Understanding Ammunition - Hunting

How do I pick the right ammunition?

When it comes to firearms, safety is number one, but ammunition is a close second. The unfortunate reality of ammunition is that it’s very complicated. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Learning how to differentiate between ammunition and what uses it has will allow you to optimize safety and performance.

What do we want the ammunition to do?

Ammo choice for us always starts at the end. For plinking and regular range shooting we tend to always buy the cheapest ammo we can find, as we’re not too worried about performance when shooting under 100m at paper. Where we get picky is hunting and long range shooting. 

The Great Debate – Rifle or Shotgun?

Your choice of firearms will really affect not only the type of ammunition you can use, but also what kind of shooting you can do. Rifles are primarily designed to fire a singular projectile, usually at a further distance, at a slower moving target. Whereas a shotgun is a little more versatile depending on your ammo choice. ‘Shot’ are these little pellets allowing you to shoot at fast moving targets, and slugs are a larger singular projectile similar to a large bullet. 

Since most of us reading this are probably in Ontario, Southern Ontario specifically, we are stuck using shotguns for hunting, so let’s start here. 

Shotguns

When you look at a box of shotgun shells, it should tell you everything you need to know. A lot of it might not mean anything quite yet, but let’s figure out what all these numbers mean. The first number you will see is Gauge, the next number you will see is the Length, and the Weight, and finally the Shot Size. This info will help you figure out whether the shell will fit in your firearm and what application the shell is optimized for. 

Shot material is also a major factor in application. Lead is the go-to material for shot, as it is heavy and soft – retaining energy well and flattening on impact, allowing for quick and effective kills when you are hunting. Lead is unfortunately toxic, and illegal to use for certain hunting applications, like waterfowl (Ducks and Geese), as it tends to leech into the water and gets consumed by animals, leading to poisoning. 

Many hunters opt for a non-toxic shot, steel, tungsten, or bismuth. Steel is most common and cost-effective, but bismuth and tungsten tends to mimic lead better. However, they are more expensive and tend not to have as many pellets within the shell. 

So know that we’re starting to wrap our heads around all that…

What shot size should I choose? 

For Upland and Small game

• These are the bulk of your targets for lead shot.

• In the smallest of birds, like doves, quail, and pigeons, you will want to use a smaller shot like #8 or #7 ½.

• #7 ½ is also great for slight larger but closer birds like Partridge, Grouse, and Chukar, but as they get further away #6 to #4 might be better.

• When hunting squirrels, rabbits, and hares, #7 ½ or #6 are optimal.

• Larger projectiles like #4, #3, or #2 are great for closer range ducks, but as they get further out #2, #1, and BB makes more sense.

• With geese, you will want to move up in size somewhere between BB and T. 

• For Turkey, copper plated lead tends to be the preferred choice. You can use #4, #5, or #6 to hunt them, but you will often see a combination of the three. 

For bigger game

• Buckshot is slowly falling out of favour, and is being replaced by slugs.

• A rifled slug is designed to be fired from your smooth bore shotgun and is an optimal choice for hunting big game, like deer, at closer distances. To get a little more accuracy and distance from your shotgun, you can switch over to a rifled barrel using a sabot or rounded slug. With some practice, you can take targets out to 100 meters. 

Rifles

Rifles are a different bag. Calibre and bullet design are the key factors to look at. You cannot use the same ammunition or bullet type for all your hunting, you have to match the ideal cartridge to your game. 

For small game

• .22LR is the king. You have such a variety of bullets and velocities in cartridges, that you can hunt nearly all of your small game.

For predators

• .223 REM, .22-250 REM, or .243 WIN, are all common cartridges.

• .243 WIN is always a good short range cartridge for deer, but as you get into medium to large ranges, a larger cartridge like .270 WIN, .308 WIN, or .30-06 SPRG. These are also great for bear, elk, or even wild hogs. 

How to choose the type of bullet?

How the bullet is constructed will dictate how aerodynamic and effective. A rifle bullet is usually lead covered in some amount of copper to help prevent deformation. When using a rifle, you start thinking about further distances and more accurate shots. At extreme distances a bullet with a boat tail shape will be more accurate than one which has a flatter base.

Lead and Polymer tipped bullets are incredibly popular for hunting. Lead tipped bullets are great for maximal expansion but tend not to be as aerodynamic. The major downside to polymer tip is degradation of the tip due to the heat of friction when shooting at long distance. 

Ballistic coefficients will tell you how aerodynamic a bullet is. Sleek and long projectiles tend to be more aerodynamic and retain energy better than round or flatter bullets, but flatter or rounded bullets tend not to over penetrate at closer distances. Controlled expansion is another key term to look for, especially when hunting something bigger. This tends to mean that the bullet will hit the target and penetrate before it expands, allowing for more retention of mass and increasing the efficacy of the shot. 

Most of the bullets commercially available are mostly lead with some amount of copper jacketing to prevent deformation, lead is still toxic and many want to avoid its use. Solid copper bullets are gaining popularity. Copper is not as heavy or soft as lead, so its performance is different. Copper projectiles tend to be larger to maintain weight, which does affect long range aerodynamics, and they tend not to expand well at low velocities. 

All in all, there is a lot to digest when it comes to ammunition. You are probably going to have to buy more than one kind of firearm to do all the target shooting and hunting you dream of doing. But, with the right choice of ammunition, you can make those firearms a little more versatile and effective.