Real world Federal Fusion game experience?
- Thread starter MD
- Start date
One deer with a 165 grain out of my 30.06 - will never use the bullet again.
The deer was close, like 15 yards close - hit it just behind the shoulder, quartering "slightly" away - NO EXIT HOLE - everything turned to jelly inside Bambi - found nothing of the "bonded bullet" larger than a grain of sand - whole front half of the deer was bloodshot - far shoulder was "gone".
Supposedly "electro-chemically" bonded - it acted like a "varmint grenade".
Ok, it hit bambi with a "freight train" at 15 yards, but "never knowing" what range your game might come out at, I want something that WILL hold together that close, and the Fusion didn't do it for me....
The deer was close, like 15 yards close - hit it just behind the shoulder, quartering "slightly" away - NO EXIT HOLE - everything turned to jelly inside Bambi - found nothing of the "bonded bullet" larger than a grain of sand - whole front half of the deer was bloodshot - far shoulder was "gone".
Supposedly "electro-chemically" bonded - it acted like a "varmint grenade".
Ok, it hit bambi with a "freight train" at 15 yards, but "never knowing" what range your game might come out at, I want something that WILL hold together that close, and the Fusion didn't do it for me....
Great. Another $40 down the drain.
I must have spent $150 on cartridges trying to find an accurate factory load when I got the gun only to find the scope needed repair. Bought one box of Fusions to re-sight when the scope came back, shot that off and was happy with the grouping and bought one more box for bear season.
Now I have to start over again. Good thing the gun and scope were gifts.
I must have spent $150 on cartridges trying to find an accurate factory load when I got the gun only to find the scope needed repair. Bought one box of Fusions to re-sight when the scope came back, shot that off and was happy with the grouping and bought one more box for bear season.
Now I have to start over again. Good thing the gun and scope were gifts.
Being a relatively inexperienced hunter, wouldn't you do a head shot at 15 yards and waste no meat?
I'm not questioning, I'm asking
That is a joke right?
I've been hunting since 1968 and shot my first deer in 1970 and black bear in 1976.
I'm a journalist by trade and curious by nature and new to my 280, thus I pose lots of greenhorn-sounding questions.
As a journalist I would have thought you'd have picked up on that but yes 100% I don't know #### from house paint when it comes to the proper placement in such a close range shot.
I was looking for guidance
Haha, okay, you got me
I'm a writer though, not a mind reader.No, I don't reload anything except 270 and 7x57 which I use little Lee kits for. I had Hornady bullets on hand. I shot a moose and some deer with the 270 using 150 grain Hornady Interlocks and a bear with 139 grain Hornady Interlocks in the 7x57. Bear, moose and elk with 180 grain Nosler Partitions in a 300 Winchester magnum too.
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I've shot a bunch of deer with 130gr .270 Fusions and had good performance. My only complaint with them was they didn't do anything Remington Core-Lokt didn't do except lighten my wallet. All that aside, if you have a box of Fusions and a hunting licence I'd say you are ready. Bullet placement with bears is key so take a breath and be sure of where you hit them. They never die easy!!!
No offensive to Graham, I respect hearing his experience with the product.
But 1 posted experience should not rule out the whole Fusion line.
I have 4 deer down with the Fusion product (as listed prior) all were 25y plus and have not experienced those results as listed by Graham.
Not many "non-premium" bullets hold together well above 2700fps.
Northman999
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Southern Yukon
Nothing wrong with Fusions unless your rifle hates them.
Being a relatively inexperienced hunter, wouldn't you do a head shot at 15 yards and waste no meat?
I'm not questioning, I'm asking
At under 50 yards, with Whitetails, I "try" and hit them in the shoulder. If you do they do go down "immediately", which where I hunt (dense hardwoods with tons of swamps around) is what I'm trying to accomplish - I don't want them to even go 50 or 60 yards.
Shooting a "bonded" bullet I expected it to hold together relatively well that close - and while I did miss the near shoulder by about an inch (further back) had the bullet "stayed together" it would have taken out the far shoulder (slight quartering towards put the off-side shoulder "in line" with the shot angle).
I never shoot for the head or neck regardless of distance - "my opinion" - too many chances to get a non-lethal "wounding" shot.
If you aim at the shoulder and miss forward, you "get" a neck shot - miss to the rear you are through the top of the lungs, miss a little high and you get a spine shot, little low, still in the lungs - miss really low and you take out the heart - all "very lethal" shots.
Just my way of hunting..
And no, I wouldn't try to talk anyone out of using Fusions, just relayed my single experience (first time hunting them). And do agree, not many things would "stay together" at 30.06 speeds @ 15 yards. I do believe at greater distance (read less velocity/impact foot pounds) they probably would have stayed together fine.
But that one experience did "show me" an inherent flaw in that particular bullet - and I DO hunt deer close, so "for me" that bullet is "not suitable under the conditions which I hunt" - yes, it absolutely killed the deer, so it "worked". I am fairly certain under the same conditions an SST or Ballistic Tip may well have given the same results. I typically shoot partition style bullets (partitions/a-frames), this was my "giving a try" to the new bonded bullet that was advertised in the glossy ads.
Others have had great experience - just like every other brand/type of bullet out there - always find guys who swear by and other that swear at....
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