Real world Federal Fusion game experience?

[MichelD]

My 280 shoots 140 grain Federal Fusion ammunition with satisfactory accuracy.

What is your experience with Fusions on black bears?

I've only shot one deer with mine so far.

I've read some reports that they turn to shrapnel.

[Bear Brawler]

I bought one box of em a couple years back. Shot like crap in my rifle, made me think something was wrong. Went back to my go to bullet, things got good again. I can't give the rest to my buddies so I say it's crap. Buy a better bullet, there's lots.

[BRvalley]

shrapnel is an accurate review....my experience with fusions led me to try out a factory loaded mono bullet, never looked back

they did deliver big shock, bang flop style of kills but with more meat loss than I'd prefer, I think they are quite comparable to an SST on game performance

[Fella]

shrapnel is an accurate review....my experience with fusions led me to try out a factory loaded mono bullet, never looked back

they did deliver big shock, bang flop style of kills but with more meat loss than I'd prefer, I think they are quite comparable to an SST on game performance

Thats been my experience as well. Buddy shot a bear with them last year, shattered the ball joint, bullets blew up and most of two quarters was turned into jelly.

[warnniklz]

shrapnel is an accurate review....my experience with fusions led me to try out a factory loaded mono bullet, never looked back

they did deliver big shock, bang flop style of kills but with more meat loss than I'd prefer, I think they are quite comparable to an SST on game performance

I'll echo this again. I haven't gone strictly to mono, still shoot accubonds. But yeah... don't really like fusions or SSTs

[barry1974w]

My partner shot a cow elk with one at about 150 yards. In one side, jellied the lungs and out the other. Perfect performance, but he didn't hit any big bones. That tends to be the game changer.
That's what we've been using in my wife's 7-08 for the last while, but she hasn't shot any big game yet. Hopefully I'll have more experience with fusions on game come this fall .......

[Mulehahn]

In my experience they are one of the best "non-premium" bullets out there. They hold together better then a blue box or a core-lokt, and have shot well in every gun I have tried them in. Yes, they can cause some meat damage, but so will pretty much every single bullet out there besides monos and they have their draw backs. I reload for most of my guns, but still use the fusions in 2 of them because they are sub-moa and I don't shoot them enough to work up a load.

[recoil]

I have never used it before but I just bought two boxes of 308 165grain, might try for a bear this spring if I have time.

[suburbanpat]

Shot like shit in my .300 wsm and fouled up like ****. Found it really dirty

[Ought Six Ai]

i took a bear last year with 150 fusion out of my 7mm wsm and the bullet held together just fine

[.264winmag]

My favourite factory bullet in the .270win, from blacktail to moose they worked great. Always decent accuracy out half dozen rifles.

[BCHunterFSJ]

Use them all the time - 165 gr. in .30/06.
No complaints...

[beeker]

I've had good experiences with the 165 grain in my 300wsm.

[warnniklz]

140 grain fusion I pulled from a black bear back in 2010/2011ish. Smacked him with my 7mm_08 inside 50 yards.

https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/249710_10150610639585387_6738622_n.jpg?oh=227946ce a6293d02bc323c0745619ae2&oe=5781B1C2

https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/246808_10150610639920387_5184072_n.jpg?oh=c7ec415a 24634019a942c6a1707a7152&oe=57BCE5A6

[todbartell]

^ Warren that looks like the same performance as a 140gr Fusion I seen plucked from a smaller bull elk from a 7-08.

Fusion jackets must be thinner than an Accubond, weight retention usually is in the 50% range instead of 60-75% for an Accubond. Nonetheless they kill well, if you want more penetration try a monometal like TTSX, TSX, Hornady GMX or Nosler eTip

[jtred]

They shoot extremely well out of my Tikka T3 in 270win. I use the 150gr Federal Fusions on everything whitetail, mule deer, elk and bear. The two I have recovered have retained 76% and 86% both recovered from cow elk almost identical shot placement, right behind the front shoulder through a rib/lungs/rib and stuck in the offside hide. Perfect mushrooms. I like them. I would use them in my 25-06 but it only really shoots 115gr Nosler Partitions as a big game load. They do their job also.

[ekul246]

I took a buck last fall with the Federal Fusion 180gr out of my 30-06. In and out lung shot and clipped the spine. Bang, flop, dead. Very satisfied. Virtually no meat loss, but was not a shoulder shot. Exit wound was large enough for portion of the lung to be hanging out, but I contribute that to the bullet exiting on a rib.


Shot like shit in my .300 wsm and fouled up like ****. Found it really dirty
In my research of the bullet, I found that guys were very happy with the accuracy in .30-06 and .270. But anyone shooting .300 or bigger, the bullets were tumbling and very inaccurate. For myself, I have been able to get 3/4" groups at 100 with a 4x set magnification Swarovski. My brother has a .270 wsm and we have had good accuracy with the Fusion as well. My dad also had good accuracy with his .30-06 and he rarely shoots. Also after shooting 60 rounds of it without cleaning, found the barrel to be very clean.

Originally went with the Fusions for price, but since starting with them couple years ago at $21.99-23.99, last July they were up to $27.99 and were at $41.99 from Canadian Tire last fall. Glad I bought a number of boxes before that price hike.
Overall have been quite happy with them.

[warnniklz]

^ Warren that looks like the same performance as a 140gr Fusion I seen plucked from a smaller bull elk from a 7-08.
Fusion jackets must be thinner than an Accubond, weight retention usually is in the 50% range instead of 60-75% for an Accubond. Nonetheless they kill well, if you want more penetration try a monometal like TTSX, TSX, Hornady GMX or Nosler eTip

Jurgen hooked me up with a box back in the day when they first came out. Had to give them a go.

165 GMX outta my 30_06
200 accus outta my 325
165GMX and 200 partitions outta my 300WM
140 accus outta my 6.5x55
110 partitions outta my 25_06
139 GMX outta my 7mm_08
I think they're 110s for my 250 savage (bunch of hand loads from my dad that he rolled up a few years ago)

[MichelD]

Thanks guys. That's the kind of real world experience I was seeking. The 140-grain bullets in the Fusions are so damned accurate out of my 280 I was shuddering about having to start all over again buying other ammo, sighting in, etc. etc.

[604redneck]

Always been good in my rifles with good results on animals

[ohno]

I shot a small mulie with my 300WM, 100yrd broadside took off the top of his heart. It was a clean through and through. I lost one shoulder to blood shot. It jellied the whole thing. It was an accurate bullet though.

[BRvalley]

170 yards into a spike moose from a 300wsm, offside shoulder was jelly

http://i1343.photobucket.com/albums/o784/BRvalley/IMG_1558.jpg (http://s1343.photobucket.com/user/BRvalley/media/IMG_1558.jpg.html)

pretty much the exact same shot with a barnes years later and considerably less loss, but dead is dead, fusions are accurate in any rifle I've shot them from, i'll give them that much

[wideopenthrottle]

same for me with 30-06 165gr fusions....have had to remove more than 1 off side shoulder to clean out the blood/jelly...have saved lots of meat by taking the front shoulder off completely and cleaning off the goo asap instead of throwing it out..

[longwalk]

Shot a small mulie buck with a Fusion out of a 270WSM, hit the shoulder and the bullet blew up and the deer ran off. caught up to it in a clump of willows and put another one through the boiler room. The second shot pencilled through with minimal expansion. Last time I ever shot an animal with them. They were accurate though.....