One of the biggest complaints I hear and read by “bear guides” during the recovery phase is “lack of a blood trail” on a supposedly lung shot bear.

Bear fat, experts suggest, can often plug the exit hole if the exit hole is small and dense bear hair can absorb blood as well. Exit hole size on exit can aid in blood flow if the hole is large enough. Energy to penetrate and exit is equally important. Bullet caliber?

Bigger bores work but you also need penetration. 

Are we missing more here? What about the bullets construction?

What about the sectional density of the bullet? Is the bullet monolithic copper, standard cup and core, is it bonded, or is it partition/A-Frame?

Terminal ballistics tell the story here. Both bonded, partition, and monolithic bullets lead-the-pack in penetration. Cup and core, jacketed lead works but tend to separate thus penetration is often less in big game such as elk, moose and bear but cost much less. I have used both monolithic copper, bonded and partition/a-frame more than typical cup and core styles. They do cost more but I’m a good, better, best kind of hunter. Often seeking the best in bullets. 

My recent Maine bear was hit with a 7mm 160g Nosler Partition In the shoulder at 3000 fps.

The internal damage was devastating and left a 2 inch wide tunnel on entering the shoulder, wrecked the lungs,exited and left an immediate blood trail for just 25 yards where we found the bear piled up. 

The bullet mushrooms extremely well and the rear core remains intact for deep penetration and often exits. 

The Nosler Accubond is one of the worlds best bonded and accurate bullets but Nosler says the Partition bullet is best on penetration for an exit wound. 

And they were right! The Nosler Partition did the job very well. Go Nosler!

Good Hunting!

Bullet Speed/Hydrostatic Shock – Bullet Shape Mushroom – Penetration – Impact Location and often exit wound all play a part in a swift ethical game harvest. Below, soft lead bonded spitzer mushroom left, solid copper with broken mushroom, right.

Ballistic Gel Test

Below a Ballistic Gel Test I did in 2021 Hammer Hunter copper vs Nosler Accubond Long Range 

Ballistic Gel 6.5 Creedmoor Test Nosler 129g ABLR vs Hammer Hunter Copper 124g

Copper hollow point bullets do mushroom as much or more than the lead core. I find cleaning my barrel with soft pure copper is not fun. Newer copper bullets made on a lath are better as tolerances are much tighter.

A Master bear guide recently told me that one of his hunters always brought a .375 H&H Magnum on black bear bait hunts. The hunter was getting full penetration and a small exit wound at 50 yards but the exit wound exhibited little or no blood to trail. Shots were to the heart lung area too.

The hunter was shooting a spitzer shape pointed bullet we commonly purchase on store shelves. I do not know the brand or type.

Spitzers in the past have been designed ideally for longer shots often past 200 to 300  yards. Some recent spitzer designs do open/mushroom faster than others. 

Accordingly, use a bullet type for the kind of game you will hunt.  A round or flat nose bullet is already in a partial mushroom shape and shot at short range, you will get a better mushroom at the start or shoot a soft nose spitzer which mushrooms quickly. Except most round nose are not loaded in a cartridge for sale, instead manufacturers try to design spitzers for close range too and may mushroom better, like bonded and Partition bullets

But you know, experience is the tell all. I am a Nosler fan!

Good Hunting!

At New Hampshire Rifleman we tested both 6.5 Creedmoor bullets from Nosler and Hammer in 10% FBI formulated ballistic gel.   Tests were conducted at point blank range. Lets look at the ballistic gel blocks visually to see what happened.

For the test to be valid, e. g., apples to apples,  I needed a constant comparable speed for this test, thus both clock 2900 fps give or take so the wound channels would be comparable.

Below is the wound channel of the Hammer Hunter 124 grain at 2900 fps entering at left.

The dark color you see above is where the bullet burned the gel as it passed.  No simulated bone was or skin was placed on entry, just the gel. The bullet opened up at around 3.5 inches and fragments of petals can be seen flying after 8 to 10 inches of penetration  and exited the16 inch gel block. And the main bullet stopped at around 27 inches with more fragments in that second 16 inch block.

If moose size game is hit with this 124 grain bullet, the great  tissue damage along the 11 inch core damage track will bring him down as will the bullet at 27 inches. Note the bullet travel is in a straight line. 

Overall, the bullet lost 55 grains of copper in its travel but much of it would have exited a whitetail if hit broadside at that speed. 

At a slower speed, perhaps the fragments would spin off sooner aka in the middle of the deer adding to the possible DRT (drop right there)

Below is the wound channel from the 129 grain Nosler ABLR entering on the right and peaking energy we can see  at 4 to 5 inches inside. Where it can do the most damage as penetration progresses. I would opt for a much heavier bullet for moose.

The Nosler wound channel above appears more explosive but shorter in length. The bullet opens after 1/1/4 inches and does massive damage at five inches. Pieces of the Nosler bullet are seen in that explosive center. It lost around 58 grains of copper and lead in the first 6 inches of penetration but the core stayed together and entered the second block by 6 more inches.

Both bullets lost nearly the same weight. The Hammer bullet was able to turn those copper petals into more tissue damage.

Both bullets were recovered below.

Oct 14 target after ballistic test. Both bullets near 1/2 inch of each other at 100 yards. Nice!

Conclusion:

Both will kill deer humanely at that speed, and due to the major damage of the bullet travel cavities, the deer will likely drop right there. Expected terminal velocities on deer at 100 yards to be in the 2600 fps range. 

I like the fact that the Nosler opened up faster and delivered more energy to the ballistic gel. But both are great bullets, I would prefer heavier bullets for larger game. Of course the hammer hunter has no lead at all but finding those petals in the HH shot meat may bother me as I love my venison. 

More tests coming later for different bullet weights.

Good Hunting!

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