Norma Bondstrike - 6.5 creedmore terminal performance. Field tested.

[PNWLark]

Hey all, long time lurker. Had the pleasure of bagging a PNW Blacktail in Oregon this year using the factory loading of Norma Bondstrike 143 grain out of a 6.5 Creedmore.

This loading shot half MOA or better out of my Ruger American 22 inch on a magpul hunter stock with an ASR break. Best bench groups were around 0.34 which for factory loading is great. Was getting an average 2650, with decent ES.

The shot was a cross canyon at 404 yards. No, not super long but long enough to be considered "long" by some. Took a heavy quartering away shot before he fed over a hill. Aimed for last rib with a hopeful exit near vitals. I hit just behind last rib. The bullet traversed the entire cavity and exited just behind the front quarter. Not a huge hole probably a quarter size. He did not DRT, but I watched him take it and he humped, slowly walked 40 yards and tipped over.

Overall seems to hold up well when put in a decent spot, will penetrate deep. Well over 30 inches of penetration and never found the bullet.

For a factory load it seems great, albeit i think some bondstrike loads are slow in some caliber (30.06 loads only see 2550 for 180s out of 2 guns) 308 load is 2420 out of an 18 inch 308.

 

[bojangles808]

lost one of my biggest bucks with this load. too narrow a wound channel imo. other buck I shot had minimal blood trail compared to deer I shot at similar distances with 140/147 eldms. I would not recommend.

 

[PNWLark]

lost one of my biggest bucks with this load. too narrow a wound channel imo. other buck I shot had minimal blood trail compared to deer I shot at similar distances with 140/147 eldms. I would not recommend.

Sad to hear that. Makes sense an eldm will definetly open a larger wound channel at the cost of weight retention. Next year I will likely be switching to a 127 LRX myself hand loaded for speed.

 

[peaceful_ruler]

lost one of my biggest bucks with this load. too narrow a wound channel imo. other buck I shot had minimal blood trail compared to deer I shot at similar distances with 140/147 eldms. I would not recommend.

Where did the bullet hit the deer? It’s hard to imagine the Bondstrikes opening up less than a monolithic bullet. Would any other bullet design have resulted in a dead deer? Asking for a friend…

 

[Kyguy]

lost one of my biggest bucks with this load. too narrow a wound channel imo. other buck I shot had minimal blood trail compared to deer I shot at similar distances with 140/147 eldms. I would not recommend.

If you lost it, how do you know the wound channel was too narrow? Based on the other buck?

 

[bojangles808]

Where did the bullet hit the deer? It’s hard to imagine the Bondstrikes opening up less than a monolithic bullet. Would any other bullet design have resulted in a dead deer? Asking for a friend…

If you lost it, how do you know the wound channel was too narrow? Based on the other buck?

I'm not sure where it hit exactly, but the deer reacted hit and staggered at first before running off. I was on max power (wont ever do that again either) at 211 yds. Bc I was on max power and learned a very valuable lesson as I couldn't get him in the scope for a follow up shot at him in the clearing before he ran into the woodline. I get down to where he hit, confirm the range to where I shot from, checked to see what I was dialed to to make sure I didn't mis-dial and initially don't find any blood. There was lots of dried grass and grey rocks, decent terrain for tracking and I was fairly certain where he left the clearing but nothing there either. In the woodline there's trees but its fairly open, I could see 30-50 yds in front of me. I grid searched for hours and nothing. came back a couple days later thinking if he was dead I'd be able to smell him so I searched 300-400 yd grid around but nothing. Came back a week later to try and continued to try and smell him and still nothing. I put out a trail cam on a trail and a tall similar buck that I think was him eventually showed on the cam a month later so I think he lived.

Yes entirely possible I completely yanked it (I was prone, very comfy) and didn't actually see what I thought I saw but unlikely imo. I had shot 20-30 deer and goats prior to this with a 30-06 before switching to the 6.5cm. I bowhunt too and not the best tracker I am fairly used to bloodtrailing in much thicker brush and grass. I could have mis dialed but double checked everything in the field and when I got home with dope charts and although it was an angled shot even that made minimal impact since I was so close. Zero was on too when I went to range next time. could have been another buck on cam but he was very tall and big and likely thee one I thought I shot. I had shot another buck a couple weeks prior at 115 and that deer had minimal blood too and when I opened him up very limits damage. Just to find him I had to grid search in tall grass to find.

So I'm not 100% completely sure it was the bullet I think it was likely partially the bullet. plausible explanation i think is with the angle/buck fever I hit him high and either got back strap and that's why he staggered or I got rly high lung and and he didn't start dropping blood until he had ran a ways (see this bowhunting with high lung shots) and I never found the blood in my search. then he ran away further from that and he died outside my grid or he survived and was the buck on my camera. I felt I couldn't trust bonded bullets in smaller bores after those experiences. what I saw on animals mirrored what others say on here with bonded/ copper in small bores with narrow wound channels, running further and not a lot of blood. Me and my friends have all since switched to ELDMs and been much happier. the 73 108 140 and 147s all leave great exits and I haven't had anything go more than 50 yds with them. lots of blood on the ground too. Id just hate for someone else to have that happen to them as it keeps me up at night wondering if I had picked a different bullet or even had stuck with my 30-06. It sucks

 

[Caseknife]

My question, why would you dial for a 211 yard shot? Only going to be about 1.5" difference from a 100 yd zero.

 

[keystone112]

I’m getting 2676 fps from the 30-06 180 grain Bond Strike out of my T3x. Got the job done at 400 yards on my elk last year once I put the bullet in the right place.