TJ,
I think the 220 gr. Speer is way too soft for bear..I have seen it used on deer and it was basically a failure, but it killed the deer instantly..I know that in contridictory to some, but its a fact based on bullet performance in that it blew up. but like most fragile missles they either kill like lightening or they wound and the game is lost, its a crap shoot IMO.
I shot a deer at about 300 yards across a canyon with a 200 or 250 gr. Speer, can't remember which but pretty sure it was 250 I aimed high between the horns figuring on a lot of drop, and I apparantly wiggled on instead of off and the bullet found the sticking spot in the white of the neck, as he faced me. That bullet exploded and resulted in an instant kill of course. Again too soft IMO..This was in the late 60s or early 70s, and a lot of changes could have taken place since then..
I found back then that most bullets in the .35 calibers were a tad soft for my taste until the advent of the 225 gr. Nosler..I suspect that is because they were intended to work at 35 Rem. velocities and 358 velocities and that in itself is contridictory..I also had a neat little 99F Sav. 99 in .358. I only used it on Mule Deer.
