yoderjac
Well-Known Member
I'm sort of in a dilemma with my SML. Some shots can be up to 300 yards and others inside 50 yards in this hunting location. It is a .45 caliber and I shoot without sabots, so I size the bullets for the barrel. I've tried a couple other bullets, but none are as accurate as the Pittman AcuMax .452. They have a validated BC of .278 G1 at my muzzle velocity of about 2500 fps. They size easily with a good fit to the barrel and don't have the "spring back" some bullets I've tried do. They have an aluminum ballistic tip and are devastating when they hit bone, but when I get a good heart/lung shot with pass through I get very little blood trail. I tend to be careful at changing bullet weight an load with an SML as I'm no expert with pressure curves and want to be sure I stay within the limits of the barrel and action on the Encore. So, options are somewhat limited with the SML and I have not found another bullet options I'm happy with.
I tend to weigh accuracy over blood trail, but I'd like both. So far, I've been opting for scapula and other "immediate drop" shot placements. I was hoping to move toward more heart/lung shots to reduce meat damage. I'm using the Burris Eliminator 6 scope on the SML, so I can easily load a new ballistic curve into the scope if I do find another load I like for it.
For my .30-06 and .300 Win Mag it should be easier to find factory loads with different bullet choices, but these guns have Leupold scopes with custom dials, so I would need to order new dials for each load I try. I can validate the accuracy performance on the range without using the CDS, but to validate bullet performance on deer, I'd need to order new dials.
I tend to weigh accuracy over blood trail, but I'd like both. So far, I've been opting for scapula and other "immediate drop" shot placements. I was hoping to move toward more heart/lung shots to reduce meat damage. I'm using the Burris Eliminator 6 scope on the SML, so I can easily load a new ballistic curve into the scope if I do find another load I like for it.
For my .30-06 and .300 Win Mag it should be easier to find factory loads with different bullet choices, but these guns have Leupold scopes with custom dials, so I would need to order new dials for each load I try. I can validate the accuracy performance on the range without using the CDS, but to validate bullet performance on deer, I'd need to order new dials.
