Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Winchester Power Max Bonded

I ordered a box of Winchester's new bullet, the Power Max Bonded Hollow Point for my .30-06. I got them in yesterday and I took them to my range yesterday and all I can say is wow. I got match grade accuracy with them. I shot the entire box, 5 shots at a time, and then I let my gun cool for 15 minutes then I would shoot 5 more shots. I was able to get all 5 shots into nearly the same hole every time. All 5 bullet holes together made one ragged hole. I don't claim to be the best shot in the world, but normal for this rifle, (Remington Model 700 CDL) is usually 3/4" to 1 1/2" at 100 yards, depending on the load but this load has surpassed them all as far as accuracy. I do not know how they will perform on game but these are the most accurate shells I've ever used. They even surpass the Winchester 180 grain Accubond loads that I tried awhile back. I'm ordering me several more boxes of these and hopefully Winchester won't change their load because it is super accurate.

First report I've heard on them. Sounds like they may be a winner.

I bought a couple boxes of the Federal fusions just for the brass for a 338 federal and was surprised at the accuracy. These new Wins look like they are very similar to the design of the Fusion bullets. If so, they should work dandy on deer sized game. I shot a couple deer with the fusions and they gave great expansion similar to any other cnc bullet on the market.

Let us know how they perform on game this fall.

Good Luck

loder

What bullet weight were you shooting?

FC

Interesting is that Winchester is showing velocities of only 2960 and 2970 fps for the 150 grainers from a 300 WM and 300WSM.

RR

The bullet weight is 150 grains. That is the only weight that is available for .30-06 right now. The website has the velocities wrong because the box that I bought had the velocity as 2970 for .30-06. I hope that they perform as well as they shoot because if they do, I am going to make them my go to bullet for deer. I still have a good pile of other shells on hand to shoot up but I am definitely giving these a try this fall.

I tried a few in my 270 last weekend and they shot an easy inch. I am having such a hard time finding primers for my handload I think these are what I am going to shoot this season.

I saw those in our Academy yesterday. I bet they're deer killing machines.

pretty sure that's a misprint

all the other velocities are the same as for regular Power Points. And the 2960 and 2970 are the standard velocities for 180 grain slugs in the 300's

Maybe one of many. They also have the 308 faster than the 30-06.
http://www.winchester.com/products/newitems/whatsnewcontent.aspx?productid=77

Doug~RR

Its a misprint the poster stated that his 30-06's box had the real velocity on it.

I picked some up for the .300 WM at Cabelas last week and the box says 3290 fps.

I've been shooting the 150-gr XP3 and these are a lot cheaper. I also felt the XP3 was ripping through without doing enough damage on deer, so I'm hoping these work better. Here's an exit wound (quartering away shot) from the XP3, best performance I had from them on what was a big bodied buck:

I purchased a box of the 150 grain 30/30 PowerMax Bonded at Bass Pro in Myrtle Beach this past Thursday. Hope to try them out on my next range trip in a couple of weeks - if I am lucky I will get the same kind of performance you guys are getting. I have been looking around for them and Bass Pro was the first store I have been in that had any in stock.

Nice review. I will be placing a order to try them out myself.

Shot some out of my MRI .270, same POI as my Berger handloads and Federal Premium TSX's...grouped under 3/4" also...pretty good for $21/box!!

A friend of mine is using these in a new 270Win Vangaurd. He said they shot much better than the Win Power Points and Win NABs in the new rig. It will be interesting to see how they hold up on game.

loder

I tried them at the range Friday, shooting 150 grainers through my two .308's. They shot at 1" in my CZ, and an inch and a quarter through the other one, a Kimber Montana. Those groups are nearly identical to the 150 grain Winchester Power Points that I've used in each rifle.

Barnold1,

Is that the normal size of an exit with an XP3? From the picture you have posted, that is fine performance, in fact I don't want an exit hole to be much bigger that the one on the deer in the picture.

7mm08,

This is the best performance I've experienced with the XP3; this buck was pushing 300 lbs and I drilled through some serious bone from about 50 - 60 yards I'd guesstimate. Dropped him on the spot.

Here's another buck I shot with the same load at about 160 - 180 yards out. The first bullet hit low and took out his knee (possibly deflection by cover I didn't see through the scope, but likely me flubbing the shot) but if you look close, the entrance wound from my second shot can be seen right by the gun's magazine coverplate. He turned around and walked maybe 20 yards before collapsing in a hellhole of cover. I don't think that bullet exited but I didn't dig it out by the time I got that deer home.



Here's a grey shot with the same load, entrance side (tad bit overgunned):



I shot a few other deer with this load and in general, it seemed to have too much zip on it if the front shoulders weren't busted. I rolled an average sized doe with it, textbook shot behind the front leg on a broadside target, but after I squatted down to pick up my soda, I looked up and she was back on her feet, looking in my direction. Shot her again and she took off probably 50 yards and her internals were blown all to shreds; couldn't believe she got back up. Here's a blood trail from another buck shot through the boiler with an XP3 (appeared to have imploded after traveling probably 30 yards; found probably 30 yards from this point of the blood trail):



Overall, the deer I've shot with the XP3 have traveled farther than what I'm used to; my load of choice before picking up this gun was the 150 grain Nosler Partition by Federal out of a .280 and it consistently anchored pretty much everything on the spot. If these Max Bonded loads don't shoot accurate out of my BAR I'm thinking about switching to either the Federal/Nosler Partition or the XP3 load with in .243; I have a gun that shoots lights out with both of these cartridges.

Man with all the dead deer, I'm failing to see how they don't work. That last picture looks like a hell of a blood trail.

What caliber are you shooting?

That's out of the .300 WM. I haven't lost a deer with it, but I generally haven't had the "anchor" effect with it that I grew used to with my .280 shooting the 150 gr. Partition. On that last picture, he had traveled a way before I guess the blockage was pushed out by the build-up inside his boiler and it blew right there. But before that eruption, the deer was moving on me and he still traveled a little further after dumping all that blood. I hunt quite a bit on public land and would like to anchor all at the scene of the shot to keep some a-hole from tagging on me.

I started hunting a bit in Kansas, where the potential range for a shot is that much farther. I thought whatever the .280 could do, the .300 would trump, but I just haven't seen it with the XP3 on deer; again, I think it's ripping through and exiting before enough damage is done. I'm hoping the cheaper Winchester load in the .300 will open up and drop them on the spot!