Have also heard from others who have used the Speer on big game that it's considerably softer than the 286 Hornady--which is what my "media" tests show, whether both are loaded to "traditional" velocities or somewhat faster. Of course, core hardness and jacket variations from lot to lot can make considerable difference in cup-and-core expansion and penetration.
Which is why I generally bypass the entire problem by avoiding using cup-and-core bullets on larger game. I mean, how many damn moose or elk or "big" bears do we shoot a year? Is the difference in price between a box of C&C's and a box of Barnes TSX's, Norma Oryxes or Nosler Partitions going to make a difference in whether we can afford to to go hunting?
“Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans.” John Steinbeck
