Brad, I’m curious was this a one shot kill or were multiple shots required?
Multiple, but I'm not sure why that matters.
When a $35 box of bullets behaves in a way that it's not designed to do, and does it more than most realize, that's a problem IMO. It's a paltry argument to say "it was pulled from a dead elk." If an airplane had the Barnes Rate Of Failure no one would fly in it.
One could just as easily load .308" sized FMJ's for a lot less money. But of course those are illegal for use on game, and for good reason -
they don't expand.Based on what I've seen, and what various friends have observed, I guarantee you more Barnes bullets are passing through game un-expanded than what most would imagine.
When they work, they work admirably. However, the only solid reasoning I can see to use them is based on a concern over lead poisoning, or where lead bullets are illegal. I'm not well versed enough on the science to have a firm opinion, but it may prove to be real. It certainly seems to be a problem for raptors feeding on gut piles, and that is not good.
