Are Sierra bullets premium? Not knocking them, they are one of my favorites. Only super fast cartridges need premium bullets. The 257 Weatherby magnum for example. I once had a strange performance when I shot adoe with my 300 Weatherby magnum at about 50 yards. There was a hole where the bullet enteredbut no exit hole.
j1, depends what you are buying and who defined premium. Most places define premium as bonded bullets.
I guess you could almost say the premium bullets are designated by price. I once shot a mule deer at 30 yards with a 25-06 using a 85 gr nosler BT running about 3400 fps. Yep, probably no the first choice but it was what shot good and I had confidence in it. The buck was facing me. I put it right through the brisket and he dropped like a sack of potatoes. When dressing it out I found the entire chest cavity was like jello. We found fragments clear back into the hind quarters. That rifle has taken plenty of deer using 117 gr Speers.
I don't care for BT in my 25-06 because of how explosive it is. Did almost the exact same thing to a buck about 10 years ago. But my shot was hit behind the shoulder towards the brisket. Chest was all jello and it shredded the heart and lungs. My worry is doing that on a poor angle and ruining a bunch of meat.
I'm not sure why someone would spend 400-1000 or more for a big game rifle, 200-1000 or more for optics and then use bullets that will fall apart if you hit too much/too big bone. Sure, make the perfect shot and everything works out fine, make a less than perfect shot and you could leave a wounded animal. If I'm not mistaken, if you wound an elk in the Penn season, you just filled your tag. Would you really want to take a chance on your bullet performance? Last I checked, they are about double the cost of regular bullets. So let's say YOUR bullet costs 30 cents each and the premium costs 60 cents each. Hell, you do the math, tell me if it's worth it... It's not to me.
BB
Elk hunting rules in pa are goofy. I can't use my 264 win mag. 270+ only.
Hunting anything bigger than deer beyond 100yds (or anything that can eat you) it makes good sense, I agree the extra expense is negligible. Or any rifle that pushes a cup&core so fast it comes apart or explodes on close shots. For target shooting or hunting deer at ranges you could hit them with a thrown baseball, why bother?
"Stand your ground.
Do not fire unless fired upon.
But if they mean to have a war let it begin here."
- Capt. Parker, Lexington Militia, April 19, 1775
You're exactly right about deer at close range, at least just any old deer. If I were to see a slammer, I want the best bullet possible so I don't have to worry as much. Heck this from a guy that hunted deer most of his life with a 22-250...
BB
BB shoot a lot shoot well and the cartridge hardly matters. Poachers with 22 shorts at night shoot right in the eye and somehow the deer dies.
Lots of thinking and to be honest it is still a tough question. 257 Weatherby magnum, maybe yes. 30 06 not so far.
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