280 AI on whitetail

[Olmandan]

I killed several deer with a regular 280. I used the Hornady 139 gr. SP bullets. I belong to the leak out both sides on game. I killed a couple with 120's, no exits. Didn't like the results, too long a track. If your gun will run them, the Hornady 152's work great.

[Dale Moser]

280 AI on whitetail

If you can’t get one killed with a .280 inside 300yds, the bullet is not your problem.

A core lokt, or Nosler partition should do the job nicely.

I hate ballistic tips on deer, but because of that I havnt used many. I can’t imagine needing one with that caliber, but I’m used to just picking them up where they were standing with core lokts.

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[bustacap]

Anyone hunted with the 150gr scirocco ll ?

[bboswell]

If you can’t get one killed with a .280 inside 300yds, the bullet is not your problem.

A core lokt, or Nosler partition should do the job nicely.

I hate ballistic tips on deer, but because of that I havnt used many. I can’t imagine needing one with that caliber, but I’m used to just picking them up where they were standing with core lokts.

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Dale, I 100% agree with your opening statement but please don’t group every modern bullet with a plastic tip into the old “ballistic tip” category.

[Artos]

My 120's are going upwards of 3400fps...you get into those velocities w/ cup/cores they are going to be tested at the closer ranges. Not sure how many deer I've killed with the tipped barnes, but it's an ugly mess once you get inside the boiler room & performing as they should.

I have a 7.21 Firebird that pushes a 120gr Laser head at 3950 that would turn cup/cores into varmint bullets.

Traditional cup/cores shine at under 3000 muzzle & imo are a better option than the tougher bullets for our tx whitetails fwiw in this speed range.

[softpoint]

I have a .280 AI, and my first handloads were with 140 grain Ballistic tips. One hog and a handful of whitail have been shot with it, and I don't recall anything taking more than 1 or 2 steps after being hit. I use RL22 powder in mine,

[Pthomas]

I shoot 140 ttsx Barnes out of my 280 and have been killing mule deer with it for 12 years now and everything thing drops and have shot some passes 400

[PondPopper]

I think he meant that South Texas bucks are the same size as Mexico deer.

Most of our mature S.Tx bucks are weighing on the hoof 190-225 lbs with a rare exceptional one being in the 230-240lb range.

The hill country deer I come across will weigh anywhere from 125lbs to 150 lbs on the hoof.

I don’t know about being a different subspecies officially but South Texas and Mexico deer definitely have a different distinct look to them, but I can’t say whether it’s genetic or just diet/habitat related

In any case, a 120 grain bullet from a 7mm will smash a big south Texas buck

They are.

[PondPopper]

My 120's are going upwards of 3400fps...you get into those velocities w/ cup/cores they are going to be tested at the closer ranges. Not sure how many deer I've killed with the tipped barnes, but it's an ugly mess once you get inside the boiler room & performing as they should.

I have a 7.21 Firebird that pushes a 120gr Laser head at 3950 that would turn cup/cores into varmint bullets.

Traditional cup/cores shine at under 3000 muzzle & imo are a better option than the tougher bullets for our tx whitetails fwiw in this speed range.

Yes the ONLY 120gr 7mm bullet that I would consider shooting at a deer is a Barnes.. If I wanted to hunt deer with a 120gr bullet I would shoot my .257 Weatherby mag or my 25-06.

[dc1986]

Thanks for all the info guys. Ordered 2 boxes of 140 Accubond last night. If it groups well, I’ll try it out this season. If not I’ll probably try hand loaded 150 ELD-X or 150 Sierra Gamechanger.

[txtrophy85]

They are.

what is the subspecies named?


the only 4 I were aware of were the Texas whitetail, the Kanas strain found in the far north Panhandle, the Avery island whitetail along the coast and the Carmen Mountain whitetail in far west texas sky islands.

I agree 100% that one could argue for a separate subspecies between the common texas deer and a south texas/mexico deer