E tip and bullet expansion

[Dr. Rx]

You guys are a wealth of knowledge. You guys never disappoint. Thank you

 

[backcountry_hunter]

This will be my first year using monos out of a mild mannered 308. I had some discussion with R. Newberg about his take on a short-barreled 308 and monos. per his response: To your question of whether I've ever had any issues of E-tips opening from a 20" .308, the answer is no. The furthest I've shot at an elk with that set up is 340 yards. One shot and the bull was down in about 30 yards.

Maaybe he'll chime in for further discussion. I would prefer my speeds to be a little higher than what ballistics say a 165 is at, at 350yds but it's reassuring knowing they'll work if needed.

 

[Dr. Rx]

They have done well for me so far. Only downside I've seen is that when a whitetail takes off after the shot (my wife's and my buddies bucks) they don't leave a big blood trail in their initial sprint. Much less than I've seen with Accubonds in the past. The smaller entrance and exit just don't gush blood as fast. We recovered both deer within 100 yards of where they were hit, but they didn't leave much blood getting there. They just sprinted until they died basically. Could be more of an issue on a poor shot. Where they don't over-expand or blow up though shooting through the shoulder can fix that.

My rifle keeps them up around 1930fps at 600 yards. That's as far as I'd shoot at game even under ideal conditions. From my limited experience I expect them to perform fine out there, and much better at the ranges I usually shoot game at. I practice a lot at 600 to make the 350yd and shorter shots I look for easier.

Love your quote "I practice a lot at 600 to make the 350yd and shorter shots I look for easier"

Well said. What power scope do you practce at 600 yards? I use the 3.5 x 10 CDs..works good, but would like a bit more magnification to practice out to 600 yrd.

kris

 

[6mm Remington]

My son has used the 90 gr. E-tip in his 6mm Remington with great success. He's taken a couple antelope at about 250-300 yards and a mule deer buck at about the same distance. None of the animals went very far if at all and the bullets appeared to expand nicely as well by looking at the exit holes. He also killed a large cow elk at 350 yards with one shot. He hit her tight behind her right shoulder and the bullet exited her left shoulder in the center. She went maybe 25 yards and tipped over. The bullet performed superbly and expanded nicely as shown by the internal damage.

I have shot and tested Nosler Partitions, Accubonds, and E-tips by shooting them into gallon water jugs at 25 - 100 - 200 - 300 - 400 - 500 yards. I looked at and recorded the penetration in jugs, the bullet expansion, and the weight retention. I haven't caught one yet at 500 yards, but from 25-400 they sure performed superbly and expanded plenty to do damage on an animal. I'm having a hard time posting pictures, but I might be able to send some from my phone or on an e-mail if you are interested in looking at the pictures of the recovered bullets.

 

[Kimber7man]

I’m definitely planning on drilling shoulders with them next time I use them, if the opportunity presents itself.

 

[OXN939]

Been using E Tips for a while. Largest thing I've killed with them has been my Caribou bull, which took two steps before expiring. Wound channel was textbook on him and several other whitetail I've taken with them. I wouldn't hesitate to use them from any high-powered centerfire rifle inside of 500.

An important item to point out is that the ballistics for copper monos will be different than lead core rounds of the same weight due to their different ballistic coefficients, so definitely make sure to develop a load card specific to the E Tips at all the distances you plan to shoot. As long as you do that, you're looking at a long list of advantages. Good luck!

 

[OXN939]

Also, just found this guy- gives a pretty comprehensive look at the comparison between the terminal ballistics of lead and copper monos... food for thought, as it pertains to your food:

 

[deerkiller]

Also, just found this guy- gives a pretty comprehensive look at the comparison between the terminal ballistics of lead and copper monos... food for thought, as it pertains to your food:

Argue it all day long, don't matter to me - LEAD ain't good for us in ANY concentration ….. I've heard the "common sense isn't that common anymore" but I haven't seen who's sayin' it ...

 

[OXN939]

Argue it all day long, don't matter to me - LEAD ain't good for us in ANY concentration ….. I've heard the "common sense isn't that common anymore" but I haven't seen who's sayin' it ...

Totally agreed. The X-Ray imagery from that video paints a pretty concise picture- I put way too much time and effort into planning these hunts to either get rid of a large quantity of my meat as lead spoilage or worry about the quantity of lead fragments I'm feeding my family.

 

[KClark]

can you be more detailed about the meat damage and particulars ?

The first was a 3-1/2 year old 5 point and he was nearly broadside at 25 yards running. The bullet went through level with the heart but just behind it and stopped under the hide on the exit side. I don't remember if it hit ribs on either side but there was not as much bloodshot meat as I expected.

The second was another 3-1/2 year old 5 point standing broadside at 450 yards. The bullet hit center of the spine on the first vertebrae in front of the shoulder (C1?) and he dropped in a cloud of dust. A good portion of the neck meat was destroyed and bone splinters were in about 4-5" radius of impact. Both sides were bloodshot from the shoulder to 6" from the skull, worse than I expected at that distance.
I looked but found no bullet fragments and the exit hole in the hide was about 2"x4".

This was a 180gr Etip from a 300WSM with 24.5 +/- barrel starting at 2900 fps.

 

[mcseal2]

Love your quote "I practice a lot at 600 to make the 350yd and shorter shots I look for easier"

Well said. What power scope do you practce at 600 yards? I use the 3.5 x 10 CDs..works good, but would like a bit more magnification to practice out to 600 yrd.

kris

I use a 3-12x Huskemaw on my 300. I have a 5-20x on my 264. I really wanted the 4-16x scopes but found these at prices I couldnt pass.

 

[deerkiller]

The first was a 3-1/2 year old 5 point and he was nearly broadside at 25 yards running. The bullet went through level with the heart but just behind it and stopped under the hide on the exit side. I don't remember if it hit ribs on either side but there was not as much bloodshot meat as I expected.

The second was another 3-1/2 year old 5 point standing broadside at 450 yards. The bullet hit center of the spine on the first vertebrae in front of the shoulder (C1?) and he dropped in a cloud of dust. A good portion of the neck meat was destroyed and bone splinters were in about 4-5" radius of impact. Both sides were bloodshot from the shoulder to 6" from the skull, worse than I expected at that distance.
I looked but found no bullet fragments and the exit hole in the hide was about 2"x4".

This was a 180gr Etip from a 300WSM with 24.5 +/- barrel starting at 2900 fps.

sounds like what you'd expect from either hit to me ?