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I choose to afford to try this two different occasions only. I have been trying to identify how effective will be three loads, two of which are muzzleloading, one a smokeless powder cast bullet cartridge. What I want to identify is how close to reality will the test medium be.
I've done my dry duct taped magazine tests to measure penetration. And I compared results with handloaded 30-06 150-grain Barnes Triple Shock bullets at a chronographed [average of] 2900 fps.
When winter ends - if it ever does here in Seeley Lake - I intend to buy a pork ham with bone left in. At ambient temperature I will fire two shots of each of the three loads at 50 yards, a total of six shots. I'll mark the location of the femur to be sure of shooting through it if the load can do it.
How close in penetration, and possibly projectile expansion, will this target emulate a shoulder shot at a legally antlered elk at the same distance? I ask about the shoulder shot because I believe this shot placement especially for muzzleloaders' single shots is more likely to significantly reduce the distance the elk might run. If this test, repeated on a different day, will not be closer to reality than any other all of us can create - excluding live target - I'll not do it and save $50-75.