Norma Ammo's Bonded Oryx Bullet Performs

Bonded Norma Oryx was mangled after striking an eland neck vertebrae, but core and jacket stuck together.

Bonded bullets like this Norma Oryx can be twisted and mangled upon striking massive bone, but jacket and core stick together.

Eland expired instantly when struck in neck with 300-grain Oryx fired from Blaser R8 in 375 H&H.

by Ron Spomer Hunters have been shooting game with projectiles for thousands of years, yet we continue trying to improve those projectiles for one simple, honorable reason: to effect the surest, quickest kills possible.Out of respect for ourselves and the animals we hunt, it behooves us hunters to understand bullet performance and select the right projectiles for the job. There's no sense in firing bullets and cartridges we can't shoot without flinching and there's no sense in shooting bullets that aren't designed for effective terminal performance on the game we target. Big, thick, tough game requires equally tough bullets constructed to plow through thick hide, muscle and bone. Norma's Oryx is such a bullet. Built with an extra-thick copper jacket molecularly bonded to a lead core, Oryx bullets take a smashing and keep on penetrating. They might get bent, twisted and mangled, but they don't break into pieces.  The spent bullet shown here impacted a southern eland after departing the muzzle of a Blaser R8 375 H&H from about 75 yards. It entered the beast's neck and shattered two of its massive neck vertebrae, killing it instantly. A weaker bullet might never have reached, let alone shattered, those massive bones. An eland is the world's largest, heaviest member of the antelope clan, weighing upwards of 2,000 pounds. Outfitter and PH Werner von Seydlitz of Immenhof Safaris in Namibia pronounced this one of the largest he's ever converted into steaks, roasts and sausages. Eland venison is regarded by many as the best in Africa.You can see the hunt and the Oryx bullet impact in this video.Swedish made Norma ammunition has long had a reputation for top quality, but has been hard to find in the U.S. That is changing. Norma-USA.com has begun an aggressive expansion into U.S. markets. Look for it.