Why aren’t Terminal Ascent Bullets more popular?

[171farm]

I wanted to try these in 300 win mag…only ever found 1 20ct of them, bought it and never found more…big box has them from time to time for stupid prices I won't pay.

Never have I ever seen any bullets for reloading.

 

[ridgewalker]

An updated version of the Trophy Bonded Bear Claw. An excellent design copied by NorthFork, Rhino, and a couple of others. Sadly it is very expensive to manufacture. I was in hopes they had come up with a lower cost easier manufacturing process, but apparently not.

 

[richhymas]

Curious to why you don't hear about these bullets much. Seems like a good compromise between lead core and solid copper with good BC and terminal performance. Plus, Federal has some heavier for caliber options coming out soon. I personally have not used them but I am looking at trying them at some point in the future when they become available. What am I missing about them?

I found some at Sportsmans. Shot the factory rounds out of my 300 WSM with good results. Went back to buy more and they were gone. Luckily my dad grabbed me 10 boxes from a Sportsmans in a different town. Bad part is they were $75 per box. I would love to get my hands on a box or two of bullet heads, but those are impossible to find. I'll let you know about terminal ballistics after hunting season. I plan to shoot a caribou, moose, and Dall ship with them this fall as well as possibly a black bear and mule deer if I get lucky.

 

[Montucky Roamer]

They should take a page from Hornadys book. If your going to hype and make a good product...how about making it available and at a fair price! Hornady gets ammo on the shelves BEFORE RIFLES ARE EVEN AVAILABLE! I mean, who does that!
So basically the terminal ascent caught my eye but when you look and they are forever not real, then they become dead to me. Fast way to kill a good product is not make it, the launch hype and people's memory fades.

 

[choprzrul]

I'd buy them and try them if they were available. I have a search and alert configured in Ammoseek.com for ANY Federal .308 diameter projectile. It's been running that way for over a year now with zero results....

 

[Pdvdh]

I've been a fan of the original Trophy Bonded Bear Claw bullets for more than 20yrs, based on brown bear kills on Kodiak Island. It's the only style I've ever shot large game with. The style with the flattened, exposed, lead tip. Also been used on some moose in years gone by. Very reliable terminal performance.

Never used any of the newer plastic tipped TBBCs. And never used any for long range hunting. The exposed lead tip style has been placed in my magazine for close range bear defense, and camp defense loads, for many years. Also used them on closer range (within 300yds) shots on caribou & moose.

I've only read positive reports regarding terminal performance of the newer tipped versionn, and only on closer range shots. Never read much about use of the tipped version, and their relative accuracy, for LRH. So don't know how accurate they've been proven at 500-600+ yards.

 

[FEENIX]

I have seen quite a few of them on my LGS as loaded ammo.

From Scheels yesterday ...

 

[Mike Matteson]

Then I'll sleep like a baby knowing I'll probably not be shooting them for a long time if ever. I'm never shooting factory ammo again! It's so boring!

I really haven't shot factory ammo for centerfire rifle ammo in 60yrs in my rifles. Other than 5.56.

 

[ratso000]

Because I can't find them for sale haha (in Canada - all vendors have been sold out for a long time - I do want to try them)

I feel the now old federal trophy bonded tip has had more time to prove
Itself and work out the kinks. Got a box of 180 tbts on my shelf to use in my .300 win as a "one and done" for anything in North America load.

I'm also a fan of the Trophy Bonded Tip
165 gr in 308 Winchester
Very accurate in Federal Premium amo.

 

[Mike D Texas]

From Scheels yesterday ...

View attachment 357045

Feenix how much were those per box?

 

[Spedray]

I shot a few animals in 7rem last year with them. One doe at 20 yards had a bit larger hole than I'd like to see but that's understandable at 20 yards. My antelope at 150 yards was text book perfect expansion as well as my buck at 100 yards. Never recovered a bullets and all animals dropped on the spot. Prior to this year I am shooting 168 vlds. All the animals I shot with that bullet, and there was a lot, all died on the spot but with a lot of meat loss. The terminal ascents didn't have nearly the blood shot meat when compared to the vlds. Overall very happy with the terminal ascents. I was able to pick up 5 boxes for each of my guns within the last year by keeping my eye on federals website each week. Yeah, they are expensive. But when you spend thousands on hunting gear and gas, what's 3 or 4 dollars a bullet. I just wish you could buy the bullets in component form.

 

[cohunt]

I wanted to try some bullets ( componants) by could never find them either

 

[FEENIX]

Feenix how much were those per box?

Sorry, it did not have a price label/tag. I can find out for you if you want.

 

[Window]

Curious to why you don't hear about these bullets much. Seems like a good compromise between lead core and solid copper with good BC and terminal performance. Plus, Federal has some heavier for caliber options coming out soon. I personally have not used them but I am looking at trying them at some point in the future when they become available. What am I missing about them?

It's probably because they are here today and gone tomorrow. The green box and yellow box companies have been around for a long time and have stayed the course and not tried chased the endless rabbit hole of the next best thing. Hammer has done the same with innovation that just flat out works. The other grandfather brands have been complacent and their me too products aren't meeting the challenge/demand shooters require.