Bear Bullet

[ElDiablo]

After taking a number of bears with a bow, I’m going to use a muzzy this year in Alaska for black bear. Leaning towards an Omega at this point with 120 grV BH209 and narrowing down the bullet choice.

Bears typically aren’t that tough to kill but I’m trying to be thoughtful about a bullet choice. Sticking with a sabot for this, for a number of reasons. Shot will likely be within 50 yards. What say ye?

260 gr Nosler Partition
290 gr Barnes mono
300 gr bonded TC SW
400 gr Barnes orig

 

[ENCORE50A]

400gr Barnes

 

[Hanshi]

I'm a beliver in big bullets for big critters and small calibers for small game. A .50, .54 and even a .58 (I've done it before taking squirrels) can be used successfully on small game. But you have to take head or neck shots and down load the powder. I've never used anything other than a round lead ball for anything I've ever killed. And most of the deer were taken with a .45 prb and 1 shot. The round ball punches way out of it's weight class.
A .62 (20 ga) smoothbore and patched round ball.

 

[HC]

290 Barnes mono

 

[BuckDoeHunter]

Technically, the Barnes 290gr TEZ is not a mono bullet, it's a softer copper bullet. With that being said, 120 V BH209 and that 290gr TEZ would be a deadly combo.

Encore, I have no experience with the 400gr Barnes, would it expand with that charge of BH209?

 

[ElDiablo]

Technically, the Barnes 290gr TEZ is not a mono bullet, it's a softer copper bullet. With that being said, 120 V BH209 and that 290gr TEZ would be a deadly combo.

Encore, I have no experience with the 400gr Barnes, would it expand with that charge of BH209?

Hmm? Barnes is not a monometal/monolithic bullet?? What would you consider a mono?

 

[ENCORE50A]

Technically, the Barnes 290gr TEZ is not a mono bullet, it's a softer copper bullet. With that being said, 120 V BH209 and that 290gr TEZ would be a deadly combo.

Encore, I have no experience with the 400gr Barnes, would it expand with that charge of BH209?

Yes.

Designed to the personal specifications of Fred Barnes for his own use on big game, the Original is made by pressure forming a thick copper jacket around a pure lead core. The Original typically expands to more than 200 percent of its original diameter and retains 70-90 percent of its original bullet weight.

 

[BuckDoeHunter]

Hornady MonoFlex, that bullet is much harder that a Barnes TEZ. The Barnes bullets size very easily, the mono's, not so much.

 

[ElDiablo]

Gotcha - you’re saying the Hornady MonoFlex is a mono. In the common shooting parlance, so is any bullet made of one type of material. (Although I’ve never heard anyone refer to a lead bullet as a mono.)

I think the 325 gr MonoFlex would be a good choice, but I’ve never tried them and I suspect it would be tough to get one to shoot well in a 28 twist rifle.

 

[bronko220002]

Technically, the Barnes 290gr TEZ is not a mono bullet, it's a softer copper bullet. With that being said, 120 V BH209 and that 290gr TEZ would be a deadly combo.

Encore, I have no experience with the 400gr Barnes, would it expand with that charge of BH209?

Ain't no black bear going to survive a lethal hit from a 290 TEZ. They're a devastating bullet that holds up well. By lethal I mean placed in the heart lung area

 

[BuckDoeHunter]

ElDiablo, I think you are confused on the term 'mono'. The Hornady 'MonoFlex' bullet is made of a copper alloy, more than just copper. The Barnes TEZ is all copper and not a 'mono' bullet. There is no 325gr monoflex bullet, but there is a 325gr FTX bullet with a flex tip, copper jacket, and lead core. It hits hard and is very accurate.

 

[Bushfire]

230 grain round ball from my .54 put this bloke down on the spot this year.

Ive got a thread on this forum somewhere with a buffalo i shot with a 250gn hornady monoflex.

 

[ElDiablo]

ElDiablo, I think you are confused on the term 'mono'. The Hornady 'MonoFlex' bullet is made of a copper alloy, more than just copper. The Barnes TEZ is all copper and not a 'mono' bullet. There is no 325gr monoflex bullet, but there is a 325gr FTX bullet with a flex tip, copper jacket, and lead core. It hits hard and is very accurate.

Yes, I am thinking of the 325 in FTX, thanks for setting me straight. The MonoFlex only comes in 250 gr in the .45s, doesn’t it?

But, no, I don’t believe I’m confused on the term “mono.” Mono is commonly used to refer to monolithic or “mono-metal” bullets that are a bullet comprised of a single metal (or an alloy) and not a cup/core. Barnes, Hornady MonoFlex, GMX, and CX, Hammer, Cutting Edge, etc are all referred to as “mono” bullets. Although I’ve heard people argue that a monometal bullet, strictly speaking, must be one material only (no alloy or tip) - common use of the term includes all of the above.

Tell me about your definition of a mono.

 

[ElDiablo]

230 grain round ball from my .54 put this bloke down on the spot this year.

Ive got a thread on this forum somewhere with a buffalo i shot with a 250gn hornady monoflex.
View attachment 34701

Nice bull Bushfire! My experience with 250 gr monos is that they will expand beautifully but not exit. For that reason, a 300 gr bullet is my minimum preferred weight for anything larger than deer. I’m betting you recovered the MonoFlex from your buffalo - no exit? Dead is dead, but I definitely want two holes if I’ve got to go into the brush tracking a bear.

 

[MrTom]

To me its a single metal [alloy included] that makes up the finished bullet, in other words no copper cup and lead core. I think sometimes people get too "purist" in defining things.

For bear, personally, I'd do any bullet of copper, such as the listed 290 grain Barnes, that does NOT shed the petals. ElDiablo, you do not mention at what distances you might be shooting at said bear. That would have a bearing on which bullet to some degree. If the shot might be a longer poke out there, then maybe the 400 grain pill will help in retained energy for pass thru assurance.

Bear do not die hard as long as the hit is where it should be. My last bear was several years ago and was taken with a Model 94 in 30-30 with a 150 grain silver tip. Heart, both lungs and a 20 yard sprint. Done deal.

I did not get drawn for bear this fall but had I I would be shooting the 225 grain, .44 cal, XPB Barnes wrapped in a green sabot ahead of 63 weighed grains of 209 from my Optima pistol. My shooting distance would be less than 20 yards and I have zero doubts that any bear would be dead-dead quickly as long as the shot went where it is supposed to be.

 

[Hatchet Jack]

I have never recovered a 290 gr TEZ from a deer. All have had two holes. I believe it would be a perfect bullet for bear. Especially pushed by 120 gr of BH209.

 

[ElDiablo]

Shot distance will likely be under 50 yards, MrTom. Although I want to be prepared for spot and stalk (up to 250 yards).

This is something of an academic exercise, because I do believe that black bears are not the toughest or heaviest built critters out there and they typically go down quick with a well placed shot.

I guess I’m envisioning the perfect bullet expanding rapidly and exiting while being able to break both shoulders if need be. The end result will likely be very anticlimactic but I’m hoping to avoid the alternative. Rain, brush, low light and brown bears are all considerations as well.

 

[BuckDoeHunter]

Sorry ElDiablo, a Barnes all copper bullet is considered a mono bullet. My brain was stuck on the Hornady monoflex which is an alloy. Good luck on your hunt and looking forward to your harvest report.

 

[ElDiablo]

Tested the 400 gr Barnes and the 260 gr Nosler Partition today. I shot both into water jugs at 25 yards.

The 400 gr Barnes with 110 grV BH209 blew through 8 gallon jugs, bounced off the backer and disappeared.

The 260 gr Nosler with 120 grV BH209 was caught in the 6th jug. The first two jugs were destroyed and showed fragments (petals) traveling with the core into the third jug. Frags were recovered in the second and third jug and the core (191 gr without petals) was recovered in the 6th jug. I estimate the impact velocity at 2100 fps. Total recovered weight with frags was 228.2 gr. Pretty impressive.

 

[jsteurrys]

I have some 300 gr partitions if you are interested in trying those.