The above title is not to suggest that these three articles represent a complete expose on the subject. But in winding things down, I do want to give some suggestions and recommendations.
WHEN & WHERE SHOULD A PREMIUM/SUPER-PREMIUM BE USED?
1) Where there is the unknown. What do I mean by that? Well, I don’t live where the bears are. I must go find them. The best way to find them is to go where they are likely to hang out. That’s in dense wooded areas where there may be deep ravines, swamps, high ridges, lakes, streams, dense brush and alder tangles. Blueberry marshes and agricultural land are prime spots as well. In other words, the terrain itself may present many unforeseen or unknown challenges, particularly in unfamiliar territory. What’s that to do with premium bullets, you ask?
Depending upon the kind of hunt we’re involved in, which will dictate more or less the terrain, an unseen bruin could be upon us before we have much of a chance to think it through. You may have to react by auto-response to a 400 lb bruin that’s almost in your lap! Added to that, he/she may present only a frontal or quartering toward shot. If such a scenario happens, we want a bullet that will expand, yet hold together on impact at near muzzle velocity while penetrating through the vitals with a possible exit. That’s also in case a tracking job is called for in the worst terrain imaginable… where a trail of blood will lead to a dead bear! Hopefully!
2) When there is the known: When we know the game we're hunting, the likely range and other conditions, we may wisely choose a premium bullet. For example, a trophy bull elk somewhere in one of the Rocky Mountain states or provinces. Even if it's a do-it-yourself hunt, many costs will likely be involved and you will not be counting on "Lady Luck" to bail you out if you buy cheap bullets!
There is quite a bit of tough hunting for big game in North America and Africa, as well as Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and other parts, that involve a substantial layout of hard-earned cash… It's been pointed out hundreds, if not thousands, of times that bullets may only represent about 5%, or less, of the total cost!
3) When we want 100% assurance that the bullet will not fail. Other things may go wrong, such as the animal moving at the last split-second when the trigger is squeezed. I’ve had that experience a few times, and there’s really nothing we can do about it, but I wasn’t worried about the bullet not doing it’s job. On a couple of occasions I’ve clipped off unseen hardwood saplings just as the last few seconds of hunting light was coming to a close. Neither of those incidents had anything to do with bullet failure. The one case involved a large bear and a 200gr X-Bullet. The other a 140gr Nosler Ballistic Tip and a very large buck. In both cases, the animals were wounded non-vitally and escaped. Later on I found the 1″+ hardwood (maple) saplings still barely attached by thin bark and a few wood fibers at about where I was aiming above ground level. These were originally fifteen-foot high young trees. They simply fell over with their tops on the ground. The X-bullet didn’t land where intended, and probably tumbled. A few months later a close friend shot a large frame bear over my bait that had previously been wounded in a “strange” spot. It was probably that same bear. A week after that disappointment, I shot and cleanly killed a smaller bear with another 200gr X-Bullet from the same rifle. No unforeseen incidents occurred. The 140gr Ballistic Tip blew apart on that small tree. Some small fragments reached the buck as determined by a few tiny droplets of blood sprinkled on the snow at the place where the deer was standing. Would a premium bullet have saved the day? That’s doubtful, but I’ll never know for sure. One thing I do know, however, is that I’d never attempt a shot under those conditions again with a cup-n-core bullet of less than .35 cal.
4) When deep penetration is vital to humanely harvesting a big game animal. In this case, we are thinking very large and potentially dangerous game. It just makes sense to use the best in an appropriate caliber.
For bear hunting this year I’ve switched from a 286gr Hornady Interloc to a 286gr Nosler Partition. Why? Because I want a bullet from my 9.3 X 62 that will do the job, whether at a few inches or at 200 yards! I believe the Hornady would do the job in an excellent fashion if everything goes as planned. But the problem is that I know very well the terrain, and it would be possible to stumble into “that big bear” I want to shoot at a few feet as well as at the bait 150 yards away, or even at the end of the field at 250 yards! I’ll be hunting from a tree stand, but I’ll also be baiting a couple of places (and possibly three)where I’ll be on the ground walking through three-foot tall grass and weeds! Think Africa and lions! I know there’s a huge bear there. When I’m unloading my van with “groceries” for them, my back is often exposed. Then my hands are full. Last year I ran into a bear just a few yards from the bait setup. That was a few days before the season started. I begin baiting in mid-July and by September 1st, bears will have been coming and going from the woods, the grass and the swamp for six weeks!
I need a flat-shooting load, one that will expand at 250 yards and one that will hold together at muzzle velocity. That’s why I’ve chosen the Nosler Partition for this coming season. It has a better Ballistic Coefficient (less air drag), will expand down to a bullet impact of around 1800 fps and hold onto about 85% of unfired weight. It’s renowned for penetration qualities. If I must shoot “right now” at 10 feet (3 meters), I don’t want to be second-guessing my choice of bullet.
That would be true in grizzly and brown bear hunting, moose hunting, and where bison, muskox, polar bear, some African plains game and for certain “The Big Five” of Africa is the target. As before stated, bullets are the cheapest part of such a hunt.
If we pay attention, we can learn things from each hunt about bullets.
5) Where we may have more than one big game license in our wallet during the same season. Three and one-half years ago, while hunting Northern Ontario for moose, I also had a deer license, a bear license and a wolf license. I also brought two rifles: a .458 Win Mag and a .300 Win Mag. If I should do such a hunt again, I’ll take one rifle capable for any animal on license, and one load. It would be the 9.3 X 62 and the 286gr Nosler Partition at 2500+ fps.
The load that’s under consideration will shoot flat enough to kill a big bull at 400 to 500 yards! Also, plenty good at 10 feet! Anything less than a big bull would be fair game with the same load to what ever distance MY capabilities would allow — NOT the rifle’s.
I very much like the idea of one rifle, one load for anything anywhere at anytime in season. That 286gr Nosler Partition will expand on deer size game, as well as Cape buffalo and moose, down to about 1800 fps. That means a possible 500 yards with still a ton of kinetic energy. Not that I’d recommend shooting a Cape buff at 500!! But moose? If such were the only chance, you betcha!!
More could be said… much more, but that’s all for this time.
Shalom
BOB MITCHELL