Winchester SuperX Power-Point vs. Pointed Soft Point

[hort]

I have a new Savage 110 bolt rifle in 30-06. I am real happy with the groups I was shooting at the range with Winchester 150g Power-Points and have shot a nice doe at about 75 yards. She dropped in her tracks and was dead in about 10 sec. I would like to stock-up with some ammo before the prices start to rise. My local Walmart has the Winchester 150g Power-Points and also the 165g Pointed Soft Points on the shelf for about $15-$16 per box. I have seen the ballistic charts on the Winchester websites. The 165g's are alittle faster and retain alittle more energy than the 150's. The question I have is the bullet expansion. Which is a better bullet tip for expansion, the Power-Point or the Pointed Soft Point? Has anyone had any experience with using these two different bullet? I hunt in NY and would be using the bullet to shoot mostly whitetail deer and possibly a local black bear.

[wtnhunt]

From what I have heard the soft point winchester bullets are very similar to remington core lokts. My daughter is using the win power point pointed soft points in her .243 and the gun seems to like them, and on her doe this year the round proved to be quite effective.

Core lokts for me have been very effective with the .270 in the 150 grain weight, wife shoots core lokts out of her .243 as well and she has not had a deer go more than 10 yards. Only deer I have ever lost with a rifle came with a shot from the same .270 and a 130 grain winchester power point plus. Don't think the power point and power point plus were the same ammo though and not sure what happened with the power point plus if win has renamed it as something else or what, but I have not seen it on the shelves at wal mart in 5 or 6 years. I had changed over to the 130 grain power point plus before the 2000 season after looking at ballistics and thinking I would increase my range with the faster lighter bullet with less drop. I did kill 4 deer with the power point plus ammo and ended up losing one on the opener of the following rifle season. Ended up re-evaluating things a bit and tried a few other rounds and ended up going back to the 150 grain core lokts which for me have proved time and time again to do what they are supposed to, even at longer distances.

If you are buying remington or winchester ammo, remember they have rebates going on right now too. Winchester, I think you get $5 per box up to 3 boxes on the power points.

[johnf]

The only deer I've ever lost were last year one was a magnificent 10pt and the other was a nice doe. Both were to winchester power point plus out of my 243. I've shot power points and Rem Core lokt for years with no problems. I'll never buy "premium" ammo again. The cheap stuff works better. I'm now reloading hornady's. I've not shot anything with my 243 yet, but I killed a nice fat doe with reloaded 223 using 60gr. Hornady sp.

[Texan_Til_I_Die]

I'd say choose the one that groups best out of YOUR rifle. There's not a nickel's worth of difference between the two bullets.

[Jeramie]

Im a fan of the Soft Point too. If Im not reloading Hornady for my .243 I just shoot the plain old Super X. I prefer the Corelokt but they dont group for crap out of that rifle.

I also wont buy premo ammo. Way to expensive and the cheap stuff is just as accurate and very, very effective.

[hort]

Thanks to all for your timely responds. When I took the rife to the range to break it in, I bought three boxes of 150g bullets. One was Federal Power-Shok, one was Remington Core-Lok and the last was Winchester SuperX Power-Points. After shooting all three during the break-in, before I left the range, I shot 5 groups of each with a barrel cleaning between each group at 100 yds. The Winchester's were all within 2-1/2", the Federal's were within 6" and the Remington's about 8". Three of the five rounds of the Winchester's I could have covered with a quarter. So I bought a couple more boxes of the Power-Points to hunt with. I haven't shot the Winchester 165g Pointed Soft Points. I'd like to but I just don't have time to do that right now. Between work, coaching high school JV basketball and hunting, I just can't head to the range at this point. The thing with Walmart, they have them on the shelf now, who knows how long they will have them. Our Walmarts in our area are carrying less and less hunting items. Only one Walmart in 100 miles still sells guns, that I know of. Fellows, I think it's only going to get worst!! I will check back again on the forum to see if anyone else has some experience with the two bullet points. Thanks!

[Guest shorty785]

i'm a big fan of bullestic tips thats all i shoot in 180 gr i swear by it

[Texan_Til_I_Die]

...The Winchester's were all within 2-1/2", the Federal's were within 6" and the Remington's about 8". Three of the five rounds of the Winchester's I could have covered with a quarter...

I think you're on to something. If 3 of the rounds were tight and 2 drifted a bit, I'd suggest you check your barrel to stock clearance. The barrel may be touching and you're getting some drift from heating. That's assuming there wasn't any shooter induced error.

Clean that up and you may be sitting on a tack driver.

[Leo]

If you shoot the same weight bullets and the Winchester (Round nosed) Powerpoints group the best. In my experience you usually have to step up one size in weight on the sharper pointed bullets to get them to tighten up groups. The biggest exception is monolithic bullets like Barnes. With the Barnes sometimes you need to step down a bullet weight to equal the accuracy of an equal weight sharp nosed cup and core.

Terminal performance wise I agree with Texan, not a nickels worth of difference. Whatever style and weight shoots best will be absolutely adequate for deer.

[007hunter]

I also wont buy premo ammo. Way to expensive and the cheap stuff is just as accurate and very, very effective.

I'm the exact opposite. I won't shoot the cheap stuff in hunting situations. First year of hunting with a rifle I was using a .270 shooting Federal softpoints. I shot a doe at 125 yds right through the boiler room. She ended up running another 100yds before going down. Upon inspection that bullet hit her and fragmented and didn't exit. IMO bullet performance like that is unacceptable so I've used premium ammo since and have had excellent results since. As for it being more expensive, I use maybe 5 shots a year...a couple to check the sight in and then whatever shooting I happen to do during the season. So that box of ammo last me 4 or 5 years totaling $10 a year. I spend so much money each year on hunting I figure whats a few more dollars... JMO btw

[csualumni21000]

Best grouping. Unless it is a dangerous game animal it will not make a difference.

[EKYhunter]

I'd say choose the one that groups best out of YOUR rifle. There's not a nickel's worth of difference between the two bullets.

Excellent advice!

[High Country]

Excellent choice in rifles...the Savage M110 is fantastic and should shoot very well.

I have had problems with both bullet designs in the 150 grain weight...usually core-jacket separation or fragmentation (I am looking at the separated jacket I recovered from a button buck that I killed at the end of the rifle season).

My choice would be to move up to the 180 grain loads (I like the Federal) or to a premium load (especially if you expect close range shots). Try out several brands and select what shoots best...your rifle should shoot close to 1 inch groups at 100 yds.

[champ447]

There is a video of the Winchester power point being shot into ballistics gel and other rounds such as the Remington soft point if you go to http://www.perma-gel.com/video.htm

:robot:

[Grady269]

Try shooting a 3 shot group of whatever you shoot from a "COLD" barrel. See which one groups best. I bought an H&R Handi-Rifle for my son in .243. Grouped great with Remington Core-Lokts; but the more I shot (barrel heated) the worse the groups got. From a cold barrel it will shoot a 1.5" group, from a "warm-hot' barrrel, not close to that. Try a brand, wait a half hour then try another get your best group. Then zero her down. I try not to shoot more than 6 shots then wait a half hour-hour before trying again.