The reason I only hunt with premium bullets.
05-14-2005, 06:34 PM
#21
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: A flat lander lost in the mountains of Northern,AZ
Posts: 3,171
RE: The reason I only hunt with premium bullets.
ORIGINAL: Roskoe
You make some really good points, Brian. I would like to add that, in many instances, the premium bullets don't kill as well as regular old Hornadys and Sierras on the broadside lung shots. This is particularly true of the Barnes X, Failsafe, and Lost River bullets when loaded in standard calibers - designed for lots of penetration - breaking big bones, but do so at the expense of a smaller wound channel. But, as Brian pointed out, these magnum calibers can turn a good controlled expansion non-premium bullet into a varmint bullet.
This became painfully obvious when I helped a customer do some loading for the .30-378 Weatherby - back when this caliber first came out. He was leaving for Africa in less than a week. We put together loads with 180 Sierras, 180 Hornadys, and 180 Partitions. The only bullet of three that could even make it through the ribs of African plains game without blowing up was the Partition. The other two bullets had worked fine for him previously, but at 400 fps lower muzzle velocity.
You make some really good points, Brian. I would like to add that, in many instances, the premium bullets don't kill as well as regular old Hornadys and Sierras on the broadside lung shots. This is particularly true of the Barnes X, Failsafe, and Lost River bullets when loaded in standard calibers - designed for lots of penetration - breaking big bones, but do so at the expense of a smaller wound channel. But, as Brian pointed out, these magnum calibers can turn a good controlled expansion non-premium bullet into a varmint bullet.
This became painfully obvious when I helped a customer do some loading for the .30-378 Weatherby - back when this caliber first came out. He was leaving for Africa in less than a week. We put together loads with 180 Sierras, 180 Hornadys, and 180 Partitions. The only bullet of three that could even make it through the ribs of African plains game without blowing up was the Partition. The other two bullets had worked fine for him previously, but at 400 fps lower muzzle velocity.
very true when talking magnums or high velocity.
05-17-2005, 01:41 AM
#23
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: A flat lander lost in the mountains of Northern,AZ
Posts: 3,171
RE: The reason I only hunt with premium bullets.
It had only penetrated a couple of inches, stopping against the shoulder bone - and had obviously never had a lead core inside the jacket. The nose just sort of crumpled and collapsed on itself. Sure would hate to have had the round up the pipe on a charging grizzly bear! It did about as much damage as a .38 wadcutter.
Roskoe,
any idea what kinda bullet it was?? no lead core being said, was it a barnes x bullet?? I thought x bullets were known for awesome penetration.
05-17-2005, 11:01 AM
#24
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Colorado
Posts: 4,127
RE: The reason I only hunt with premium bullets.
I really don't know. We have never seen this guy since - he was sort of dissappointed, but also agreed that the elk would have been lost if Chad hadn't been in the right place at the right time. The bullet has a significant boat-tail on it - could possible be a Sierra. It's just a hollow shell of a jacket with some elk hair and blood stuffed in where the lead should be. No possibility the lead could have ever been in there, though. I'm not real swift with electronic gadgets - let me see if I can get my wife or daughter to take a digital photo of the bullet and I will post it.
05-18-2005, 11:16 PM
#25
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location:
Posts: 426
RE: The reason I only hunt with premium bullets.
What velocity were the factory loads? Most of the time when a bullet explodes like that, its because of the impact velocity and not the bullet design itself. Ive only had 1 bullet explode like that but at 40yds a 165gr bullet goin 3120fps doesnt have much time to slow down a bit.
05-19-2005, 07:01 AM
#26
Typical Buck
Join Date: May 2005
Location: northern colorado
Posts: 749
RE: The reason I only hunt with premium bullets.
Yeah, I used A nosler ballistic tip 130 grain to kill a doe in OK last season, went right through her. But, the 130 grain remington soft tips blow up hitting paper! EJ