Has anyone have experience with a cast lead truncated cone for hunting?
Is that enough meplat for a good hunting bullet?
Has anyone have experience with a cast lead truncated cone for hunting?
Is that enough meplat for a good hunting bullet?
I use a 225 grain .45 bullet from Accurate in both .45 ACP and .45 Colt. I have shot 3 deer with the bullet, one with the auto and two with revolvers; they all fell down dead. I guess it works.
To paraphrase Ronald Reagan, the trouble with many shooting experts is not that they're ignorant; its just that they know so much that isn't so.
If meplat is more than 1/2 of bullet diameter it will work.
But 0.6-0.7 of bullet diameter is better.
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HE wants to know what YOU know.
Keep it to yourself.
I would not want to hunt with the classic tc Lymans 356402 but would feel fine with my 265 gr 44 SSK castings. It's all relative.
[The Montana Gianni] Front sight and squeeze
MT Gianni, I like that!
Dick
I'm looking at hunting with the Lee 452-230-TC
I would say that meplat is too small. I have 357 bullets with a larger meplat. Meplats under 60% of the caliber tend to tumble and not penetrate straight. I KNOW that that bullet tumbles because I used to run that mold and I tested it in water jugs multiple times and it always came out the side of the fourth jug in the row.
I sold the mold and now run the 200-RF and 255-RF in my Colts and ACPs. They penetrate in a straight line.
If you really wanna hunt that bullet, I would put a small dimple on the nose about like half a BB. This shallow cup point won't blow your penetration, but it will let the meplat swell out to .7 or even 100% meplat.
I have used that bullet to finish trapped and wounded hogs. Hits like a hammer and penetrates well.
"In God we trust, in all others, check the manual!"
I had a truncated mold for my .358 rifles. Great accuracy at 100 yards, at 200 yards, you could barely hit the side of a mountain.
The solid soft lead bullet is undoubtably the best and most satisfactory expanding bullet that has ever been designed. It invariably mushrooms perfectly, and never breaks up. With the metal base that is essential for velocities of 2000 f.s. and upwards to protect the naked base, these metal-based soft lead bullets are splendid.
John Taylor - "African Rifles and Cartridges"
Forget everything you know about loading jacketed bullets. This is a whole new ball game!
this will only be short range stuff, 100 yards at the maximum
it has a .6 meplat
Last edited by kens; 09-30-2017 at 10:32 PM.
It tumbles because the meplat is too small. You can't count on that bullet to hit the heart because the wound track is not a straight line, more like a banana that randomly curves off to any one of 360 degrees.
Now lets discuss how poor the entry wound will be. There is less meplat than a 38 special AND launched at a slower speed. Not confidence inspiring. All the damage happens once the bullet tumbles and starts curving away from where you are aiming.
Seems to me Dan Cash and jcren answered your question with actual meat testing.
My Lee 452-230-TC has a meplat of about .3. I would have no hesitation using it for hunting and may this season if the NOE shallow hollow point weighting in at 245 doesn't get the draw.
Good morning
How big are your corn crunchers ? Have a friend in central Georgia and he says the area deer are "large dog" size with a few that maybe weigh 150 lbs. If you have smallish deer it may not be real important. But do use a soft type cast. Range scrap or softened WW. So called hard cast will make a nice pencil hole that just may self seal before your supper gets too far away. We call this "beagle time".
East central ILLinois corn crunchers are 200 -300 pounds generally. I would not desire to be shooting your cast slug if I had a WFN 250 -300 grainer available which we do. Big bodies need big holes to leak out and good straight penetration out the far side.
Mike in Peru
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Male Guanaco out in dry lakebed at 10,800 feet south of Arequipa.
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |