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The Right Bullet For Your Hunting Needs: Part 3 (Monometal/Copper)

Designed for extreme penetration, copper bullets are starting to become slippery as well.

The Right Bullet For Your Hunting Needs: Part 3 (Monometal/Copper)
(Photo courtesy of Rodger Holscher)

Last up in the 3-part series are the mono-metal or copper bullets. These bullets are made of one solid piece of copper or copper alloy. This copper material is either pressed into shape or lathe-turned into shape. These bullets will either be a hollow point design or have a tip to aid in expansion. Most bullets will have pressure groves or relief cuts that are cut into the bearing surface, so the bullets do not over-pressure as the bullet is pressed into the rifling. This type of bullet was pioneered by Barnes Bullets in Utah, but the recent popularity of this type of bullet has given rise to several other companies that have made a name for themselves.

Some notable boutique copper bullets are the Patriot Valley Arms “Cayuga," McGuire Ballistics “Copper Rose," Cutting Edge Bullets “Lazer," Hammer Bullets “Absolute Hammer," Cavity Back Bullets “MKZ” and previously the Badlands Bullets “Bulldozer 2” bullets. It must be noted that you still might find Badlands Bullets floating around, but as of this writing, that company is no longer producing bullets. Hornady has also been in the game for a while with their old GMX and the new CX bullet. Nosler has their E-Tip bullet, Federal has the Trophy Copper, and Winchester has their Copper Impact, but they are not as popular.

I have the least amount of personal experience shooting copper mono-metal bullets at game. Years ago, when I lived in California, I was still able to shoot lead bullets. That has since changed, and you must shoot non-lead ammo throughout the state. They have never appealed to me because of their shortcomings. Sure, if you are hunting in tight timber or areas where your shots are under 300 yards, copper might not be a bad idea. If you live in a state like California that requires non-lead bullets, coppers are your only choice. But choose wisely for the type of hunting and distances you want to shoot.

Coppers rely on velocity to work appropriately. With their traditionally low BCs and high expansion velocities, this usually limits the range you can shoot game at.

The Velocity Need

different bullet profiles from different angles
(Photo courtesy of Rodger Holscher)

This is a problem for me, as I do not want my bullet to hold me back if I can make further shots. Copper bullets will have better penetration, but at lower velocity, the bullets leave a lot to be desired in the expansion category. You will usually get a better blood trail if there is an exit hole, but I do not want to have to track my animal for hundreds of yards if I can choose a bullet that will kill faster.

For price comparison in .30 Cal bullets, this is the cost of some of the popular copper bullets. The Hornady 190gr CX bullet is $.96 per bullet. The Barnes LRX 208gr bullet is about $1.10 a bullet. A Patriot Valley Arms 210gr Cayuga is $1.56 per bullet. The Hammer Bullets 203gr Hammer HHT bullet is $1.76 per bullet. The McGuire Ballistics 195gr Copper Rose bullet is $1.80 per bullet. The Cutting-Edge Lazer bullet is $2.06 per bullet. This is a big reason I do not shoot a lot of copper bullets. You almost must sell a kidney to be able to afford to shoot more than 50 of them.

Most of the boutique bullets do not come in loaded ammunition. Bullets from Barnes, Nosler, Federal, Winchester and Hornady do come in loaded ammo. The boutique bullets with the better BCs are only available as a component bullet for reloaders right now. Recently you can get some of the Patriot Valley Arms 122gr 6.5mm Cayuga bullets loaded into ammunition from Vantage Research (https://trustyourammo.com/). These will be in 6.5 Creedmoor and 6.5 PRC.

You also must be careful when selecting copper bullets that you have the appropriate twist rate to stabilize the longer copper bullets. Therefore, the Vantage Research Patriot Valley Arms loads are with the 122gr Cayuga and not the 129gr Cayuga. The 129gr Cayuga requires at least a 1-7.5 twist and unfortunately, most factory (and SAAMI Spec) is for a 6.5 Creedmoor and 6.5 PRC will have a 1-8 twist barrel. The manufacturers are good at making the minimum twist rate well known; you just need to look.

Consistency?

loaded examples of monometal bullets
(Photo courtesy of Rodger Holscher)

I have shot a fair amount with the Badlands Bulldozer 2 (205gr .30 Cal) and the Patriot Valley Arms Cayuga (210gr .30 Cal) in my long action 1-8 twist 300 WSM. The Bulldozers were harder to tune in my rifle, so I shot the 210gr Cayuga mostly. That bullet was extremely accurate and being a bore rider design, I was able to load them out long (3.3-inch overall length) in my 300 WSM. What was attractive about that bullet was that the BC was almost identical to the 215 Berger Hybrid Target that I was also shooting in that rifle. They shot the same load of powder with the same velocity so my data would match up well. I did have a slight point of impact shift going from one to the other, so they were not exactly swappable.

I was really looking forward to using them on game, but when I was nearing the end of the bullets on hand, I was not able to get more as they were on backorder. Since then, I routinely check, and they are always in stock, but I ended up going with the 215 Hybrids for that rifle. I did acquire some more of the 210gr Cayuga’s to use in that long action 300 WSM. I will also be trying the 129 Cayuga in my new rifle build. That rifle is a 6.5-7 PRC with a 20” barrel with a 1-7.5 twist and I’m expecting to get at least 3200-3300 fps comfortably with that bullet in that rifle. With a .302 G7 BC and that velocity (at the elevation, and temperature for where I hunt), I should be in the 2100 fps ballpark at 1000 yards. Time will tell if I can get that performance and if I get enough of those bullets to make it work.

The Cavity Back Bullets MKZ was one of the first copper bullets I tried along with some Barnes bullets. Years ago, I built a 6.8 SPC for hunting hogs in California. I needed a non-lead projectile that expanded at lower velocity, had a good BC, and would be loaded to the shorter magazine length of the 6.8 SPC in an AR platform. The unique thing about Cavity Back Bullets is just that. They have a hollow boat tail, so you do not crush power when loading the longer bullets to magazine length. I shot their 105 and 120 MKZ in the 6.8 SPC and I have some of the 168gr .30 Cal Tipped MKZ for loading in my 308 Win if I feel so inclined. Those bullets were very accurate in the respective rifles and that bullet is supposed to open down to 1400fps.

For as much as I do not like copper bullets, I will say this. Those bullets are usually really accurate. If they were not as expensive to shoot, I would likely try more of the boutique copper bullets. The “traditional” copper bullets, although cheaper than the boutique bullets, are just not for me because of their poor BC and terminal performance at lower velocities.

Recommended


Data To Nerd Out On

210 grain pva cayuga example
(Photo courtesy of Rodger Holscher)

For now, I will give you some data points to drive home the point of why, in my situation, BC matters. Let us take the 6.5 PRC cartridge and some popular factory ammo from each of the three categories. I will run the numbers for a good average elevation and temperature for hunting here in Idaho (50 degrees and 5,000ft elevation and 10 mph wind).

First, the Hornady 6.5 PRC Match ammo with the 147 ELD-M. That bullet has a .351 G7 BC and a listed muzzle velocity of 2910 fps. At 600 yards, that bullet will have roughly 2260 fps in retained velocity and 13 inches of wind deflection in a 10-mph crosswind. Hornady does not list the minimum expansion velocity for the ELD-M, but we will use the listed minimum for the ELD-X at 1600 fps. For that load in that environment, you do not dip under 1600 fps until over 1300 yards.

Now let us take a 130gr Terminal Ascent Federal load for the 6.5 PRC. That bullet has a .263 G7 BC and is going a listed 3000 fps at the muzzle. At 600 yards that bullet is still going 2150 fps but deflecting 18 inches in the same environment. Federal says that bullet will expand (although a small expansion) down to 1400 fps but to be safe I like to use 1600 fps. At just over 1050 yards, it dips below 1600 fps when the ELD-m load did not slow down to 1600 fps until over 1300 yards. At 1050 the ELD-M still has over 1800 fps.

The 127 gr Barnes Vor-Tx LR 6.5 PRC load. That bullet has a G7 BC of just .229 and a muzzle velocity of 3010 fps. At 600 yards that bullet is only going 2050 fps and deflects 21 inches. That is a full 8 inches more wind deflection compared to the ELD-M load. With a recommended expansion velocity of 2000 fps, we are already there at 600 yards.

Boutique BCs

long action 300 wsm coal
(Photo courtesy of Rodger Holscher)

For the boutique Patriot Valley Arms (PVA) 122 Cayuga load for the 6.5 PRC from Vantage Research, it's pushing that 122 Cayuga at 3300 fps from a 22-inch barrel. That bullet has a .280 G7 BC. As compared to the 127 Barnes LRX at just .229 G7. At 600 yards that bullet is still going almost 2450 fps and a wind deflection of just 14 inches. PVA recommends 1600 fps for minimum expansion velocity but from my research, these bullets tumble after minimal expansion which does massive damage. At 1000 yards the PVA load is still going 1950 fps.

After giving you these comparisons, you can see why I chose the bullet I do for hunting and shooting at the ranges that I expect to hunt at. I always try to get as close as I can, but if you have hunted out west, sometimes a cross canyon shot at 600 is all you have. If your bullet cannot perform at that distance, you go home empty-handed. Keep in mind that the shooter plays the biggest part, but I like a bullet that gives me the best opportunity to be successful. With the wind deflection numbers above, even a shooter that calls the wind within 3-5 mph, the better bullet choice is apparent. The difference is 8 inches of deflection can mean a lot at 600 yards.

In Summation

In closing, choose the bullet that is right for your situation and your capabilities. First and foremost, get some training and shoot a lot so you can feel comfortable taking extended-range shots. If you do not plan to hunt or shoot past 300 yards, you pretty much can shoot anything and get away with it. For extended-range hunting/shooting, you need to pick the right tool for the job. If you do not want your range to be limited by your bullet, choose the right match type bullet. If you handload your own ammo, you have a larger selection of projectiles at your disposal. Loading a boutique copper bullet will give you a better opportunity to be successful at longer distances. To read the other two parts of this bullet series (Part1 : Bonded) and (Part 2: Match), click the links.




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