Testing Cast Bullets - Performance

[insanelupus]

Does anyone do any preseason testing of their cast bullets to get an idea of how they will perform during the hunting season? For example, testing for expansion, penetration, different yardages, etc?

I'm just curious if you do, what typical rules of thumb you have come up with and what procedures and testing mediums you use.

[fredj338]

I test a ll my jacketed or lead bullets that will be used for serious purposes. Bal.gel. is nice, but diff. to work w/ & doesn't allow much testing per session. I have flound wet neswprint or phne books to replicate the expamsion of bal.gel. or live game. Penetration is less, but expansion is almost exactly the same. Some will use just 1gal water jugs, besides being diff. to work w/ (one shot & done) water is actually pretty hard on bullets & penetration is much greater than you would see in bal.gel. or live game. Just make sure the wetapck is truly wet. Dry paper is very tough on bullets.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v703/fredj338/44-272-1K.jpg

[Johnch]

My testing is as follows

In a pistol , as it is my normal hunting tool here in Ohio ( No rifle deer hunting )

I first work up a load with a boolit cast out of my hunting alloy that shoots well at 50 and 75 yds
OK as well as I can hold the revolver
2 parts Range lead / 1 part WW
A little softer than 1-1WW - Pure lead

I make sure the load groups well enough at 100 yds , as that is MY SELF IMPOSED limmit

I then do 2 expansion / penetration tests
To see if the boolit expands or comes apart

One into tied up wet newspaper , if a boolit stays togeather for the most part
It will not over expand on a deer

The other is into soaking wet sawdust
I find wet sawdust is about as close to flesh as I can come up with on the cheap
I have a pile behind the barn , but a box or barrel full might be easyer

This year I am testing the 44 HP from MiHec
So far I , I think I have a winner from both the Contender and the Redhawlk

John

[GLynn41]

i use the sale paper thrown in the yard every week 4-5" I look at what does it do at impact-- then I look the channel through the paper-- I also look at how it tears the plastic that they are in -- btw they are well soaked-- I shoot from 60 yards- so I can get two shots perbatch

[Shuz]

A friend built a "test box" for me. It holds about 6 telephone books very tightly because of a removable metal plate that fits behind the books. I pour water on top of the phone books and they swell up and exert a good deal of pressure against the plate. I shoot into the open front of the box and can easily collect the boolits once I remove the metal plate. So far I've just used it on .44 mag boolits at about 15 yards. Results of hollow point boolits recovered have been impressive, both on expansion and penetration.

[Hickory]

Elmer Keith has already done all of the for me.
Lyman #429421

[GLynn41]

in that case me two 410459 hp

[44man]

Heard of professor gun? I depend on professor deer! Nothing will compare or duplicate actual hunting results.

[GLynn41]

there is no doubt of that--but we can still play

[Dale53]

44man;
Yeah, but those dern deer are not all that cooperative. One shot and they fall down... You gotta do a LOT of work before you have a definitive answer (let's see, the statistician told me I had to do a minimum of 33 tests for the results to be statistically significant). In the years when we were only allowed one deer, that would have taken a while:mrgreen: There is another factor - I have never recovered a bullet from a deer - they just keep going, going, going...:bigsmyl2: So, if you want to look at your bullets, then some kind of testing medium is called for.

Dale53

[mpmarty]

You don't find your boolits in your deer? Ya must not be shooting them as they charge at you:kidding:

[Dale53]

mpmarty;
All of my deer have been killed with a Keith 250 gr bullet (except for the last one, and it was the Lee C430-310-RF). The Keith 250 gr bullet at 1200 fps and above will shoot through a large deer end for end (I have done that a couple of times). So, while I have not been "charged" by a vicious deer, I did have a nice buck stamp at me (he was tasty, too:mrgreen:). The buck saw me, but I was in cammo's and 75 yards away partially screened by a large briar patch while stalking him. He "challenged" me and I answered him with a Keith at 1300 fps:violin: - it was head on and the bullet went full length and exited (shot just below the spine from head on). Instant kill.

Dale53