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Alternative to v-max?


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I was reading another thread earlier about having to put the "good side" of your quarry to the camera to take suitable pics for posting on here. I didn't want to hijack his thread, so started this one.

Personally I don't think there is any need for graphic photos. Anyone who has shot stuff is aware of the damage a bullet travelling at 3000+ fps can do. 

I shot a lot of foxes the other night at ranges between 100 and 200 yards or so and hardly any of them was suitable for a picture. 

I use 53gr v-max in my 223, and it's not loaded particularly "hot".

The 2 options I can see are either down loading them a bit, or maybe using a slightly less frangible bullet. Is there such a thing that doesn't just drill through and through? I haven't tried varmageddon yet.  Does anyone have any experience with other bullets?

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3 hours ago, wilbur foxhound said:

I think you might need a heavier grained slower bullet.?

That would be an answer, but my rifle is 1:12 twist and I can't really go much heavier than I'm using at the moment.

2 hours ago, hambone said:

Unless you really need a picture of a dead fox does it matter?

Well obviously I don't. I was asking if anyone had used a slightly less frangible bullet to good effect.

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I've heard it said that Nosler's ballistic tip is a 'less frangible' frangible bullet than V-max. Even if true it still 'pops' em.

If I want a photo of something but it's not very errr 'photogenic', then I try to be a little imaginative and make the focus something else. Like have the animal partially hidden in the foliage with a landscape in the background etc.

I think that there is not much more distasteful and miss-representative than a heap of mangled dead stuff.

:good:

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6 hours ago, Born Hunter said:

I've heard it said that Nosler's ballistic tip is a 'less frangible' frangible bullet than V-max. Even if true it still 'pops' em.

If I want a photo of something but it's not very errr 'photogenic', then I try to be a little imaginative and make the focus something else. Like have the animal partially hidden in the foliage with a landscape in the background etc.

I think that there is not much more distasteful and miss-representative than a heap of mangled dead stuff.

:good:

Cheers BH. I'll look into Nosler. I'm sure there's a difference between ballistic tip and varmageddon but their site makes them sound exactly the same. ?

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Perhaps I have mis understood what this is all about but surely hunting falls into 2 situations.  ... 1 for food or 2... to control. Now ive heard about fox being eaten out in Germany (strange race) but no one eats fox here that ive ever heard of so dead is dead. I don't  shoot stuff to post pictures on here, I shoot to kill so why worry about what bullet does what.  I like Sierra bullets and use the 55grn Game king bthp at about 3400 fps. It hits like a 3400 fps sledge hammer attached to a stanley knife out to 300 paces.  I've also used the 50 grn blits with fantastic accuracy. My Mother used to moan at my about rabbit damage that I had shot. I had to inform her that they had to have impact damage to die. Good job I was only using the 22lr and not a c.f..

Edited by Meece
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9 hours ago, Meece said:

Perhaps I have mis understood what this is all about but surely hunting falls into 2 situations.  ... 1 for food or 2... to control. Now ive heard about fox being eaten out in Germany (strange race) but no one eats fox here that ive ever heard of so dead is dead. I don't  shoot stuff to post pictures on here, I shoot to kill so why worry about what bullet does what.  I like Sierra bullets and use the 555grn Game king bthp at about 3400 fps. It hits like a 3400 fps sledge hammer attached to a stanley knife out to 300 paces.  I've also used the 50 grn blits with fantastic accuracy. My Mother used to moan at my about rabbit damage that I had shot. I had to inform her that they had to have impact damage to die. Good job I was only using the 22lr and not a c.f..

It was a straightforward question asking if anyone knows of a bullet slightly less devastating than a v-max. Obviously foxes I shoot are for pest control, and dead is dead. I was just looking for something that didn't practically turn them inside out doing so. 

What do you fire your 555 gr bullets out of? A Howitzer? :laugh:

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12 minutes ago, walshie said:

It was a straightforward question asking if anyone knows of a bullet slightly less devastating than a v-max. Obviously foxes I shoot are for pest control, and dead is dead. I was just looking for something that didn't practically turn them inside out doing so. 

What do you fire your 555 gr bullets out of? A Howitzer? :laugh:

They're for when he's out 'controlling' elephants.

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I’ve been using Sierra 50gr semi points . The first batches I loaded were at the starting weight of powder but dropped rapidly after about 130 meters . I’ve upped the measure to the top end of 26 grains of Vihtavuori N135 and they shoot a lot better. They are less devastating than v-max . I got them because I’ve found soft points are a bit more forgiving when there was a lot of long grass about earlier in the year . I’ve gone over to V-max now , they are devastating, but I don’t care , dead is dead . But the soft points don’t tear them up like a ballistic tip , sometimes you can hardly tell where the bullets gone in , but other times it can make a hole , just depends where you hit them . 

23420116-353C-4123-90FB-640D43485A32.jpeg

Edited by shovel leaner
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I use to use Speer tnt, they weren't to bad. Sierra soft points are also good as mentioned.

Nosler ballistic tips don't seem to be as messy as v max in my experience.

Personally I prefere a tougher bullet than these thin jacketed explosive types.

I have seen several times shallow wounds from super fast frangible bullets!

Rifling type can play a huge role in how the jacket peels open too! So one rifle can make more mess than another with the same bullet at the same speed!

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