hornady 350gr fn .458

brybenn

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
53   0   0
Location
southern ontario
Has anyone used the hornady 350gr flatnose in 4570 on game? I've been reading mixed reviews. Some say it won't expand at lower velocities others saying they don't hold up at all and separate core from jacket. Hornady lists vel at 1800-2500+fps for these. Anyone with experience on game or lower impact velocity care to comment?
 
My dad shot a bull moose with his at 250 yards. The bullet severed the carotid artery and stuck in the hide on the opposite side of the moose's neck. It did not expand at all. The recovered bullet had a smudge in the exposed lead tip, and that's all. Mind you, velocity at 250 yard could not have been that fast.
 
Not trying to be funny just wondering.....

Does a 458 diameter bullets need to expand to be effective??

I don't shoot one, but a half inch hole through an animal is a big wound, isn't that enough.?
 
In my Steyr Big Bore 450 Marlin i do reload the Hornady FB and they shoot great, 1 inch or less at 100 metres and like it was mentionned does it have to expand , it is such a hard hitter at 2350 fps... JP. http://youtube.com/user/57caramel1
450050.jpg
[/IMG]
 
Not trying to be funny just wondering.....

Does a 458 diameter bullets need to expand to be effective??

I don't shoot one, but a half inch hole through an animal is a big wound, isn't that enough.?

I thought these bullets would have a wider meplate then they do. I prefer large wounds and if they expand even 25% that makes just that more of a hole
 
So they don’t expand but they would make a bigger wound channel than a 30 caliber expanding 50%. Sounds like a pretty big hole and it would bleed anything out quickly. Bet you it makes a big thud when it hits a moose too. I would hate to hit a small deer with it as you would knock it into the next concession.
 
Well I've put 338gr platinum powerbelts from my ml clean thru deer and had them run quite a ways and that's 50cal. All but 1 had a great blood trail. I've yet to recover one of those bullets from a deer. My buddies use 295gr cheap hollow points that don't penetrate thru a fawns chest at 15 yards broadside. They've also had to follow up on them. Not always though. One can never tell how an animal will/can react to a given bullet when hit. Where I hunt its very thick bush. I want the maximum wound channel thru the vitals that I can get while still ensuring an exit hole unless major bones are hit such as spine or shoulders
 
Those 350 will fit the bill, my black bear (250 pounds) in June did not even take a step, it felt like a potato sack, very hard hitting ammo... JP.
 
I use the hornady 350gr in my 450marlin blr for everything but moose. Moose I use 400gr hawks.
I've done fairly extensive but completely unscientific tests using water filled gallon milkjugs with a newspaper catch box.
Never seen a 350gr .458 hornady RN or FP shed it's core.

I've shot deer with them. Through and through, you'd think Thor had swung his hammer they drop so fast. It's what I loaded in my, "hunting rounds" yesterday for a Sept. bear/wt hunt. (My blr likes them sitting atop of 53gr IMR 3031 best.)

FYI, a week ago from a standing position with stock browning sights I hit a 350yd gong 7 times in a row with them. (but I know on that 350yd gong just how much Polish english to hold over the gong. ;) :) )

I've also found the speer 350gr's very accurate and would love to try/test the speer 400's but I"ve yet to find them.

(just wanted to add that while I take great pleasure in showing off on the 350yd gong when hunting I wouldn't shoot over about 120-130yds iron sights)
 
I'm using a double rifle so at 350yards I'd prolly miss back of the range lol. I have 1 spot I hunt that's 80 yards. That will be the max shot taken with my gun. Most stands are about 20 yards to the bait
 
No need for expansion on 45 Cal rifle bullets. If a 405gn lead bullet was good enough for buffalo I would imagine a jacketed 350 should do just fine for deer. I prefer the Ranch Dog 350gn WFN cast bullet, like hitting bambi with a 1972 Cadillac. YMMV
 
Well I finally got around to load development with these bullets. They do fly well. 3 shots touching for the left barrel and 2 shots touching from the right barrel at 30 yards off hand. The groups are a little shy of 2" center to center but I can tweak the regulation to pull them apart a little. I'm averaging 1650fps 15' in front of the muzzles with 55gr varget. I had the same group size at 1750fps but the recoil really drove the gun up and over. 1650fps is very controllable for a fast second shot. Tomorrow ill shot some into wet newspaper and water jugs to see how they behave
 
This is a tardy responce because I've yet to take a game animal with these same 350 Hornday bullets, but I did win a small competition once at our local range using this.
This was before I had optics on my 458x2inch American Mauser. Had a William's guide sight on the rear receiver. The range was only 100 yards maximum btw. But with this sporterized mauser I soundly trounced others with a 6.5 Lungman, a 30-30 Marlin, two .303 rifles. What others had escapes me right now. But my handload was 55.0 grains of IMR 3031 under this 350 grain bullet. 3 shots from bench, 3 from kneeling and 3 from offhand standing no sling support.
 
Not trying to be funny just wondering.....

Does a 458 diameter bullets need to expand to be effective??

I don't shoot one, but a half inch hole through an animal is a big wound, isn't that enough.?

Based on shooting more than few animals with large caliber solids, there is a world of difference between a bullet that expands and one that doesn't.
 
I shot a 6.5 foot black bear in 2005 with one of these and it expanded alright, almost turned inside out. Shot was 70-80 yards with a 45/70 marlin lever gun.
 
I shot a 6x6 bull elk at 5 yards with them in my 45-70.
He was facing me and screaming/bugleing when I hit him! It was an electrifying experience!
The bull was done instantly, but the unfortunate thing was that I couldnt find the bullet! No exit wound at all.
 
Back
Top Bottom