Should I take the PB or GC bullets to hunt?

[cr445671]

Just looking for opinions, I think I've got my loads more or less figured out, but am still unsure wether to take the PB @1450 or GC @1850 (both 92/6/2 alloy, big meplat RD clone, 30-30, 170gr) to hunt the later part of the season with. Using irons I can't imagine I'd want to shoot more than maybe 120yds, and figure both'd do the job at that range, which would you say?

[Winger Ed.]

I use a gas checked 170RN in .30-30 and like it.
I'd take which ever one is the most accurate at the highest speed, and that will lean heavily toward the GC one.
What ever damage a 170 at 1450 will do to a deer, a 170 at 1850 will do better.

[cwtebay]

I would say figure out which one you shoot the best and hold to that!

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[trails4u]

Either will do the job quite effectively.... Which is more accurate?

[cr445671]

Accuracy wise it's a bit hard to tell, there's only so good I can do with irons in the first place, they seem fairly equal. Now when it comes to consistant velocity the PB over w231 wins hands down, 30fps extreme spread, the lowest I've gotten the gc's over h380 down to is around 100fps.

Honestly I'd like to take the PB, seems more traditional i think, and the whole '30cal that sounds and recoils like a 22' thing is really cool, I quite enjoy shooting 'em. I do understand the GC is going to have more umph though, so I wonder if it's the more ethical choice; I worry a bit about my alloy at the lower velocity.

[trails4u]

170gn @1450 will kill anything on this continent.....

[ABJ]

More so because of trajectory I would use the faster load.
Tony

[Hickok]

Either would do, but I prefer the GC boolit in my own 30/30.

[gwpercle]

Gas Check @ 1850 .
When hunting ... +400 fps isn't going to hinder a boolit from doing it's job !
A 170 gr. FP at 1850 fps in a 30-30 sounds like the perfect thing for Deer or Hogs :drinks:
Do It
Gary

[FredBuddy]

In my experience so far, a powder
coated plain base does just fine at
1800 fps.

[cr445671]

Alright, I think I'm guna try for the plain base. I did some ballistics charts and @ my planned max of 120yds I've still got as much energy as a 357 revolver at the muzzle, so energy wise that should be fine, and with 100yd zero it keeps me +/- 2in in trajectory the whole way.

[dverna]

Why? What if you see a 12 pt at 150 yards? If you make a shot at a small doe at 100 yards, you can make the shot on a big buck at 150 yards.

ES is meaningless at the ranges you are hunting. More velocity gives a flatter trajectory and more energy.

Stop listening to people who recommend marginal loads. They are justifying what they do most of the time.

You can kill a deer with a .22 “if you go your part”. That does not make it a smart option.

What are you saving the GC load for? Moose and grizzly?

[Mk42gunner]

I tend to agree with dverna in this situation.

Your GC load is fairly close to a factory loaded .30-30, which has worked well for deer 125 years.

The PB load on the other hand, reminds me of the .32-40 which went out of favor once the .30-30 was in widespread use. It will kill a deer, but what if the one that dwarfs the Jordan buck steps into the clear at 175 yards?

Robert

[megasupermagnum]

If you used a softer alloy, id say it wouldn't matter. Your alloy is quite hard, and I don't think it would do a good job at 1450 fps. At 1850 fps, you should see at least some expansion.

[sukivel]

445671,

What is the difference in accuracy out to 200? Can you hit a paper plate with the pb every time?

I’m asking cause I have a similar gc mold and the gc shank is too large to get a gc on straight and I thought about cutting one of the cavities out to PB


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[Bigslug]

Gas check.

I have zero doubts in your PB load's ability to do the job, in fact I would gleefully shoot deer with handgun rounds offering considerably less. If you really are shooting as close as you plan, it'll do.

HOWEVER -

Deer hunting is often a sport of sleep deprivation, caffeine abuse, and sudden spurts of excitement. In that context, I'd want the flatter trajectory to assist with any compromised spur-of-the-moment decision making on my part.

[cr445671]

I don't know, I'm in NW FL, 120yds is kinda me being generous, I'll be hunting like in the woods, litterally (blackwater wma in Santa rosa county) Do y'all really think the +/- 2in trajectory with PB isn't enough?

[dverna]

MSM made a very good point. You are using a hard alloy at low velocity. There may be little or no expansion and the bullet may "pencil" through.

In thick woods the ranges are short, but it is also easy to lose a deer that is wounded. In snow there is both a decent blood trail and tracks to follow while in FL tracking will be more challenging.

[popper]

As you are talking hunting and purchasing? cast, I'd go with the GC. You can always download it. PB can be just as accurate but the gc pretty much guarantees a square base and that is what determines accuracy. I have proved this to myself experimentally. Save the PB for practice and hogs. I did a 'test' on a dead hog carcass( 1 min dead), shot soft (1% Sb - 185gr RD gc'd) in the gut and shoulder. Shoulder didn't penetrate (1 30 cal hole), gut expanded to .4" exit (30/30 from ~ 5 ft). I don't like tracking and 2 holes is better than one.

[DougGuy]

I like gas checks and soft alloy, but accuracy (and shot placement) is SO MUCH more important!

[cr445671]

The alloy does give me pause, but wouldn't that big meplat cause alot of hydrostatic shock as it goes through?

[Mk42gunner]

The alloy does give me pause, but wouldn't that big meplat cause alot of hydrostatic shock as it goes through?
You are making your own point towards the GC load. Higher velocity means more hydrostatic shock, if the .30-30 can be said to give it.

I have shot a few deer with factory 150's from the .30-30, and I have to say there doesn't seem to be a lot of excess energy with it. Yes it will kill deer and sometimes knock them out of their socks, but not always.

Robert

[dverna]

You seem determined to use the PB load. Ask yourself why? If you have a good reason, it is not coming across. Do what you think is right.

You may wish you had never asked the question but when most responses are advising the GC load it tells you something.

[megasupermagnum]

The alloy does give me pause, but wouldn't that big meplat cause alot of hydrostatic shock as it goes through?

Not really. I'd expect about a 3/8" hole in and out. Now if you cast them as a HP with 20-1 alloy, they are surprisingly effective.

Even your GC load, I'd consider cutting it with soft lead to approximate 95-3-2.