What Do You Make of This?

[IDSS]

I managed to recover one of these boolits the other day. It's a Accurate 432-300 fired at about 1050 fps from my 4' Redhawk. Not easy to do, as aspen trees and just about every target backer around can't stop'em. It took lots of water to get the thing stopped intact.

http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad117/cmoore457/6AEA7528-0D0C-478D-8F13-338DA6776B17_zpskfdmy4ge.jpg (http://s927.photobucket.com/user/cmoore457/media/6AEA7528-0D0C-478D-8F13-338DA6776B17_zpskfdmy4ge.jpg.html)
It's the big guy on the right.

The recovered boolit had some "weirdness" with the rifling marks. Don't know enough to be able to tell if it's a cylinder misalignment, poor fit in the throat, or what, but the engraved markings from the rifling seem off. What do you gents think?

http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad117/cmoore457/B71D6A44-026E-4625-96B9-F15C2C82E1AB_zpsf6wkl3ij.jpg (http://s927.photobucket.com/user/cmoore457/media/B71D6A44-026E-4625-96B9-F15C2C82E1AB_zpsf6wkl3ij.jpg.html)

http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad117/cmoore457/E76370EA-C3D0-4260-9969-C9E5B1FC9C6A_zpseawjtwko.jpg (http://s927.photobucket.com/user/cmoore457/media/E76370EA-C3D0-4260-9969-C9E5B1FC9C6A_zpseawjtwko.jpg.html)

http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad117/cmoore457/4A0647B2-DA7C-482C-9918-6C8E1BEFCEBB_zpsajpi93cy.jpg (http://s927.photobucket.com/user/cmoore457/media/4A0647B2-DA7C-482C-9918-6C8E1BEFCEBB_zpsajpi93cy.jpg.html)

I'm mostly wondering about the marks that look like they're from lands well up the nose of the boolit. I assume that comes from the cartridge laying at the bottom of the chamber at the instant of ignition. The other thing I wonder about is the "trapezoidal" or non-parallel look to the groove markings.

Any input is welcome, thanks.

[Digital Dan]

Dunno about the mark on the nose and won't speculate about it. The rest is normal. Bullets don't start turning on first contact with the lands.

[IDSS]

...The rest is normal. Bullets don't start turning on first contact with the lands.


Thanks, that's what I was thinking; or at least hoping. Even though the gas check almost invariably sheds on impact, they do give good accuracy. I also get next to no leading.

[bruce381]

is that skidding?

[Hickory]

is that skidding?
Yep, that's skidding.
This is normal when a boolit jumps from the cartridge case into the rifling.

[fryboy]

agreed , it jumps straight into the rifling and then as it grips it starts to spin , the marks ,by my thought, would be heaviest where it laid on the bottom unless something else had held it to one side or another ( including the top ) note how the angled marks cut over the straight ones

[IDSS]

Thanks, all. "That's normal" is what I was hoping to hear. looks like a boolit has a rough go of it the first inch of travel, or so. Well, the landing's not so gentle, either.

[44man]

That is fine, the boolit was OK at the base band. The boolit seems a little soft with some slump at the nose and is why there is a mark there. Off center slump.
Only other reason is a boolit a little out of round if that mark is at the parting line. If the gun is fit so tight the cylinder can't move will also do that. A RH should be OK so I would pin it on some slump or out of round.
I would take too soft away myself since the nose did not mushroom. Measure boolits out of the mold. It is so rare to have a perfectly round boolit it is crazy.
That boolit would be better without the little edge at the nose and first drive band.

[44man]

I don't know why they design boolits like that. The ogive should flow into band diameter.
It is the trouble with a keith. The ogive loses guidance at the rifling and cone. That will not pull the cylinder.