After trying Superformance and loosing a pig from the bullet not exiting and leaving a blood trail, I'm going to switch. I'm not a reloader, I'm a suburbanite new family man so I don't have time, space or patience to do that. I buy bullets off the shelf. Here's what I've used:

Remington Core-Lock: Use at the range, groups well but I want to use a copper bullet.

Winchester Super X: groupings really suffer with this ammo so I won't use it anywhere. I go from the usual 1 inch groups to 5 inches with these bunny berries.

Hornaday Superformance: groups the best, but with the lost pig, and just read about several extraction problems due to case expansion, I'm hesitant to even range shoot these now.

Anyone else recommend a good off the shelf ammo? I hunt hogs exclusively. I also know all guns have their preferences, so I'll test whatever recommendations are given before going back to the field. Leaning toward Barnes Vor-TX, but really looking to see what others have used. Also I don't mind spending $50 on a good box if it works great in the field.

I haven't shot anything with it yet but the Barnes Vortex with the tipped TSX shoots very well out of my 308. I also like the Federal Premium line, they have Partitions and TSX.

Try either the TSX or Accubond, I think the accubonde will be your best bet though with 180gr.

Federal loads them and I have used them with great success in my .270 on all sorts of critters.

165gr Monarch works well for me on pigs. $13.00/box. Why don't you use the Core-Lokts in the field? They've been downing game longer than most of us have been shooting. If they group well in your rifle, go for it. I think the ammo companies have borrowed a page from the fishing lure manufacturer's handbook, personally. Doesn't take $50/box ammo to kill a pig.

Winchester supreme with the ballistic silver tips is pretty good.
groups well and haven't lost an animal from it yet.

I am with Slow Drifter. I have put a bunch of meat in the freezer with Core-Lokts with my 30-06s. I just could not bring myself to spend more on hog ammo. Maybe if I was going on a elk or moose hunt. I usually hand load premium bullets when chasing accuracy and/or range, but those are usually not usually hunting bullets so I have no experience to share. I rarely hunt with hand loads. Well, at least with my rifles.

I will say that I have seen hogs lost with well placed shots with all kinds of ammo, even premium bullets from a .300 win mag. Pigs just run far with massive internal injuries and don't always bleed well. I have pretty much gone to head and neck shots only these days. YMMV, good luck and have fun.

-ww

hogs eat bullets... plus fat ones don't bleed very well.

I wouldn't give up on the supers just yet..my 2 cents

x20 on the core-loks, have been killing critters, longer than most of us have been out of diapers.

X2 with those statements: shoot what works for your rife.$$$ big money or rem. corelocks $ BUT, its about bullet placement. IN the ear, will drop them, Corelocks to Barnes triple shocks, they will do the job IF you do yours! GOOD LUCK!

If CoreLokts work in your rifle use them. I have a 270 that shoots them great and I have dropped my biggest dear ever in its tracks at 187 yards with one. If you want an alternative I have seen very good things from the Federal Fusions and they are not outrageously expensive. Really shoot well in one of my rifles.

i shoot the nosler cutom accubonds from midway. about 56 a box and they shoot well.

Thanks guys. I only use Core Lokt on the range because I'm not going to use lead core ammo on game I eat. Fragmentation is too big a problem and I don't want any lead in my families food. I've heard the debate on this before I started hunting, and for me this was the most convincing proof I found that a copper bullet was better. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdKlubTRkk8

I think you are drifting too far to the left with the clowns in your diagram...

You from Cali?

Fed premium tsx is going to be your best shot unless you can find some of the new barns ammo with ttsx.

Take this with a grain of salt... as it is from someone you dont know on the internet... but dont believe everything you watch on youtube!

matt

Cali? Good LORD no! I'm all Texan. But I did have a family member get lead poisoning and I don't want to have my family go anywhere near that.

I'm a habitual researcher and don't even buy gum without reading reviews on its flavor, but I will confess my family experience with lead does influence my decision. And not to defend but I don't drift either left or right politically, I've done enough research to piss off any liberal or conservative with some of the verifiable facts I've uncovered in my time. I'll keep that off the board though, this is a forum I enjoy and don't want to rub anyone the wrong way here.

Since you rulled out lead, try the Barnes Vortex, it is available at Academy

Federal Premium loaded with 165 gr. or 180 gr. Barnes TSX. That is my "go to business round" for my .30-06. Bang. Flop.

So how about trying the Superformance gilding metal load? And I wouldn't stake an ammo's ability on one animal lost.