Matt I don't like Fail safes or Barnes X , OK they look perfect but the 100 meters to find a dead game it's a lot ( easy when you have a tracker ), standard bullets like the Hornady lost 50 to 80 % of they bullet weight , but all this "lost" bullet means secondary wounds and it means more blood loss and pressure drop , game fell for lost of the blood pressure on the brain , I lost one Roe buck and have problem to find a couple in heavy bush with a .243 W and 95 grains controlled expanding bullets , change to Sierra 85 HPBT , and when open the thorax of a Deer you find as it was an internal explosion no lungs no heart , but the Deer just move ten paces , OK you need to aim exactly where to hit the game , but I prefer this option to the non expanding ones .
Daniel

I have only one thing to say, try the North Fork bullets and you will end your debate. As accurate as any premium bullet you have ever shot and as tough as the Failsafe or Barnes. They have a bonded core front and solid shank, I have shot them in North America and Africa with excellent results. Good shooting.

On light skinned/boned things, a fast expanding bullet is indeed better. But what if the bullet comes apart and does not penetrate into the vitals? On critters under 200 pounds this is seldom a problem even with a quartering away shot. But bigger animals have bigger bones and muscle mass protecting their vitals.



Imparting all the energy into the carcass of the critter is a good thing. That is exactly what happens when a bullet is contained within. Bullets that don't open up zip on through then impart their energy into the off hillside. But you do get two holes, penetration through bone if encountered, and holes through vitals.



And Jon A, I agree with you in that the Nosler Partition is a good all around bullet and (for me) always consistent. The front end is going to open up, the ass end is going to continue to penetrate. Like Mr. Mauser, Mr Nosler knew what he was doing way back when too. The Fail Safe seems to have the features of the Barnes X in the front and and the Nosler Partition in the back and give deeper penetration.

Matt, Thanks for the excellent post most people find it hard to be as objective.
I think that I'd use the partitions and failsafes just in case I needed to go through a shoulder or something on my way to the vitals.........DJ