Anyone use either of these on game? How did they expand and penetrate, and at what range?

If used in a handload, what's your favorite powder?

John I have shot the factory Federal 170 Partition and the PMC 150 Starfire factory on paper at 100 yards. Both shot good. I have taken one whitetail deer at about 35/40 yards. She was hit behind the shoulder [don't want to mess up too much meat ]. She ran about 40 yards, but left a blood trail that looked like it had been poured our of a 5 gal. paint bucket. The blood trail stopped at about 30 yards, at first I was puzzled, until I gutted her, there was no blood left!!! Needless to say there was complete penetration.
Hope that helps.

Quick answer!

Which bullet did you shoot the deer with?

OOPS SORRY I used the PMC 150gr. Starfire in a Winchester Trapper 16" bbl rifle.

hi
I,ve tried fedral 170 nosler and pmc on dry papper@40 yds and got about 16 inches penetration and nosler was without front part but pmc 150 grain looked nearly unfired barley mushroomed.
450 did you get som mushrooming with 150 sf in the game?
danny

From all accounts dry paper seems to be a very poor prodictor of bullet bahaviour in actual game!

Danny Pay, I always do as complete an autopsy as possible on any game I shoot, or if I am present when the guting takes place. The 150gr. Starfire had a good wound channes and a good sized exit wound, so I would have to say that it did expand very well. I have only killed one other deer with the 30-30. I used a Federal factory 150gr. load. The doe ran about 50 yards with a similar behind the shoulder shot. The Starfire did more damage based on those two shots. One thing I like about the Starfire and the Partition is that if you hit a big shoulder or hip bone the bullet should not totally fragment. Also likewise on a frontal head shot on a charging wild hog.

Back in the early 80s I hand loaded up some 150gr noz. flat nose Partitions for my 30-30 and had good results. One deer was shot at a quartering up hill angel. The bullet went in low on the left front sholder then 6-8" of stenum and ended up in the flank next to the right hindquarter. Range was 35yards the front of the bullet came apart in the chest cavity. I think the powder was 30-31. Fuzz

I have shot a truck load of deer with the 30-30 and various bullets...I belive because of its low velocity it seldom ruins the integrity of the bullets and most any bullet will work fine, plus the companies have had a long time to perfect the 30-30 bullets..

I have never had a bullet failure with a WW power point or Silvertip, Rem Cordlokt, Federal bullets, PMC or Peters belted or any handloaded round in 150 or 170 gr., I suspect the two mentioned would get the same results.