Performance of solid copper ammo or lack of

[apache12]

My son had the jr kiabab hunt and as everyone knows G&F promotes solid copper ammo to save the condor

So we took out box and shot at the range. Ammo grouped very well. Tikka t3 7mm-08. Plenty of gun for doe mike deer

 

Opening morning we got on some does. My son rested on a log and took a 100 yrd shot. Fired and the doe didn't buck or jump it just sorted quivered. I thought he missed he was sure he hit it

 

It trotted off and I watched on the glass. It didn't run as if wounded. We followed it for 40 yards until it went into some aspens. He was sure he hit it so we waited for 30 minutes and went to where we had last seen it. Sure enough it jumped and took off into thick aspens. We waited another 30 min and tracked until it was just a drop here and drop there. Found her 1/4 mile from shot. The early blood was dark pumping blood.

 

The shot was near perfect. No it didn't hit the heart but it was just behind the shoulder maybe three inches back. And the bullet just passed right through like an arrow might. I'm convinced a lead bullet would have dropped this deer in far less time then solid copper. I was very disappointed in the performance. Last year we used a 243 and hornady sst and the doe went maybe 25 yrds on a very similar shot placement.

 

When we checked in at the G&F station they asked questiones about the ammo we told then we didn't like it and the just smiled as if they hear that a lot

 

Anyone have similar experience? Maybe it better for thick game like bear but I won't use it again

[oz31p]

Your son shot a deer and it ran off and died? Sounds like a successful hunt. As for bullet performance, sure copper bullet tend to penetrate deeper. But unless you affect the animal physical structure or its nervous system they will not drop in there tracks. When lead bullet impact it mushrooms transferring energy to the body creating a hydraulic shock wave. That shock wave normal affect the spinal cord and they drop. Copper bullets mushroom slower or deeper how ever you want to look at, transferring most of its energy into the dirt.

atleast you didn't help cause cancer is California

More importantly how come this post dosnt have any pictures?????

[azgutpile]

Which bullet were you using?

 

This is the exact reason why I stopped shooting the barnes triple shocks, they grouped great, but very little is transferred to the animal. 308 cal hole on the way in and dime sized on the way out.

 

From what I understand, they do work better on larger animals and the newer Barnes T-TSX do a better job at expanding.

[firstcoueswas80]

I've killed tons of stuff with the tsx/ttsx.

 

I'll tell you this, they work great! They do tend to work better when they connect with bone.

[AverageJoe]

I had similar results with the tsx. Will never use barnes again.

[Coues 'n' Sheep]

My personal experience with solid copper has been mixed and I have talked to lots of others about them as well.... Seems to me that if you are shooting them out of something the spits them out Really fast (like a .257 Wby Mag) they are AMAZING... if you always make Sub-MOA shots, they also are Flawless.... But I will Never use then again. Period. When we checked my Wife's Buck a Few years back and the following year when a client had to use my rifle after his took a bad fall... They asked and I flat told them "I will tell you the GPS cords to where the gut pile is on that one shot kill, if you wanna pack it out..." they pretty much just frowned and looked at me in disbelief.

 

I am all about game recovery and Not all bullets perform out of all calibers. If they don't realize that then that is not my fault. Funny how Turkey Vultures don't seem to have a problem digesting lead in a gut pile but Condors do??? I think we should worry more about effective and viable members of the ecosystem. Just my $0.02... LOL.

[apache12]

Interesting point about turkey vulture

 

I think G&F could add to their study the amount of list game using solid copper.

[1uglydude]

I use Barnes bullets exclusively, and we were also on the junior doe hunt this past weekend. Three deer were taken with Barnes. Two with the 80gr ttsx over minimum loads of H4350 and fired out of .243 Win rifles with 18.5" barrels, and one shot with a 70gr tsx out of an AR15. All of the deer went down quickly. One of the shots with the 243 was over 200 yards and we recovered that bullet under the far hide. The entry wound destroyed the front shoulder.

 

I have yet to lose an animal with a Barnes bullet and I don't like the idea of lead fragments in the meat we work so hard to bring home, so I'll stick with them.

[lancetkenyon]

Like some have stated, I think they perform amazingly out of a higher velocity cartridge. I shot my 2012 big bodied muley at 488 yards with a 100gr. TTSX from a .25-06 Ackley. Quartering on, entered right front shoulder, exited left rear hip with about a 1/2" hole. Deer did not take a single step. Not much blood other than from the nose/mouth though, so tracking might have sucked if it took off. But...it did not go anywhere. About as perfect of an outcome as possible.

 

I also have some 175 LRX loaded up for my .300RUM. I have yet to shoot any game with those though. I am betting on flawless performance.

[bigorange]

Mine did great at the range today. Hopefully will have something to report here come 10/25...based on what I'm reading I'll be aiming for bone shooting the 130gr TTSX out of my .270

[Antmo23]

I've used 168 gr TTSX on the last 2 WTs I've shot, one went 10 yards, one was DRT. I watched my lil bro make an absolutely horrible shot on a buck, hit him right in the pelvis, and that buck went down and expired within 20 seconds. My rifle likes that round and I like the carnage it creates, works for me.

[AZbowhntr]

I also shoot a 168 grain copper bullet. But it is the Sierra Match King. I have shot 3 animals with this bullet and none of them went more than a few yards. And I have never had a problem with expansion. Maybe it is the fact that the bullet is leaving the rifle at almost 3200 fps. I don't have any intentions of changing anything.

[Havasuhunter]

Zero problems with Barnes bullets for me. 180 triple shock in a 30-06 or 300 win mag is a deer elk killer. I even neck shot a Mulie with one and the bullet slightly expanded judging by exit hole at 200 yards. Deer was instantly dead.

[lancetkenyon]

I also shoot a 168 grain copper bullet. But it is the Sierra Match King. I have shot 3 animals with this bullet and none of them went more than a few yards. And I have never had a problem with expansion. Maybe it is the fact that the bullet is leaving the rifle at almost 3200 fps. I don't have any intentions of changing anything.

Sierra Match Kings are not a solid copper bullet...but they do put a hurting on game really quick.

[bigorange]

Mine did great at the range today. Hopefully will have something to report here come 10/25...based on what I'm reading I'll be aiming for bone shooting the 130gr TTSX out of my .270

Just an update here...killed my mulie at 290 yds with the 130gr TTSX. Through and through double lung shot. .270 entrance wound and half-dollar exit wound. Lung looked like a 4-blade broadhead went through it thanks to the "petal" expansion. Very pleased.