Impressed with monolithic bullet

[yakimanoob]

Here's the whole thread if you're interested: https://www.hunttalk.com/threads/where-was-this-buck-hit.302608/

They were 308 Win. Federal 150 grain copper Power Shok (they use a hollow point design instead of the ballistic tip) at about 250 yds. I don't know the velocity curve.

With all due respect COEngineer, you admitted yourself in that thread that you never saw the chest cavity. The evidence you gave in your thread is entirely consistent with proper expansion inside the chest and a clean exit on that first shot. You can't claim the bullet "penciled" the deer because you didn't open the chest cavity to find out.

It's important to keep in mind that a but can exit with plenty of energy to do damage to rocks and snow (and make ricochet pings) after shedding more than enough energy inside the animal to be quickly fatal.

That said, I would have done the same thing you did in that situation and kept firing. You did everything right, but your conclusion that the first shot didn't do its job is faulty.

 

[COEngineer]

With all due respect COEngineer, you admitted yourself in that thread that you never saw the chest cavity. The evidence you gave in your thread is entirely consistent with proper expansion inside the chest and a clean exit on that first shot. You can't claim the bullet "penciled" the deer because you didn't open the chest cavity to find out.

It's important to keep in mind that a but can exit with plenty of energy to do damage to rocks and snow (and make ricochet pings) after shedding more than enough energy inside the animal to be quickly fatal.

That said, I would have done the same thing you did in that situation and kept firing. You did everything right, but your conclusion that the first shot didn't do its job is faulty.

That's fair and I appreciate the feedback. I still feel like a softpoint bullet would have opened a lot more and delivered more energy to the deer, thus giving me some clue that it was mortally wounded.

All the research I have done since then points to the 'cheap' copper ammo I used, Federal PowerShok Copper, as poorly designed (compared to bullets like the Barnes TSX or TTSX). So, when I use up this 'cheap' stuff, I will switch to something with better reviews.

 

[ImBillT]

With all due respect COEngineer, you admitted yourself in that thread that you never saw the chest cavity. The evidence you gave in your thread is entirely consistent with proper expansion inside the chest and a clean exit on that first shot. You can't claim the bullet "penciled" the deer because you didn't open the chest cavity to find out.

It's important to keep in mind that a but can exit with plenty of energy to do damage to rocks and snow (and make ricochet pings) after shedding more than enough energy inside the animal to be quickly fatal.

That said, I would have done the same thing you did in that situation and kept firing. You did everything right, but your conclusion that the first shot didn't do its job is faulty.

I shot a pig with a Barnes X that absolutely didn’t open up at all. After I shot, I took the light and the other guy shot a hog that had split from the group. After searching for mine, he determined that I had missed(I disagreed) and we went over to his hog to dress it out. During skinning it became quite clear that we had both shot the same hog. My Barnes X had acted like an FMJ.

A) I would guess that the polymer tips on some of the newer monos improve reliability.

B)The impact velocity was quite low.

C) Some companies have discovered though testing that a slightly larger opening in the hollow point improves reliability. That OLD Barnes X had a TINY hollow point. I don’t know if the newer ones have changed or not.

I don’t know what COEngineer did, but I have absolutely experienced a mono that did not expand. That experience didn’t turn me off on monos, and shouldn’t turn off anyone else that wants to try them, BUT I wouldn’t recommend trying low velocity in combination with a tiny hollow point.

 

[Rob96]

Disclaimer that this is a sample of 1, but I am still interested in these bullets for next season.

In 2019 I had a buck come into view and once clear I took the shot which was later lasered at 82 yards. This is with a 300WM loaded with 180gr Barnes TTSX. I did not load these, they came with the rifle when I bought it from my brother. In the scope I saw the impact on the buck's shoulder which was a a quartering to shot. No reaction out of the deer, not even at the sound of the shot from a 300WM that has a muzzle break on it. The buck continued to walk nibbling at stuff on the ground for around 10 to 12 yards before he finally stopped, teetered a little then fell over. I watched him for a bit, then finally proceeded down the tree and over to him. No visible sign of the entrance until I picked him up by the antlers and saw a little blood come out of the shoulder. Rolled him over which showed a pencil sized exit with no blood. Retraced is steps and no blood, blood spray on the ground. Field dressing revealed a pencil hole through the heart. Now when my brother shot a doe with these, he ended up with a fist sixed exit.

As I said earlier, I am still interested in the 130gr TTSX for my 20" 308 Win.

 

[Shangobango]

I have a lot of factory E-Tip cartridges and bullets in 7mm. I have never fired one at an animal. I have to say the potential for less bloodshot meat is intriguing. May be time to zero the .280 with E-Tips now that I am down to a handful of Accubond for it.

I don’t really shoot an animal at more than 500 yards or so. At that range the bullet should still have plenty of velocity for proper expansion out of a .280 and factory 139 E-Tip cartridges it seems.

 

[howl]

But what about Thump Factor?

My .300 Win Mag load is 3200 FPS. Should I be concerned about short range performance?

Ackshually....
Had a failure with one and 300WM at 30 yards. Largish 10 pt whitetail left buckets of blood for fifty yards. Then nothing. Never found it. I'm no bloodhound but I've found deer that left only cut hair and then pin drops for a 100+ several times.

Had I pinned it through the shoulder blades it would have worked. But no. Pulled crosshairs off the shoulder and centered the lungs on purpose.

 

[howl]

The real question is why are we messing around with expanding bullets instead of TUI FMJ.

 

[bigsky2]

I switched to copper last year and am shooting 130 gr TTSX. I’ve been really happy with them. Oryx are supposedly really tough animals and their vitals are set forward in their body so you have to shoot them through the shoulder. He went about 30 yards and I found the bullet perfectly intact under the hide on the off side.

My dad switched to Hammers this fall. He loves the accuracy, but he shot a mule deer at 350 yards with his 300 mag and there was no exit wound. It would have been interesting to open up the cavity and see the damage that was done but we did the gutless method. Maybe it was a fluke, but it has him a little hesitant to shoot an elk with them.

 

[TheJason]

I’ve recovered some coppers over they years, and even though I like exit wounds, I’ve come to the conclusion they are highly over valued in terms of importance.

 

[Elkmagnet]

Wife put 2 130gr ttsx out of her 270 win in a moose this week. Both passed through the moose. It didn't take 10 steps before tipping and passed quickly. F&g wanted a liver sample but it had been liquefied.
I was confident before but now I am flat impressed. Everything she shoots with it just goes down.

 

[Shangobango]

I zeroed the .280 with factory 140 etips today. They shot well, almost as tight as factory accubonds. I hope to see how they perform on a deer over the next couple of days.