Eureka! I think...

[David LaPell]

After all the trouble I have been having getting my cast #358156 hollowpoints to perform for my .38 Outdoorsman at 1,200 fps or so, I recalled I had a few "oops" bullets or so I thought. These were a few that I cast with the cavity a lot deeper than what I normally cast them for. I had them loaded up with the same 12.5 grains of 2400 and had set aside as plinking loads. Well, I decided to try them out, they are cast from straight wheelweights have a BHN or 14-15 I shot them into wet newsprint like the last batches I have tried and here are the results. The one on the left weighs 150 grains, the one on the right 146 and the one in the middle 146. They expanded and there is little to no fragmentation. So did I have it right with these "wrong" bullets all along? Who knows, but they expanded (except the one in the middle really) and all penetrated to about 12 inches of newsprint.

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss57/Smith29-2/picture2635.jpg

[Ben]

I'd say that would make a fine " fight stopper " load.

Ben

[leftiye]

Use softer lead. 5% tin, no antimony (20 t0 1) maybe or pure. 1200 fps in a .38 special? Nasty load for a special. But you do need velocity to open up (or huge hollow point cavities). Take a look at the NOE hollow point .357 - .360 diameter designs. RNHPs will allow bigger meplats to allow bigger hollow point cavities. Lighter boolit will help get velocity up too.