Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Federal Fusions and shoulders?

I am curious if anyone has run this bullet through a deer's shoulder and if so, the result?

My son shot a doe this past weekend with the 95gr Federal Fusion in 243 Win. It went through both lungs and exited. The doe pogo-sticked around for about 20yds and died. I have no issue with how it performed. Just curious as to a different shot placement.

Bunches. With the 62gr 223 no less. They do just fine. Normally get both scapulas and gets caught under the skin on the offside.

A 150 from a 270 Win will blow through no problem.

My sons and i have used the .243 fusions on a truck load of deer over the last 10 years or so and have had several shoulder shots during that time where it passed through both shoulders.
we have experienced zero issues to date. i have yet to recover one .243 federal fusion bullet from any deer we have shot. but exit holes all indicate that they stayed together and expanded as desired.

It'll break bone on both sides & you'll (likely) lose both front shoulders to "bloodshot" meat & bone fragment mess !

If you shoot high shoulder, you'll lose some back strap too.

Great bullet choice for the "little big gun".

It's put lots of meat in our freezers, but we try to stay away from bone, where possible.

I have. It's result has been 10 or so VERY dead deer. I have recovered two. Both juuuuuuuust sticking through the hide.

The last deer I shot with one, a doe at 90'ish yards, dropped so fast I didn't know I hit her. My son saw her go down and said she never even twitched. That was a .280 Rem and 140gr FF.

I have shot most of the deer in the last 6-7 years with them. Most are 165gr .308 or .30-06. All died very quick. I don't remember any running from a federal fusion.

No deer yet but I've taken probably 25 antelope with my .243 shooting the 95 grain Fusion and have had really good results. I shot a buck 3 or 4 years ago at about 170 yards and hit him a bit high in the spine. He dropped at the shot, when I skinned him his spine was smashed and I did recover the bullet - but I think its the only one I've ever found, all others where in one side out the other. The rifle I shoot really shoots them well so no complaints from me.

Same experience with Fusions in .223. Picked a box up on a whim a few years ago and have found the load to be very accurate with good performance in everything from bolt guns to AR's on everything from deer to coyote to fox to armadillos. If I was forced to shoot only factory ammo in the .223 I think the 62 Fed Fusion would be my choice.

Sounds like a good bullet. I have some 140 trophy Bonded bullets in 7mm I need to load and try.

Very well then! Pretty unanimous as this place goes. If I think he needs to, I won't hesitate to tell him to put it on it's shoulder. Thanks!

My daughter has run two through each of a bull elk's shoulders. They were each broken. When i went to take off each of them i could pretty much flip the leg up before any cutting.

150s out of a 308 240 yard shot.

Good bullet but I don't typically shoot for the shoulder but just behind through the lungs. Use the Fusion in .30-06 and .280

I did, but it was a handloaded .375 235 gr. Hotcore...sooooo. it worked.

243 through several deer. Longest was 264ysrds through ribs and off shoulder. One jump and collapse. Buck got his horns hung in a vine and expired with his nose pointing up. Looked like a scene from a horror movie...,blood dripping from the trees overhead. Those a good factory pills for the $.

If you like to shoot deer through the lungs with factory loads, you might want to try the Winchester/Olin Deer Season XP.

Very accurate and fast expanding.

150 grain 30-06 goes through deer shoulders and exits for me.

In all liklihood this will be the last year I use factory rounds out of this rifle. Just didn't have time to get a load worked up. Now I have the brass and will find a load with Noslers of some flavor for next year. Leaning hard towards the BT or Accubond.

Thanks everyone for the info.

Used them when I left my reloads at home. Took a whitetail doe and an axis buck with total pass-through of both shoulders. One shot each.

My experiences mirror everyone else's. They are great factory whitetail bullets imho

I've gotten the same from the 55 grain Hornady sp. Deer scapulas aren't tough and I've punched through them with damn near everything down to and including a 38 grain Remington power lokt HP from a 5mm rimfire magnum.

Took 1 bull moose with a 338fed at 100yds, shoulder shot, found under hide on far side it was a perfect mushroom. Trying it out in 30-30 this year on deer, 170g,r think it should work just fine.

I've only had 2 not exit. One broadside through both shoulders on a big axis- found in the offside shoulder near the hide. The other was a hard quarter and it went a long ways inside but I wasn't digging around for it. I think the Fusions are great. To me they seem to hold together better than some of the cup and cores. They also expend quicker and wider then the tougher bonded bullets. They seem like a good in-between. If you put one through both shoulders close, you will have a very dead deer and probably two very bloodshot shoulders.

I've had mixed results with the federal fusions

.308- 165 grains-had 3 put a deer down pretty fast, 2 a buck and mature doe with minimal "shock and awe" damage and a youger doe that had half it's guts hanging out a 3" exit hole and no heart/ lungs left. Very ineffective on hogs, 3 killed, 2 without exits, and barely any blood at the entry, if they didn''t take out the CNT from back neck/front shoulder area those pigs would probably still be rooting today.

.338 federal 200 grains- put 4 of these bullets into hogs last year, one pass through on the vitals with goood results, the other 3 were underwhelming as far as penetration goes. One I put 2 into and never recovered it...

I also ended up with lots of lead in my hamburger this year... partiallly driving my swap to copper solids for this season.

The stuff shoots great in my rifles, the price is right, and it is very avaibale in my area, but for the rare occasions I get into the field, I'd rather pay a little more and have better terminal results.

I’ve never used the fusions myself, but brothers and friends have. Several killed with .243 and 280 fusions. Pretty sure they all exited. I think it’s a fantastic bullet for a very decent price. I’m gonna try some through my 6.5 CM. Seems they shot very well in 243 & 280.

Yes, yes it will.

CIIR, but i believe the Fusions are a bonded bullet. I shot 2 doe broadside through the lungs at 125 yards and got pencil hole in and pencil hole out. 165 grainers in a .308. Both deer were eventually found with very little blood trail. Broke some ribs, but i guess not enough resistance to expand. Next deer will get a shoulder shot. I was skeptical about a shoulder shot, but y'all make me feel a little better about it. Thanks all.

Will

i like the hell out of them in my 7wsm. shoot less than half inch, and moving right heck along at 3275

I've killed several deer with a .308 with 180 grain fusions, all high shoulder shots. Most punched straight through with little bloodshot meat. I only caught one on hard angled shot.

My son has killed more than 10 deer with a .243 win and 95 grain fusions, only recovered a 2 or 3 of them, the others all pass throughs. The 95 grainers do seem to cause more bloodshot meat than the heavier and slower 180's from my .308. On rib shots with the .243 the deer run a little like most do when lung or heart shot. The ones he has hit shoulders with go down right there.

There are several threads on the forum that talk about fusions and/or .243 bullets in particular.

Here are a few, some are my own posts showing my son's skills and I'm sure there are more to be found.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt.../re-federal-fusion-captured#Post12210090

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/11292193/1

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...w-years-eve-out-with-a-bang#Post10831458

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...4291/2014-alabama-youth-hunt#Post9614291

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...on-ammo-alabama-youth-season#Post8266425

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...ma-youth-deer-season-is-over#Post7071125


Bob.
Roll Tide.

I've taken a couple elk, one small bull and a monster cow. Approx 75 yards, cow was angling towards me and punched through one shoulder and out the other. The bull was a high shoulder shot and it went through (7mm-08 140g).

Never tried the fusions. I have 4 boxes of trophy tipped bullets. I need to load a few. The original bear claws were a hell of a bullet.

Has anyone tried the new trophy tipped bullets. I bought 140’s in 7mm to try.

I stay away from shoulders because there's meat there I want to eat.

I heard that they're going to sell Fusions for handloading, but haven't seen any yet. Worth a "shot" if they do.

I have killed deer with both 150 and 165 grn from a 308 and IMO the Fusion is dam near the perfect deer bullet, cheap, available, accurate and dependable from all angles. Not much down side as I see it.