txhunter58-To carry your comparison even further a 140 gr partition will out penetrate a 175 gr power point,corelokt or any other bullet of similar construction.Bigger is not always better.

Yes, stubble, your comparison speaks to construction. But, a 175 gr nosler partition will out penetrate a 140 nosler partition when both are fired from the same gun 7mm mag.

Handloader magazine did a test on bullets in the june 98 edition that surprised many people.While most people were sure that heavier bullets of conventional construction would penetrate better than lighter ones they assumed this also applied to premium bullets such as the grand slam and partition.The handloader test discovered this was not so as there was no difference in penetration between 165,180 and 200 gr grand slams.

But don't they do these penetration tests in some type of gelatin substance? I have always had trouble correlating that to hitting a big bone. Haven't seen any data that applies to the real world. Have you? I have always made the assumption that a 175 gr will outpenetrate a 140 of similar construction when it hits a shoulder bone. May be an erroneous assumption, but lots of nonscientific word of mouth would seem to indicate that it would.

txhunter58-You made the same assumption that many others make and it does generally hold true for lead bullets and for conventional bullets.The various premiums out there don't behave in the same way as conventional bullets so assumptions that apply to conventioal bullets do not always apply to premiums.When test results like this are brought forward many people refuse to believe them and come up with excuses because they don't want to admit that the assumptions they have believed for so long could be incorrect.I have used 140 gr partitions out of my 7mmstw to take several moose and elk and have yet to recover a bullet.You can't get better penetration than that.

The bottom line (for me anyway) is I want to use the bullet/caliber/load combination that will effectively do the job for the game I indend to bring home WITHOUT undue meat damage. I hunt because I love the activity, but I would not engage in it if I couldn't retrieve the meat. Therefore, I want to retieve as much meat as possible. Larger bullets can, in many instance, cause considerably more damage than smaller bullets........I'm not always looking for more damage....just the efficient kill while saving the meat. I'd never knock anybody's proven load........nor should they knock anybody elses. Ain't it great to have so many choices for so many purposes?
I'd never hesitate to to "UP" my bullet wieght if I needed it. But I would often hesitate to "UP" it if it was only to have more "hitting" power. If I don't have a sure shot I'll just pass and enjoy the scenery.
BTW,....where's Buckshot-Blain.....did he get the axe for his tirade????

Edited by - 8mm/06 on 01/06/2002 18:02:33

Would you rather hit game with the lid of a tin can or a flyin man-hole cover?
I think I've had the best luck with the freight train effect.

BTW, what do you think Buckshot?

Edited by - hunt4fun1 on 01/06/2002 19:10:41

Are you asking me what I think of buckshot? I am pretty sure that all here pretty much know what I think

From Squirrel to Elephant, the Shotgun is your gun.