250 Bonded Shockwave for Lemoyne..(Graphic)
 

(This post is for Lemoyne and was written after a hunt last month, I created a seperate post, as at least one ofthe pics is pretty graphic)

Lemoyne...read the following report before you get too enamored withthe Bonded Shockwaves....;)



On Saturday morning Craig, Noug, and I all hunted with Daniel and two of his guides on a property that adjoins the Loshboughs land. This particular land appears to have been clear cut a few years ago and is composed of rolling "hollers" covered in thick brush and pricker bush.
Basically, this is the type of land that is perfectly suited for a "hog drive". While the hunters would post stands at the top of the hollers, the guides would beat the brush in an attempt to get the hogs moving out of the brush.
The real benefit to hunting this terrain was the opportunity to be presented with rather long shots when measured by Loshbough standards. In fact the three longest pig kills were all taken in this location, and all were around 100yds or longer.
After working through about half of the clear cut I saw the guide flagging that he had seen the hogs. I quickly located about 5 hogs moving up the hillside on the opposite side of the hollow. Before I could even get the pigs in my scope I immediately heard a shot from my right. The pigs quickly split up and headed out of sight. However, it was clear one of the pigs had been hit and it eventually stopped a few feet from where I had first spotted it. Craig had shot the pig with a off hand shot at close to 100yds.
Shortly there after,Nugbuk and Craig took two more hogs as they moved back down through a steep draw.
Eventually we located another pig far down in the bottom of the clear cut. At this point the hog was likely over 175 yds away and moving fast through the brush. While I was able to get the sights on him briefly I was not presented with any shots as he was simply moving to quickly.
In anticipation that the pig might try running up the opposite side of the hollow I was located on I quickly moved to find a clearing that might provide me with a clear shot over to the next hill. Just as I got to a good spot I saw the hog start moving up the hillside. I quickly took a seated shooting position and found the hog moving through the brush with my Conquest 3-9x40 set on 9x. The hog continued running across the hillside before eventually turning up the slope in an attempt to crest over the hill. Just as the pig turned up the hill it stopped to check its back trail. At this point the hog was facing straight away from me and was slightly higher on the opposite hill than where I was located. Realizing the hog was only a short distance from cresting the ridge I decided to take the shot, aiming for the center of its back just below the shoulder blades in expectation that I would take out the spine and the bullet would travel forward into the lung cavity.
I would estimate the shot to have been between 85-100yds. Shooting 41.5 grs N-110, 250 bonded shockwave with supplied sabot my load was later chronographed in the 2325 fps area. This load was sighted in to be dead on at 50yds and would be a touch low at 100yds.
Upon pulling the trigger I immediately saw the bullet strike resulting in the appearance of a fine mist exploding off the hog. The hog collapsed at the shot and let out a series of squeals before attempting to rising. After making a brief attempt to get to its feet it became quite clear the hog was not going anywhere and it expired a few minutes later.
Upon finally arriving at the pig I was extremely shocked to say the least...
While the bullet had struck the hog slightly lower than my point of aim. (Craig believes he saw the hog move just as I shot), It was clear that from the angle I had shot that the bullet would likely have pushed through its back into the bottom of the hogs sternum where the heart is located. However, instead of finding the hog with a clean entrance wound I found the hog with a gaping wound in its back just above the rear hips. In fact a large section of the spine was actually completely missing!!
After gutting the hog and looking for a bullet and an exit would I was not able to find any signs of either. In fact there was no bullet damage what so ever to any of its internal organs that I could see.
After considering what I found numerous times I can only come to one conclusion....The bonded shockwave virtually evaporated upon impact and what fragments remained deflected at 90 degree angles of impact, never travelling forward into the body cavity...
(Pictured here is the entrance wound...!!!)

(The entrance can be seen as the depression in the hogs back just above the hams in this pics.)

RE: 250 Bonded Shockwave for Lemoyne..(Graphic)
 

All I can say is.. amazing wound there. No wonder the hog never went anywhere. Strange that the bullet would have evaporated or disintegrated as you say. Not that I am doubting you. Do you think it might have deflected off or followed the spine for a short time until actually clearing the body again.

RE: 250 Bonded Shockwave for Lemoyne..(Graphic)
 

Could have been any number of things...but that wound is certainly not what one would expect from a "bonded" bullet...

More research is obviously required...;)


BTW..here is another report from a different hunter with me on the same hunt...

RE: 250 Bonded Shockwave for Lemoyne..(Graphic)
 

jcchartboy,Good pics,Thats an amazing entrance wound, do you suppose that 350 fps can make that much differance? Or was the spine involved?
I was afraid that the impressive exit wound I got was because I was only 25yd away and delibertly went through part of the shoulder in hopes of recovering the bullet. It looks to me like bonded bullets are going to be the best answer for some things,But maybe not.
I was quite impressed with the 50/40 2oogr and the exit wound it left was also impressive; after this I will avoid the shoulder meat though I had to throw away about 5# of blood shot meat it was a mess. Thanks for the info all our experance put together here helps in many ways. Lee

RE: 250 Bonded Shockwave for Lemoyne..(Graphic)
 

cayugad,IF that bullet hit the spine dead on with that smokeless load he is using thats about the result I would expect. I wish some one from Hornady would come on here and tell us the max speed they design muzzle loading bullets for. At a guess any impact over 2000 fps is likly streching the envelope.Lee

RE: 250 Bonded Shockwave for Lemoyne..(Graphic)
 

I've no idea what speed these bullets perform best at. I do know that most of them when pushed with 100 grains of powder average around 1600-1800 fps and they seem to work very well at those speeds.

I wonder sometimes if people are trying to push some of these projectiles too fast. I really do not know all that much about ballistics other then what I read from other posts..

RE: 250 Bonded Shockwave for Lemoyne..(Graphic)
 

cayugad

If I could delete this post post i would.... This information has nothing to do with the 250 grain SW in question. I have this darn 200 grain on my mind and its performance

I know that I am running the 200 grain XTP with 110 grains of T7-2f @ 2200 fps and most people shooting the 150 grain loads are saying 2400+fps.

I have been shooting soft wood (conifers) with the 10mm 200XTp and have really been surprised with penetration and the fact that the bullet stays together - course that is in a tree.

And again remember Omega and his wife Sandy - have had really good success with them on deer and black bear.

Wish I had a big batch of ballistics jell...

RE: 250 Bonded Shockwave for Lemoyne..(Graphic)
 

I'm a little surprised, given how well the regular non-bonded Shockwaves work on large animals - like elk. I shot one at about 160 yards and got a complete pass-through on the lungs. Maybe they construct the bondedshockwaves different from the regular ones?

RE: 250 Bonded Shockwave for Lemoyne..(Graphic)
 

looks to me like the wound is actually the entrance and exit. your bullet im sure is laying somewhere in the woods but upon impact it looks to me as the bullet struck and contacted the spine it turned bone fragments into little projectiles making a some what shotgun effect which would cause such a large wound.

Ive shot deer with 240 grain XTP/Mags over 110 grains pyrodex with the entrance wounds hitting square with a rib on one side and those rib pieces making additional exit wounds with pieces of bone stuck in the flesh around the wounds, several inches from the obvious bullet exit wound.

I seriously doubt your bonded shockwave acted as a ballistic tip as you seemed to think, if for some reason it did actually explode like a ballistic tip then you would have shards of copper and lead within and around the wound. just my 2 cents

RE: 250 Bonded Shockwave for Lemoyne..(Graphic)
 

sabotloader,I was using 130 of APP,my Omega will shoot 150 accuratly but I thought that most muzzle loading and pistol bullets were designed for a max of 2000 fps. Lee