Winchester Silvertip Ammo

I was wondering if anyone has used the Winchester Silvertip ammo before? If so, how did it preform on game?

This is only one small point, but I shot a whitetail with my .257 Roberts using 100 gr. Silvertips a few years back, and the deer dropped stone dead in its tracks. There was a large exit wound on the far side, obviously the bullet wasn't recovered.

For what its worth I prefer Remington Core-Lokt bullets. I shot a whitetail in 67, a mouflon in 92 and a fallow in 92 with Silvertips. While all animals were recovered, there seemed to be little expansion and they each took a few minutes to die. Of the dozens of deer size animals I have shot with Core-Lokts they seemed to expire much faster, though not all dropped at the shot.

Then again my favorite rifles are Winchesters. My best hunting companion (after my wife) prefers Remington rifles and Silvertip ammo. He has always recovered his game after a short tracking period.

In the end I guess I cannot speak poorly of Silvertips, just for me there are better out there at a similar cost.

The only reason to use silver tips is to reduce expansion. If you are hunting big boned or thick skinned animals then silver tips would be a good choice but for deer and antelope etc. they wont expand enough to transfer the energy to the animal and will most likely exit the other side which is not what you want. You need the bullet to stop in the animal in order to transfer all the energy of the bullet to the target. I shot a bull elk with a 180 grain silver tip from my .308 and the bullet didnt exit and the animal went a mere 10 yards. I found the bullet on the far side hide but it was only a 15 yard shot so the bullet was still going full speed. Jimbo

For what its worth I prefer Remington Core-Lokt bullets. I shot a whitetail in 67, a mouflon in 92 and a fallow in 92 with Silvertips. While all animals were recovered, there seemed to be little expansion and they each took a few minutes to die. Of the dozens of deer size animals I have shot with Core-Lokts they seemed to expire much faster, though not all dropped at the shot.

Then again my favorite rifles are Winchesters. My best hunting companion (after my wife) prefers Remington rifles and Silvertip ammo. He has always recovered his game after a short tracking period.

In the end I guess I cannot speak poorly of Silvertips, just for me there are better out there at a similar cost.

On game like deer....I had ice picking occur. Failure to expand. Simply perforated the buck until I found a Remington Core Lokt and shoved that in. The deer dropped at the shot from the Core Lokt. Never used Silvertips since. Possibly on Elk or Moose they might work?! I was using a 348 Winchester during the above. This was 20 years ago. Remington ammo was still available. Today....would have to handload Hawk or Nosler originals. Trade off is between penetration and expansion. With the Core Lokts felt I got the best of both worlds. Since then I've been happy with the Nosler Partitions in my 338 Win Mag and 7 mm Rem Mag. Also use Remington PSP Core Lokts. Would go with the round nose Core Lokts if they made them in those calibers. I know damn well they work. Good Luck.

I have shot 180 gr. 30 cal. Silvertip handloads out of my 30-06 for several years now, and they have never failed me.

Yo Jimbo:

I fully agree. However, the advertising for the 130 grain .270 Silvertips, including the info on the box they are sold in, explicitly states for 'Light, thin-skinned game.'

Skip

Skip and Christy Hensler THE ROCK GARDEN Newport, Wash.

I killed a buck 3 years ago with a 30'06 and 180 gr silvertip, worked great. Struck deer in the right front shoulder and pieces of the jacket was found just under the skin on the left rump area. The deer dropped in its tracks. A buddy of mine killed a buck this past year with the same ammo, but with not so impressive results. He hit the deer in the front shoulder area while it was angleing towards him. The bullet went into the chest, striking one lung and exited the abdoman, then striking the rear leg breaking it. He knew the deer was hit because of its limp. There was no blood or hair at the scene and after a 45 minute search the deer was recovered approx 150 yards away. He expected the first exit wound to be much bigger. I forgot to say that I shot my deer at approx 200 yards, my buddy shot his at about 50.

I used silvertips 20 yrs. ago, onthe last deer I shot I hit it in the right rear hip, from the back. It blew half the rump right off, I found fat 10 feet away and 10 feet up on a pine tree. It looked like someone stuck a stick of TNT in that poor deers ass. Several years earlier I shot a button buck and the silvertip went through a 3 inch ceder, into the deers right shoulder which it broke, through the backbone then broke the left shoulder. It then passed through another 3 inch ceder and I dug it out of yet another ceder. I was still intact. What I'm getting at is that silvertips are far to unpredictable for me. I started reloading my own shells with Nosler Partition 150 gr. and have nothing but perfect expansion on every one of 35 deer that I've shot with them. You can buy Noslers in Federal Ammunition I believe.

I also shot them for years and never lost a deer, they just seem to pile up after being hit with a silvertip ..

I shoot exclusively silvertips in my 7mm mag, the gun has never shot anything else through it. I have never had a deer, shot by this combo, move more than inches from where it recieved the bullet. Two seasons ago I shot a whitetail buck in a rear 3/4 shot at 50 yards, and recovered a perfectly expanded example of bullet from just under the skin of his throat. It had passed through every rib on his right side (I pulled, standing shot). This bullet sits atop my monitor, here at work, just to piss off those here who think hunting is bad. The four petals even show the rotation as they peel back and to the right.