Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Federal Fusion and Power Shok point …same bullet?

A buddy gave me 3 boxes of 200gr Federal Fusion ammo for my .338 Federal. I currently shoot 200gr Federal Power Shok ammo.

I opened a box and the Fusion bullet looks identical to the Power Shok soft point.

Could Federal be using the Fusion bullet in the Power Shok line?

200gr Fusion on the left, 200gr Power Shok on the right

They look similar but they are not the same. The Power Shock is a standard cup and core design while the Fusion bullet has the jacket more or less electroplated onto the core.

Yep.

If you want to "test" whether the bullet is a Fusion or Power-Shok, pull one and put the shank in vise. Then cut directly down into the middle of the tip with hacksaw for half an inch or so. If it's a Power-Shok, the jacket will easily peel from the core. If it won't, it's a Fusion.

In fact, this is an easy test for "bonding" in any big game bullet. A few years ago one of my fellow gunwriters wrote an article where he claimed the Speer Hot-Cor was a '"bonded" bullet, apparently because he believed some BS Speer put out in the earlier days. This is easily disproven by the above test.

I understand they’re supposed to be two different bullets. Could Federal have decided to just use the Fusion in the less expensive Power Shok line as a way to keep costs lower?

One bullet two different lines of ammo type deal

So are either bullet the same as Speer hot core or deep curl?

I see these questions pop up alot. Has anyone asked Federal? Wonder if they would give a straight answer. I do remember seeing Federal Blue box ammo that had HotCor on the box.

In my experience shooting deer with a 7mag, they look the same but at close range blue box blows up on deer and Fusion blows through and practically vaporizes most of what’s inside.

Also, having shot both in 3 or 4 different rifles Fusion is always more accurate than blue box, in my limited experience.

To my understanding the Fusion is Boattail and Blue Box is flat based.

On the Fusion you can see (more?) skiving and a different canelure. Please cut as suggested.

The "boattail" on the Fusions is minimal, basically just a slight angle to make seating easier. It doesn't contribute much, of anything, to ballistic coefficient.

The Fusion component bullets also don't have a cannelure--or at least the 3 models I have on hand (130 .270, 175 7mm and 180 .30) don't.

The Blue Box bullets are NOT Fusions. As MtnBoomer stated, "cut as suggested," which I described earlier in this thread.

My .338 185gr Federal Fusion component bullets do not have a cannelure.

I doubt it as the manufacturing costs of the Fusion bullet would eat away any savings that might happen from making a larger quantity.

I can see overrun Fusion bullets used in blue box ammo, similar instances happened with the Grand Slam bulket in 300 Win mag, 30/06, and 270 Win where the GS bullet was used in blue box ammo. I still have a box or two of 180 gr for the 300 Win mag.

Blue box 6.5 CM 140s look and cut the exact same as the Fusion 140 component bullet. Can’t imagine the cost savings being good enough to run two different bullets.
That is my experience with one bullet and may be different for others.

Weird. Their ballistic info are close but not identical for the two Creedmeister loads. Now curious about the powders? I'd prefer to know exactly wtf I am buying, SP or Fusion, although not likely to be seeking either... Someone needs to get Federal to splain, maybe... I have a few Blue boxes I can disect if warranted, 243/100, 270/130, 308/150, and 30-06/180 iirc. Leftover from a Walmart clearance, no chit under $5/box after rebate.