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Fail Safe bullets
victorlvlb
Member Posts: 5,004
Has anyone reloaded the Nosler winchester Fail Safe bullets?I'm going on a an Orxy hunt here in NM.To get to thier heart you have to go thru thier shoulder.Nosler Accubond comes in 150 0r 180 grain bullets.I want to use a 165 grain bullet.The Fail Safe bullets that I bought,(165 grail) ,came without any loading data. The gunshop tells me to use the same data that I would use loading Barnes X bullets.Can anyone help me? I like imr4350 powder.
Psalm 109:8
Psalm 109:8
Comments
My favorite loads for the 30/06 all revolve around IMR-4350 and 180 grain bullets my brother shoots 165 gr Failsafes with 56 grains of IMR 4350. But please be careful with this information and only use info found from reliable sources like Barnes or try to go to Winchester for loading data on their Fail safe bullets. If you are looking at the Barnes website insure that you are using data for their "X" bullet and not the moly coated or Triple shock ( TSX). These bullets are able to be loaded supposedly to higher levels because of the decreased friction.
How hard are they to draw? I'm in Colorado and I'd love to come down and take an Oryx off the state of New Mexico's hands.
Psalm 109:8
This is the first time I've ever put in for this hunt on Oryx. Its a once in a life time hunt. I don't know how the out of state drawings are held , if there is such a thing. If you want I can get more info.The oryx are doing better then the state game and fish ever thought they would do.The military and ranchers, and I guess farmers are not to happy.Thanks again for the info.
Psalm 109:8
edited because I gave a bad link.
R/
Dave
People everywhere confuse what they read in newspapers with news.
-- A. J. Liebling
Fail Safes are okay for Oryx, but I prefer the 220gr. Partition from Nosler in my 300WM; it tears up almost NO meat, hits like a sledgehammer, and carries energy further than it needs to.
The idea of shooting the shoulder to get the heart is only about half right; the shoulder hit is so the critter won't take off into a minefield or UXO area after you shoot it. WSMR is loaded with all that and more, so leave any "cool" looking stuff where you find it.
I just get aggravated having to pay an extra $100 fee to the range for the privilege of hunting on USA property.
Are you using an 'ought-six? Is that why you bought the 165's?
Friend of mine used a 30-30 last year; had to chase it almost a mile after he shot it twice. The "escort" wasn't real happy about going near a few places out there to retrieve it due to UXO.
"Qui non est hodie cras minus aptus erit" --OVID
I don't shoot the FailSafe bullets because of the Moly coating. But I found this comparative photo in one of my quests for information:
The link is for the forum where a similar question was asked and the responses are interesting.
http://www.tacticalforums.com/ubb/Forum78/HTML/000331.html
Best.
You got me peged. I'm shooting a 30-06.I like the 165 grain bullets , so does the rifle I shoot.I don't care much for the extra $100.00 that I have to pay either. Me and my big mouth got me into this hunt. My buddy and I were hunting ducks, and I had to say I wanted to get back into big game hunting. I'm the dummy that ends up gutting the gut shot deer or what ever. My game is usually killed with a heart or neck shot. I hate gutting a big animal. I don't like wasting any meat .So here I am trying to figure out how to make a clean kill on an Oryx.I have some Nosler accubond on order at the local gun shop.So my choices are between the Fail Safe, the Nosler partition, and the Nosler accubond.The partitions are already zeroed in .The Fail Safe are yet to be Loaded, I don't know if I'll ever see the 150 grain accubonds. If the Fail Safe rounds do good at the range they'll most likly be what I will use.
Psalm 109:8
Its a good thing, ( stolen from Martha), that I like shooting my 30-06.But I've already made up my mind.Its either the Nosler partitions or the Fail Safe bullets. This old body can't take recoil like it used to.I figure thirty shots of each bullet type should give me an idea of whats going to work. Thanks for your time. One year five months and I can join the ranks of the unemployed. But hows counting?
Psalm 109:8
So anyways it sounds like you are right on track with your bullet selection Vic, good luck and when the day comes I want you to post a few good pictures of that Oryx, ( make sure you get a digital camera before the hunt and take way more pictures in a lot of poses, more pictures than you think you need, one just may turn out to be the great picture of a lifetime). Good luck![;)]
Have you considered the Barnes TSX? I have had tremendous results with them. The idea is similar to the Failsafes but without the lead core at the rear. They are an all copper alloy hollow point bullet. I have loaded them for deer and elk with 9 one shot kills. There is not another bullet that I have even considered.
As for the debate on whether or not to shoot the shoulder in attempt to break it and * the animal... I stand on the "shoot the vitals, to hell with breaking the shoulder" side. If any bullet is run through the heart and/or lungs the animal is going down. Last I checked people were sill able to take elk, moose and other large game with bow! I guess if the shoulder was in the exit path from the vitals I would take the shot. I am a meat hunter, have been for a long time. I have a hard time ruining a quarter just to say I broke the shoulder to put him on the ground faster. I guess it would have been easier to say shoot the heart/lungs and eat the rest!
Nosler lists the Failsafe along with there regular bullets, with the following notice "ALWAYS begin with starting loads when using Partition Gold or Fail Safe products.
Nosler #5 data
IMR 4350 55.0gr* (most acurate powder charge with this powder) to 59.0gr
H-4831** (most accurate powder tested) 58.5gr to 62.5gr* (most acurate powder charge with this powder)
Some guys like a mag full of lead, I still prefer one round to the head.
When I asked the gunshop what they had listed for loading Fail Safe 165 grain bullets for my 30-06 using imr 4350 powder.They told me to look up Barnes xfb ,xbt bullets in my loading book. They did tell me to start at the lower end of the scale and work the load up. If I said other wise its my fault. Thanks for the reply.I figure if I start at 53.0 grains of imr 4350 powder I'll be on the safe side.
Psalm 109:8
Psalm 109:8
I think the pic above of the expansion is very true to my experiences...
So, back to your needs, it very well could be just what you need to punch through the shoulder on the way to the heart. Just remember they typically leave a small hole so you're gonna have to do your part and get a heart/lung or head shot to bring it down quickly and humanely.