# Question Regaurding a Bullet



## Chuck Smith (Feb 22, 2005)

Here is the deal.

A guy came in and gave me about 4 boxes of 139 gr. .284 (7 mm) Hornady Spire Point bullets. These are old. Probably about 30 years old. I have been trying to dig up info on them and am striking out.

Have any of you used these bullets? Pro's, Con's, etc. If you can give me or send me in the right direction to any charts, bullet performance, etc. That would be greatly appreciated.

He also gave me about 100 rounds already loaded with these bullets. Now I am very leery of shooting them being that old and don't want to have something go wrong. Plus I don't know who reloaded them and what not. So I was going to pull the bullet and dump the powder and just have the brass.

Thanks,
Sorry for the newbie questions.....but that is what I am when it comes to reloading....ad newbie.


----------



## KurtR (May 3, 2008)

first pulling the bullets is a great plan i would not shoot them either. With the 139's i have some ole lee manuals i can look at but even going off the 139 sst you should find a good starting spot. If you are wanting to kill deer they will do that job with boring routiness


----------



## Chuck Smith (Feb 22, 2005)

Kurt....if you could look up in the manual that would be great. Thank you.

I don't deer hunt with a rifle.... I live in SE MN so that isn't allowed.  But what I am doing is going on a caribou hunt this fall and then an elk hunt the next. So I am planning on reloading or having someone reload for me about 100 rounds total for those trips. That way I should have about 30 rounds for each trip and some good bench time. I know 30 rounds should be more than enough.....only 2 should be needed for caribou (two is the limit) and one for the elk. :wink:

Now I am trying to figure out what bullet to use. Before these fell into my lap. I was leaning towards either a 140 to 150 grain nossler partion or a barns TTSX or TSX. But now that I got these i am just weighing my options.

I know i have asked before on threads but please if anyone has had experience with elk, caribou and any of these bullets let me know.

Again options are Hornady Spire 139 gr......or Nossler Partiion or Barnes TTSX in 140 or 150 grains.

Thanks to all.


----------



## KurtR (May 3, 2008)

i will check but for a once in a lifetime hunt i would be looking real hard at the ttsx pushed hard. They just plain deal death even with haveing to take some shots at angles that are not the best


----------



## Chuck Smith (Feb 22, 2005)

My thought exactly. I don't want to risk a hunt on bullets given to me and are 30 years old when technology has gotten better with some of these new bullets.

That is why I am doing research.....and more research.....and why you might be getting sick of my close to repeat posts.... :wink:

Thanks again.


----------



## specialpatrolgroup (Jan 16, 2009)

Just because something is 30 years old isn't a reason not to trust something. Those spire points had been in production well before 30 years ago and are still in production. Maybe they don't have the best ballistics but they get the job done, there is a reason that particular design hasn't gone out of style. Of course there are newer designs that are meant to fly straighter, expand greater, so whatever floats your boat.


----------



## Chuck Smith (Feb 22, 2005)

special...

You are correct about they have been around and have been made "better". Or they were the basis for newer bullets.

That is why I am trying to find info on these particular bullets. I want to find out the drop of the bullet, the amount of energy, the weight retention of the bullet, etc. I want to know what these bullets can do.

But also these bullets are 139 gr. Is that going to be enough to drop a Caribou dead in its tracks (yes I know bullet placement is key) But what I need is a bullet that will drop a Caribou before it gets to a river, bog, etc. So energy is key in my mind. That is why I am doing research. So do I need a 139/140 gr., 150 gr., or 160 gr bullet. I am trying to figure all of this out.

I am still trying to look things up. Hornady doesn't have anything on their website. But I do have an email into them to see if they have old charts.


----------



## KurtR (May 3, 2008)

to find what you want to know take any info from each bullet and plug it in on jbm, will give you all the balistics you want.

think this might be the info that would compare to those http://www.hornady.com/store/7mm-.284-139-gr-BTSP/ or it could be these http://www.hornady.com/store/7mm-.284-139-gr-SP/

personally if looking hornady i roll will these http://www.hornady.com/store/7mm-.284-162-gr-A-MAX/


----------



## Chuck Smith (Feb 22, 2005)

Kurt,

Thanks.... I still don't know what I want to use yet.... Hornday, Nossler, Barnes, etc. That is why I am looking and trying to figure stuff out.


----------



## moparnut51 (Jan 10, 2014)

would like to know chambering of your rifle and comfort ranges. pulling the bullets is good idea, as for design of 30 yr old hornady spire points, 30 yrs ago I had a 6X284 that 100 gr. hornady spire were the only bullet that could make it 100yds and still vaporize a woodchuck's head at 400. Barnes ttsx 130 gr work very well in wife's 270 but need development in my 7mm RemMag in 140 gr. In using barnes weigh bullets as I have boxes that 1 gr+/-


----------



## rasmusse (Oct 24, 2006)

I load those bullets for my son's .280 Remington for deer and elk you should not have a problem if you shoot straight.


----------



## Csquared (Sep 5, 2006)

Ammo is not only the ONLY thing that connects you to your animal, it's also the cheapest part of the entire trip. Spend $130 on 4 bxs of TSX's. Use the first box-and-a-half for load development. Use the next box-and-a-half to PROPERLY set your scope and to shoot at ranges you expect to shoot at your animals with your chosen load, and you'll still have enough left to do it all again when you get home from your hunts.

GOOD LUCK! :beer:


----------



## alleyyooper (Jul 6, 2007)

Years ago that is the bullet we reloaded for my dads Model 88 Winchester chambered in 284. They killed deer like struck with lighting and wounded the shooter. those Model 88's were not such good frames for that round or the 308.

Lots of Hornaday factory stuff had 139gr. bullets for the 7MM 08 not so many years ago.

I think I would do the 20 questions with the person that gave me the stuff and maybe pull a few bullets and weigh the charge and then go from there. those bullets and the loaded ones could be come a lot of cheap trigger time even if you don't wish/care to hunt with them.

 Al


----------

