Originally Posted by 340mag
while I love the test, I looked at the results, and was rather shocked,as too the results my favorite bullet in 30 caliber produced in the test.
I found listed as, well, it was damn near the worst listed! performance..sucked in that test,..then I thought thru decades of results Ive seen on deer and elk and having had zero failures it occurred to me that Ive never shot an elk in the shoulder, and neither has anyone else I hunt with,tried punching holes in shoulder joint,s. Id point out that when you shoot a deer or elk deliberately in the shoulder joint, your sure to loose a good deal of that shoulder,meat.

a 200 speer 30 cal launched from several of the camps 30/06 rifles, has a very good track record,dealing with ,punching thru the lungs and heart area of game, it has for decades produced very dead elk and deer!
the test is certainly interesting, but after using a bullet with complete success for decades in a 30/06 I just can,t jump on the premium bullet band wagon, and abandon a well known productive tool that we have used successfully for many years.the common 30/06 is a very frequent choice among the hunters I know and in skilled hands its fully adequate in most conditions when used to kill deer and elk, easily filling the requirements and with darn few perceived or actual limitations doing so..

http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item.asp?sku=000212211

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Old post I know, but this thread is worthy of a bump from time to time.

I too was surprised the 30 cal Speer didn't fare better, but some interpretation of the test method and results is worth considering. Indeed, per kman's opening post to the thread, "This is not scientific, valid, don't throw out the bullets you've been using for 30 years etc. I did this to satisfy my own curiosity and as much as it sucks to haul a bathtub full of wet heavy newspaper around, it's also fun."

kman's data for the 30 cal Speer 200

Bullet: 200gr Speer SP
Penetration: 3"
Weight retention: 14.5gr (7.25%)
Expansion diameter: .533"
Impact speed: ~2825

One thing to note is the velocity of impact is 2800+ fps. That's faster than a .30-06 can sling it and more in the territory of the 300 WSM and magnums. It's too bad the test couldn't have included some slower velocities but kman was after worst case stress testing really. The speer may have fared much better at 2500-2600 fps or less. A lot of work and expense went into it, but even at the speed tested, each case was a sample of one. 5 shots might have yielded more robust results (and more time, effort and expense. Easy to say typing away on the keyboard...). For instance, the relative angle of impact (orientation of the bone joint and bullet nose) might affect total penetration. Another thought to consider is that even 3" of penetration beyond the bone and tissue might have yielded a dead animal with bone fragments acting as shrapnel in the heart lung cavity. I don't know how well wet paper media compares to live tissue.

I was surprised that the Hornady 190 BTSP outperformed it by the margin it did although it didn't excel at weight retention either, but penetration was decent. Seems like cup core boat tails have the reputation of coming apart more easily than their plain base counterparts. I personally avoid shoulder shots but wouldn't rule one out if I didn't think another opportunity would present itself.

Bullet: 190gr Hornady Interlock BTSP
Penetration: 8.5"
Weight retention: 29.8gr (15.7%)
Expansion diameter: .806"
Impact speed: ~2875fps

Wealth of information presented. Thanks kman.