120 grain Barnes Match Burner on game

[Hook]

I'm curious if anyone has used this bullet in the Grendel for any game, mainly coyotes through deer? It is listed as a match bullet of course, but sometimes match bullets perform adequately on game.

[Stinky Coyote]

likely work fine, .476 bc, may as well just use hornady eld-m or sst and get the .5 bc and known performance from either, 3 grains is worth it, open tip match might have some inconsistencies at our slower velocities vs something with a tip that ensures expansion initiation

[trubulator]

I shot a 50+ pound beaver with one over 27 grains of TAC out of a 16 inch barrel at about 50 yards. I hit something hard (beavers have heavy bones and skulls) and the bullet came apart inside the animal. Blew up the whole neck and that was all she wrote. Exit hole was over an inch and found chunks of bullet in the neck. Probably fine on coyotes. I would choose something better for deer of any size.

[rickt300]

I have jug tested that bullet and I would hunt with it.Went through three jugs, broke up into big chunks and some pieces made it into the fourth jug. Good enough.

[tdbru]

Rickt300,
I know it would be a royal PIA, but do the jug test with that bullet 30 times, to gain some statistical data, at the range you would normally shoot deer. if it breaks into chunks 30 times i a row (and thirty times is starting to get enough repetitions to be statistically significant) then there is something to go on. One jug experiment, for any bullet, isn't enough statistically to predict with any degree of confidence what the outcome will be on critters. for an example, if after 30 impacts into jugs at the distances you expect to hit deer (200 yards?? more?? less??) and say 12 times it pencils through and doesn't expand, and 18 times it breaks into chunks, would you still go hunting with it?? most any bullet will expand or fragment at 20 ft. but try it at the distances you would normally shoot a deer and see how many times, or not, it pencil's through. that should also be good practice at shot placement at hunting distances too, i would think.
best to you,
-tdbru

[Hook]

Thanks for the input guys. I have a handful of ABLRs and Hornady spire points I can use on deer for the next couple of years IF i only use them to shoot at deer. I've scratched up some odds and ends for plinking and varmints, and the burners are an example. Just curious if anyone had actual examples of how they would perform should I try to shoot an animal as trubulator (thank you) did. Any other examples?

[rickt300]

Rickt300,
I know it would be a royal PIA, but do the jug test with that bullet 30 times, to gain some statistical data, at the range you would normally shoot deer. if it breaks into chunks 30 times i a row (and thirty times is starting to get enough repetitions to be statistically significant) then there is something to go on. One jug experiment, for any bullet, isn't enough statistically to predict with any degree of confidence what the outcome will be on critters. for an example, if after 30 impacts into jugs at the distances you expect to hit deer (200 yards?? more?? less??) and say 12 times it pencils through and doesn't expand, and 18 times it breaks into chunks, would you still go hunting with it?? most any bullet will expand or fragment at 20 ft. but try it at the distances you would normally shoot a deer and see how many times, or not, it pencil's through. that should also be good practice at shot placement at hunting distances too, i would think.
best to you,
-tdbru

In reality the jug test is generally to compare bullets to each other. I actually shot three through jugs because I had 12 jugs to get rid of. All bullets acted basically the same. And yes if a bullet gets through 3 jugs it will give good enough penetration for reasonable shots on deer. Max load of Leverevolution so near 2400 fps from my 16 inch barrel. They also made MOA groups, functioned perfectly. The Barnes Matchburners in my opinion are pretty soft. I also shot a small feral hog with one out of my 260 Remington started at 2900 fps. No exit and dead hog hit in the ribs angling away. No autopsy done, hog weighed maybe 125 pounds. As for any bullet acting perfectly every time it just isn't happening.

[KC Huntin]

Bringing this old thread back up looking for same question as OP. Looking for experiences on game.

[rickt300]

Did the jug test again with the same rifle again mostly to get rid of the jugs. Same results as above but this time I took a picture of what was left in the fourth jug. Note the tip broke off about where the lead begins, bullet broke up after that, Totally destroyed 3 jugs and pretty good sized fragments. I'm sure it would be a quick killer at Grendel speeds.