Federal Fusion 338 Win mag for Bison?

[cpwrestler]

Hi, I just bought a 338 win mag and got a bunch of federal fusion ammo in the deal. I know the fusion was designed more for deer, but I'm wondering if these 225 grain bullets have what it takes to down a bison or whether I should upgrade to some partitions/xp3/accubonds etc.

[pnbrock]

my 338 win mag prefers the 225gr accubond,tried them all !!

[Salty]

There's worse choices but there's better too. If you hit bone with the lighter built Fusions they might not penetrate well. I'd be looking at ammo with a tougher bullet like the others you mention. Personally I'm kind of sold on ttsx bullets for this type of task that's what I'd go with. I think Federal loads them

[guest]

200 Gr. Partition drops em ......

CT

[tomahawk]

A Bison is not some invincible animal, any 180 gr + bullet will put a bleed hole in it that it cant survive. Is there some that hold together better, or mushroom better or fly straighter? Of course but is it neccessary, not really. We have dropped 5 bulls with 180 gr nosler partitions, fusion, MRX and $28 winchester silver tips from walmart, put the bullet where it belongs and its all over.

["No Choke"Lord Walsingham]

Given proper shot placement (please do study your Bison anatomy thoroughly before heading out), your .338 will have no issues. A humane harvest will be the result, but only if you do your part Sir.

Bison are not ultra heavy boned with severely thick skin in the way of a Rhinoceros or Cape Buffalo. I always feel it is ideal to thoroughly test all available, appropriate ammunition for a particular gun prior to taking it afield. Yet if all you have is a good supply of Federal Fusion, there is nothing wrong with that provided you feel confident and are capable of coming through with a qaulity shot where it counts - on your Bison's vitals!

Even if the bullet does break up, it may not be such a bad thing and still cleanly take a Bison. If your supply is decent enough to afford quite a bit of practice with that round, it (and you) will be even better off.

[cpwrestler]

Thank for the info guys, I think I've got 30 rounds so I'll be spending some time at the range to get comfortable with the new rifle and I think I should be alright.

[tomahawk]

as NCLW mentioned placement is key. Here's the front quarter of a large bull bison, note that the spine is much lower then other ungulates, in this case the shooter aimed for mid chest on this bull, luckily the bullet struck the spine and he went down like a sack of lead. If the shot was higer it would have run like the wind, a little lower would have missed the top of the lungs. add to this anatomy the thick hair on the hump and you need to aim low to be effective.

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/tomahawktom/Bison09075-1-1-1.jpg (http://s273.photobucket.com/user/tomahawktom/media/Bison09075-1-1-1.jpg.html)

[cpwrestler]

Yeah after a quick google search and your pic tomahawk, its pretty clear low is the way to go. This pic really tells the story.

http://i1251.photobucket.com/albums/hh544/cpwrestler/bison-vitals-hunting_zpsbc8dfdb1.jpg

I have to say this one, found on the same website, is a little confusing. It seems to me that the upper left target is nowhere near the heart and might just graze the lungs. Basically its saying aim for the shoulder which I find strange. Yes it would slow the big guy down, but I don't see it as a kill shot. Am I wrong here?

http://i1251.photobucket.com/albums/hh544/cpwrestler/bison-hunting-vitals2_zps1d217f57.jpg

["No Choke"Lord Walsingham]

That's a delicious quarter right there Tomahawk! Not to mention a fine example of shot placement on a Bison!

As for the examples in the pictures you've found, CPWrestler, my take is that these are examples only for basic demonstrative purposes, not true anatomical text sources. They give an idea, yet such things should always be taken with the proverbial grain of salt.

If I were to venture a guess as per those dots in the bottom image, I would suspect the idea of the one in question is to break down the bone structure there and take out the lungs, so as to insure the Bison does not get too far: hence avoiding a lengthy recovery. Bison are surely tough and sometimes just seem to stand there after being shot then appearing to feel woozy and collapsing, having passed away. Other times they will take off like a bolt from the blue, surprising in their ability to move so quickly. Not just quickly for an animal of that size, yet quickly for most any Beast!

A fine point has been raised here. If one does not feel confident in a shot - do not take that shot. Get yourself a better opportunity. These are good questions and important to know. A fine highlight of a place such as HuntingBC are folks like Tomahawk providing fine real world examples as you see presented above.

[hunter1947]

The bullet you have with that caliber will drop your bison no probes..

[cpwrestler]

That's a delicious quarter right there Tomahawk! Not to mention a fine example of shot placement on a Bison!

As for the examples in the pictures you've found, CPWrestler, my take is that these are examples only for basic demonstrative purposes, not true anatomical text sources. They give an idea, yet such things should always be taken with the proverbial grain of salt.

If I were to venture a guess as per those dots in the bottom image, I would suspect the idea of the one in question is to break down the bone structure there and take out the lungs, so as to insure the Bison does not get too far: hence avoiding a lengthy recovery. Bison are surely tough and sometimes just seem to stand there after being shot then appearing to feel woozy and collapsing, having passed away. Other times they will take off like a bolt from the blue, surprising in their ability to move so quickly. Not just quickly for an animal of that size, yet quickly for most any Beast!

A fine point has been raised here. If one does not feel confident in a shot - do not take that shot. Get yourself a better opportunity. These are good questions and important to know. A fine highlight of a place such as HuntingBC are folks like Tomahawk providing fine real world examples as you see presented above.

Definitely a great thread with lots of info. I appreciate the advice and will put it to use. Providing I but one of the beasts on the ground, I'll make sure to get some pics up here for you to enjoy!