Bullet Performance Database

[USMA84DAB]

MO deer season opened this morning. I had a nice 6 point tease me passing west to east at 75 yards (4 point on one side antler requirement). 10 minutes later he wandered back by at 25 yards.

A bit later a doe fed to me from 75 yards to 50 yards. She presented her left shoulder for the shot. At the shot she tried to run, but her shoulder(s) were wrecked, so she churned a 25 yard circle on her chest with her back legs. She got about 4/5s of the circle completed before she flopped over and expired. Shot to expiration ran about 10 seconds.

First blood for the old style .375 Ruger Alaskan (no brake or barrel band!) I bought off of Guns.com for $750 with the Vari-X3, 2.5x8-36 already mounted.

Load was Barnes TTSX 250 grain in Hornady brass - 69.3 grains of RL15 - data from Quickload states: 2581 FPS; 54,500 pressure; 3698 FT-Lbs of energy.

This is all I can contribute (whitetail) until June when I get with Somerby in RSA for kudu, gemsbok, wildebeast, zebra, and impala. Whitetail are certainly not as tough as everyone reports African game as being. However, it would seem that the TTSX opened up quickly after penetrating the hide and left a huge exit hole and wound channel even though it was plowing through a "softer" animal.

The skinned entrance/exit shots are upside down in the display below, BTW. I smoothed the hair away from the hide-on entrance wound photo - otherwise you really could not have seen anything.

 

[Hogpatrol]

It's amazing what a light load will do.

 

[BeeMaa]

Congratulations on the harvest.
375 on whitetail certainly makes tracking much easier.
Good shooting.
Send some venison stick when you get around to it.

 

[Ridgewalker]

I really like the 250 Barnes TTSX! I’ve shot caracal, croc, black wildebeest, eland, sable, warthog, and several others. Eland was the only one the bullet was recovered, but one shot put everyone down.

 

[USMA84DAB]

Beemaa - Ha! What tracking!?!?

It was a unique spectacle to watch see her take her death "sprint" - butt up in the air, churning away with the chest sliding along the ground in a 25 yard circle - never seen anything like it.

As I drug her out of the woods, I crossed the circle - blood all over her track/path. Even I could re-trace her path.

 

[5shot]

Not from a game animal... Woodleigh 0.358 310 grain RN SN shot into gallon jugs of water. Made it to the back of the 8th jug, cracking the back side. Over 4 feet of penetration. Impact velocity was around 2200 fps. I wanted the velocity to fall inside their recommendations. Retained weight was 303.8 grains.

 

[goto9.3]

Since a lot of guys shoot .308 Barnes bullets, I thought some of you may be interested in some information I got from Barnes. They don’t publish this, and it was several emails back/forth to compile it all.

View attachment 306157

Did you get that data for the .366 bullets, too?

 

[USMA84DAB]

Deer season is still open here in MO. BeeMaa guilted me into getting into the woods this morning, so 0758 I am set on my stool waiting for a buck to wander by. 15 minutes goes by and I hear something to my left/east. I turn my head and see what I thought was a trio of coyotes crouch running through the woods. Then I lose them against the forest floor due to their coats being such great camo. I turn directly east on the seat, dig out the squeaker from one of my dog's old toys and put it into my mouth, lean out over my elbow with the rifle. Two sprint on north, one swaps ends and head back south. Now I can see it was a trio of BOBCATS, not coyotes! (Figure must have been a mother and two cubs.) This makes the 4th, 5th and 6th bobcats I have ever seen. I get the scope on the one headed south, and I lose her. Then I find and track her - I am just about to break the trigger and she walks behind a 1' tree. I lose her coming out from behind it. I have to pull off the scope to re-acquire her. Just before she goes over the ridge she stops and checks her 6 - I see this, get the scope on fur, and break the shot. Estimated 75 yards. As I came out of recoil all I could find was a paw twitching, so I was pretty sure she was down for good. Turned out it entered left neck, exited right shoulder.

Same load as the deer I shared above - 250 grain Barnes TTSX in a .375 Ruger Alaskan - 69.3 grains of RL15 - Quickload data says 2581 FPS, 54,500 pressure, 3698 Ft.-Lbs.

I found two tiny crumbs of the blue plastic tip from the bullet when I was skinning the animal. I would have expected the thing to perform like an FMJ on such a small, thin-skinned animal, but apparently these things instantly expand and/or probably some hydrostatic shock on display here.

 

[meigsbucks]

That took ten of that cat’s nine lives.

 

[BeeMaa]

I believe that hydrostatic shock played a big part in how this bullet performed.
At the :02 second mark, freeze it and take a look at the picture.
That's about what happened to the Bobcat.
At about 4" of penetration the temporary wound channel was so big, it blew apart the exit wound area.

 

[Ridgewalker]

To me, I t looks like the spine was hit which then “granaded” making the mess.
Still, you’ve got some good eating in the back straps and hind quarters. Bobcat is a very fine grained light meat.
Can’t say much for a full body mount!

 

[Mike Van Horn]

I would say a lot of the damage is bone fragments

 

[ldmay375]

375 Ruger, 20" barrel, DoubleTap factory loaded 270 grain TSX, advertised velocity from 20" barrel 2650 fps. Distance approximately 25 yards.
Alaska-Yukon bull moose. Shot facing, between and slightly below the eye line, sheared bone protrusions below skull plate, cracked bottom of skull plate, severed spinal cord, entered the side of vertebraes, traveled through the thick vertebrae bones 12-14" (don't recall actual measurements), found under hide of neck. Fragment was found in vertebrae wound channel. Bulged eyeballs, and definitely dropped right there.
Intact bullet = 203 grains
Fragment = 19.3 grains

Bullet deformation stopped at the topside of uppermost band.
Side of bullet has visible gashes on side of shank.
Personally, I think this bullet performed as well as one could, considering distance, velocity, and route of travel.
This is the only 270 grain TSX that I have recovered from a moose.

 

[Chago]

View attachment 306064

That's a awesome bear. And I'm in this camp too. I use eld x on every caliber I own. They are readily available at any store. Price is good. The ballistic coefficient is really high. It's basically a match bullet accuracy with hunting bullet performance. I actually prefer the 212 grain over the 200. Ridiculous high BC and that little extra weight packs a lot more punch. I too shoot it out of a 300 and you can pretty much load both the 200 and 212 to very close velocities.

This set up I have taken down my whole PG trip last year. Zebra, blue beast, sable, kudu, gemsbok, Impala, nyala and blesbok. The bullets performed phenomenal on both big and small animals. I wasn't too concerned about meat damage so I was shouldering every animal. Almost all of them dirt napped. The zebra was the only one who ran a little, but it was like 60 yards and bled like a gut pig.

I also use this same set up when hunting at home on Canadian moose and elk and it has performed flawlessly. I do have some recovered bullets. I'll find them and take some pics.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Bullets recovered from game
1) Woodleigh 225 grain PPSN
MV 2,950 fps
Retained weight:- 176 grain
Distance:- 100 yards
Animal:- Hartman zebra
Shot placement:- last chevron left leg, bullet smashed femur destroying heart,lungs, smashed off side shoulder. Bullet found under the skin.
Zebra made it 10 yards and went down

2) 225 grain nosler accubond
MV:- 2,850 fps
Retained weight:- 163 grains
Distance:- approx 140 yards
Animal:- Kudu bull.
Shot placement:- front on, bullet penetrating the chest cavity causing massive trauma, through paunch and intestines lodging in the rear ham. Penetration around 5 and a half feet.
Kudu ran about 20 yards and nose dived.
Rifle:- Stevens 200 converted to 35 Whelan with 25 inch MAB stainless barrel 1in 12 twist.

Top projectiles 225 grain accubond
Bottom 225grain woodleigh.

Left accubond right woodleigh
This 35Whelan is loaded quicker than most to find out more see AH reloading section loading the 35 Whelan.
Thanks to everyone who posted very informative and save people doing a heap of testing because results are all actual field results.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

5 Shot could you please repost your photo as it didn't show up. Very interested in the performance, was thinking of loading some in mine.

 

[Bullthrower338]

Deer season is still open here in MO. BeeMaa guilted me into getting into the woods this morning, so 0758 I am set on my stool waiting for a buck to wander by. 15 minutes goes by and I hear something to my left/east. I turn my head and see what I thought was a trio of coyotes crouch running through the woods. Then I lose them against the forest floor due to their coats being such great camo. I turn directly east on the seat, dig out the squeaker from one of my dog's old toys and put it into my mouth, lean out over my elbow with the rifle. Two sprint on north, one swaps ends and head back south. Now I can see it was a trio of BOBCATS, not coyotes! (Figure must have been a mother and two cubs.) This makes the 4th, 5th and 6th bobcats I have ever seen. I get the scope on the one headed south, and I lose her. Then I find and track her - I am just about to break the trigger and she walks behind a 1' tree. I lose her coming out from behind it. I have to pull off the scope to re-acquire her. Just before she goes over the ridge she stops and checks her 6 - I see this, get the scope on fur, and break the shot. Estimated 75 yards. As I came out of recoil all I could find was a paw twitching, so I was pretty sure she was down for good. Turned out it entered left neck, exited right shoulder.

Same load as the deer I shared above - 250 grain Barnes TTSX in a .375 Ruger Alaskan - 69.3 grains of RL15 - Quickload data says 2581 FPS, 54,500 pressure, 3698 Ft.-Lbs.

I found two tiny crumbs of the blue plastic tip from the bullet when I was skinning the animal. I would have expected the thing to perform like an FMJ on such a small, thin-skinned animal, but apparently these things instantly expand and/or probably some hydrostatic shock on display here. View attachment 315619 View attachment 315439 View attachment 315620 View attachment 315621

Looks like a candidate for a DeMask Bobkitty mount! Lol

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

they don't come better than the bearclaws, same as northfork.
up there with swift.
all three better than Woodleigh.
bruce.

Bruce moulds
They may be better than woodleigh but in my neck of the woods OZ I can't justify paying A$140 for 50 A frames when I can get any 35 cal woodleigh for less than 70 bucks. The woodleigh protected point and nosler accubond did everything I needed. Good luck to those that can afford swifts they look like a great bullet. In the meantime I will have to use what I can afford.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I’m curious if anyone has used Hornady factory load ELD-X ammo on a PG safari and how it performed. I’m planning to use my Tikka .308 and Hornady ELD-X 178gr. Largest animal I intend to hunt is a waterbuck. It shoots incredibly accurate out of my rifle but I’m wondering how the bullet will hold up. Alternative I’m looking at is Nosler AB or PT. If this has already been discussed please let me know. Thanks!

JnB06
One of the blokes on my trip to Namibia used a 300 WM with 200or 210 ELDX while they killed game the only thing he retrieved was an empty jacket from a earth or, he go some thru and thru on smaller game and others were just fragmented. This bloke is a great shot saw him please game @ 400 yards with the same rifle so his shooting skills are fine. To me a bullet that performs like this is not acceptable. Dead is dead but I would be constantly be worried of failures

 

[Forrest Halley]

Can anyone help me with what make is this bullet. It's a factory second from MidwayUsa .458 500 grain. I don't have any further info at this point.