The 275 gr unbonded version of these bullets was used to successfully take a 6x6 Bull Elk, this last week.
.444 Marlin (Handi-Rifle)
Winchester .40 S&W case with pure lead core
2,335 fps (muzzle)
This Elk was taken on top of a mountain (literally 30 feet from the peak), and took 3 days to pack out (note the pack frames in the photo). So, I didn't really have the time, energy, or motivation to document hits, wound channels, or bullet recovery efforts. That's why there aren't any photos of that (unless one of my hunting partners has some).
First shot was not an ideal shot, but I took it none-the-less ... it was all I had, and I had faith in the bullet. I fired
through a tree for a left-hand, broad-side, liver shot at ~75 yards, that tore the diaphragm and blew the liver into 3 pieces. It was a fatal shot, although not
immediately fatal. The entrance wound was about 54 to 58 caliber (presumably from the bullet going through the 5/8" tree branch it cut off). The bullet caused some minor damage to the far-side ribs and soft tissue, but did
not exit. The bullet was lost in the gut pile, but no fragments were found. It is presumed to have held together well.
Second shot was, again, not ideal. I had to shoot through a tree,
again, for a left-hand, broad-side neck shot. But, this shot was at about 25 yards, and through a much thinner new-growth Doug Fir branch. The bullet blew the spine up (as intended), severed both arteries and veins, left a few jacket (brass) fragments in the wound channel, and stopped part way through the nearly-3/4" thick hide on the far side of the neck. Gravity took over, and he was done.
The second bullet
was recovered. I'll post photos and a (clean) recovered weight as soon as I find the macro adapter for my camera. The jacket did not separate, as some people (including myself) suspected may happen without bonding.
(I somehow managed to get the angle just perfect, so it looks like a 5x5 in the photo. But, I assure you, there's one tine hiding on each side.)
I've never been a big fan of hanging antlers all over the house, even though my wife is pretty excited about it. (This is my first Elk.) But... she's mad that I didn't get a chance to shoot the
big one in the herd. This was, after all, the "little" guy. But... I'm
very happy to see all of this redneck R&D proving worthwhile.