Speer bullets worth a look

[Wapiti]

Been using .30 cal HotCors for awhile now for stalking/hunting, and thay never fail to work. 150gn in the 308, 180 in the 300WM and 200gn in the 300RUM.
Very economical bullets, and surprisingly accurate and effective.
Anyway, I saw these online a few weeks ago, and sourced some.

Speer ad.jpg (282.13 KiB) Viewed 601 times

I thought, at that price, with the amount of shooting we have to get done, I thought I'd try some.
Now, these are NOT for "hunting" they are for animal control where all shots are either head shots or at thinner skinned ferals.
I had done a few runs with the 223 and unfortunately, the turn of a head, my slight wobble, well there is no room for error with 223, but this doesn't affect the 308. So I thought I'd give these a go.

[Wapiti]

Used the old done-everything gun, over 6000 shots now conservatively. Home done chamber tighten, squared up action face with my home-turned mandrel, refaced crown and barrel face, ground recoil lug. In a HS alloy-bed stock, which has been lapped in the bedding "V" with a mandrel made exactly the same diameter as the action.
No skim bedding.
My standard range distance in the house yard, 110m.

Oldrem700.jpg (682.66 KiB) Viewed 597 times

Looked at the manual, tried 47gns 2206H. Not bad. Average well over 3100fps in a 20" barrel, bloody hell.
Went down, tried 46.5gns. Wow. Good deal, these bullets. Still average around 3080fps.

Speer308125.jpg (689.46 KiB) Viewed 597 times

Bullets come in a 500rd. "ammo crate" Somehow, the postie managed to bust the box, hence the tape.

[Wapiti]

Then, tried 46gns. Holy crap. This is 5 shots at 110m, average speed was 3050fps.
Scope is a very battered 4.5-14x50 MK4 scope, unbreakable thing it's proved to be for 10 years.
As can be seen, these projectiles are capable of incredible accuracy, and the price, wow.

46gn2206H125varmint.jpg (698.64 KiB) Viewed 595 times

Those of you who reload, and do the type of shooting that can use the accuracy of these bullets, have a look, don't write them off because they don't have an expensive plastic tip and big glossy ad.
Head shooting is a small target that can move in an instant, doesn't hang around, and doesn't allow for stuffing around. The last thing you need is big groups with all that other stuff to worry about. Including the personal ability to be consistent.

[Damo300]

It was you that mentioned them a while back in another thread, so I went and got a couple of boxes of 75gr hollow points for my 243.

I loaded them up to what my 85gr sierras are using and they grouped nicely. Averaged 3050fps and about 1moa.
I also loaded a few a touch hotter and got an extra 100fps out of them on average but the groups had opened up again so I'll just stick with the other load.
Still can get under 1moa @ 100. That's good enough for hunting.

I plan on getting some for my 30s as well.

[Damo300]

The top right is a 6 shot group from the sierras for comparison.
Yes I pulled the left shot there, but I did follow it up with another through the clover, hence the 6 shots.

The ones under were another cooked load with the speer.

And bottom left is my 30/30 at 100.
It grouped 2 inches if you're lucky.
Got barrel threaded, fitted a radial brake....Tahdah
Bloody happy with that now. Those lever revolution FTX 160gr pills go all right.
Working some 175gr Sub X down as well.

Sorry about the photo size. It's the best I can do to meet the size requirements.

[NedKelly79]

Hi everyone,
Ive been using the Speer 52 grain in my 222, 222 mag, 22/250, 220 Swift and the 130 grain in the 308 for decades, the huge hollow point cavity version and they perform great, they arent as fragile as the TNT version, they work very well on everything i cull and do plenty of damage indeed.
I am a big fan of Speer, they are very accurate in all my rifles.

[deye243]

I've been using speer bullets for decades the standard 55s in 223 for kangaroo destruction and those 130 grain hollow points in .308 are a freak of a bullet everything's from pigs to Sambar out of a 3006 or 308 what more could you want and don't get me started on their TNT range cheap and exceptionally explosive if you're in to paddock pizza by some .
Yes very underrated projectiles pepole just walk past don't even give them a second look because they don't have the fancy plastic tip .
Just going to a gun shop when they're busy and ask about speer projectiles and watch all the Shooters under 50 look at you like your the village idiot.

[bigrich]

i love the speer 30cal 165gn soft point boat tails, i used them recently with a middle of the road powder charge in my 308 tikka . reliable exit wounds bigger than one inch on smallish pigs , on quartering shots on large pigs the extra penetration and energy transfer over the 150sst's i normally use was noticeable. in a 30-06 it's even more devastating . i'll have to try a box of the 130gn hollow points you mention though deye . what powder are you using ? my tikka is a 10 twist and i use adi brass . i have 2206h and BM2 powder , which i think might be more suitable than the 2208 i use for heavier projectiles . cheers

[Wapiti]

i love the speer 30cal 165gn soft point boat tails, i used them recently with a middle of the road powder charge in my 308 tikka . reliable exit wounds bigger than one inch on smallish pigs , on quartering shots on large pigs the extra penetration and energy transfer over the 150sst's i normally use was noticeable. in a 30-06 it's even more devastating . i'll have to try a box of the 130gn hollow points you mention though deye . what powder are you using ? my tikka is a 10 twist and i use adi brass . i have 2206h and BM2 powder , which i think might be more suitable than the 2208 i use for heavier projectiles . cheers

Just keep in mind Rich, those massive hollow-pointed tip 130's are not good for body shooting pigs, which you primarily chase. Unless they are of the small variety. Extremely explosive. Very good for soft animals, like dogs.
If you are after large pigs, or come upon one when you have these projies in your mag, upper-neck shoot them all, or head shoot and be sure of your zero range.

What I didn't mention about that tiny group is that the 5 cases were all FLS, then put through the body die set for the autoloader, and all the cases were different brands.
PPU, Hornady, R-P, Win, FC. Cases on their last legs actually.
The things consistent between the 5 was the exact powder charge, the cheap WLR primers and the projectiles. Seating depth disregarded completely the seating depth, they were seated one calibre deep and crimped as if they were to be used in a semi. Miles from the rifling lands.
Which was supposed to replicate my deliberate use of mixed older brass in the field, where I lose a lot and won't use my Lapua and Nosler brass.

I just say this to make the point that these projectiles, for the price, are insane value. Works out to $34/100 !
If you were a regular weekend range shooter too, restricted to the 300yd targets of most, what better target bullets too!
Especially in our wallet-and-hope raping world right now.
For the farm, and all the different things to encounter in a normal day, have to remember to use them as they were made, as a fragile bullet and use them with that advantage in mind and place the shots where it suits the bullet. That's all.

[Wapiti]

It was you that mentioned them a while back in another thread, so I went and got a couple of boxes of 75gr hollow points for my 243.

I loaded them up to what my 85gr sierras are using and they grouped nicely. Averaged 3050fps and about 1moa.
I also loaded a few a touch hotter and got an extra 100fps out of them on average but the groups had opened up again so I'll just stick with the other load.
Still can get under 1moa @ 100. That's good enough for hunting.

I plan on getting some for my 30s as well.

Damo, thanks for the feedback there, and the pic. The velocity you got is an interesting comparison for me too.
I actually haven't been able to take those 243 bullets out yet, so I can only hang off until that comes up. I did intend to put up a fresh camera up the back bore and see if dogs were still coming in and when, but the f**ken strap turned to chinese dust as I tightened it on the tree and that meant finding another time to go back and put it up with a new strap. Must sort that out.
The factory Howa I have has been quite finnicky with both bullets and powder, although quite adequate and as you say, good enough for hunting with the heavier-constructed examples like the Hot-Cor. But it wasn't until I tried those Speers in the 70 and 75gn examples that it transformed the rifle. And it actually became consistent.
But yes, those bullets don't weigh much and aren't made to hang together so I will pick my uses for sure.

[mchughcb]

i love the speer 30cal 165gn soft point boat tails, i used them recently with a middle of the road powder charge in my 308 tikka . reliable exit wounds bigger than one inch on smallish pigs , on quartering shots on large pigs the extra penetration and energy transfer over the 150sst's i normally use was noticeable. in a 30-06 it's even more devastating . i'll have to try a box of the 130gn hollow points you mention though deye . what powder are you using ? my tikka is a 10 twist and i use adi brass . i have 2206h and BM2 powder , which i think might be more suitable than the 2208 i use for heavier projectiles . cheers

Just keep in mind Rich, those massive hollow-pointed tip 130's are not good for body shooting pigs, which you primarily chase. Unless they are of the small variety. Extremely explosive. Very good for soft animals, like dogs.
If you are after large pigs, or come upon one when you have these projies in your mag, upper-neck shoot them all, or head shoot and be sure of your zero range.

What I didn't mention about that tiny group is that the 5 cases were all FLS, then put through the body die set for the autoloader, and all the cases were different brands.
PPU, Hornady, R-P, Win, FC. Cases on their last legs actually.
The things consistent between the 5 was the exact powder charge, the cheap WLR primers and the projectiles. Seating depth disregarded completely the seating depth, they were seated one calibre deep and crimped as if they were to be used in a semi. Miles from the rifling lands.
Which was supposed to replicate my deliberate use of mixed older brass in the field, where I lose a lot and won't use my Lapua and Nosler brass.

I just say this to make the point that these projectiles, for the price, are insane value. Works out to $34/100 !
If you were a regular weekend range shooter too, restricted to the 300yd targets of most, what better target bullets too!
Especially in our wallet-and-hope raping world right now.
For the farm, and all the different things to encounter in a normal day, have to remember to use them as they were made, as a fragile bullet and use them with that advantage in mind and place the shots where it suits the bullet. That's all.

That is probably the best price you will get these days. Speer are way under rated.

[GQshayne]

In my .243 for pig hunting, back in the 80's I used 85gn Sierras, and then migrated to Hornady 87gn Interlock's. But they got real hard to find, and I was thinking "what next". My dad had been using the 90 gn Hot Cor, and they had proved to be an excellent pig projectile. I use them now too.

[Bugman]

Can't really comment on rifle pills, but have used, on a number of occasions, 148 lead HBWC, for comp shoots with great results.

[Damo300]

Reckon I found my node today for these 75gr pills.
Almost tac driving.

I know I said I'd leave it alone but I just couldn't help myself, and its paid off. I've bettered the load.

Really liking these speers.

[zbenga]

I use the 350 grainer hotcor in the 45-70, outstanding projectile, sub MOA at 1850 fps

[Wapiti]

Reckon I found my node today for these 75gr pills.
Almost tac driving.

I know I said I'd leave it alone but I just couldn't help myself, and its paid off. I've bettered the load.

Really liking these speers.

I had some time to re-try my 70 and 75gn Speer Varmint and TNT 243 loads just before dark again today, with the White River primers instead of the Win WLR I'd used before.
Cos as they say, one group doesn't make an average, nor a consistent rifle make.
Same result, same velocities over 3350fps averages, and happily, same incredible small groups. Very happy with these results from what's basically an economy mass-produced SS thin 22" barrel hunting rifle. So what, it's got some tweaks like a proper v-bed stock and a tweaked trigger and different magazine set-up, but only a 2-10x scope not some huge 2kg telescope.

I really think that for the money, these really well-priced plain-jane bullets have made this finnicky thing into something really consistent finally.

[bigrich]

i found my mild accuracy load for comps in my 7x57 ruger . 33.7gn of 2208 with 160gn soft point boat tail speers at 2200fps . .4" @ 100 . out of a non bedded timber stocked m77 "tanger" this is pretty good . still fine tuning a hunting load with hornady 162 eldx's with 2209 at just over 2600 fps. might actually try a load with speer 145gn hot cors and 2209 . supposed to be a really good hunting bullet in the 7x57, and accurate with the flat base . sierra flat base 150gn "pro-hunter" have the most accurate bullet in my 308 tikka , but a little hard on smallish pigs .
what is interesting ballistic wise is the good speed for the powder charge with the 162gn hornady's , and how little they drop out to 300 yards . .613 ballistic coefficient with these , designed as a "soft" hunting bullet with penetration , they look like javelins

[Damo300]

Reckon I found my node today for these 75gr pills.
Almost tac driving.

I know I said I'd leave it alone but I just couldn't help myself, and its paid off. I've bettered the load.

Really liking these speers.

I had some time to re-try my 70 and 75gn Speer Varmint and TNT 243 loads just before dark again today, with the White River primers instead of the Win WLR I'd used before.
Cos as they say, one group doesn't make an average, nor a consistent rifle make.
Same result, same velocities over 3350fps averages, and happily, same incredible small groups. Very happy with these results from what's basically an economy mass-produced SS thin 22" barrel hunting rifle. So what, it's got some tweaks like a proper v-bed stock and a tweaked trigger and different magazine set-up, but only a 2-10x scope not some huge 2kg telescope.

I really think that for the money, these really well-priced plain-jane bullets have made this finnicky thing into something really consistent finally.

That's great news.
I'm a fan of them.
Planning on heading to one of my locals to buy up when I'm back in town.
I'd like to try some in my 300, and I just bought a beautiful 7RM because, why not... So I'll get some 7s as well....haha.

[Wapiti]

The 150 and 180 Hot Cors work very well in my 300's for hunting projectiles, Damo.
They are definitely capable enough to shoot 3-shot clovers with a powder load your rifle prefers. Strangely, In two different Sako 90 300's 2213SC is the best, but not fastest. Getting 100fps more with 2217, but when hitting a good sized pig, the results are absolutely no different so don't get obsessed with max speed.
Either way the cartridge is still the hunting king.

The Speers aren't fancy as seems to be the essentials nowadays, no glow-in-the-dark radioactive unmeltable aerodynamic ICBM tip, but when hunting, people shoot at ranges that are real, not from the internet.

The way the 125gn Speer varmint hollowpoints work in a 308 from a detonating POV at 3100fps , I wouldn't imagine them any good in a 300's speed except for turning crows back into their individual atoms.