Velocity required for GT Bullets hollow points to expand ?

[Hardcast]

GT bullets uses 92-6-2 Alloy, IIRC. What velocity is needed for these hollow points to expand well? Did a search but found no info on this question.

[megasupermagnum]

They do not, all of their hollow points are 96-2-2 alloy. That is far too broad a question to ask. The 175 grain 30 caliber rifle bullet with tiny HP is going to work best at a velocity far different than the 38 caliber 160 grain with huge HP. The alloy they use should be comparable to something like the 50/50 COWW/pure lead many use, or 16:1 lead/tin.

[Hardcast]

They do not, all of their hollow points are 96-2-2 alloy. That is far too broad a question to ask. The 175 grain 30 caliber rifle bullet with tiny HP is going to work best at a velocity far different than the 38 caliber 160 grain with huge HP. The alloy they use should be comparable to something like the 50/50 COWW/pure lead many use, or 16:1 lead/tin.

Just went to the GT website and looked. You are correct. My memory seems to have failed me. The correct alloy has somewhat answered my question, as I thought 6% antimony would be too brittle to expand reliably at moderate velocity. Although I have several handgun calibers, I was thinking about .44 Spl/Mag caliber in a 4 inch barrel today when I posted the question. Should have been more specific. Thanks for the reply.

[megasupermagnum]

For what it's worth, I cast the 44 caliber NOE clone of the HG #503 with deep HP. GT bullets has the same bullet (I'm almost positive they used the same NOE mold), sold as the "44 caliber 250 gr Keith Design LSWHP".

I cast mine of 20:1, and get good expansion at 1200 fps. I would expect good expansion at 1200-1400 fps from the GT bullet.

[USSR]

You've got to keep the antimony content down if you want good expansion. The alloy of the bullets in the following pic is 97Pb/2.5Sn/0.5Sb, and velocities are left to right; ~800fps, 845fps and 940fps. Most commercial casters use too much antimony and not enough tin.

Don

[ACC]

For what it's worth, I cast the 44 caliber NOE clone of the HG #503 with deep HP. GT bullets has the same bullet (I'm almost positive they used the same NOE mold), sold as the "44 caliber 250 gr Keith Design LSWHP".

I cast mine of 20:1, and get good expansion at 1200 fps. I would expect good expansion at 1200-1400 fps from the GT bullet.

I'm with you. If my brother was casting hunting boolits, it would be out of 20:1, and they would mushroom like toad stools after a rain storm. Any harder and it was just an unjacketed FMJ unless it hit a substantial bone.

My hard cast just whips through a feral dog, but a 100 to 150 pound feral hog if it hits a shoulder bone it will mushroom as it breaks it.

ACC

[Hardcast]

For what it's worth, I cast the 44 caliber NOE clone of the HG #503 with deep HP. GT bullets has the same bullet (I'm almost positive they used the same NOE mold), sold as the "44 caliber 250 gr Keith Design LSWHP".

I cast mine of 20:1, and get good expansion at 1200 fps. I would expect good expansion at 1200-1400 fps from the GT bullet.

I have not shot 44 Mag for years. But lately I find myself having the wants for a smaller lighter 44, and the S&W 69 appeals to me more than the Ruger GP100 44 Spl. I would not be shooting any barn burner loads though it as I got all that out of my system in my younger days. Over the years I have owned 3 different four inch 29s, 1 four inch 629, , one- 6.5 inch 29, and 2 different 8 3/8" Mod 29s. All those are gone now and all I have left is one 5" 29 with the under lug barrel. Have never shot it, for a reason which I won't bore you with right now. I was thinking a 240 -250 gr at 1000-1100 FPS would be plenty for anything I would shoot around here. I live on a farm. Years ago, when I was a novice caster, I had a Lyman 249215 GC mold. I cast a bunch of bullets with a lot of antimony and water dropped them. They were so hard there was no way I could scratch them with a thumbnail. I had the bright idea to hollow point some with my Forster case trimming tool and the hollow pointing drill bit. Shot them through my 8 3/8" 29 at full speed into water just to check for expansion. The noses fragmented off every bullet and I could see the crystalline appearance of the lead where the noses tore off. There was no ductile property to my bullets at all. A lesson for a young buck. That why I ask about the GT boolits. I'm getting just about too old to cast myself and I can afford to buy a few now that I'm retired.

[Hardcast]

You've got to keep the antimony content down if you want good expansion. The alloy of the bullets in the following pic is 97Pb/2.5Sn/0.5Sb, and velocities are left to right; ~800fps, 845fps and 940fps. Most commercial casters use too much antimony and not enough tin.

Don

Thanks for posting the pic and the info. Are those all M-P molds?

[USSR]

Thanks for posting the pic and the info. Are those all M-P molds?

Yes indeed. Great molds.

Don