I did not have time to reload for my new R8 Blaser and bought 2 packets of winchester supreme elite - 180 gr 300 win mag ammunition.

This weekend we shot an Eland (80 meters), Gemsbok (280 meters), Hartebeest (130 meters), warthog (100 meters) and a black wildebeest 180 meters) and all were shot on the shoulder. None of the bullets expanded and we ended up tracking all of the animals, and all of them required finishing shots. We lost a springbok, shot on the shoulder, ran through and it ran and we could not find it (lost it in the long gras).

I know this does not proof anything, therefore are there anybody with similar experiences with these bullets or is it only me?

Was this the XP3 bullet? I have used them in 300 WSM and recovered bullets from bull elk that looked very much like the Swift A-frame they were trying to copy. Also shot 2 caribou in AK with one-shot kills, huge exit wounds no recovered bullets. Was pleased with the XP3 bullets performance but went in another direction since they were not accurate or consistent in that rifle.

there was a write-up in American Hunter last summer about a bunch of gun writers who went over to Africa and tested the Winchester XP3 stuff.

They wrote that they observed a handful of instances of the bullets not expanding as desired.

friar

When Gun Writers get a free trip and then don't fall all over themselves in bragging on whomever paid, it causes me concern....

Sounds like the winchester fail safe, which were too hard in my opinion, we had very similar results in Namibia. A springbok shot in the shoulder with a 300 WSM went back to grazing before toppling over, albeit a moment later!

quote:

winchester supreme elite

Looks like it might have been the XP3 bullet. When you google the above, you come up with:

http://www.winchester.com/prod...3/Pages/default.aspx

- mike

It was indeed the XP3, my advice is to use these bullets with caution and only on larger animals as they tend to zip right through the animals with almost no shock effect or expansion

Hunted with a friend that shot some Impala,Blesbok and Blue Wildebeest with the 180 grainers in 30-06 3 weeks ago and they were fantastic. Only recovered one bullet from the BW, penetration was similar to Barnes TSX and bullet expansion was text book perfect. I shoot the 180grain TSX but would use them in a heart beat; and they were reasonably priced for an off the shelf premium round.