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David Byrnes

Nathan I just watched your youtube vid on bullet performance; very interesting.

I know what I am asking is a big ask of a projectile but what in your opinion is the best bullet to use to be able to effectively take deer up to Sambar size from anywhere between 40 and 500yards?

My current load is the first load I worked up in my Sauer 202 XT with a Swaro Z3 4-14X50BT, which is 165 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips with a MV of 2777fps with a SD of 5fps and consistent three shot grouping of 0.5MOA.

The main game I pursue are big mountain boars, Fallow, Red and Sambar in the mountains of NSW and Victoria.

I ask as I am concerned about the 165Gn BTs ability to hold up under high velocity in close. Alternatively I also have on hand Nosler 165Gn Accubonds but conversely not sure of their performance out long. I state this due to my experiences with the 8mm 200grain Accubond on a Red Deer this time last year (picture below).

The Red was hit at about 60 yards with the 200Gn AB from my 8X57, muzzle velocity was 2560fps, broadside straight through the shoulder, halfway up the body. The bullet exited. He ran straight downhill 50 yards and dropped dead, likely dead on his feet.

What surprised me though was I found two other wounds from fragmentation, of what I suspect was the nose of the projectile. Both of these where found on the off side of the deer, under the skin, visible by the bleeding under the skin with a small section of jacket lodge there. The first was just forward of the point of the pelvis and the other was was just forward of the pizzle.

Hence the concern that the Accubond would not open up out long at 500 where velocity would be about 1800fps.