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Fusion Ammo

Old 01-04-2009, 10:26 AM
  #1  
Nontypical Buck
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Default Fusion Ammo

Anyone else use this and not like how it performs on deer? I have been using them in 150 grain in my Browning BAR 30-06. Now for some reason this gun is very picky about the ammo. Not that it jams but that I couldn't get good groups at all out of it. As in a 8" target and they were all over the target however, with these I can get a 1-2" group at 100 yards and that's probably that big from me moving ever so slightly. It's a lot better than the rest of the ones I tried.

Anyway, I stuck with them and have only shot one deer with it. I shot a large doe yesterday at around 150 yards. Well, large for a doe. I hit it right around the front shoulder area and the bullet just went on in and didn't do that much damage. Just left a small hole through. Everyone there was saying how bad that looked. Now when I shot the doe just flopped over and died pretty quickly however, I'm not sure it would have done that with a bigger deer as it didn't do a lot of damage just left a hole through it. A buddy shot a deer with a .270 with Winchester Soft Points the same day and when we skinned it where the bullet had hit it had just destroyed that part of the deer. Mine didn't do that.

Anyone else have this kind of luck with them? Should I switch to something else? They all said I need to try new bullets as it didn't do much damage at all to it just left a hole through it.
What kind of bullet should I try next?
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Old 01-04-2009, 10:54 AM
  #2  
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Default RE: Fusion Ammo

I always had GREAT sucess with Nosler Partitions
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Old 01-04-2009, 10:55 AM
  #3  
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Default RE: Fusion Ammo

Are those the particular bullet or the type? Isn't the Winchester Ballistic tips use a Nolser partition or something? I know I tried those and the rifle will not shoot them in the same spot at all. It shoots horribly with them but I don't know why.
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Old 01-04-2009, 11:19 AM
  #4  
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Default RE: Fusion Ammo

I use Federal brand shells heres there website www.federalpremium.com
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Old 01-04-2009, 02:47 PM
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Default RE: Fusion Ammo

Now when I shot the doe just flopped over and died pretty quickly however, I'm not sure it would have done that with a bigger deer as it didn't do a lot of damage just left a hole through it.
Then I would say that it did exactly what it was supposed to do... It gave you Dead-Right-There performance without destroying a lot of useable meat. What more do you want?

The reason that your friend's .270 with conventional soft points did so much more damage is because a soft point, like the Winchester Power Point, is a non-bonded bullet designed for rapid expansion, and conventional SP's also tend to shed a lot of weight creating fragments that do a lot more widespread, and often undesired and unnecessary, damage. The Fusion bullet is a bonded core bullet that expands well but tends to stay together and retain weight. This allows the bullet to still create a deadly wound channel while greatly improving penetration. The reason the exit wasn't huge is because while the bullet had expanded it had also transferred most of its energy before exiting, and if it didn't hit bone on the way out, the very durable and flexible hide is able to resist the hydrostatic shock effects that turn organs into pudding.

The Fusion ammo was going to be my first choice this year with my .30-06, but I wasn't seeing the level of accuracy with them that I wanted, so I went with Remington Cor-Lokt 150 grain bullets. My results were similar to your friends, bang-flop with a lot of damage to meat because the bullet obviously blew apart after hitting 3 ribs going in. No exit, but I found no substancial part of the bullet, suggesting that there wasn't much left, but the chest cavity was filled with tiny lead and copper fragments. Next year I'm going with a more durably constructed bullet that won't produce so many fragments so I don't have to worry so much about missing one when I butcher the deer. I think I'm going to see how the Barnes TSX's shoot through my rifle. My kids LOVE venison, but I don't want them biting down or ingesting a missed chunk of lead.

Mike

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Old 01-04-2009, 05:42 PM
  #6  
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Default RE: Fusion Ammo

I have used 140 gr. Fusion in my 7mm-08 last year with very good results on a large buck and used 150 gr. Fusion in my 270 WSM this year with excellent results in accuracy and performance on two does I shot this year. I can’t complain when I was able to obtain 2” groups at 200 yards...
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Old 01-04-2009, 06:29 PM
  #7  
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Default RE: Fusion Ammo

I agree with driftrider - great post! You can't ask for better results than whatyou experienced. Sounds like this bullet may offer good to very good performance.

I also shoot a 30-06 for deer. The reason you did not have that much damage to the meat is because the bullet did not expandviolently in the outer muscles, and it held together. Remember that arrows kill by bleeding and hi-power firearms kill by shock if it is a good shot with a good bullet. It appears the violent shock wave did notoccur until it was in the vitals - this is exactly what you want to happen. The best bullets will have two shock waves. The first is a small shock wave when the bullet first hits the animal, and the secondstarts after the bullet has expanded if it is not a hard cast or FMJ.Cast bulletsdesigned for biggame do not expand much (if it all), but notice how they have a flat nose/tip.The second shock wave onhard cast bulletsoccurs because of the amount of body fluids being pushed by the flat nosed bullet and the deep penetration. Bullet performance is a science. This is why bullet and caliber selectionare so critical to what animalyou are hunting(don't use a deer load on a moose and vice versa). Have youever watched slow motionvideo of a bullet going through ballistic gelatin? If not, do a search on the web and watch what happens.
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Old 01-04-2009, 07:02 PM
  #8  
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Default RE: Fusion Ammo

Another vote for driftrider's response. I'm not sure what more you're expecting(or realistically SHOULD expect)if the deer died as you describe?



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Old 01-04-2009, 07:38 PM
  #9  
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Default RE: Fusion Ammo

cast bullets occurs because of the amount of body fluids being pushed by the flat nosed bullet and the deep penetration. Bullet performance is a science. This is why bullet and caliber selection are so critical to what animal you are hunting (don't use
It did die right then and there and I was happy with it however, after them all saying how it didn't do much damage and that I should switch bullets. They all are very good shots and seem to do very well hunting btw so that's why I listened to them. I was afraid on a big buck that it wouldn't just drop it like it did with the doe. The doe isn't going to take near as much to kill as a large buck would so I was afraid that it wouldn't have done that to a buck. Is it a good deer bullet to use? So basically I don't need one that is going to expand and do a ton of damage?
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Old 01-04-2009, 09:33 PM
  #10  
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Default RE: Fusion Ammo

Exactly how much damage do you think you need to do? Dead is dead.

A big buck still isn't that much bigger dimensionally than a 100lb doe, and if your Fusion bullet went all the way through a doe, it'll surely get through the vitals of a buck, no matter how big it is. And if the shot is good, it won't go far. Just remember also that not every shot will drop a deer in its tracks, even if you hit it in the same spot in the vitals. I've had deer drop DRT from what I'd consider a marginal hit to the boiler room (a little higher and farther back than I like, but still a double-lung), and I've had a deer run 100 yards with a gaping hole in its heart from a 250 grain Dead Center muzzleloader bullet from 30 yards. So expecting every deer you shoot to drop at the shot and die might be a little unrealistic, unless you want to take nothing but head or neck shots (which I don't advise). Rest assured, if you put that Fusion bullet in the deer's boiler room, it's going to die pretty quick, no matter how big it is. And with a pass-through, if it does run out of sight, you're much more likely to have a good blood trail to follow because exit wounds tend to bleed more than entrance wounds in my experience.

Mike
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