Ever seen this before??

[kootenayelkslayer]

We pulled this .338 bullet out of out bull moose the other day, and was pretty surprised. It's a factory ammo bullet, not sure which brand though. The shot was a quatering away shot which caught the back of the guts and traveled into the boiler room, but showed no expansion whatsoever. Has anyone ever seen this happen? Was it just a faulty bullet?
http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q223/mikeb04/100_0707.jpg

[mark]

Full metal jacket maybe??? Thats definately unusual! lucky it killed the moose!

[brotherjack]

That's a bullet failure right there - I wouldn't be happy with it. Bullets are supposed to expand to around twice their original diameter and retain enough weight to hammer on through. That bullet only did one of those two things.

[CooperSscat]

Full metal jacket maybe??? Thats definately unusual! lucky it killed the moose!

I agree!

Do you have a photo of the tip of the bullet?

Jeremy

[kootenayelkslayer]

I agree!

Do you have a photo of the tip of the bullet?

Jeremy

The tip seemed to be broken off. I don't know if this occured at impact or was broken off before the shot.

[kootenayelkslayer]

Full metal jacket maybe??? Thats definately unusual! lucky it killed the moose!

The moose went down in a heap.

[RMG]

Looks to me that some bullet manufacture came up with a reusable, reloadable bullet. Some how I cant imagine there being much of a market for such a bullet though. Well not until we get some armour plated moose runnin around that is.

[Browningmirage]

is this what you do while i hand in your homework?

[kootenayelkslayer]

is this what you do while i hand in your homework?

Atleast I keep you posted on 'who' I do when you hand in my homework for me;) haha

[308BAR]

weigh it and measure the diameter to see if it was your bullet. It could have been from a squib from another hunter? making it a non-fatal shot on a moose. Unusual indeed!

[bruin]

Wow, maybe going through the gut and organ soft tissue wasnt' enough to make it expand, they usually do though. Weird, never seen that before.

[RiverOtter]

Less than stellar bullet performance for sure and on a broadside shot the results could have been much different, but I'd take that bullet over a bullet that came apart before the vitals any day.

Is that a black coating on that bullet or is it just dried blood? Hard to tell in the pick, but it resembles a Fail Safe/TBBC.

RO

[porcupine]

If there is a T on the base of the bullet it would be a Trophy Bonded bullet.
________
Chrysler Proving Grounds picture (http://www.dodge-wiki.com/wiki/Chrysler_Proving_Grounds)

[Brambles]

That is a Trophy Bonded Bear Claw, I would bet money on it, there was another post either on this forum or on CGN where a guy had very similar results with them.

[todbartell]

what distance was the moose shot at?

[Rock Doctor]

Yes!

Here are pics of a couple TBBC bullets removed from a 5 pt Elk, earlier this yr. Fired from a 338 mag at a distance of about 60 yrds.
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o281/RockDocPhoto/DCAM1381.jpg

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o281/RockDocPhoto/DCAM1378.jpg

[Smokepole]

We had the exact same thing happen on our bull this year too. It was a Federal 250 gr. nosler partition in 338 also. Entered through the throat travelled the entire length through the animal and was sitting against the hide on the outside of the rear leg. Didn't hit anything dense enough for expansion was my guess. Still did the job properly, dead in less than 10 seconds, that's what counts.

[One Shot]

What caliber is it, bullet wieght, muzzle velocity and at what range was it shot from? This all has an impact on bullet behavior.

[kootenayelkslayer]

what distance was the moose shot at?

Moose was shot at about 175 yards

[Smokepole]

Between 300 and 350 yards.

[kishman]

K, rookie question here: If I'm reading right this bullet had a polymer/plastic tip, would this mean I (generally) better off with a hollow point bonded round like a failsafe or Barnes TSX, etc....?

[todbartell]

most bullets will expand normally down to around 1900-2000 fps. Even a 250 grain bullet out of a 338 mag (2650 fps muzzle) will not drop below 2000 fps until 400 yards

what kind of bullet was this? you never have mentioned it

[big game walker hounds]

ya my buddy had the same thing happen to him on a bull moose acouple years ago with game kings out of his 7mm, 2 out of the 3, and he was only shooting maybe at the most 75 yrds

[Brambles]

K, rookie question here: If I'm reading right this bullet had a polymer/plastic tip, would this mean I (generally) better off with a hollow point bonded round like a failsafe or Barnes TSX, etc....?


Trophy Bonded Bear Claw's don't have a lead tip that protrudes past the copper jacket, thats why you can't see any lead at the head of the bullet, an they don't have a polymer tip either.

[TIKA 300]

Never seen that before,BUT a kid working for me found something funny in a piece of lumber.It was a 7mm bullet lodged in a piece of 2+6 at an angle,we pulled it out and it hadnt expanded at all,was pretty cool especially when you have that many million feet of lumber pass thru your hands. :cool::biggrin: TK

[FLHTCUI]

Well to my untrained eye it looks like a Nosler Partiont to me.
But having said that I am no expert. If this bullet was not shot by you or your hunting partner I would hazard a guess that it was a reload from someone else and was either loaded short(squib)and shot from a greater distance or the bullet was designed not to expand till it hit harder muscles or bone...
just my .02 worth this morning.
Rob

[todbartell]

a nosler partition has an open lead base, that bullet aint a nosler anything

looks like a 225 grain bullet...could be a Federal Power Shock SP or Federal Vital Shock Trophy Bonded Bear claw (but I dont see the "T" stamped in the base of the bullet). Maybe a Remington Cor Lokt? Doesnt look like a Hornady interlock

[MRBucks]

Yes!

Here are pics of a couple TBBC bullets removed from a 5 pt Elk, earlier this yr. Fired from a 338 mag at a distance of about 60 yrds.


I am quite surprised that you recovered any bullet shot at such close range from a .338 that had no expansion. That bullet should have penciled right through??

Almost sounds like squib loads on both bullets pictured in this thread.

Velocity is the key to expansion in many of the tough "premium" bullets. I have a chart that shows bullet expansion at different velocity's, of many of the popular bullets. The "tough" bullets like the TBBC, Swift A-frame, etc., definitely need a higher velocity for maximum expansion. Often over 2000fps. A bone hit, mind you, will usually mushroom a bullet, even at the lower velocity's, certainly more than either of the bullets pictured in this thread.

[Scobo]

The only time i have ever seen that was when my uncle shot a moose with a 220gr at over 500 yards out of a 30-06. I use a 300UM now and have never actually seen what my bullets look like because they keep going. That shot must have been from a long way. The only other thing i could think of is if the bullet was deflected and hit the moose sideways????

[Rock Doctor]

MRBucks;
I am quite surprised that you recovered any bullet shot at such close range from a .338 that had no expansion. That bullet should have penciled right through??

Almost sounds like squib loads on both bullets pictured in this thread.



No more suprised than me, The Elk ended up getting hit about 5 times, to knock it down. I don't think any of the bullets expanded, all shots were fired from the same box of factory ammo. 3 bullets penciled through.
The pictures I posted are of 2 different bullets. The first one was recovered from a hind quarter, shot lengthwise through the animal and smashed a hole through the pelvis, recovered from just under the hide.
The second bullet was recovered from the off side front quarter, just under the hide, after smashing the off side front leg. I think this one also broke a rib on the way in, and started tumbling inside the chest, causing it to hit the off side frnt leg sideways. As you can see, the bullet is dented in the side, and actually bent a bit.
I don't have the bullets to get a better look at them, the friend that shot the elk took the bullets with him.

RD