Bear Bullet Penetration And Expansion Tests

Hi there, Dan Wafer back from a lengthy exodus from posting. I am going to do a series of bullet penetration and expansion tests in various mediums starting out with water filled 1 gallon plastic jugs. We are going to film the actual shots and results from several calibers starting out on this post with the .308 Winchester. The Savage Weather Warrior used in this test, is featured in an earlier post on this BLOG.

The YouTube link for videos is at the bottom of this post.

Why 1 gallon plastic water jugs for testing? Fair question. I have done a lot of reading on various testing mediums including 10% ballistic gelatin, wet newspapers, wet telephone books, various blocks of wood such as 4"x4" 1 foot long posts, and even the latest ballistic gelatin in a special tube. I have even read of a few tests over the years with a side of beef, including hide, bones etc.

I came to the conclusion that absolutely NONE of these test medium's EXACTLY duplicate what a given bullet will do when striking a live animal, especially a black bear or a larger brown bear etc. The key to my logic here is two words (NONE) and (EXACTLY). Since it is impossible to duplicate the penetration and expansion that might take place in a given big game animal, by the above testing methods, I opted to do my testing in water jugs. The medium is INexpensive to use, is very consistent, and in most cases you will find your expanded bullet sitting nicely in the bottom of one of the gallon jugs, so you can examine it after the shot. Somewhere between labeling a given caliber and bullet as a good black bear or brown bear bullet (vs.) that all I am really proving is that a 45-70 as an example will kill more water filled gallon jugs than a .308, hopefully we can learn something from the testing.

I decided to start with the .308 Winchester, using two bullets in widespread usage amongst hunters. I chose the Winchester 150 grain power point as a typical deer bullet and the Remington 180 grain round nose corelokt as a good example of a black bear load in the same caliber. This is what I choose to call BENCHMARK TESTING. I now have data and video proof that the 150 grain power point will blow three jugs apart, put a nice neat hole through the 4th jug and end up laying in the bottom of the 5th jug. The 180 grain corelokt bullet was found stuck in the outside of the 5th jug, however it hit the 6th jug hard enough to cause two separate fractures in the jug allowing water to leak out. Both bullets were classic mushrooms and found intact.

I realize that there are numerous loads that would improve results even in the .308 Win. In my ammo locker, I also have 150 grain Win fail safe, 180 grain Federal premium loaded with Nosler Partitions, Federal Power Shoks loaded with 180 grain Grand Slam bullets, and Hornady 165 grain Interlock Light Mag loads. All of these would likely make a better bear load if I were going to hunt with a .308 Win.

I may get around to testing some or all of these loads, to determine the difference. One must also settle on a load that shoots well in his or her rifle.

To set the parameters for this and future testing, all shots were at exactly 25 FEET from the muzzle, and dead center into the first gallon jug with each successive jug tight up against the one before it, to replicate as closely as possible a wall of water, separated by thin layers of plastic. Why 25 feet (vs.) let's say 50 yards? Another fair question. Essentially it is easier to hit dead center of the first jug using different calibers at 25 feet (vs.) 50 yards. This also gives a better demonstration of what happens to the bullet when taking a shot at a big game animal up close. Some websites I have visited indicate that shooting into 1.55 inches of water is the equivalent of shooting into 1 inch of 10% ballistic gelatin. Draw your own conclusion from that information. From my perspective, empty gallon jugs of water cost me next to nothing in time and expense, where ballistic gelatin testing can be both time consuming and expensive.

Upcoming future posts will include 150 grain Interbond Bullets in the 30:06, both 200 grain Fusion and 210 Grain Nosler Partitions in the .338 Federal, 200 Grain Remington PSP Corelokts, 200 Grain Hornady Interlocks and 225 Grain Nosler Partitions in the .350 Rem Mag, and 300 grain JHP bullets, 325 grain Hornady Leverevolution loads, 350 Plus P JFN from CorBon, and 405 Grain Buffalo Bore Plus P loads in a Marlin Mdl 1895 45-70. I will probably get to other calibers including .50 cal muzzle loader slugs and perhaps 12 gauge rifled slugs.

Stay tuned, and I would appreciate your requests or comments on the articles and the videos.

Video of .308 with 150 grain bullet
Video of .308 with 180 grain bullet

Thanks,

Dan Wafer