Fellas,
In 100 years, when all of us have returned to dust, this argument will still be going on. They will still be arguing about the best caliber as well.
The all copper bullets certainly have an advantage when it comes to penetration and it is without a doubt that they hold together much better than a lead core bullet. I don't think anyone in this thread will argue that. That is the basic laws of science, and you certainly don't have to be a physicist to figure that out.
To me, a Barnes losing its petals mid body of an animal is more a positive than a negative. Those petals, moving at that speed internally, are causing havoc, cutting through flesh, arteries, valves, and organs away from the temporary wound channel causing internal bleeding, with the solid shank still penetrating in a straight line, with the most probability of exiting. This is what I want from a bullet.
To put it into Layman's terms, the Barnes however, is almost too good for what I want it to do. It holds together almost every time, with the odd bullet losing it's petals and bits of shrapnel flying all over internally. (The trait that i am looking for in a bullet.)
If every shot from every single one of our hunters were made with 100% accuracy, on the shoulder, through the vitals, I would shoot Barnes. This is not the reality. Somehow, hunters get shaky in Africa, with strange animals around them, unfamiliar conditions and the desire to not make a mistake on his once in a life time hunt. Hunters get the fever and make less desirable shots. It's part of reality. Therefor, I use a bullet that first and foremost, has the quality to kill effectively when the bullet is placed in the correct area. For this, you need a high quality projectile with a strong construction. I also require a bullet that will cause the most body trauma, when the shot is not in the right area. Only a lead core bullet will give me this consistently. (Call it "controlled" failure" if you want.)
I shoot full copper bullets in some of my rifles. They have their place. I fire a 130gr expanding copper solid from my .308 now, at 2900fps. It yields almost 100% weight retention every time I recover a bullet. Does it hit harder than a 30-06 with a 165gr lead core? Never. It penetrates better sure, but just because the .30-06 loses 40gr inside the animal, does not make the .308 hit harder.
A simple example would be, to put yourself in the shoes of a meat hunter. What do most guys shoot for the least amount of meat damage? Full copper, expanding solids, or lead core bullets? It is without a doubt that the full copper bullets cause less meat damage than the lead core bullets. Meat damage, means body trauma. Body trauma slows any living being down, which increase our chance for recovery exponentially.
The only way that I can achieve what I am looking for in a bullet consistently, is to shoot a high quality lead core bullet from a powerful magnum caliber , such as Swift's, Rhino's from RSA, Accubonds etc from a .300Mag.
You do not get deader than dead!
3100fps from a .300Mag? Send me some of that powder and I'll send you lead core bullets that yield better than 50% weight retention.
I've had pass through s after breaking the shoulder on Blue's at 200yds with that .300, and all of the recovered bullets that we have managed to pull from the animals were between 75-87%. These are from the Federal Fusion range, which I try and shoot as far as availability is concerned.
The best that we get out of my .300Mag at safe operating levels with 180gr is 2880fps. Bare in mind, our powders are way behind the USA's availability and quality.
I would not shoot anything lighter than a 180gr in a .300Win, just as I would not shoot anything heavier than a 165gr in a .30-06. I think those are the two sweet spots on those two calibers.
Good luck chaps. There are very few actual bad bullets on the market today. I've said it before, one failure from a bullet manufacturer, does not make it a bad bullet.
Last edited by KMGHuntingSafaris; 02/15/16.
