45-70 vs Pumpkin... i lost

[Al_Bundy]

Guys... i think i want to return my Marlin. I lost to a pumpkin....

I have video but its not worth the time, i'll try to explain. Filled up an 8 pounder with water filled maybe 80-90% to the top (ran out of water). Shot a 405gr FP PC cast boolit and expected it to blow into chunks except it just shot through like if there was no water. 2nd shot took out a quarter of the pumpkin. I have two ideas what could've went wrong. One, shot too high where there was no water. Two, it's because im using 14gr of unique and its just too damn slow at that velocity.

I'd like to see what 50gr of varget would do with this bullet but im afraid it'll need a gas check if i push it too hard using that powder. Wondering if i'll have the same results with a watermelon using this soft load. FeelsBadMan

[buckshotshoey]

Try a hollow point if you are looking for orange splash. You are expecting something a flat point probably won't deliver. Better yet, fill the pumpkin with tannerite! That ought to do it.

[Wayne Smith]

Buckshotshoey has it. FP's are known for penetration - not expansion. You got penetration! I'm not sure even my Gould HP would do it - HP is pretty small.

[Walter Laich]

Pumpkin lives matter!!!

[Beagle333]

You need a big ol honkin' HP! But I've never shot a pumpkin, so I don't even know if these would do it.

http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt214/shutupandjump/cast%20boolits/bobcat035_zps7d4f9e23.jpg

[Mr_Sheesh]

Are Velets or the like made in 45-70? LOL

[BCB]

Maybe the water was able to expand enough to absorb the energy of the boolit?...

The pressure was not confined into a smaller area as the interior of the pumpkin might be pretty big?...

I’ve shot 12-ounce cans filled with water with just the tab open and they explode pretty amazing. I’ve also shot cans with the complete top removed and they did deform and split somewhat, but not like the can where the water was more confined…

Might be what happened with your pumpkin?...

Good-luck…BCB

[Al_Bundy]

I expected there to be an avid demolitions expert in produce in this forum. It could be the water was absorbed by the pumpkins insides which is why my my bullet when hit high just passed through. Does the velocity not matter much or does the force of this bullet even at 1000fps good enough?

[Al_Bundy]

Try a hollow point if you are looking for orange splash. You are expecting something a flat point probably won't deliver. Better yet, fill the pumpkin with tannerite! That ought to do it.

That's illegal in .CA :/

[Victor N TN]

Our youngest daughter is a school teacher. After she gets wound up, (she works at an inner city school in areas where gangs run Loose) she likes to fill up 2 liter bottles of water and cap them off tight and back up20 to 30 feet and unleash Mr. 12 Gauge at them. After emptying a box of shot shells she generally feels more human. I don't remember her ever cutting loose at pumpkins though...

[Bohica793]

Pumpkin lives matter!!!

No they don't......

[Uncle Jimbo]

Well Al-Bundy, if the pain of losing to a pumpkin is too much to bear and the gun brings back bad memories, I will take the gun off your hands. Just let me know.

[murf205]

Al, try a 150 gr flat point designed for a 30-30 in a 30 cal magnum at about 3300fps if you are really in the pumpkin eradication business . If you are close, don't forget to wear a raincoat!

[buckshotshoey]

That's illegal in .CA :/

Yea? Tell me something that ISNT illegal in California. You gave no indication you were in the land of the oppressed.

[CastingFool]

I once took a shot at a capped milk jug full of water with my 308 Win loaded with 130 gr hornady spire points at 3000 fps (published fps) The water flew up about 20 ft up, jug was completely split, and I found the cap 3 days later, about 50 ft away. it was awesome.

[Walkingwolf]

Pumpkin lives matter...

[WILCO]

http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt214/shutupandjump/cast%20boolits/bobcat035_zps7d4f9e23.jpg

Great looking boolits!

[blackthorn]

Years ago we found a two and a half gallon, metal pail of grease in an old logging show. My friend leaned his trail bike against a stump and set the pail of grease on a stump about twenty feet away. He then got well back and shot the pail with his '06. Took him weeks to get the bike clean again and he still has not lived that down. On this pumpkin thing, I suspect there was not enough tight containment to build enough pressure within the pumpkin to cause it to explode as anticipated.

[crackers]

"After emptying a box of shot shells she generally feels more human."
I don't think the water has an effect, I see it as a 12ga massage.

[whisler]

I can tell you from experience that tannerite inside a pumpkin will send small chunks in many directions.

[Victor N TN]

"After emptying a box of shot shells she generally feels more human."
I don't think the water has an effect, I see it as a 12ga massage.

Actually... I think you're right. But she loves the visual effects too.

[Texas by God]

Velocity is your friend for exploding produce.5 A lemon hit with a 22-250 will vanish.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[Chill Wills]

Yea? Tell me something that ISNT illegal in California. You gave no indication you were in the land of the oppressed.

1)The government harboring illegal aliens. 2)Infringing on the 2nd amendment.

Al, you can go to a softer alloy with that flat point. Or, change bullets to something like the 457-122 HP in softer lead too. Or, change rifles to a bottleneck for some more velocity. A 30-30 factory round might be the bar to set other bullet/cartridge performance by.

[mdi]

Yep, them punkins kin be pretty tough suckers!

[44MAG#1]

Load that Marlin up with a 540 gr at 1500 fps and shoot a big animal in the center of the chest. Or maybe 20 pumpkins lined up and see how it performs.

[robg]

Dangerous things pumpkins, can attack at any time.need big boolits for them.

[Hickory]

206467

Here's how you kill pumpkins.

[gwpercle]

Your pumpkin didn't have a tight fitting top.
Get a 1 gal. milk jug with the cap , fill it, up to the tippy top with H2o and screw on the cap. Then shoot it. My kids still remember me doing that to show them what a bullet can do. We were having safety lessons.
Don't hollow out the pumpkin. Shoot it whole....a water melon will work also.

Basically it sounds like you had a open pail ( the hollow pumpkin) , filled it with water and shot it , as you saw not much happens with an open pail.
The pumpkin didn't get you , you just forgot to screw a lid on it. Containment is what causes the water to rip the target apart...you simply lacked containment.

[gwpercle]

Yea? Tell me something that ISNT illegal in California. You gave no indication you were in the land of the oppressed.

Voting Democrat is legal....I think !

[RogerDat]

I'm with the people that suggested not full enough. Water has to transfer shockwave and pressure to pumpkin, air space will allow for a "shock absorber" effect I would think. While hollow point might be more impressive I would think a flat point would still deliver significant force. Try the full water bottle with cap on tight, that should tell you if the bullet/velocity are able to yield a bursting force.

Don't open the pumpkin much, Just enough to get a funnel in to fill it with water to the top. Possibly a larger opening could act as a pressure relief valve.

I wouldn't say you lost to the pumpkin. After all a double tap to insure pumpkin demise seems within the parameters of you win pumpkin loses.

[chuckbuster]

Many have mentioned the full plastic gallon jug as a target. I will never forget shooting one with a 200gr .350 Rem Mag Factory load on a calm humid July morning. There was a spray with pieces of jug, sort of a mist and a cloud of vapor that floated away...

[longbow]

Yes, what they said! You either need much more velocity or a giant HP boolit. I vote for giant HP! That FP will sale right on through without making much disturbance as you've found out.

I occasionally like to blow stuff up and HP's do a wonderful job where solids do not. The pumpkin itself has little resistance so the water is what will cause the HP to expand... or at least for the most part in my experience.

Now if you were trying to stop a bear the 405 gr. FP is the way to go.

[mart]

I once used a full throttle load with a 300 H&H and one of those huge HP Speer 130 grain bullets on a small watermelon to demonstrate the effect. It was an eye opener to the new shooter.

[Al_Bundy]

a lot of you guys i think were right on the money and its easy to think about now that you pointed it out. Air space in the pumpkin cushioned the water from expanding outwards. I didnt fill it to the top as i only went up to 85% full. Top was not hollow, i cut a hole and placed the piece back onto the pumpkin. 2nd attempt i'll cut a hole from the top so that i can reach the max volume and ill bring two sets of loads. Same as last time using unique 1100fps and a new load using 50gr of Varget on the 457-405gr FP. That bullet should reach near 1700fps from lyman load data.

[Grmps]

Milk jugs full of water "blow up better with faster projectiles don't know if this is true for pumpkins.

[Hickory]

206512
Is it true that they shoot pumpkins?

[Engineer1911]

Not enough powder! Try 32 grains of Accurate Arms 5744 with your 400 grain bullet. The result will be pumpkin parts and pieces. I've shot this load for 5 years in my Taylor Arm's Quigley with scary results.

[Al_Bundy]

Not enough powder! Try 32 grains of Accurate Arms 5744 with your 400 grain bullet. The result will be pumpkin parts and pieces. I've shot this load for 5 years in my Taylor Arm's Quigley with scary results.



i only have unique, h335 and varget to work with.

[Texas by God]

We used to shoot cull watermelons and canteloupes with whatever we had. Found out quickly to stay a good bit away if using anything over 3000 fps and even farther for 4000 fps loads! Gallagher and his "Sledgeomatic" have nothing on a 22-250 or .220 Swift.

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[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

MORE SPEED , 223 55gr soft points at 3200fps makes for impressive visuals on water jugs

we sold pumpkins when I was younger , any that wern't looking so good we took back to the shop and shot out back , but we only had access to our deer guns at the time , 12ga slugs even at 1600fps are rather unimpressive on pumpkins so after a few we just tossed them out back for the deer to eat.

[pmer]

.32 Win. SPL. 170 grain flat point at 2200 FPS will nearly split a milk jug full of water in two.