While reading different threads about velocitys. I have a question. Back in 2005 we shot a black bear with my Knight Disc. I forget the exact weight and brand of bullet, but I do have one left it's like a 300 grain hollow point. We loaded 150 grains of triple & shot the bear at only 20 yards. The bullet never expanded, just punched thru both shoulders,no bone just heavy muscle. The bear dressed out at 385 lbs. Were we using too much of a charge? Being new we figured more is better. The bear only went 50 yards, but I thought that hollow point would have done some heavy internal damage.
One possibility is the bullet you were using was a 300 grain XTP Mag. They are a fairly tough bullet with the copper jacket rolled over into the nose of the hollow point. I have experianced the same thing at very close range, shooting a whitetail, the bullet was in and out before it had time to expand, and I was only shooting 100 grains of loose T7...
I am assuming that you never recovered the bullet, your thought of non-expansion coming from the wound channel...
The XTP Mag will perform very well a longer ranges but I am suspect of it at close range.
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Another possibility was it could have been a Barnes Expander. The all copper hollow point retained all its weight. And ofwhich, did expand, made its path and then exited the bear. For any bullet to punch through both shoulders of a bear is very impressive in my book. As for not doing a lot of damage, it sounds like the internal shock the bear suffered from the bullet, and the damage to organ and tissue was enough that the bear only made 50 yards of travel. I've seen bears hit solid with center fire rifles and bow. They almost alway make a little distance of travel after the hit unless you break them down. So I would say the bullet did just fine.
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"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, a total wreck, screaming Yahoo, with a big smile on your face."
While reading different threads about velocitys. I have a question. Back in 2005 we shot a black bear with my Knight Disc. I forget the exact weight and brand of bullet, but I do have one left it's like a 300 grain hollow point. We loaded 150 grains of triple & shot the bear at only 20 yards. The bullet never expanded, just punched thru both shoulders,no bone just heavy muscle. The bear dressed out at 385 lbs. Were we using too much of a charge? Being new we figured more is better. The bear only went 50 yards, but I thought that hollow point would have done some heavy internal damage.
Sounds like the 300g XTP Mag to me as well. They are a tough bullet that's for certain. Sounds like it did ok though. I will say, Bear are very tough.I seen a 320lb bear shot w/a .280 through the lungs and it went down a ridge into a hollow and was starting back up the next ridge before the guy put a second one in him breaking his neck. That bear had about a golfball size exit hole in his ribs but obviously didn't bother him too much.
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After thining about it today at work I remember the term "Red Hot" and if I remember right it was a Barnes bullet.
I kind of figured with what you described it was a Barnes which also makes the Knight RED Hots... Great bullets and they shoot real well out of the Knight rifles. I would not be scared to hunt about anything with that bullet and load you used..
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"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, a total wreck, screaming Yahoo, with a big smile on your face."
When my friend shot the bear he did double lung it. What surprised me tho was the bullet went thru the 1st shoulder, chest cavity and the opposite shoulder and it was a neat little hole like we impaled him with a steel rod.
Everything went right we had a great blood trail, we were nervous tho because we were hunting a cedar swamp and had to recover the bear on our hands & knees thru "bear tunnels". We were amazed at all the blood loss and still how far he went. It was SO thick that we never seen himuntill we were 6 ft from him. It took some nerve to poke him and make sure he was dead.
hunting Velocity
