🎯 Ammunition & arrows

Rifle bullets

Choosing the right bullet for reliable expansion and a clean harvest.

Caliber / size
150 to 180 grains
Level
Intermediate

Choosing your rifle bullets

The bullet is the final link between your rifle and the game. Good ammo ensures controlled expansion, sufficient penetration, and a quick kill on big game like the Moose and White-tailed deer, whether you hunt from a stand or by stalking.

The main types

  • Soft point : reliable expansion, a safe bet for deer and moose.
  • Ballistic tip (plastic) : very flat trajectory and fast expansion, ideal at medium to long range.
  • Bonded core : retains mass well for deep penetration on big game.
  • Monolithic (copper) : lead-free, excellent weight retention, required in some contexts.

Matching the projectile weight

  1. Deer : lighter grains, flat trajectory (e.g., 130-150 gr in .270/.308).
  2. Moose and bear : heavier grains for penetration (e.g., 165-180 gr in .30-06).
  3. Always check which bullet your rifle shoots most accurately.

Tips for Quebec

  • For moose in the boreal forest, favour a tough bullet with good weight retention.
  • Confirm your point of impact at the bench before the season, with the exact ammo you'll hunt.
  • Keep a few rounds dry and accessible, never a loaded gun while travelling.

Accuracy and the right bullet type are the difference between a lost animal and a clean harvest.

Techniques

chasse-a-l-affutchasse-a-l-approche

Best seasons

FallOctoberNovember

Strengths

Controlled expansionPenetration matched to the gameWide choice of types and weights

Limitations

Must be tuned to the rifleWrong choice means a failed harvestHigher cost for premium bullets