover, and you''ll be wishing for that exit wound on the other side. That deer is going to die for sure, but he may also run 150-300 yards, or further, and I'd rather have a blood trail that a blind man can follow, just in case it is necessary. If that happens without that exit, better have CNC or Dano on speed dial.

On a broadside shot... I honestly couldn't tell you when I haven't gotten an exit wound with a standard cup and core bullet of the appropriate weight for caliber. i have a hard time remembering not getting exit wounds in general. I think I probably kill something in the 200lbs range several times a month. Whether that is a 140 from a 7-08 or a 165 from a 308 or 160 from a 7 Mag or 180 from a 300WM/300WBY. 140 from 6.5x284. It just kills the crap outa stuff.

Not getting a pass through doesn't happen with any sort of regularity IMO. And I shoot shoulder and bone I'm not playing around with a double lung and a flashlight. Quartering offside shoulder and leg... I'm blowing it off. They can run on 3 but not far without oxygen.

Do I shoot one up the ass and expect it to come out it's chin?... that's a different story but a Partition might not make it the full length of a deer that's many many inches of penetration depending on how large the animal is.

The bottom line for me is simply..... I just don't understand why y'all have so many issues with bullets. I really don't. Blows my mind it's the most simple thing to me. Weird stuff happens. I get it. There is no telling how many of y'all are shooting a rifle that isn't living up to it's accuracy potential because you are honed in on some silly magic bullet you've convinced yourself performs so drastically different than another. The internet is full of stories of bullets vaporizing in mid-air followed by "I never found it".

Go on Midway look up a Sierra .30 165 Pro Hunter and read the reviews. This is not difficult.



Edit: I take that back I did shoot a hog at the end of deer season with a .350 Legend right between the eyes facing me at 25 and there was no Exit. You could pour the hogs insides from one end to the other and it was laying where it was hit DRT. You could hear is sloshing around inside.. I'm ok with that.

Goat, I agree in principle with exactly what you posted above, however, it must be acknowledged that all cup and core bullets are most certainly not created equal, with regard to design, accuracy, or "on game" performance. Hornady BTSP and Sierra Gamekings and Pro hunters are all excellent C&C bullets. I shoot them in several of my rifles currently and rarely will you not get an exit with those two. Like I said above, 90-95% of the time with them. I know that core lokts have killed millions of deer but all I can say is that I shot either 6 or 7 good mature bucks with that 150 core lokt in that 300WSM, at ranges from 30 yds out to 300 yds. All were recovered without issue because I watched them all fall or bulldoze off a few yards, so there is no doubt it killed them dead as a hammer, but I never got the first exit, on any of them. Zero. Almost every recovered bullet exhibited that the jacket had separated from the lead core.

Animals, bone, shot angles, and shot placement can cause bullets to do funny things and it may happen tomorrow, but I've yet to shoot one with the Barnes or the ELDX in that same rifle, where I did not get an impressive exit.

Ever since my experience with the Core Lokts in that 300, I'm just real shy about shooting any bullet that sheds over, or even close to 50% of it's original weight, while inside the animal. Most of the time, if that happens, you're getting at least partial jacket separation on impact or immediately thereafter, by intentional bullet design or failure, which in turn can lead to no exits. According to that article, he shot that hog with a 30-06 and the recovered bullet weighed 80+ something grains (if I remember correctly). Too much weight loss for my liking. Dead is dead but I'll take the insurance of an exit wound every single time, even if it costs a few extra dollars per box. For the record, I'm not even close to being an ammo snob. The old Hornady Custom line with the BTSP Interlock bullet is probably the best commercial ammo that has been made, and at $22-$24/box, it was a bargain for the price. It's a shame that they discontinued it a couple years ago, in almost all of the popular hunting calibers.

My experience with standard cup and core type bullets has been that the increased velocity of a magnum cartridge will often give less penetration with all other factors being equal. Same bullet type, same bullet weight, etc. The increased impact velocity causes greater expansion and the wider that bullet gets the harder it becomes to push it all the way through an animal. For example, I would have more confidence that I would get a complete pass through with a 150 grain bullet out of a 30-06 or 308 than I would with the same 150 grain bullet out of a 300 win mag. But I don't blame the bullet for that. If you are going to step up to magnum velocities then you probably need to step up beyond standard cup and core bullets or at least a heavier bullet. Stay in the 2800 to 2900 fps range however and most standard bullets like CorLokts, Power Points, Interlocks, or Gamekings will give good service.

Now that said there is a variant that doesn't get talked about much. No bullet contains pure lead. It's way too soft. All lead tipped bullets are an alloy, a mixture of lead and some other metal. And depending on that mixture the hardness and thus the expansion characteristics can vary a good bit. For example I find Sierra Gamekings to be on the softer end of lead tipped bullets with Hornady Interlocks on the other end. I use 117 grain Hornady Interlocks out of my 25-06. Despite the 25-06 being a fairly fast non magnum cartridge and only flinging a 117 grain bullet I still have yet to get one to stay inside a deer.

A TTSX typically retains 99% of its weight after expansion. A cup and core bullet shedding 50 % of it's weight loses momentum more rapidly due to less weight and larger frontal area. A higher impact velocity will cause a C&C bullet to shed more weight and have a larger frontal area than if the bullet is 300-400 FPS less at impact. The result is an accelerated loss of momentum compared to a TTSX. Watch videos of bullets fired into ballistic gelatin. The cup and cores slow down rapidly after impact and the TTSX zips through quickly.

I've caught a lot of bullets in deer, and probably 90% of them have been 7 mm 139/140 grain bullets. Hornady interlocks and Nosler Accubonds all fired at high velocity of 3000 FPS or more muzzle velocity. Most of those deer were DRT despite only having one hole in them. The bullets all had expanded to at least 2X diameter and were found under the hide on the offside. Only bullet I've ever had to blow up was a 338 cal 200 gr ballistic tip. Shot a buck on the shoulder with my 338 win mag, MV 3000+ FPS, at a range of 20 yards. Total core separation and had to put another bullet in him to kill hum.

I like bullets that expand fast and I don't care if it blows up...as long as it blows up in the boiler room. Like Todd1700 said, sierra GK bullets tend to be a little softer and I like that. They are VIOLENT on deer and some of the quickest kills I've seen have been deer hit with a GK. It's like the bullet instantly rips the life out of the deer and takes it out the exit hole. No kicking, flopping, nothing. Just DRT.

Dave Andrews who worked at Speer had a sign in his office "At what point did the bullet fail when you pulled it out of the dead animal?" He said not everyone got it. I'm a Partition fellow but if plain ol'Corelokts are liked that's what I'll use. Loaded some 170 30/30s@2550 out 30/06 cases and got fat and happy on homemade German chocolate cakes a couple of seasons in Conecuh County.

For me nosler ballistic tips have been worst followed by Hornady SST 129gr but both of those in .264 diameter 260 remington.zero penatration
Have killed most deer with Hornady interlock 165gr btsp in 308 but don't always go down fast as I'd care but 165gr accubond drop em really quick in 308.
In 7x57 mauser sierra gk has dropped all deer instantly and damn accurate and that's the 120 gr Sierra lighter bullet I use..dropped 3 folded up and that might be pro hunter not game king
338-06 180gr accubond is devastating but haven't been fortunate enough to shoot one with anything else.
I still haven't fired anything all copper yet or any of the newer long range higher ballistic coefficient bullets yet but plan on it this year.have always used Sierra match king hp for long range target