Handgun Hunting Afield

This blog post will address the common questions I have received since the publishing of the mono metal bullet article.

Where do I get load data for Cutting Edge Bullets?

1. You can start with similar weight bullets found in your load manual and carefully work up.

2. You can email CEB and they will provide data. support@cuttingedgebullets.com

How do the handgun raptors work for defense against bears?

I have no actual field experience shooting a charging bear. I carry just a handgun in the field when hunting. I will have it loaded with my same hunting load. I have confidence that my hunting load will do well in a defense situation as well.

If you are carrying a marginal cartridge for an animal of such size I would consider the solids that Cutting Edge makes. The cartridges I would consider marginal for animals the size of a grizzly would be but not limited to 10mm, 357, 45 super, and other similar chamberings. If you are carrying something smaller, you SHOULD use solids without a doubt. This is just my opinion based on my handgun hunting. Like 99.9% of people I have not shot a charging grizzly.

Why did you not include the information on the bullets that failed?

Numerous bullets were tested and feedback was provided to the manufacturers. This article started as about 13 pages of notes. To publish everything in its entirety would have been way too long. It’s far better to just share the negative information with the manufactures directly vs openly stating it online. Hopefully they will correct the issues and produce a product we can use as hunters. If the product was not listed by name then more than likely I did not have positive information to share.

Was this article paid for by Cutting Edge Bullets?

No. As with many manufactures I did receive a veterans discount from CEB. I have over 4k invested in this article with zero industry support. I find this to be the best way to do a study and keep it from having bias.

Did the Barnes Bullets fail?

No Barnes did not fail. The only way to recover a bullet from an animal is for it to be dead. I wanted more penetration on elk sized animals than the Barnes provided with a 44 magnum. I believe the Barnes would work fine on sub 250 pound animals with a 44 magnum.

Why are CEB so expensive?

They are machined one at a time on cnc machines from solid copper bar stock. Machining is more expensive than die forming bullets which is how mass produced bullets are made.

How far do the petals penetrate when the CEB fracture?

It’s tough to measure this in the field since I have to butcher most of my animals where they fall due to the nature of back country hunting. But from the Texas high fence hunt which is also published here and examining several elk in the field after the shot, it looks like the fractured petals spread between 4-6” and penetrate 7+ inches. Cavitation and the wound channel that is created before the petals separate looks similar to what a standard JHP does in game.

Do you plan to use Cutting Edge Bullets on future hunts?

In the future I plan to only hunt with CEB. Their fracturing technology has impressed me and I believe they are outperforming cup and core and bonded handgun bullets.

The above is the most commonly asked questions I have received since the publishing of the article on mono metal bullets. I hope this experiment of mine helps others gain success in the field.