Originally Posted by
HEAD0001
Sabot I am just not sure about this "premium" bullet analysis. And i am not saying you said that. I am just talking here. However I have shot several deer with Barnes MZ bullets over the last dozen or so years. And I have seen the bullet on a couple different occasions simply not open up at all. One hole in, and one hole out. However the deer only went a small distance and expired. The shot was in the right spot. And isn't the Barnes bullet designed to open up fast??
I do not want to get sideways with all the Barnes fans out there, but you are not the only one that has that experiance. Sometimes a Barnes does not seem to expand especially at close ranges or where the bullet still is traveling at a very fast velocity going through a thin skinned animal. Copper is still less likely to move on impact than lead. That is the reason the Nosler works so well. The lead in the front cavity will cause expansion. It has already been tested that the Nosler and Swift A Frame will expand through a wider range of velocities than does a Barnes.
And yes the Barnes will open fast! if it is at the right velocity and hits the right resitance.
And believe me Barnes are great bullets - but not a bullet that I would use if I had a couple of other choices.
They can make the nose on a Barnes open sooner but then you will get it opening to fast. I believe they have done the math and the homework to get it to be the most efficient they can in a given velocity range.
Another thought I will throw out if you had shot an elk with that same bullet - i think you would have seen a big difference in the operation of that bullet. Another thought, and I do not know at what range you are talking about but I would suggest if the range were in the 100 yard area and greater the Barnes into a Whitetail might have shown you something entirely different.
Part is still the frontal area of the bullet. I remember a Barnes 300 grain bullet that had a huge hollow point in it - it was an awesome bullet for elk.
I wish I would have recovered more bullets in my lifetime. So I could speak more eloquently(or at least more knowledgable) about bullet expansion. However I simply have not had any problems when any bullet of any design was put in the right spot.
Totally agree.... but with the 3 mention preimium bullets - I think you have a bigger margin of error in the exact placement of the bullet.
To the OP. Hornady makes great bullets. I would not have any problem using their product if it shot well in my rifle. Tom.
And I will not use Hornady bullets at all because I have yet to see a Hornady that will not strip itself in some circumstances... somewhat rare but it does happen
But that is just myself - doe not mean a thing to anyone else.
