My worries are that the bonded bullet might blow clean through without sufficient expansion. Although a 50 through both lungs should do the trick either way. I am not opposed to a direct , on purpose, shoulder shot to put one on the dirt right there. Just trying to decide what to shove down the pipe... I will probably be shooting less than 100 yards, using two pellets of Triple Seven to push this out of the barrel. The area I hunt is pretty much wide open. Unless a deer runs 150 yards I would likely see it go down...
Nah, they should expand just fine. They're bonded, not solid. If you make sure to stay off of the shoulder and only take broadside shots (that can't be done in the areas that I hunt) then either will work. If you hit shoulder with an anchor shot, or a quartering shot that may encounter bone or have to traverse farther, then I'd definitely want the bonded bullets
That's what I'm thinking too... But I enjoy hearing what others are doing, and their opinions... The only problem I ever had shooting muzzleloaders before was when I was shooting patched balls and didn't get much of a blood trail.
Bonded doesn't mean it's a harder material....it just means the jacket and core are fused together so they won't separate after impact and expansion. Either should work just fine at the range you're talking about shooting.
I wouldn't be concerned that bullet expansion. The best expanding bullet in the business is probably the Barnes and it is all copper- harder than lead, jacket metal.
