Well, Heres another "Has anyone tried this " thread.

[1Shirt]

:coffee: Have often wondered if anyone has ever tested the compairative results of a cast HP boolit with one where the HP was filled with something such as beeswax or a similar filler? In theory, if my theory is right, the softer than alloy hard lube type filler would cause increased disruption of the nose cavity. Of course, theorys are like opinion or other things, and we all have them. So, if any body has tested this, particularly with rifle HP's, I would be interested in the results. If nobody has, guess, I will have to screw around with the idea.

Thanks in advance to all who respond to this thread!
1Shirt!:coffee:

[44man]

The way I look at it is if the boolit is too hard it will fracture at the hollow point and if it is the proper hardness it will expand just fine. Speeding up expansion too much will cost you with penetration. Everything must be in balance for the game hunted.

[AZ Pete]

Test your theory and let us know.

The only things that I have read or experienced that seem relevant is 1) reports that cloth fiber, in the perp's clothing, can clog a hollow point (in police shootings) therefore preventing the bullet from expanding. and 2) the plastic tips in Ballistic tip rifle bullets seems to initiate expansion, rapidly....but there is a void behind the tip for it to be driven into.

My guess that anything more solid than wax (which would likely act like a liquid on impact) would render a hollow point inactive. That's my theory.....:).

[unique]

Yes I have tried this with 357 magnum 158gr HP's filled with lanolin. My test was to fire bullets with and without lanolin into different materials. It most definitely increased expansion but not radically meaning the bullet did not disintergrate.

[beagle]

There was a several month serial article on this subject back in the 70s. I don't have it but have read the entire series.

Tests were made using various HP fillers. Tallow and bees wax and varoius grades of grease comes to mind. Then they tried screws n the cavities for penetration, gas checks and BBs on the meplat and in the HP cavity for aerodynamic stability.

Then they got real wild and started messing with hydraulics. They'd fill the cavity with water and various types of fluids, seat a fired SP primer over it and then seal with lacquer. This filled the requirement for aerodynamic stability and also increased expansion as the trapped fluids opened the HP quicker. I've tried this in .44s and .45s and it seems to work and makes HPs expand at lower velocities than normal.

Then, the boys got rowdy and crossed the line. They drilled out the cavity and filled it full of Bullseye and seated a BP .22 blank in the nose and elmer'd it down. Said that really enhanced expansion.

If anyone has any of these old articles, I'd sure like to have some readable scans of them./beagle

[Firebird]

Isn't Corbons Powrball loads the same thing, just in a jacketed form? A hollow point bullet, with the hollow filled with some kind of soft polymer to prevent the hollow from being filled with other stuff the bullet goes through on the way to the target (denim, leather etc is usually mentioned most as plug materials) and also soft enough to flow and start the expansion process when the final target is hit.

[hunter64]

Beagle: I have a book called "Combat Ammunition" ( I think that is what it is) anyway it goes into detail about how to make "expanding" hollow points. I tried it on a .44 mag 240grn bullet at 1200fps. Made the hollow point bullet and filled the hollow with wheel bearing grease about 3/4 of the way to the top. Then I put a #8 pellet on top of it and with a soldering iron heated up the tip of the bullet and the pellet so in essence I completely closed off the hollow point with the grease in there. Holy crap did it "expand", I hit a coyote in the front shoulder and it basically took the whole front of him off. I know the book is around here somewhere, I will look for it.

[1Shirt]

Seems to me now that it is mentioned that I remember some articles back in the late 60's or early 70's about this. Even recall now one about filling most of the HP cav with grease, and then swaging either a bb, or right size shot into the cav. I did try a 22blank in the drilled out nose of a 500 grain 58Minie Ball out of a musket one time that cut a 2x4 in half, or rather shreaded a 2x4 in half. There are examples of that type of expanding/exploding projectile at a number of Civil War Museums.

Interesting replies! Now guess I am just going to have to screw around with some of them. Will report on results when I do so. Was mostly interested in HP rifle, as I am a rather poor handgunner at any distance.
1Shirt!:coffee:

[9.3X62AL]

Just be mindful of game laws concerning use of "explosive" ammunition on game or non-game species.

[Ricochet]

I suspect that if you can keep the hollow point full of grease till it's shot, the BB adds nothing to the effect.

[Pepe Ray]

If the resource is available, look for Jamison's articles (2) in Guns 'N Ammo mag.
I twas AT LEAST 10 years ago, maybe 20??
He was having trouble salvaging coyote pelts. Too much damage to the off side when there was complete penitration and not sure enough kills w/o c/p.
As I recall he was very happy w/his experiments with hydrolic fillers in the h-p's.
He promised to come back with another comprehensive article showing his hunting results. He did NOT. His later remarks (reading between the lines?) were lawered up.
I've quit G & A for years now. Pepe Ray

[georgewxxx]

I would suspect velocity would come into play also. Firing a 180gr boolit in a revolter at 800fps would react differently that that same boolit in a rifle at 1900fps or more. The temper of each alloy make a big difference too. when hard they'll shatter and almost turn to powder on a silhouette, when soft, they tend to just flatten out.

I remember dealers peddling hollow point ammo with a dab of black powder in then with a small pistol primer on top of that. About the same time winchester came out with they're Black Talon stuff. Everything came to a screeching halt after the President got pasted with doctored .22 ammo, remember Hinkley's stupid attempt?

[Glen]

This was tested by John Barlow back in the 1890s. Go back and look through the early Ideal Handbooks and you can find mention of it. They used things like tallow, grease, etc. Yes, it does make the cast HP expand more rapidly (they expand pretty quickly as it is, so I don't bother filling them with stuff).