I would like to hear other’s experiences (especially Mule Deer’s) with monometals because it is my belief that there is a common misunderstanding that they work just like grandpa’s cup and core pills but my experience is different.
First the background, I started using Barnes when they introduced the X bullet in the mid 80’s, not because I needed them for deer but just because my budding rifle loonyism compelled me to try them out. My only big game rifle at the time was a 30-06 and the X bullets were outstanding performers although they were not stellar accuracywise and they did foul more than C&C bullets. The moly coated XLC fouled less but I never liked them since they cured the fouling problem but were no more accurate than the X bullets. Enter the TSX, outstanding accuracy and terminal performance and they shot well with just about any seating depth followed by the TTSX which further improved the design.
During this evolution, my hunting bag included 50+ blacktail, a few mule deer, a few elk, a few pigs and various plains game from warthog to zebra with calibers from .223 to .375. With a handful of exceptions they were one shot DRT.
In over 30 years of usage I have never lost an animal nor experienced this “pencil on through” phenomena.
This brings me back to the original reason for the post. My experience tells me that monometals are different and need to be used differently than C&C bullets. They are less dense than C&C bullets, hence longer in a given caliber for a given weight and they expand to lesser frontal area than a C&C. For example a typical 30cal 150 grain cup and core bullet might expand to around .600 and have a fairly round blunt frontal area while a typical mono bullet might only expand to about .500 at it’s widest point but have petals and a relatively “sharp” frontal area. Not much difference you say? The area of the monometal would be .196 sq in while the area of the C&C would be .282 which is 44% greater. Add to that the blunt frontal area of the C&C bullet and the difference is much greater.
This is one of the reasons that monometals penetrate so much more than C&C bullets but for this reason they impart less energy as they pass through a given amount of game. Here is the reason for the “pencil on through” myth. The difference is like being stuck with an arrow or punched with the end of a baseball bat.
Now we come to the heart of the matter. We have all heard the stories that go something like, “I shot a deer with a monometal bullet and he ran off like he wasn’t even hit” or “I shot a deer with a monometal and the bullet never expanded because there was a caliber-size exit hole”. If you take the tried and true behind the shoulder shot through the ribs with a monometal bullet, because of the lesser frontal area, the bullet will transfer a lot less energy to the game and leave a much smaller exit wound than a C&C. The deer is just as dead but he may run 75-100 yards (or farther) before he realizes it. Here is where the “pencil on through” myth comes from. So if you want DRT what do you do? CNS or bone. Not because you need bone for expansion but because when you hit bone the bullet imparts far greater energy to the target. This is why I have come to favor neck shots or high shoulder shots for DRT results.
So the question is, why use a monometal instead of traditional bullets? First, 100% reliable terminal performance with nearly 100% weight retention. Second, near match bullet accuracy. Third, less meat damage. Fourth, penetration, penetration and penetration which can be helpful on larger game or less than ideal shot presentation.
I’m not saying monometals are the magic bullet, anyone is welcome to use anything that they want. My point is don’t dismiss monometals based on very little experience and not understanding how they work.
Flame suit on.
Last edited by Blacktailer; 09/17/20.
