Winchester fail safe bullets

[220yotekiller]

A friend of mine is just getting into handloading and he was given 100, 150 gr. Winchester fail safe bullets for his 7mm Rem Mag. I am going to be helping him building his load but I have no idea if these bullets are accurate or not or even if they work well on game. Anyone ever use them?

 

[TN2shot07]

I had a box of 270 wsm that shot fine, I only remember taking one deer with them before I traded off the rifle.

I think they were designed with tough animals in mind (Africa).

 

[mthillrunner]

I used to use them in .270. Was a very good bullet for larger game like elk. Took quite a few elk with them and a few deer. I don’t believe it’s produced an longer. Was certainly accurate enough

 

[twodogs]

I also used them in a .270 in the 90's. I took a fair number of elk with them, and they worked very well. I was bummed when Winchester stopped making that loaded ammo.

 

[winmag]

They penetrate well. They don’t expand well at low impact velocities.

They’re an interesting design. Like a Barnes X up front and a Nosler partition in the back.

 

[Red-Team 98]

Are you sure they are 150gr
They only made 160gr in .284

 

[VAspeedgoat]

I had a buddy hit a pronghorn at over 400 yds and it didn't open up hardly at all. Everything worked out fine but the wound channel reminded me of a round ball muzzleloader. I think on thin skinned game like pronghorn it's just a bit too much.

****Very small sample size

 

[Red-Team 98]

Fail Safe bullets are for large game Elk / Moose and Big Bear it’s a tough constructed bullet. I wish I could find a thousand of the 140gr Failsafe bullets for the 270 Win.

 

[reallyoldman]

I shot 7 animals with one shot kills....Kudu, waterbuck, Nyala, elk. ......then I went to Alaska for moose.....200yds, 338... 9 shots...high front shoulder, neck & lungs...recovered 3 slugs all opened up some but...really narrow wound channel. I quit using them. The shots barely missed the spinal cord and yet that bull stayed on his feet. He was laying down on the first shot in the neck.

 

[Red-Team 98]

Moose rarely go straight down especially big Alaskan 1500 lb moose. A simple lung shot and let the moose walk a few yards and stagger and fall over. New to moose hunting hunters often empty their rifle into a moose because it would not fall at the shot. It’s a dead moose walking give him time to give up the ghost. I have shot a lot of moose with 338 WM and almost all walked away after the shot it’s common.

 

[reallyoldman]

That was my 5th Alaskan-Yukon moose.......Used Cor-Lokt (sp) on the others. In my experience that solid copper just does not expand enough.

 

[Cogreeny]

I used them on several elk and a few deer out of a .30-06 180 gr. and the bullet seems almost too tough. If you hit substantial bone they wreck critters. If they’re hit in squishy spots seems like pin holes in and out and not ideal results for me.

 

[Red-Team 98]

I used them on several elk and a few deer out of a .30-06 180 gr. and the bullet seems almost too tough. If you hit substantial bone they wreck critters. If they’re hit in squishy spots seems like pin holes in and out and not ideal results for me.

Fail Safe it’s a tough bullet for sure
I have shot thru bear and moose shoulder blades with excellent results never recovered one bullet in 30 years. They are tough !

 

[Cogreeny]

Fail Safe it’s a tough bullet for sure
I have shot thru bear and moose shoulder blades with excellent results never recovered one bullet in 30 years. They are tough !

I can’t say I recovered one either. I’ve moved on to the swift scirroco bullets since failsafe was discontinued. They’re a really good bullet for me.

 

[Red-Team 98]

I can’t say I recovered one either. I’ve moved on to the swift scirroco bullets since failsafe was discontinued. They’re a really good bullet for me.

Actually I have a good supply of failsafes and Partition Golds for 300 WM and 338 WM.
But I have also loaded up some 180gr Scirroco 2 up for the 300 WM with IMR 4831. In my 338 RUM I am Swift A Frame 225gr loyalist.

 

[Red-Team 98]

A friend of mine is just getting into handloading and he was given 100, 150 gr. Winchester fail safe bullets for his 7mm Rem Mag. I am going to be helping him building his load but I have no idea if these bullets are accurate or not or even if they work well on game. Anyone ever use them?

I don’t belive they made the Fail safe in .284 at 150gr it was 160gr