Sierra recently introduced Tipped MatchKing bullets for tactical uses. This tipped ammunition adds a pointed acetal-resin tip to the front of the bullet, which reduces drag and improves the ballistic coefficient for flatter, more accurate shooting. This new tipped design also improves feeding from a magazine in semi-automatic firearms. The .22-caliber bullet weighs 69 grains, and the .30-caliber bullet is 168 grains, and thanks to its improved ballistics, the latter will stay supersonic at 1,000 yards. MatchKing bullets have a reputation for extreme accuracy but are not recommended for uses such as hunting.
The Norma Oryx features a bonded lead core with a copper jacket. The bullet is solder-bonded to ensure maximum weight retention and prevent fragmentation even when striking heavy bone. The thin jacket at the front ensures reliable expansion against larger game and at higher velocities. It is available in a wide array of calibers, from .222 Remington to .375 H&H Magnum. (http://www.norma-usa.com)
Nosler is a family-owned company started in the 1940s in Oregon that developed unique hunting bullets. That tradition for innovation continues today with its AccuBond Long Range bullet, which offers a high ballistic coefficient with a bonded design and a custom-designed tapered jacket for maximum expansion and penetration at any distance. The boat-tail design also ensures a high velocity and flat trajectory, and the distinct gray polymer tip improves reliability in all firearms. Reloaders will also appreciate the tangent ogive, which provides consistent seating depths, as well as the Lubalox coating, which reduces friction, fouling and pressure to extend your barrel life. (http://www.nosler.com; 800-285-3701)
X-Treme Bullets focuses on manufacturing high-quality ammunition at competitive prices, and the company’s offerings are especially popular among many competitive shooters. Consistency is a key factor in bullet construction, and X-Treme Bullets takes extra steps to ensure that its bullets meet a higher standard. The company’s 115-grain, copper-plated, 9mm bullets start off with a lead billet extruded into wire and shaped into the core of the bullet. This core is then copper plated and restruck, which increases the bullet’s uniformity and provides a proper diameter as well as a smooth finish.(http://www.xtremebullets.com; 800-482-2103)
Speer manufactures excellent defensive ammunition for civilians and law enforcement officers, and the company also offers its extremely popular Gold Dot bullets to reloaders. All Speer Gold Dot bullets start with an alloy steel core and a bonded copper jacket to prevent bullet fragmentation or separation even against tough mediums like auto glass. The two-stage hollowing process for the front also embeds memory lines for reliable expansion. Finally, the cavity is formed to provide maximum reliability and feeding in semi-auto handguns. In addition to its duty Gold Dot bullet, Speer has developed the Short Barrel Gold Dot for use in concealed- carry handguns. Here the cavity is larger to ensure the same reliable expansion even with the lower velocities short barrels can produce. (http://www.speer-ammo.com; 800-379-1732)
With Speer’s Hot-Cor hunting bullets, the thick copper jacket is formed first with a deep opening at the front. Then molten lead is poured in, offering superior consistency and eliminating the chance of accuracy-affecting voids inside the core. This process also ensures better bullet weight retention and penetration while producing a more economical bullet with better accuracy, especially at longer ranges. The spitzer design leaves a soft point at the front for reliable expansion and a higher ballistic coefficient that helps maintain higher velocities at distance. (http://www.speer-ammo.com; 800-379-1732)
Speer’s Deep Curl bullets are specifically designed for handgun hunting applications, which require increased skill and accuracy. Deep Curl bullets will reliably and consistently expand across a wide range of velocities with a deep hollow-point design. This bullet was formerly sold under the name “Gold Dot Handgun Hunting,” but now features a new design with an electro-chemically bonded jacket and core that will retain their weight through tough targets, providing maximum penetration. (http://www.speer-ammo.com; 800-379-1732)
Barnes Bullets started in the 1930s and gained a reputation for making excellent hunting bullets, especially for African game animals. Today, the company has expanded its line to produce both bullets and high-performance ammunition for hunting, target shooting and personal protection. Tactical shooters in particular, who tend to be high-volume shooters, are sure to appreciate the company’s M/LE TAC line. The M/LE TAC-XP pistol bullets are made from 100-percent copper and are ideal for high-volume training indoors and in lead-free areas. As a solid, they cannot separate and will perform extremely well against barriers such as auto glass, with excellent expansion for self-defense and law enforcement duty use. The M/LE TAC-TX rifle bullets are also made entirely from copper and are designed to provide superior accuracy and expansion. (http://www.barnesbullets.com; 800-574-9200)
In some areas and states, the use of lead ammunition for hunting is restricted for environmental concerns. Fortunately, there are excellent-quality, non-lead hunting bullets available, such as the GMX from Hornady. This copper-alloy bullet features a boat-tail design with a hollow point that has been covered with a polymer tip. This polymer tip ensures the highest ballistic coefficient for a faster, flatter-shooting bullet and improved accuracy. Its solid construction will retain 95 percent of its weight for improved expansion and penetration against game animals. (http://www.hornady.com; 800-338-3220)
Arguably, nothing affects your terminal ballistics more than your bullet. Being able to pick the bullet you want to do what you want is a major benefit of reloading. Bullets come in an increasing variety of designs for long-range or big-game hunting, to tactical shooting and personal protection. They vary in shape, weight and materials used, which can include solid lead, a lead core with a jacket, or be completely lead free or made of solid copper. Reloading is a bit like assembling a jigsaw puzzle—each of the pieces must fit in the right order—and bullets are no exception.
