I thought I may need a harder bullet for a bison
You will definitely get More penetration with the Harder Bullet, Wheel Weight Hard Lead will Poke a Hole Straight Through. I have never hunted Bison, But I know the BIG Bulls are HUGE Animals.
My experience in Killing Game, A bullet that Expands some when it enters the Body Cavity and Slows down, is Dumping it’s energy inside the Animal, The SHOCK is usually enough to STOP them right there, Many times they COLLAPSE right there at the Shot, Or they Stagger off a Very Short Distance and Expire. They NEVER Take off on a Dead Run, They are Hurt WAY to Bad for that
On the other Hand, A bullet that does not Expand, and Just Pokes a Hole straight through (Even a LETHAL Lung Shot) I have seen a few Animals PEEL OUT Like the Wind, and Never be Found, Seen again. Of Course they eventually Died, But sadly were never Found
The ONLY time I personally would use a HARD Bullet is if i were Hunting Dangerous African Game such as Water, Cape Buffalos, Where i wanted SERIOUS Penetration, Through Shoulders, or It’s Head on a Charge
The Wheel weight mix will be AWFULLY Hard, You won’t get much, if Any Expansion at Typical Muzzleloader Velocities. Even cutting it 50/50 Won’t Change it’s Hardness level Much at all. On my Chart that came with my Cabin Tree Lead Hardness Tester, “New Wheel Weight“ is 12.5 BHN (Brinell Hardness) “Aged Wheel Weight“ is 14 BHN, For Comparison PURE Lead is 5 BHN, and 40-1 is 8.5 BHN, I personally would NOT go over 40-1 Hardness in a Muzzleloader for Hunting the Game you mention.
