I copied this from a BC Hunting website- Don't have any further info as of yet:

The following pics are of bullets recovered from a 5 point elk that a friend got a couple days ago. The Elk was shot with a 338 Mag from about 120 yards, using FEDERAL factory ammo. The ELK was hit solidly 4 times, all shots should have dropped the animal. The less damaged bullet passed almost through the Elk lengthwise, and broke pelvis, stopping just under the hide of the hind quarter. Both sholders were busted up, as well as several ribs. animal died more from ACCUTE VENTILATION than good bullet performance.


http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o281/RockDocPhoto/DCAM1380.jpg


http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o281/RockDocPhoto/DCAM1380.jpg



http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o281/RockDocPhoto/DCAM1379.jpg



http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o281/RockDocPhoto/DCAM1378.jpg

Now THAT is what I call bullet failure.

I am just glad your friend kept pumping in the rounds until the elk succumbed.

That's just weird. Bad batch?

So the projectile loaded in the Federal loading was???

Cheers,
Mark.

Wait minute, how does the base of a solid shank bullet flatten like that? I didn't think you could flatten or "fishtail a solid shank or mono bullet, even if they tumbled. Are they even Bearclaws?

From what I understand, they are 225gr TBBC.

I am sure I will hear more, soon. Whatever bullet they are- they are damn ugly!

Did you happen to read Peterson's Hunting about a year and a half ago? It was a rather in depth article by Boddington about this very subject. After Federal took over production of the TBBC's they changed the configuration and the recipie as well (from copper to gilding metal). Their intent was to make it less prone to fouling, and make the mushroom somewhat less wide for deeper penetration. They, in short, screwed perhaps the finest big game/dangerous game bullet made according to many. The article went into depth regarding performance issues, lost mushroom petals a'la Winchester Fail Safe...the professional hunters in Africa were howling mad at the crappy preformance, sending bullets back to Boddington for his critique, etc...and asking him to contact Federal and bring back the old recipie.
This market blunder was remeniscient of when Coke went from old Coke to the New Coke...and then had to go back to Coke Classic after everybody pitched a fit! The article had a telling quote in it from Boddington that said, more or less, that the old TBBC was a fantastic bullet...and now it is only good.....
I sure hope Federal was listening.
My first elk was taken with the old TBBC's and it fell like it was struck by lightning. When I read that article I immediately bought a lifetime stash of 30 cal 180 grain bullets and 200 grainers too....might be willing to sell the 200's if someone might be interested. The 180 grain is my bullet of choice in my 300 RUM for elk.

Are we going to see a plastic-tip TBBC now, like with Nosler (E-Tip) and Barnes (MRX)?

Read an article just last night....it was in the Gun List...what is it now Gun Digest? Anyway Bryce Townsley was answering a letter writer's question about the 300 WSM and hinted that Federal is coming out with a Super Bullet soon, but not in time for this hunting season...and he could not say any more about it....wonder if it might be another itiration of the TBBC.

This has nothing to do with the bullets failure whatsoever.

EVERY bullet make will, at one time or another, tmble in the animal.

I have no idea why this happens, but have seen it happen with many different types of bullets.

Once a bullet tumbles, all bets are off, as these photos prove.

This, in my experience at least, is not as bad as bullet break up.

We have never lost an animals because the bullets tumbled and did not expand in him.

But, we had to chase for miles other animals where a soft point bullet - like the Winchester Silver Tip - has broken up on the surface, and failed to penetrate.

A bullet has three velocities:

1) Translational velocity
2) Rotational velocity
3) Precessional velocity

Translational is the velocity measured over a chronograph. Rotational is the spin of the bullet around its axis. Precisional is the velocity of the base of the bullet around the flight path. A bullet will never strike an animal absolutley perpendicular. At impact when the nose of the bullet gains entrance into the animal the bullet sees resistance and the center of the bullet base must precess more to keep from tumbling.

The bullet tumbles when the base center rotation around the flight path can not overcome the resistance at the bullet nose.

As it appears that all 4 bullets did something weird (tumbled) I'd be hesitant to use them again.

What makes you hesitant to use them again? A tumbling bullet that reaches the vitals does more damage than one that maintains bullet spin.

I wasn't there, but from what was said, it took 4 well placed shots from a 338 to down a medium sized elk....Had the bullets performed as they were supposed to, I'd think it woudl have taken a bit less lead.

I'd rather the bullets retain spin and expand, and *know* they are going to penetrate, rather than hope the tumbling bullets penetrate the vitals.

In my experience, tumbling bullets cannot be trusted to penetrate in a straight line. For that reason alone I would be highly displeased with that kind of bullet performance.

This is a statement of the obvious, but IMHO, a bullet tumbling through vitals is one heckuva lot better than one that blows up before reaching the vitals, but both are a far cry from a bullet that expands as designed and penetrates the vitals.

Cheers,
Canuck

I agree with both of your comments. Tumbling should be the exception not the norm with quality bullets designed for impact velocity used with correct rifle twist.

Wonder what the rifling twist of the hunter's rifle was?

Also wonder, the ammo was 338 Win Mag, what is the rifle?

Could the bullets hit some brush before they hit the animal?