Right now the best bang for the buck is the Hornady 450 Black ammo at 24-30$ a box of 20.
Its very accurate and does a decent job of putting them down. Recently some hunters have questioned that the bullet could be better.
Someone in another thread mentioned a company called bear creek ballistics has stepped up to the plate to offer new 450 ammo for the non-reloaders among us (ME).
At first I thought what does this offer at 2x the price? Its not going to be more accurate. So I asked them. Here is the response.
![Image]()
=============================================================
In tests we have run with 16" barreled Ruger American rifles the Hornady ammunition velocities were 2,150 to 2,200 fps and our 240 grain ammunition will be 2,400 to 2,450 fps depending on the rifle. On average we have measured a velocity increase of 200 fps over the Hornady ammo in the same rifle.
Regarding your question about performance. Our bullets are engineered to expand to as much as 7/8" as soon as they penetrate the hide and retain 98% of the starting weight. The energy transfer on deer size animal is remarkable, often knocking them off their feet. We have had many reports back this year from hunters complimenting our ammunition on knocking deer down on bullet impact. Additionally our bullet is an all copper construction with a polymer tip, the Hornady is a cup and core design with the core being lead.
The Hornady round was developed for the AR platform and is a very accurate round in both the AR and the bolt guns. The bullet however in hunting applications does not always perform well especially on soft tissue impacts. I have had many hunters comment on deer running well over 100 yards after a lung shot before going down. For Michigan type hunting this is a big problem due to the number of small farms hunted here and the swamps and wet lands that border many of our farm fields.
My recommendation to our customers is to sight in and practice with the Hornady rounds and when they get ready for hunting update their rifles with our ammunition. Most rifles will shoot 2" high with our 240 grain ammunition when sighted in with the Hornady ammo.
=========================================================
I ran the numbers and they show a flatter shooting round with a higher BC that carries more energy down range.
![Image]()
![Image]()
I shot two deer with the Hornady 250 black. One at 150 yards rand maybe 40 yards. One at 185 yards rand 80+ yards and almost did not find him due to lack of blood.
I'm thinking of trying this new ammo for next year. I will sight in with my Hornady and adjust for the new ammo maybe taking a few 100 yard ($2.00 a shot) confirmation rounds.
What do you guys think?
Its very accurate and does a decent job of putting them down. Recently some hunters have questioned that the bullet could be better.
Someone in another thread mentioned a company called bear creek ballistics has stepped up to the plate to offer new 450 ammo for the non-reloaders among us (ME).
At first I thought what does this offer at 2x the price? Its not going to be more accurate. So I asked them. Here is the response.
=============================================================
In tests we have run with 16" barreled Ruger American rifles the Hornady ammunition velocities were 2,150 to 2,200 fps and our 240 grain ammunition will be 2,400 to 2,450 fps depending on the rifle. On average we have measured a velocity increase of 200 fps over the Hornady ammo in the same rifle.
Regarding your question about performance. Our bullets are engineered to expand to as much as 7/8" as soon as they penetrate the hide and retain 98% of the starting weight. The energy transfer on deer size animal is remarkable, often knocking them off their feet. We have had many reports back this year from hunters complimenting our ammunition on knocking deer down on bullet impact. Additionally our bullet is an all copper construction with a polymer tip, the Hornady is a cup and core design with the core being lead.
The Hornady round was developed for the AR platform and is a very accurate round in both the AR and the bolt guns. The bullet however in hunting applications does not always perform well especially on soft tissue impacts. I have had many hunters comment on deer running well over 100 yards after a lung shot before going down. For Michigan type hunting this is a big problem due to the number of small farms hunted here and the swamps and wet lands that border many of our farm fields.
My recommendation to our customers is to sight in and practice with the Hornady rounds and when they get ready for hunting update their rifles with our ammunition. Most rifles will shoot 2" high with our 240 grain ammunition when sighted in with the Hornady ammo.
=========================================================
I ran the numbers and they show a flatter shooting round with a higher BC that carries more energy down range.
I shot two deer with the Hornady 250 black. One at 150 yards rand maybe 40 yards. One at 185 yards rand 80+ yards and almost did not find him due to lack of blood.
I'm thinking of trying this new ammo for next year. I will sight in with my Hornady and adjust for the new ammo maybe taking a few 100 yard ($2.00 a shot) confirmation rounds.
What do you guys think?
