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A-Max for hunting
#5538943
01/13/15 02:55 AM
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 9,354
scot
OP
THF Trophy Hunter
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OP
THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 9,354 |
I had read enough to things here and other forums to be convinced the 178 amax over a healthy dose of Varget in my 308 was going to provide but the last two shots have taken my fair away.
First was in the ear of a 100-150lb hog. Bullet came out the mouth same side. Pretty quick kill but didn't like the Bullet exiting the same side. Only a 50 or so years shot.
Second was on a coyote. Coyote running towards, pulled shot and hit shoulder. Bullet appeared to explode and tear and good chunk of hide but didn't seem to do much bone damage.
We're these two fluke shots, or does the Amax really struggle with bone? Can I trust these to shoot a big deer/Aoudad, or do I need a tougher round?
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Re: A-Max for hunting
[Re: scot]
#5539326
01/13/15 04:59 AM
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 18,951
ChadTRG42
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Did you get an exit on the yote? I've taken animals with 155 and 168 A-max, and I know the 178 will do better than those two. I find it hard that a bullet makes a U turn. Fragments exiting yes, but a U turn? Did the animals drop or expire in short order?
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Re: A-Max for hunting
[Re: scot]
#5539492
01/13/15 12:17 PM
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Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 6,219
dee
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
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I've not had a issue like you speak of. I've tended to stay off heavy bone or shoulders if at all possible too. I have caught it on shots that were quartering and like most cup and core bullet they don't always exit but will break the shoulder bone. Here is a post from this years deer and as you can see the ribs were no match. http://texashuntingforum.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/5498152/Re:_Amax_strikes_again#Post5498152
"A vote is like a rifle; it's usefulness depends on the character of the user" Theodore Roosevelt
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Re: A-Max for hunting
[Re: scot]
#5540108
01/13/15 05:06 PM
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Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 4,424
jeffbird
Extreme Tracker
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Posts: 4,424 |
scot,
308 is my main rifle, with which I've shot more pigs and deer than I can remember offhand, the vast majority of shots being inside of 200 yards.
In my experience the Amax is very soft, and best limited to soft tissue shots on deer i.e. broadside heart, lungs, or base of the neck.
Even with broadside shots inside of 150 yards, the Amax may not exit, while the 175 SMK will punch through. The SMK tends to yaw and tumble, which can cause some large wound channels. The Amax tends to disintegrate.
For base of the ear on pigs, shoulders on deer, or diagonal through a deer facing the shooter, the 175 Sierra Match King has proven to penetrate far better with consistently better terminal effects.
The SMK is not particularly good for lung shots, which benefit from soft, rapidly expanding bullets.
Sierra is releasing Match Kings with plastic tips now, which should help a bit with terminal performance as well as bc.
If you are sticking to distances of 250 yards or less, Ballistic Tips, Partitions, and Pro Hunters all work well for all around bullets.
The 150 Pro Hunter is nothing fancy, but works and is pleasant to shoot. All should work well with Varget.
Beyond 250 - 300 yards, a softer bullet such as the Amax becomes more advantageous as impact velocities decrease.
The issue of the exit on the pig sounds like the head was at an angle to the line of the bullet, which resulted in it deflecting.
Try to stick to shots on the skull which result in the bone being perpendicular to the path of the bullet.
Hope that helps. Good hunting.
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Re: A-Max for hunting
[Re: scot]
#5541564
01/14/15 04:20 AM
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 9,354
scot
OP
THF Trophy Hunter
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OP
THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 9,354 |
The pig kicked a bit but didn't take a step. The Yote was a bit slower. Blood was coming out of the ear and the jaw was in pieces. So on the pig probably the bullet came apart and exited the least restrictive path.
The Yote shot was much more confusing. There was an 8-10" diameter wound that was down to the meat. At the very back of the wound was about a 2" hole through the ribs. So once again it seems like hit should dead on. Bullet came apart scalping a major portion of the right side of the shoulder. But then the hole into the rib cage seems off...
I only have a few other ewe hand loads left and sold all of my loading gear. The rifle loves FGMM 168gr so I may try to shoot a pig with them before dear season and got a bit more confidence in them.
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Re: A-Max for hunting
[Re: scot]
#5544827
01/15/15 06:22 PM
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Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 7,937
bigjoe8565
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 7,937 |
Every pig I've shot except one with a 168 grain amax was DRT. I tried a neck shot on the one that didn't die, but I clearly missed his spinal column. He dropped in his tracks, but rolled over and walked away after 3-5 minutes. I guess I knocked him out. I've killed them with shots to the head and body.
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Re: A-Max for hunting
[Re: bigjoe8565]
#5544901
01/15/15 06:48 PM
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 25,258
Txkiller
the terminator
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the terminator
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 25,258 |
Last night 168gr a-max to the neck...
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Re: A-Max for hunting
[Re: scot]
#5545516
01/15/15 11:55 PM
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Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 7,806
Deerhunter61
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 7,806 |
Wow...this thing comes up at least once a month...they will work fine...
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Re: A-Max for hunting
[Re: scot]
#5545529
01/16/15 12:01 AM
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 4,755
ccoker
Extreme Tracker
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Extreme Tracker
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Posts: 4,755 |
like the others. I have killed a lot of deer and pigs with a 308 I like and trust the 178 AMAX had excellent results with it
here's a quick summary of my experience 150 AMAX, deadly but very explosive 150 TTSX, perfect 165 Gameking and Accubond, perfect 168 TTSX, perfect 178 AMAX, perfect
I am sure I am forgetting some bullet I have used
I just got in 5 boxes of BlackHills with the 175g tipped SMK (TMK) I am going hunting next weekend and I plan on trying it on something assuming they shoot well.
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Re: A-Max for hunting
[Re: scot]
#5546338
01/16/15 01:31 PM
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Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 3,950
daniel1381
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I use the 140 amax out of my 6.5x55 and had no issue with em
"From my cold dead hands"
"Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain - and most fools do."
Benjamin Franklin
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Re: A-Max for hunting
[Re: ChadTRG42]
#5546353
01/16/15 01:44 PM
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Joined: May 2009
Posts: 2,016
SingleShot85
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I find it hard that a bullet makes a U turn. Fragments exiting yes, but a U turn? Dude bullets have been making u-turns since the early 60's...... I figure a reloading expert like yourself would know that I mean look at the bullet that killed Kennedy that biotch made like 4 90deg turns and paused in mid flight
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Re: A-Max for hunting
[Re: SingleShot85]
#5546495
01/16/15 02:53 PM
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Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 3,950
daniel1381
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I find it hard that a bullet makes a U turn. Fragments exiting yes, but a U turn? Dude bullets have been making u-turns since the early 60's...... I figure a reloading expert like yourself would know that I mean look at the bullet that killed Kennedy that biotch made like 4 90deg turns and paused in mid flight Made my day!! lmao
"From my cold dead hands"
"Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain - and most fools do."
Benjamin Franklin
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Re: A-Max for hunting
[Re: scot]
#5550900
01/19/15 03:26 AM
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 18,951
ChadTRG42
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
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Posts: 18,951 |
LOL! Yeah. In this case, both animals died. 1 dropped in it's tracks, and sounds like carnage with the yote. So, the A-max doesn't work for hunting, then? Sounds perrrrrrfect to me.
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Re: A-Max for hunting
[Re: scot]
#5605611
02/18/15 10:55 AM
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Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 2,030
spg
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I wouldn't want to get shot with it
Last edited by spg; 02/18/15 10:56 AM.
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Re: A-Max for hunting
[Re: scot]
#5606268
02/18/15 05:16 PM
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 342
Capt Craig
Bird Dog
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Bird Dog
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 342 |
I only shoot the A-max bullet. In 308 I prefer the 155 grain with 44 grains of IMR 4064. On hogs especially, shoot them in the neck, the joules force will sever the spinal cord. The pig is dead, but in his mind he is running away full speed. Many if not most of the pigs do the Curley Shuffle on their side. If you hit them in the brain, they tend to fall limp. Only shot one coyote with the A-max and in the chest looking straight at me and he just went limp, bullet did not exit. It would be very very rare to have the entire bullet ricochet back in the direction of on the shooter off an animal. Piece of the bullet yes or even a large piece of bone yes. Personally, I really love the A-max as a hunting round.
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Re: A-Max for hunting
[Re: scot]
#5609529
02/20/15 01:43 PM
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Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 2,030
spg
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Never used A-Max but I can't understand how a highly frangible bullet would ricochet out of an animal especially one as solid as a hog. Maybe the hog was recently shot and the two holes were from different shots?
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Re: A-Max for hunting
[Re: spg]
#5609644
02/20/15 02:43 PM
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 41,173
J.G.
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Posts: 41,173 |
.308 Win 178 A-max 400 pound boar, 100 yards bang flop.
260 Rem 140 A-max 300 pound boar, 305 yards walked 20 yards and expired.
.260 Rem 140 A-max whitetail doe, 125 yards walked 20 yards and expired.
.260 Rem 140 A-max whitetail does, 150 and 200 yards, head shots bang flop.
6.5 Creedmoor 140 A-max, two head shot does, lost count on coyotes. Last coyote was 540 yards out, double lung, he walked 16 yards and expired.
22-250 75 gr A-max, about 800 prairie dogs from 50 yards to 700 yards in panhandle winds.
Yeah I kind of like em.
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