Bob, WRT your statement that .458 350 grain bullets are too short and blunt for big game beyond 200-250 yards, do you also apply this to the North Fork 350 SS bullets? Have you seen or tested these NF 350 SS bullets? If not, take a look: https://www.northforkbullets.com/Our-bullets/Bullet-type/
Asking for a friend.
Does he have NF bullets of 350gr/.458 in hand?
My concern was regarding the 350gr RN and FP from Hornady with their very poor shape for ranges beyond about 200 - 250 yards. Their BCs are .189 (RN) and .195 (FP) which means they lose over 700 fps within the first 150 yards!! When started at 2500 fps they are around 1350 fps at 300 yards - not close enough for any expansion! Some tests in media by Michael McCourry show no expansion at 1600 fps, but starting expansion at 1800 fps, which would be around 150 yards when started at 2500 fps MV.
I was looking for something in 400gr with a spire/spitzer nose and a BC of about .400. We now have that in the 404 Hammer bullet, but those are very costly and will not be available in Canada for some time - if ever! Hornady bullets are common here, but Hornady doesn't make a 400gr SPRP in .458.
On the NF site they show three 350gr in .458 without any details of BC. So I have to assume a couple are solids (CPS and FP), and the other a semi-spitzer soft-point. The latter would be my choice of those for general hunting. But, I expect the 350 TSX to work as well - which I have in stock.
My response was to the poster who suggested a common cup-n- core in 400gr from Hornady, Speer or Sierra might satisfy a need for such a bullet in North America. What is the BC of that 350gr NF SS? When the 350 TSX is started at 2780 fps from my Ruger #1H, it's barely making 1600 fps at 400 yards - is that enough for expansion? I don't know. But on a black bear hit frontally at an impact velocity of about 2450 fps there was no evidence of bullet expansion. That bear went the farthest of any I've killed.
