Has anyone got any experienced with this bullet. I have a brown bear hunt drawing near (June 1) I'm wanting to shoot this bullet but have not been able to find anyone who can tell me anything about it. I don't want a bullet with such a heavy jacket that it would sail on through without transferring much energy.

I've used the 300 gr. PPs and Rn extensively, Don't worry about either opening up, they will..The PP has lots of penetration and is harder than the RN. Its my choice for Buffalo and I would opt for it with Brown Bear and would more likely give you an exit hole which I like..The RN would open up the size of a quarter or fifty cent piece with long wings that act like a buzz saw and stop on the off side skin...Take your pick, but rest assured that both work just fine..This has been what I have come to expect from them...

I have used both on Plainsgame, and DG, mostly for buffalo. I have also found both to be great elk. Bison, and even deer bullets but any bullet of that size works well on deer and such, with or without much expansion..

You can never go wrong with a Woodleigh, Nosler partition, North fork, or a GS Customs if you like a monolithic IMO...

Swamp,
I used the Woodie .411 300 grain Weldcore on my Cape Buffalo and from 20 yards, it entered behind the left hind rib and exited between the front legs, leaving a hole the size of a silver dollar in the heart. The bullet was not recovered, so I do not know how much it expanded, but it did penetrate between 36 - 40 inches. I would have no problem using that bullet on a bear of any size.

I only shoot Woodleigh bullets in my doubles and they perform perfect with excellent weight retention--softs or solids. Some of the new-fangled bullets turned from solid stock work well (so I'm told) but are too ugly to shoot in a nice double.
Cal

I have the new "heavy Duties" for my 375F as I believe the standard RNS in under 450cal are too soft for Buffalo. I could only imagine these new stronger round nose bullets should be great for Bear.

I shoot a lot of buffalo with them. Good bullet.

Haven't tried the heavy duties, I use the PP exclusively on buff here, they out penetrate the RN by a considerable margin. I don't think you would need anything tougher than a PP on a bear. Even the 270gr PP is a stout bullet. I wouldn't hesitate using a 270gr PP on a buff.

Cheers.

Got to disagree with my fellow countryman re: the 270 grain PPSN on big buffalo. Have done it and won; have done it and lost. Have shot countless meat buffalo with it, though, and it is excellent in that application.

quote:

Originally posted by ozhunter:
I have the new "heavy Duties" for my 375F as I believe the standard RNS in under 450cal are too soft for Buffalo. I could only imagine these new stronger round nose bullets should be great for Bear.

I agree. I think the RN SN bullets are a tad soft for thick skin animals (and have had PHs so comment as well). I would be going with the RN SN (Heavy Duty) or the PP SN.

The RN were made for a purpose and they work exceptionally well on that behalf..They are for hunting the thick stuff and shooting buffalo in herds. The expand greatly but enough to stop on the off side skin in a huge mushroom and not exit and wound another buffalo, they are excellent in that regard and I trust them to do just that and they have not let me down in 375, 404, 450-400 and 9.3x62 to name some..They kill very fast indeed with only short runs as a rule.

The PP is the opposite, its a penetrator and gives nice exit holes and leaves lots of blood on the ground and expands quite well, at least the ones I have recovered from end on shots look picture book..

I see a need for both the PP and the RN, and oh how sexy those RN look! and Lordy how they drop elk on the spot.

Most bullets today work well, failures are far and few between and can usually be explained away, I remember when failures were more than common, but don't remember many cases of an escaped animal from those failures.

If an animal escaped due to bullet failure we would probably not be aware of the cause. I went with a RN bullet because of numerous cases of spitzer and\or plastic tipped bullets that deviated drastically from their intended path of penetration. I've had some turn as much as 90* after penetrating 6" in soft tissue, numerous others deviating 60*. Shoot a meat animal standing broadside behind the shoulder and find the bullet in a ham.

You should have every confidence in the Woodleigh Heavy Duty 300 grain RNSN working on a buffalo, given proper placement.

Any good 375 bullet will kill a brown bear. Woodleigh is fine, I used a TSX on my Kodiak, but almost loaded the Woodleigh PP (it grouped well).

My post was for the 300 Woodleigh to address your question..My favorite .375 bullet for anything is the 350 gr. Woodleigh..The PP for heavy big boned game where penetration is needed or the Round Nose when I want big bloody hole in something, and don't mind a bit less penetration..The PP will give you an exit hole about 95% of the time, the RN probably stop on the off side skin of a Buffalo, Bison or large beast, and the recovered bullet will be the size of a quarter or bigger with long wings that act as a buzz saw....Wonderful killers both.

If I have to go on track to a wounded buffalo I will use the 300 or 350 gr. solids..I really like the GSC flat nose solids or cup points when I tested them..I would be perfectly happy to hunt anything,perhaps short of elephants, with the a flat nose cup points, were I to get in a brewhaha with an elephant with a rifle full of cup points, I think I would feel pretty confident??. Cup points are the best of both worlds.

I've got some 350 gr. Woodleighs. IIRC my rifle has a 1 in 14 twist. I was afraid they wouldn't stabilize adequately to provide straight line penetration.
Gunsmith has my rifle right now (Cerakote) but I'll try some on paper when I get it back.

You can try the Woodleigh 350gr. and see if they will stabilize in the 1 and 14 twist. That is why I bought the Ruger because the 1 and 12 twist over the Savage or Howa. I figured if I was shooting 375 caliber would want to shoot heavier bullets.

Keep in mind the Aussies buffalo are considerably heavier than Cape Buffalo and require more penetration..How much more I have no idea, but animal size is an important factor in choseing the right bullet.

I only have this much experience with the Woodleighs.

375 300 RN 3 Australian buffalo a huge scrub bull and a large boar

.411- 400 RN Zebra and several other plains game animals Used solids on Elephant

.416 -400 2 Australian buffalo

.458 -500 PP 3 cape buffalo and several plains game.

My personal opinion ( for what it is worth) is that they are grand bullets that open up as they should hold together retain their weight, leave good blood trails and kill quickly.

I wouldn't hesitate to use them.

quote:

Originally posted by swampshooter:
I've got some 350 gr. Woodleighs. IIRC my rifle has a 1 in 14 twist. I was afraid they wouldn't stabilize adequately to provide straight line penetration.
Gunsmith has my rifle right now (Cerakote) but I'll try some on paper when I get it back.

Someone did a penetration test on filled milk jugs divided by 1/2" plywood. The 350g Woodleigh PP out penetrated every expanding bullet he tried They stabilized fine in my CZ 550, not sure what twist that barrel is

quote:

Originally posted by chuck375:

quote:

Originally posted by swampshooter:
I've got some 350 gr. Woodleighs. IIRC my rifle has a 1 in 14 twist. I was afraid they wouldn't stabilize adequately to provide straight line penetration.
Gunsmith has my rifle right now (Cerakote) but I'll try some on paper when I get it back.

Someone did a penetration test on filled milk jugs divided by 1/2" plywood. The 350g Woodleigh PP out penetrated every expanding bullet he tried They stabilized fine in my CZ 550, not sure what twist that barrel is

By CZ website the CZ 550 American Safari Magnum 375 H&H has a 1 in 12 twist.

quote:

Originally posted by 700xcr:

quote:

Originally posted by chuck375:

quote:

Originally posted by swampshooter:
I've got some 350 gr. Woodleighs. IIRC my rifle has a 1 in 14 twist. I was afraid they wouldn't stabilize adequately to provide straight line penetration.
Gunsmith has my rifle right now (Cerakote) but I'll try some on paper when I get it back.

Someone did a penetration test on filled milk jugs divided by 1/2" plywood. The 350g Woodleigh PP out penetrated every expanding bullet he tried They stabilized fine in my CZ 550, not sure what twist that barrel is

By CZ website the CZ 550 American Safari Magnum 375 H&H has a 1 in 12 twist.

Thanks! I had it re barreled to a 500 Jeffey so if anyone needs a CZ 550 375 H&H barrel with minumum use (less than a couple of hundred rounds) let me know.

I shot some buffalo with my Searcy 470 with a 500 gr. Woodleighs PP and RN at 2245 FPS, Butch's regulation load at the time, It was incredibly accurate, but recoil was right up there...I found a regulation load in that gun with the same bullets at 2020 FPS, and recoil was considerably less...That lessor load performed as well or better and killed buffalo as well or better than the faster load..Slow a bullet down and you will normally get better penetration. The RNr the PP will kill your bear if you stick in the right spot with any 300 gr Woodleigh bullet..as will the 270 gr. Woodleigh.

quote:

Originally posted by swampshooter:
Has anyone got any experienced with this bullet. I have a brown bear hunt drawing near (June 1) I'm wanting to shoot this bullet but have not been able to find anyone who can tell me anything about it. I don't want a bullet with such a heavy jacket that it would sail on through without transferring much energy.

Just stick it in the correct place and you will come home with a trophy !