I re-read my post and forgot to mention he turn to
bite at his side when he skidded forward.
I think you guys are right that it was a marginal
hit at best, if at all.....I don't think it was a clean miss
judging by his actions.
I was a little concerned about the performance of the
bullet.
What's your thoughts on moving to a 210 Nosler Partition?
I'm prejudiced agin 'em. I'd use them on caribou, maybe (overkill!), but plain janes work just as well. The last couple 'bou I killed were taken at range with a 140 gr .260 Corelokt.
I once (first and last time I used the 210 NP .338 on game - tho they shot OK on paper), the 50" bull moose went down, shoulder shot at about 100 yards. I walked up on him and at about 10 feet he surged to his feet again. Scared the crap out of me. The second shot basically up his nose did the job - and I quit approaching game from the front...
The near shoulder blade was shattered, the near lung peppered with bits of lead and bone. The far lung was untouched, and I never found the rear half of the bullet. I think it must have ricocheted back out the entrance wound.
Never used them again--and I still have about 100 rounds of those bullets.
That was about 30 years ago.. I can carry a grudge...
For black bears (and damned near anything else in NA) I'd recommend a 225 or 250 plain jane in the .338 for anything under 300 yards. The premiums offer a slight advantage beyond that, possibly for big bears (I have no experience there), and possibly for raking shots you probably ought not be taking anyway.
Unless they offer a significant accuracy advantage in your particular rifle...
If you have to peg an escaping wounded animal from bunghole to eppiglotis, I'd choose a a premium.. I like the Trophy Bonded terminal performance myself, over the NP. I've used both tho I've not ever had any real need for either, and have largely gone back to plane-janes.
