Harvester Scorpion PT Gold 240 grain

Harvester Scorpion PT Gold 300 grain

Harvester White Lightning 300 grain

Traditions Smackdown Carnivore 305 grain

Powerbelt Copper 295 grain

Powerbelt Platinum 338 grain

Powerbelt ELR 225 grain .40 Caliber

Powerbelt ELR 280 grain .45 Caliber

Powerbelt ELR 330 grain .50 Caliber 

More to come. - DH

Barnes TMZ 250 grain

Federal B.O.R.Lock 270 grain

Federal B.O.R.Lock 350 grain

22 May 2022

Photo Credits: Aaron Thesing.

Break Down:

I didn’t have much time today, to collect as much data as I would have liked, so I made do with the time I had available to me and I made the best of it.

Today I chose the Federal B.O.R.Lock 350 grain bullet, paired with 84 grains by weight of Blackhorn 209, and the Federal 209A Shotgun Primers.  I hold this bullet in high regard for a few reasons.  I like that it is as easy to load as it is.  That’s one thing the Engineers at Federal Premium Ammunition, definitely got right when designing this bullet.  

B.O.R.Lock stands for  “Bullet Obturating Ramp” Meaning that when the initial explosion occurs at the Breech plug, the B.O.R.Lock device is forced forward By the immense gas pressure and locked into place, sealing the Rifle Bore and engaging the rifling ensuring no gas escaping, delivering a massive payload in terms of energy down range.

I also love that this comes in a heavy for caliber weight coming in at 350 grains.  This opens up a realm of possibilities when it comes to hunting large game like, Bear, Moose, Elk, Caribou, Wolves, even the massive and tough North American Bison.  Me personally I’m looking at this bullet application for up close and in your face Bear Hunting.  I need something that can act like a sledgehammer, and anchor a Bear in its place, and be a Shoulder Smasher.  This bullet most definitely fits that bill.

Weather:

Today's conditions are 55*F, with Winds West North West, at 13 miles per hour. Humidity was at 40%, and Barometric Pressure was 30.32 inHg. My first two shots were around 2.5-3" high of the bullseye and were approximately 1/2" or so apart from each other, and on my third shot I felt myself flinch and sent off a flyer low and away.

The shooting today was at 100 yards (I usually shoot on the 50 yard range as I'm using this for Bear Hunting, but it was my only option for the day so I took it.) which is fine for what I am using this for, and I was able to register a muzzle velocity on a 3 shot group averaging 2,051 feet per second, with approximately 3,269 ft lbs of muzzle energy. It has an average ballistic coefficient of .210 which allows it to hold killing energy to 300 yards, before it drops below 1,000 ft lbs of kinetic energy.

Availability:

When I was able to find this online, I stocked up.  The last time I saw, Scheels is currently carrying this in store in Eau Claire, Wisconsin and Rochester, Minnesota locations.  Most Sporting Goods stores that I have seen in the last few years are carrying this, and what I would suggest is to head online to your favorite store's website and sign up for an instock notification.  I was able to order these from my friends at Muzzle-loaders.com and the shipping was fast!

Data:

Velocity | Energy

Muzzle: 2,051 fps | 3,269 fpe

50 Yards: 1,869 fps | 2,714 fpe

100 Yards: 1,699 fps | 2,243 fpe

150 Yards: 1,542 fps | 1,848 fpe

200 Yards: 1,399 fps | 1,521 fpe

250 Yards: 1,274 fps | 1,261 fpe

300 Yards: 1,169 fps | 1,062 fpe

350 Yards: 1,088 fps | 920 fpe

Take Aways:

As I have time, I am going to do another 3 shot group for this bullet to determine how tight I can get the grouping, that flyer just doesn't sit well with me today, and based upon how well and how close those first two shots performed, I believe I may have a real winner here, and I want to be able to prove it to myself and the good folks at home reading this right now.  

I owe it to myself to have the very best equipment that I can afford when going in after something that can kill you and eat you back, if don't get a killing shot on it, or God forbid, wound it.  in terms of upclose and nasty, this bullet has it all.  Easy to Load.  Hits hard.  Relatively accurate.  Delivers 2,820 ft lbs of kinetic energy at 40 yards and that’s more than enough for the absolute giants that I am after.

Pending the next round of retesting for the 3 shot grouping, this is absolutely a great option and potential winner.  Federal really outdid themselves on this one.

-Aaron Thesing.

Powerbelt 405 grain